Nervous but Excited

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some help figuring out what's going on with my 2017 Energy. Everything was 100% perfect until I took it for a service at a Ford dealership in Colorado. Unfortuantely I moved out of state the day after I picked the car up again - so I can't go back to that dealership. The first thing I noticed was a sound coming frmo the back right week. The freequency was related to the driving speed, so I suspect it is related to the wheel. I am pretty sure that it's coming from the back right wheel, but it might be back left. At first the sound was almost undetectabloe. I hoped that it would magically go away. it didn't. I'm now a few thousand miles down the road and it's worse. It's not crazy bad or anythihng , but it's not great either, and the steering wheel seems to have developed a very slight shudder. Any advice would be apprecaited. If somebody has a shop recommednation in Boise, ID. Please let me know 🙂

Hey @EdH I'd love to get an update on your battery replacement. Did you do it? If so - how did it go? If not - why not? I've been wondering whether it's feasible to give my 2017 Energi a new battery that's way way way better than the battery it currently has. Not just a "good as a new C-Max" battery, but a "this is the best battery that 2023/2024 has to offer". Any thoughts?

Yeah, I desperately want to understand *why* the turning radius is so bad... It just doesn't make sense! Okay - good to know that there still isn't a big competitor in the space that I am unaware of.

I drive a 2017 Energi and I absolutely love it. My sister in law is in the market for a car. Home charging isn't an option for her, but I still think that the C-Max Hybrid is a really really good option for her needs. Are there any other cars that you would look at give the following specs: -price sensitivity -cargo space is important -MPG is important -Will be used for commuting, and weekend trips between LA and San Diego.

Thanks @jzchen The potential downsides look scary - any comments on that?

Great! THanks for the advice! I don't have a tonn of DIY Experience. Do you think this is a fun project that I can figure out myself with some effort on the internet... Or should it be left to the experts?

I have a 2017 Energi, and the headlights are too dim for my liking. Scratching around this forum and around the internet in general I am disappointed to see that increasing the brightness of the headlights is a surprisingly difficult task. Does anybody have a suggestion for the cheapest and easiest way to boost brightness?

The Energi has a 7.2 kWh battery pack, which means that - starting next year - used sales would qualify for up to $4k of subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act when the sale is made through a dealership. Surely this will increase the resale value of the car to those selling their used Energi's to the dealerships? On the other hand, it might decrease the value of the car if you try to make a private sale as the dealerships would effectively be able to offer the buyer a $4k discount that you will not be able to offer. ... Any thoughts?

Thanks! I have a regular 110V charger too - will take that along when I don't know what I'll be finding.

The receptacle seems to be a NEMA 14-30R... But this doesn't seem standard for level 2 chargers..? I'm going to get a convertor: https://www.facebook.com/commerce/products/nema-14-30p-to-6-20r-receptacle-adapter---ev/5105350399580671?ref=messenger_share&rt=54 And a level 2 charger: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/5103966699710748/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Ad38044b2-d80e-4239-9d01-bc12d4f7322b

Whoa... a bit of exploring online and I see there are millions of different plugs. Here is a photo of my outlet. I thought a NEMA 14-50O would work for me, but only one side of the 90degree prong at the bottom would be filled. Any insights?

Update - my regular charger miraculously started working again. No idea why. BUT - I moved to a new apartment, and this place has a high voltage outlet. Any advice for buying a HV charging cable? Or can I again just buy the cheapest thing?

Thanks everybody - great answers as usual!

Is there any reason to not just buy the cheapest thing on Amazon? i.e. this: https://www.amazon.com/Lectron-Level-Charger-Extension-UL-Certified/dp/B08HHBDQ88/ref=sr_1_10?crid=W7Z1FBLB7VZ5&keywords=ev+charger&qid=1655241996&sprefix=ev+char%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-10 There is also a used C-Max charger in my area on Facebook Marketplace: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/549173226513315/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3Aa5c80214-9c7f-4257-9eac-bb40f62bbee0 Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks both. I am leaning towards what @SnowStorm said. The full trailer is like $200 more expensive than the dolly. And I think it's worth it. A third option has emerged: To dive the car and ship the rest of the stuff using a Pod https://www.pods.com/moving-services/moving-costs

I'm moving cross country with a lot of stuff. I have a 2017 Energi SE. Options that I've considered: 1 - Tow a trailer. Doesn't seem like a good idea. Expensive to install the hitch + lighting, and it seems as though the car isn't designed for this (not even for a light trailer). 2 - Rent a U-Haul and drag the C-Max behind the U-Haul Theoretically this seems like a nice solution, but I don't even know where to start with trying to figure out the issues. Any thoughts/suggestions or cautions/warnings would be much appreciated.

