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Hang on... and welcome to the forum; glad to see someone new knew to come here for help! Owners' Manual, Page 177 (3rd ed.), Starting and Stopping the Engine, Vehicles with Keyless Start, You should find: If you are unable to start your vehicle, do the following: 3-button remote 1. Hold the key at the backup location on the steering column. 2. With the key in this position, press the brake pedal, then the button to switch the ignition on and start your vehicle. The backup key gets the door open. Inside, there's something called a "backup slot" on the right side of the steering pod, under the windshield wiper stalk. Look for a fob-shaped indentation. I suspect that area has a power transmitter which activates the interface in the keyless fob if the internal battery's too weak to do so. Same technology as RFID. Hope this helps, Frank

Me, too, but to different 60's... "As I watch the drops of rain Weave their weary paths and die, I know that I am like the rain, There but for the grace of you go I." Paul Simon

Search "Ford key life test" for that kind data. Here's one good link and it has the data... The gist is that Li-ion technology is too new to know it's going to break; no Li-ion batteries in hybrid applications have not been run long enough to estimate service life accurately. In place of life data, Ford developed an "accelerated life test" procedure they call the Key Life Test. The good news is not only a projection of 80% capacity at 250K miles, but also a validation of the test against NiMH technology, showing it's a conservative test; all field test samples did better than predicted. I would assume that most of your discussion of charge/discharge thresholds would be comprehended by their test parameters.

You're missing the forest for the trees. The only thing you NEED to see is the tape holding the tuft. If you see the tuft, it's laminar and he tuft tells you direction. Sides above the wheel wells, entire fishbowl back to the hatch, and a good portion of the rear glass (note divergence away from centerline). If you can't see the tuft, it's turbulent and there is no direction. Between the tail lights and below you can't see tufts. You also can't see them at the crease below the rear glass, where mtb's spoiler sits. Then there's everything inbetween... - Wheel well turbulence occurs in a region of high flow, so you see blurry tufts. - Below the tail lights, you can see a transition going around the corner from laminar to turbulent - While the upper rear glass has stable, slow flow, the lower portion picks up some of the turbulence between the tail lights Slowing it down to 1/4 speed (i.e. repeat each frame 4x) does let you see the tufts in turbulent regions... I'm surprised how well they freeze! (Not bad for a $70 camera... ) What do you see now? HAve fun, Frank, who wishes he'd found Movie Maker sooner...

The real question, Paul, is if you ever needed the 4x4 to get you out of something you would never have gotten into without it? In my experience, AWD gives a false sense of security. Mashing the gas without wheel spin makes you think you can steer and brake, too! You can't, but that's not obvious until it's too late. I've been passed by many a 4x4 in snow storms, only to find them in the ditch up ahead. One even did it right in front of me; we're both driving straight, and the next thing I know, he's fishtailing... fishitailing... slowing down... regaining control and fading in my rear view. This on a completely empty (and closed) I-81, just south of Syracuse. My only challenge that trip (besides drifting around the on-ramp) was VISIBILITY. Plenty of traction (first set of Michelin X-ice), no issues with snow depth, just that maddening view of snowflakes flying at you... Gone in the C-Max. Wonderful car for snow! HAve fun, Frank

Erect video snippet now available here. This is a 20-sec. clip of the better of the two videos in 1080p so I trust you can see things. HAve fun, Frank

It may be meteorological Spring, but this bears repeating... Do you know the difference between normal cars and 4x4's in the snow? It's the length of the hike back to the road when you lose control. Brakes and steering are what's important, not drivetrain! A C-Max with snow tires is close to my ideal winter vehicle. - great visibility in snow at night. Between the tall seating and low headlight cut-off, this car is the best I've ever seen. - lots of traction, but not so much that you overdrive your brakes and steering (aka lose control) - inherent stability; a big battery in back gives the car a large polar moment, so harder to spin. (Think Porsche 944) - plenty of ground clearance, easily sufficient for areas averaging 8 feet of snow a year. (We still have 10" to go... but it's just March.) Your wife's call, of course! HAve fun, Frank

Amen to that! It's one of many aspects of performance driving that are counter-intuitive unless you understand what's really happening. At the same time, I find the OEM tires to be quite linear in their response below the limit, even if the cornering limit itsn't particularly high. Given the hybrid drivetrain, I've tried to focus on the car's strength - mileage - and so stayed in the tires' linear range more than I might have in the past. The one time I got the car balanced and cornering near its limits, the car took control and "saved me" from myself. Don't be surprised if you try to find the limits and instead find the brakes being applied in the middle of turns. Roll Stability Control. Personally, a 1/2g panic stop at the apex of a turn seems like a foolproof recipe for head-on collisions... but what do I know, I only drive! Thankfully, I haven't noticed RSC all winter! Have fun, Frank

We must have different vehicles... mine never gets a chance to "top off" the battery. I exit the expressway with a high SOC, and can get to the top of the intervening hill without ICE if I catch the lights. From there, it's downhill to home, with EV+ coming on after I turn into my neighborhood. By this time, I've bottomed the battery at least once, so there's absolutely no way for the ICE to run "a little extra." Conversely, the HV battery does recover SOC while sitting, so I get ICE on start-up only when it's very cold (7F today), and not because I EV+'ed my way home. Granted, I live at the bottom of a hill... final path before parking may affect parking SOC and start-up behavior. HAve fun, Frank

But to share webcontrol's frustration, EV+ isn't available when you need it, it's available when the car thinks you might want it. It's another case of the car being smarter than the owner wishes it were... Frank

No one believes the owner can troubleshoot anything....

