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I have an October 2012 build date, pushing 60K miles with nothing more than some brake issues. Rear caliper stuck and warped a rotor, while the front rotors rusted away (not that unusual up here). Note that the 12v battery issue you've heard about wasn't very common in these SELs. I'd look at this as a value proposition. Assume that you're only keeping the car until the 8/100 warranty expires, so there will be no tranny repair cost, but likely lower resale value. You've got 3 years and 78K miles available. How does that fit your transportation needs over that period, compared with the cost of the car? FWIW, I'm looking at my options. I drove Volvo wagons for decades, and this car does what those wagons did, using half the fuel. I have a similar 3 years and 40K miles available, but Ford's ending production with nothing similar to the C-Max on the 3-year horizon. This Spring, I'll mount the OEM tires for what will be their last season... I like the car enough that I may use the worn-out tires as an excuse for getting another C-Max while they're still available (but honey, I needed new tires!). Have fun, Frank

Ironically, retirement was the end of my science project. You'll note a seasonal pattern that ends 3/2016 at 45K miles, when I retired and ended my daily commute. Until then, I had been experimenting, and saw things like tire pressure and fuel content make a difference under some circumstances, and not in others. It came back time and again that the driver is the biggest variable in fuel mileage... ... Except ambient temperature. Nothing you can do about cold. These should all have block heaters. That said, be aware that you'll only see the smaller drivers of fuel mileage at very high mileage. For example, if your pump-based mileage doesn't break 50 MPG on a regular basis, use cheap gas. The best ethanol-free premium fuel never pays for itself, has no benefit at highway speeds, but it will push a high-mileage driving style even higher. Conversely, increasing tire pressure close to the rated sidewall pressure always helps. And I saw no mileage different between OEM and Michelin X-ice snow tires at changeover. That's not typical! Have fun, Frank

Re: tread depth Tire Rack lists two 44 psi, 94V 225/50-17 tires, a Canadian sourced tire at 8/32 and a US-sourced tire at 9/32, and both carry a notation "different tread." Regarding performance differences, maximum load is only available at the rated pressure. A tire that's capable of 44 lb. greater load at 7 PSI lower inflation pressure must have major differences in tire carcass construction. That said, I saw no difference in mileage switching from OEM to X-Ice 3 snows, in 215/60-16 with a 99 load rating (1709 lb. @ 50 PSI), but at similar rated pressure. Have fun, Frank

Welcome as well! I'm not sure what obob is describing, but I do know what you're hearing. I first heard it visiting my daughter in Vermont, Thanksgiving 2014. Occurs rarely enough to ignore; I need a hill and just the right speed... and it might happen. Some owners have it worse and have tracked it to the cabin noise suppression system. Some of them have disabled the microphone, others pulled a fuse... problematic as I believe it uses the car's audio system. I treat is as a rare event and ignore it when it happens. HAve fun, Frank

Welcome! Yes, it's true. The C-Max is more efficient around-town than it is driving cross-country. Here's a link to some neat data. https://avt.inl.gov/vehicle-button/2013-ford-c-max The first report is a summary of specs and EPA mileage testing. Per the dynamometer test... - you can get 80 MPG at a constant 30 MPH, or 39 MPG at constant 75 MPH, - you can get 51.3 MPG at 72F, but you can't hit 29 MPG at 20F. Winter sucks. Whoever said "you're mileage may vary" was talking about hybrids! Have fun, Frank

Tire rims have five important specifications - diameter - width - offset - bolt pattern (number and diameter) - hub/center hole diameter You need to meet all five to be an exact replacement, but it's the last two that are critical if you want to bolt them to a vehicle. My snows are on 16x6.5" wheels, but they're Ford wheels, so same bolt pattern and center hole. It's 5-bolt, 4.5" bolt circle, 2.5" center hole. Metric equivalents are 107.95 and 63.5mm All four wheels are the same size. There are three options for a spare - compact spare tire from any of the larger Ford sedans (Taurus, Fusion) will work, as the links describe, but it's a short-term fix. - full size spare; a refurbished OEM wheel has advantages - full size alternate tire; I have a set of snows so I use one of them when I need a spare tire (only once so far). Don't forget the jack and lug wrench. And a way to tie it down in back, so it doesn't try to come forward when you stop. Have fun, Frank

