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FYI, a lot of the negatives on Amazon note that virus scanners find trojans on the disk that came with their OBD scanner. I didn't take the chance... Of course, it's looking more and more like I got one that won't talk to Ford. It pairs fine, Torque Pro sees it and says it's a clone that's not compatible with Ford. Not all ELM 327's are created equal; looking at a different unit that's popular on a Ford truck forum so it should work... we'll see! Have fun, Frank

No, John, it makes you sound like someone trying to figure something out. There are two patterns I see, that other have discussed: - high MPG is correlated with high EV mileage fraction - the more you drive EV, the better the MPG. - High EV fraction is correlated with high ICE fuel consumption The first is obvious; use less fuel by not running the ICE, which is what uses fuel. The second isn't... and it gets right back to load on the engine, as you suspect. The guys getting high mileage, get very poor mileage when using ICE - they get the most energy out of ICE when it's on, but only use it sparingly. Here's a comparison from lasst September, when it was warm enough to make the comparison... - rural route 47.1 MPG and 68% EV, but 15.4 MPG when ICE is running - expressway 41.9 MPG and 33% EV, but 27.9 MPG when ICE is running It's clearly better to run 2/3 EV than 1/3, even if the engine's using nearly twice the fuel/mile when you do! BTW, ICE-running MPG is - (total miles/MPG) = fuel used - (total miles - EV miles) = miles when ICE is running - ICE MPG = (miles with ICE running / fuel used) Have fun, Frank

Why do you assume everyone else can? My issue is weak passords, "weak" as in they don't last the session. I open a few threads and I'm no longer logged in to any of them. Previously open threads no longer allow me to reply. My base page (New Content) requires an active password to open, yet after opening a few new threads, I'm no longer logged in on any thread, includinge New Content! It's an inability to recognize actions taken by logged-in members. Failure to forward credentials from one web page to another on the same site. How is that a local issue?

You're seeing the effect of changing illuminant color temperature. Sunlight is "white" by many definitions, so you see the true color. In the shade, it depends how much light falling on the car is skylight and how much is sunlight reflected from nearby objects. As we all know, the sky is blue. If we illuminate the car with skylight it will be blue... But if the shade you parked in was next to a red barn in full sunlight, you might think it's pink... And being blue-green, I wonder to what extent color blindness plays into it? HAve fun, Frank

Sounds like he was hoping for a return engagement...

And in 25 words or less... It's about how you spend your time. You spend a lot of time moving, and very little time using fuel, so fuel acts more quickly! Make sense? Your example is a 1.5 mile drive with ICE on for 0.5 miles. The ICE effect must occur in 1/3 the time, so it happens 3x faster. Frnak

That's the engine air intake grill. Pull the plastic connectors below the seal and the plastic folds forward and you can see the intake plenum. I slid some plexi behind it; plenty of space for the engine to breath without the slots. Still, reduction of air entry in front is one way to reduce aero drag... HAve fun, Frank

Welcome to the forum! I was about to tell you your idea was all wet when I realized that towing brakes have come a long way since I was pulling a trailer! I didn't worry about brakes when flat towing a car, thus I have remote lights. It seems obvious to me that a supplemental brake that activates the pedal will also activate brake lights. The only question is what happens in towing configuration (car in accessory mode, tranny in N) when you hit the brakes in a car with regen braking? I suspect nothing bad... HAve fun, Frank

As I recall, downhill assist (DHA) only works when you're coasting, and then only to keep speed from increasing. If you're got your foot on the go-pedal (Can't really call it the "gas" anymore, can we?), there's no effect, ill or otherwise. What you're observing, Mike, is different behavior when coasting, but not down steep hills, right? Granted an MPG change takes distance to become evident, so you'd have mixed terrain by definition. I find very few lift-throttle hills around here; most are just EV-assist. Reading more carefully, you're seeing a short term phenomena: "...within a city block I saw my numbers increase from 43 to over 60." The only time I see the MPG display move that fasts is right after a reset, when there are very few miles, and even fewer gallons recorded, so a little EV mileage can drive high ratios. I'll have to try it myself. Frank

I would take this up with Carmax, after a careful read of the sales agreement. If you bought the car as-is, you may not have any rights. If they guarantee the car's stock features work at purchase, you may have some leverage, as the Nav is standard on your model, and it can't work without the card. Good luck! Frank

I think you've misread the manual! Proper punctuation would help. your vehicle starts to raise the accelerator pedal-based, EV-mode threshold This is saying that in EV+, the blue box around the white bar will start to rise higher on the white bar when in ICE mode. The EV-mode threshold is the unfilled blue bar. Go below the threshold and ICE stops, EV starts. In EV+, you get into EV easier because the threshold is higher... After all, "eats shoots and leaves" is not understandable without a comma... Have fun, Frank

What's at this site that's not on etis? I've had issues with GPS turning off. Pulling the card will disable Nav. RE-inserting will restart Nav. Sometimes, it restarts GPS, too, otherwise, I just wait. HAve fun, Frank

You'll only be charging the lead acid, for sure, and most lead acid batteries these days are "maintenance free" meaning there's no need to check water levels. My links were as much industrial as automotive. Frank