+1

Try YouTube. I was skeptical, too, but the process was easy, and I was able to keep it private, so I was the only one with the URL. It's how I loaded the tuft test videos... Frank

This was our load driving to Louisiana two weeks ago to see my son... I've found the side doors have greater roofliine-to-deck height, so the tall stuff, like the cherry apothecary chest, goes in the side. There's also a small pie safe, end table, music stand, and a bunch of boxes between the chest and the telescope and food processor framing my luggage. I didn't take a pic when I had the pie safe in there... 1/4" to spare on the shock towers, with a cornice molding that nicely fit the hatch opening. I also missed the trip in Louisiana, bringing a dining room set and TV stand to his place. Every time I see a FFH, I remind myself that the Fusion body style just doesn't fit my lifestyle... HAve fun, Frank

Be patient and the size/load issue may resolve itself. I'm seeing a far wider range of sizes available in the run-flat version of this tire, providing you with a 225/50-17 option as well as an expectation that the size will eventually be available without the run-flat feature. . I would also be very careful not to confuse consumer surveys with actual tire testing. obob's link is just survey data, so it doesn't speak to rolling resistance. Their test reports do... but you need to find comparables. I'm only seeing one test that includes the P7 all-season, and one test of the OEMs, which had the lowest rolling resistance in a test of LRR tires. Not surprisingly, no tires are common across these tests. One is left to infer superior performance from the OEM because the P7 was not selected for that test. Finally, if I may be so bold as to suggest that the test results clearly point to the Conti as the superior tire, especially for wet performance (look at the spider charts). Regardless, I expect both tires would upgrade the C-Max handling over the OEMs, but at a cost in FE. HAve fun, Frank

Matt, I'll try to say this gently, but at 48,000 miles, you're now driving a used car. You drive too much to keep a car actually "new" for very long! I can't believe I'm pushing 20K on my "new" car, either. Seems like yesterday, they were only toddlers... no, wait! Have fun, Frank

You can change the wallpaper, shown behind the home screen...

I also believe I'm seeing a taller, longer seal across the front of the hood. I don't recall it covering the clips for the black grill panel... Frank

Kind of a solvent-based lost-wax casting? Or perhaps more accurately, mold making? My only thought would be to hollow out the styro before the solvent melt, as the latter sounds messy the more you try to melt. HAve fun, Frank

With all due respect, Brother, build it how you want it to fail!! You probably hadn't been under the car yet, given you posted at midnight, so you may not yet know exactly what let go. I'll wager it did a little damage, as fasteners do when they fail. Before you reattach it, think about how you'd like it to fail the next time, as Murphy's Law tells us there will be a next time. Maybe there's a simple way to add a break-away point? I'm thinking in terms of highway sign posts, bolted to a pad set in the ground, so a vehicle impact shears the bolts rather than the car wrapping itself around the pole. I'm looking at a similar modification once Spring arrives, so please lead the way! While this car is short, I seem to always go long when stopping... Have fun, Frank

Yes, I'm considering 0W20 oil, but the bigger question to me is synthetic vs blend. Since conventional wisdom (which may not apply) says to let new engines wear in a bit, I see no problem with blend for 25K miles, but the next change will be full synthetic, and once I get a synth baseline I would consider assessing 0W20. I don't expect to see a difference. Interesting chart in this post... one wonders why I've not switched already! Have fun, frank

Two comments on a nice description. There are two ways to achieve a high VI, by starting with a high VI base fluid, or by adding VII's - viscosity index improvers - to a low VI fluid. You want high VI, but in the base oil, not as a result of VIIs. The olive line looks more like aged dino-juice than new 5W20 synth. - same slope, but you agree it should be lower - lower viscosity @ 100C, which means it's not 20 grade, as one suspects from the labeling. I would expect Mobil 1 5W20 and Motorcraft Synth 5W20 to have very similar properties on a chart like this. I don't see a techincal basis for assuming otherwise. Have fun, Frank

Mike had you recently filled the tank? I have capless filler and it sometimes fails to seal. Look earlier in this thread. The fix is to use the funnel to open and close the flaps in the filler neck. Haven't seen the MIL in months... ... but then, I dind't have a evap system problem. Hopefully you don't either. Have fun, Frank PS here's a link to the other thread. http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/462-check-fuel-filler-inlet/

There's a thread on tire chains, as I recall; cable chains are acceptable, but not conventional link chain. Here's a link to some first-hand experiences. These socks look less intrusive than cable chains, so I'll wager you're fine. But then, others have reported excellent traction with the OEMs, and I'll vouch for snow tires myself, especially after driving home last night - hoo-weee - I felt like the answer to the question, "what does the plow guy drive?" (The real answer is "to work before it starts snowing.") Have fun, Frank

That's the whole idea - block air flow into the radiator so the engine stays warm. In Summer, you need some. In Winter, not so much. Check the grill block threads for data; this has been fairly thoroughly investigated and limits found, but mountains are always involved at the limit. Since I don't have any mountians nearby, I try to stay warm. Have fun, Frank