First off, welcome! Second, get used to pump-based MPG short-falling the car's estimate. My 100 fill-ups, in-car fuel use averages 5% lower than the pump. The car misses some of the fuel use... Plus3 has some interesting insight as to the cause, but it's in my "get used to it" bin. ALL CARS are terrible in snow... those that do work owe it to their tires. It's much more a side effect of using tires not designed for the purpose. OEM Michelin Energy Saver A/S and an All-Season tire that works well in snow 1) 2) And now, a real snow tire, and a new, all-season that also carries the "3-peak mountain snowflake" symbol identifying a snow tire. 4) 3) Clockwise from OEM, we have... 1) a low-rolling resistant tire with hard tread rubber, large monolithic tread blocks and straight circumferential tread grooves 2) a compromise tire with hard tread rubber, fully siped tread blocks and zig-zag grooves around the tire plus a center rail. 3) a compromise tire with hard tread rubber, long, narrow, siped tread blocks with no circumferential groove 4) a studless snow-and-ice tire with hydrophilic tread rubber, small tread blocks divided by many sinusoidal sipes, and a center groove. In snow, a new set of OEM's is not comparable to the other three, and a worn set are dangerous. In deep snow the top two are not comparable to the bottom two. We have these on our cars this winter... So don't blame the car if you're not using tires suited to the task. Have fun, Frank

This is the biggest difference from a conventional drive train - engine speed doesn't change. You no longer start from a very quiet idle RPM but rather from OFF. It's a lot quieter in the hybrid. As you start moving, the engine speed no longer rises slowly from idle, it no longer blends in with the increasing road noise, and it no longer gets louder, then softer, then louder, then softer, then louder as RPM rises in a lower gear, then softer when it shifts into higher gear. In a hybrid, when the ICE starts, there is no "idle" speed, it runs near the cruising RPM form the start, ever wavering (unless you ask it to). You notice it more because it goes from silent to full-throat very quickly. I noticed it because it never changed... there were no gear changes occurring... very odd for anyone whose driven a clutch. It's more of a power plant than an just an engine... Frank

I don't see an opportunity for life extension; your "unusually cold" is my normal, and I've been doing oil analyses all along. February 2015 was record cold and there's nothing odd resulting. Bov Oil data 170627.pdf From this data, I would suggest against 0W20 oil. Look at the "flashpoint" and "fuel%" and it appears 0W20 lets more fuel into the oil. Conversely, for the last change, I had a 3+ hr. highway run immediately preceding, which would have driven any fuel from the oil. I'll let you know about the 5W20 EP late this year. Note that I also list the base oil contents at right, for comparison. Many of the additives vary with the oil, not the service. +1 to Bob Based on my car's data, I'm hypothesizing that in hybrids running primarily "city" mode, where the engine is off much of the time and oil never gets to operating temperature, 5W20 may have greater resistance to oil infiltration. Note that my car's only winter oil change was 2014, also the only winter I stayed warm taking the highway nearly every day. It's the lowest flashpoint with 5W20. I await the next oil change result to see if there's a consistent pattern. No reason to expect one; most 5W20 synthetics are real close to 0W20 viscosity specs. When the oil life alarm next sounds, I may just test, not change, and see if my oil ages as well as Paul's has... with TBN, too. Have fun, Frank