Interesting. Thanks @cr08. If possible, would you please direct me to more conversations about having the wrong key? I bought the car about 3 months ago, so it's a long shot, but I'd like to try bug the dealer.

Thanks - I'll check out the Remote Start settings next time I'm in the car. I don't think I have a remote start option from the key (image of key attached). Please let me know if there is indeed a way to start using this key (which looks like something from the 90's).

... I am honestly SO Stoked about this!! Taking the car back to the dealer would have been a big hassle, and I don't think they would have known what to do about it. Everybody on this forum is a frikkin legend! ?

@bookemdano and @GeR2 I just did the update. The whole effort (starting from downloading the software) took me about 45 min thanks to the amazing guidance that you've put up on this thread. Everything works - Happy Days!! Thank you both so much! One follow up question - when I hit the start button on the app, some sort of air conditioning/heating comes on in the car. Is there a way to set the temperature for this? And also, does it matter whether the car is plugged in or not? Another follow up question - now that I have this cable... Are there any other super safe and easy updates/upgrades that you suggest I consider? Thanks again!

Thanks @bookemdano! I'm gonna order the cable now. Will post back here once I've given this a go. I have an 8" screen, so probably Sync3. Glad to hear that this doesn't change anything.

@bookemdano yes - The app connection process went as expected. I did a master reset. The car asked to connect to Wifi to check for system updates. I used a cell phone to make a hotspot, but the car wasn't able to connect to this for some reason (even though my laptop successfully connected). AT&T 4G coverage should be solid. I tested within the city limits of Boulder, Colorado (I've tested in three different places). The app is currently showing me everything that you listed (current odometer reading, the car's current location, fuel and EV battery level/range, among other things, etc.). But the start/stop and door lock/unlock functions don't work. I'm curious about the recall icon too. It directs me to the regular website, where I can enter my VIN. It then shows that the 4G upgrade is still required (see image attached). Weird. Would love to know what you think of this, because it's obviously not happening to you...? I just read the entire thread starting from page 14 (the stare of @GeR2's journey). My takeaways are that there is a high probability that the Ford dealership is not going to be able to solve this problem easily. I think that probably doing it myself will be easier. I am extremely grateful that I was able to live through @GeR2's journey. And also super grateful for the wizards that figured all of this out. I have a few questions before I begin my journey: 1 - Are we sure that this cable (recommended by @bookemdano is appropriate for the job? 2 - I don't know whether I have Sync 2 or Sync 3. How would this influence my journey? I have a 2017 Energi SE (second hand) 3 - My plan is to order the cable before installing ForScan - this is to ensure that I don't run out of time with the trial period. 4 - The cable plugs into the receiver by the driver's left knee (under the steering wheel)... correct...? 5 - anything else to consider before I start this journey and order the cable?

I have not read this entire thread, but I think I have a super interesting story to share... I called three different Ford dealers trying to get the best price and fastest service #1 didn't know about the upgrade #2 Quoted me about $450 and an uncertain wait time #3 said "you're in luck your VIN was selected for the promotion, and your installation will be completely free in about three weeks from now" I told the guy that I think he is wrong, and only the labor is free. He said, "nope, the whole thing is free". I thought "I'll believe it when I see it" I got the car back yesterday... And I walked out without paying a cent. In fact - there is no paper work at all, haha, not even proof of what was done. ^^ That is the good news. The bad news is that although Ford Pass was able to connect to the car (which was not possible with 3G)... The app doesn't work. See attached images of the app saying "doors failed to lock/unlock" and "car failed to start/stop" I just wrote my guy an email asking him about the best way forward. I suspect that he is going to have no idea what the best way forward is. Any advice would be appreciated. What you can learn from me: Call a few places and ask them whether your VIN is eligible for the free installation Don't assume that just because the Ford Pass app connected it will actually work. I recommend that you ask the dealership to accept the on-screen notification that will enable you to connect to Ford Pass (I did this). I also recommend that you then ask them to observe the car while you do a remote start/stop (I did not do this). PS: I can't find the @bookemdano tutorial that everybody is talking about, but I don't have any fancy car equipment so I suspect the tutorial will be lost on my unless somebody in the Boulder, Colorado, area wants to lend a hand...? WhatsApp Unknown 2022-04-14 at 10.05.17 PM.zip

Great! Thanks!

This is the first thing that Google spits out, but it would be nice to have a referal. https://www.etrailer.com/Tire-Chains/Ford/C-Max/2016/PW1034.html