You may not realize it, but you're doing a little pulse & glide in the first case. It's a fact of hybrid life that you have to run the engine sometime to charge the battery (unless it's an Energi). The idea is to combine infrequent engine use with very efficient engine use - high load at low RPM - so you get the most energy per gram of fuel. Load comes from acceleration and hills; the ideal is a throttle setting that maintains battery charging (^ symbol above battery icon) while accelerating and climbing a hill. You effectively "ride" the terrain, gas uphill, EV down until you're out of battery and speed. That's the essence of P&G. The car does most of the hard work, you pick the times to use the engine (pulse) or use EV and "glide." Just keep an eye on that little ^ symbol when pulsing... And, as you already know, ignore all this as traffic and road conditions require. Always keep the shiny side up! Have fun, Frank

Umm... No.

I agree, this is a very civil group. I'm talking about the next level of a good forum - attractiveness. "While the OP is venting frustation rather than requesting assistance, I'd like to think we can respond in a freindly and courteous manner to a first-time poster, regardless the content of their post." When you're the first responder to a thread, you know it. The screen's blank. Look a little and you know it's a first post. Respond nicely, find out their areas of interest and degree of technical understanding, provide some useful resources if it seems appropriate so they get some value for their investment in a first post. "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." I was tasting vinegar... but I also think this was a 1-time poster. Cie la vie! Have fun, Frank

And now we know!

There are two common reasons for hitting 10K without a "change oil" message: - the oil won't need it until 10,500 or so - someone already reset the oil change monitor, perhaps at an oil change. Mine exceeded 10K as well, due to reason #2, an oil change at 5.6K with monitor reset. The Monitor Reset procedure is in the Manual under Maintenance, page 285 in the 3rd edition. HAve fun, Frank

Welcome, Nutter! If you haven't already looked up your car, here's the link to Ford's etis site - technical information and services. Click the vehicle link, input your new VIN, and you'll learn all about your new car as it came from the factory (link for minor features is imiportant), as well as any outstanding service actions. One thing a lot of us look for is "immersion heater," the engine block heater. Mine says "Less immersion heater" and I do miss it. Conversely, we'll both enjoy "With roof conversion - panorama roof..." The other thing is Ford support. Your car can tell you how it's doing through the vehicle history report. Support.Ford is where I get my reports, as well as scheduling service and taking advantage of any "web specials." Plus, the PDF Owners' Manual is a lot easier to use (searchable) than the paper copy. And then there's Ashley, this Forum's Ford advisor. You met her just before posting! Enjoy, Frank

While this sounds like a great idea, there's one serious flaw to using a voltage source as a battery charger/maintainer - overcharging kills a battery better than depletion. Look at the chargers' specs... this one makes 2.4W, but at 17.5V... There are a lot of lead acid battery links out there; here one good one as it goes through the stages of charging. In this case, we're discussing "topping" or "float" stages. Based on this I'll make a recommendation: For short term use, this sounds prudent (from the link): Not all chargers feature float charge. If your charger stays on topping charge and does not drop below 2.30V/cell, remove the charge after 48 hours of charge. For long-term use, get a voltage controller: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sunforce-7-Amp-Solar-Charge-Controller-60012/202218721?MERCH=REC-_-product-3-_-203241530-_-202218721-_-N or a solar battery maintainer http://batterytender.com/products/solar.html Have fun, Frank

Gents, While the OP is venting frustation rather than requesting assistance, I'd like to think we can respond in a freindly and courteous manner to a first-time poster, regardless the content of their post. When greeted by "I don't agree" and "... your math is wrong," I'm unlikely to come back. Yet that's the message I got perusing the thread. As long-term posters, remember you're also ambassadors. Thankfully, the first respondant to the other "lemon" thread started the reply with "Welcome..." and commisserated rather than rebuffing them. Remember, there's no better way to kill a troll than with kindness! HAve fun, Frank

Ashley, A small point, but new folks with less than 5 posts can't PM yet. That'll be anyone coming here with a problem for the first time. I've seen several replies to that effect. Is there another way folks can contact you or someone else for support? Thanks, Frank, who has been known to ask leading questions...

Search AE5Z-78115A00-B http://www.partscheap.com/2010-2013-Ford-Fusion-Cargo-Organizer-p/ae5z-78115a00-b.htm http://www.amazon.com/Ford-Standard-Popup-Cargo-Organizer/dp/B002K725QS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394462237&sr=8-1&keywords=ae5z-78115a00-b http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nkw=AE5Z78115A00B+GENUINE+FORD+CARGO+ORGANIZER+&_itemId=180678349134 Not Marshall Sikes, and a range of pricing...

I am most gratified to be of service if disheartened by the OPs result...

Scan Gauge is a stand-alone device. For about $20, you can get a OBDII diagnostic plug-in with WiFi or BT, and interface it with your smart phone (Torque app is $5) or Nook like one poster here did. I find it real easy to use Torque, but I've not yet gotten everything synced and seen internal engine data... maybe when it warms up... it will warm up, right? HAve fun, Frank