Welcome! Here's an interesting site. Enter your VIN and you'll get a list of your options, and any outstanding recalls. http://www.etis.ford.com/ Enter your VIN under the "Vehicle" tab. Fuel: if you're careful and learn how to integrate the car and the terrain, you can get very high mileage. In these cases, octane and ethanol content will make a difference. At no point will you break even on the added cost, even if it's only a couple bucks. Paul Jones is one of the best at attaining high mileage, so he sees a benefit. I saw a similar benefit on in my rural commute. BUT there was no benefit otherwise; most folks are better off using 87 octane 10% ethanol. I never saw a difference in highway driving, or on strange roads where I couldn't use the terrain around the corner to my advantage. EV+ will take care of itself. It can remember multiple spots if you hit them regularly. I used to drive past the dealership, and major services and upgrades would register their location as deserving of EV+. It never hurt my real destinations. Turn on and off multiple times (10x?) to register a location. Only concern with longevity of this car is the transmission on our early 2013's. Lots of threads here. There are real advantages to pairing an electric motor with a small gasoline engine. The latter is dead at zero RPM, while the other's power is limited only by the available current at zero when stopped. You'll spin the tires on occasion. The key life test result tells me battery life is nothing to worry about. Ford did a very good job protecting the battery... you only use the middle 40% of the 1.5KWh capacity. Dash indicator limits are about 30% and 70%, and that's a very good thing for battery life. Driving a hybrid is not about power, it's about efficiency. This is an Atkinson-cycle engine after all; revving quickly to high RPMs is its greatest weakness. Turning the engine at less than 2000 RPM and accelerating, while still charging the battery, will get you up to speed with a full battery, ready to coast on EV. 60MPG is achievable on a round trip course (one-way trips can't be trusted). Half-throttle rabbit-starts will put you on par with Consumer Reports' test drivers. The knob and buttons are "ambient lighting." You can change the color of the accent lights in the foot wells and door latch (palette) as well as the intensity (knob). If equipped... mine was. Try turning it on (knob) then pressing the switch, in the dark. BTW, the owners' manual is available online; I just searched for "palette." Have fun, Frank

+1 Great data. Note the chart is in Celsius; -20C is -4F. We're about to get a spell of sub-zero this week. I remember from two years ago what it's like driving with a cold HVB. This chart shows why sub-zero is a special case, where our EV systems can't function. Note this is for discharge; no charging below 32F. Have fun, Frank

I'm in the 2.5 minute bunch, albeit with an original battery in a max-life part of the country. Considering alternatives to battery replacement... Frank

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/4540-what-about-the-big-battery/?p=51685 Here's the reason not to worry about the battery. Frank

Glad to hear!

You ask about problems, so that's what you hear. You should also know that we really like the car; I find it's in a perfect niche for someone who drove Volvo station wagons for decades. And it handles better! Have fun, Frank

FWIW, my driver's seat heater was serviced... but it failed right after the seat back recall was performed, so I assumed it was a simple connector. I hope yours is, too. Frank

Paul, what "didn't" on yours? obob, the odometer didn't change with the PCM update, only the miles/EV miles/Regen displays reset. I also reset Trip 2 at that time, and haven't touched it since. Have fun, Frank

The tuft Test rides again!. Yeah, edge of rear glass was a very clean transition, but I have no idea what's happening above the surface... while Ford does. Frank

"New?" How new? A new-to-you 2013 or something more recent? On my '13, the "lifetime" data is shown when turning off, but after "recent trip" data. Either is available using up/down arrows on the left., until the dash blanks. Of course, this is "lifetime since 13B07 PCM update" since that update erased data for the first 11,152 miles. Cie la vie. Have fun, Frank

I live in Rochester, and have had all three grills blocked since some time in '14. I only monitor engine temp through My View, not an OBD interface, so I can only say it's never gotten past the middle of the range. If I lived in the Valley of the Sun, it may well have gone high enough that I would have removed one or more. I wouldn't worry much in the Northeast, and Paul's done well in the Southeast. But Ford did have specific design goals, so there are operating conditions where all the airflow is needed. My View is your friend in this regard. I look at RPM and water temp, and regularly flip between it and Empower while driving. Have fun, Frank

Is she in Denver, too? Michelin's got a new design, Crosscliimate+, that claims good all-season tire wear, but carries the "3-peak snowflake" symbol found on snow tires. We bought a set for the wife's car, but so far, they're really good warm weather performance tires. Give it a month and I'll let you know about the snow performance. Not cheap... Frank

What "sounds interesting" is the 2018 deadline on a newer C-Max. This thing hits my sweet spots; I'm looking at alternatives to new tires in Spring. Frank

I see no pattern at all! Frank Difference between pump and computer, plotted against average speed (computer distance/elapsed time) and computer MPG (computer distance/fuel added).

I remember those!

It's the triumph of marketing that convinced many people 2-wheel drive vehicles are inferior. As noted in the article, the C-Max did not offer all-wheel drive as the Escape had, and the RAV4 does as well. Automakers found a real golden-egg-laying goose in the that red herring. Frank