marshtex2

My last two fill-ups look like this (odom now just into the 13,000 miles): Miles on tank: 689 660 Gallons actually put in: 13.5 12.8 C-Max mpg readout: 53.0 52.9 Hand cal’cd mpg: 51.0 51.6 Not much hypermileing but just driving and accelerating rather slowly, mix of suburban and some on highway. Didn't get any pix of the C-Max screen.

My last two fill-ups look like this (odom now just into the 13,000 miles): Miles on tank: 689 660 Gallons actually put in: 13.5 12.8 C-Max mpg readout: 53.0 52.9 Hand cal’cd mpg: 51.0 51.6 Not much hypermileing but just driving and accelerating rather slowly.

ICE is short for internal combustion engine; that's where the gasoline gets used. Keeping up with pushy drivers in city and suburban traffic kills mpg. Choosing routes that have less traffic thus letting you dwaddle along will help. How many miles on the odometer?

OK, gotcha. Sure it is the BTU factor, not octane, that's making the difference.

Paul, What is "Pure Gas" and how does it compare with "Reg"? It is hard to see how our little ICE would return better mpg on a higher octane rated gas. i

I had the rear windows tinted but not the front door windows. I found I like them clear for best dim light visibility. In addition to keeping out some sun's heat, there is a security angle about not seeing all your stuff inside.

A simple solution to being able to see the ignition slot for where to put the key next time is to turn the steering wheel barely 1/4 turn to the right before taking the key out. This moves the open area over the top of the steering wheel down so the ignition key slot is clearly visible. HOORAY!

My White Hornet's lifetime numbers on 7/23 say: MPG 45.2 ODOMETER 12452 EV MI 6574 REGEN MI 595 BRAKE SCORE 94%

fbov, I'm with you on using the back roads where cruising 30 to 50 mph doesn't bother other drivers. That helped me get to 51.0. My faith is in odometer miles driven (they could be corrected by GPS or Mile Marker comparisons but that is usually too much trouble) divided by dispenser-measured gallons, just like all my life in every car I've driven. That is what I mean by "REAL 50 + MPG" on this post title. The C-Max 'puter numbers are part of somebody's dream.

Yesterday the check for $475 came, dated 07/14/14. Last year I got one for $550 dated 10/04/13. Maybe it will never end!

Great. What do you mean by computer? Those numbers calc out to 53.0 but is that the gallons measured by the dispenser or that number shown as used on the C-Max readout?

IT MADE IT TO 51 REAL MPG! My C-Max used a tank full of gasoline yielding an honestly measured 51.0 mpg using odometer miles. Considering the odometer is 1.5% low compared to gps miles, actual mpg was 51.8, the C-Max computer said 53.0. It used 13.5 dispenser-measured gallons to go 689 odometer miles, mixed suburban and highway driving. Almost no hyper mpg driving technique was used, just driving like we would in any car for best mpg. Accelerate slowly as much as possible considering drivers behind me, cruise not over the low to mid 50’s letting it drop back into the 40’s on uphill runs, again with consideration of accompanying traffic, but allowing 60 + going down hill while keeping in EV mode. I wondered if I had the patience to drive that slowly for a whole tank full but made it.

My C-Max presented two kinds of 12 V battery problems. One I caused by leaving things on like the radio or some lights while I was doing mod work on the car. The other was un-explainable total shut down. Both were rectified with a surprisingly short time on a battery charger. However, after the second event of type 2, a trip to the dealer got them to recognize the situation and the service report shows "REFLASH FCDIM" (Front Control Display Interface Module). That seems to be a permanent fix. Now, for many months and several thousand miles Battery things have been just fine and I really enjoy the car and the real 46 - 48 mpg. Too harsh to reject the car and cheat yourself out of a great ride because of the fixable battery issues.

mkaresh, that is a great link to keep the reliability info current. Thanks.

This basic model does not come with a smart key but an almost dumb key that will lock and unlock the doors and honk the horn with the little button switches. My first shock came when I left the key in the switch but turned off, windows rolled up, while getting gas. All done, doors all locked tight. Key in pocket saved the day. Since then there have been a few other times when the doors locked themselves.

Yes, salsaguy, the Prius was on my mind but I didn't like it's gauge and instrument set-up. Then came news of Ford's Li ion battery in the C-Max. Went in to check it out. Bought the first one I saw.

ONE YEAR REPORT 2013 C-Max hybrid SE, white platinum, basic model & trim. I did add pin stripes, darkened side & rear windows, a Scangauge2, Garmin GPS, LED daytime running lights and back-up horn. 11,000 miles, 22 fill-ups, biggest 13.7 gallons. General mix, suburban, highway, little city driving, range from 43 to 46 mpg actually measured the old fashioned way. Highest, 47.5. Almost no hyper driving effort anymore. C-Max ‘puter always says 2 to 4 mpg higher at each fill-up. Run tires at 51 psi. Most demanding drive, Las Vegas, NV to Sonora, CA through Death Valley up high Sierras very fast, over rugged 10,000 ft, Sonora Pass not very fast, 37.8 real mpg, car handled very well. Highest speed 113 mph, downhill going through Death Valley, handled very well. Biggest load, 5 people, hatch area packed solid to the ceiling with luggage, handled very well. Two strange 12 V battery problems one resulting in re-flashing it’s computer. No more problems ever since. Did second oil change at 7,500 miles. Plan them now for every 10,000 miles. Watch outs: Doors will sometimes lock themselves. Never leave key in, always have spare key in pocket. Coolest thing: 4 window auto roll down on holding unlock button down after second push. A worst thing: The key doesn't easliy find the ignition switch slot which is not visible from driver's position. Ashley, now hear this, Ford could do better. Check out the basic Toyota Sienna, they've done it right. Some other strange computer-related events but nothing persistent or serious. A GREAT LITTLE CAR and a great Ford C-Max Forum with yall's comments & Ashley's lurking back there to get help from the creator

After decades of driving so as to minimize using brakes, I have abandoned trying to change to a style that maximizes dragging the brakes and don't notice a change in actual mpg. Anyone else have mental trouble joining the brake dragging club?

Thanks for telling the details of your experiences. After getting a letter from Ford Inc inviting me to get an EW and reading this thread I went to www.andersonandkoch, got quotes. I selected one that was priced $1,010. Called Ford Inc: $2,110. Went to my nearest dealer: $2,300, trying to negotiate just got into weaseling around with lower coverages. So I went back to A & K's www and got that first deal for 7 years PremiumCARE, $100 deductible on my 2013 C-Max SE, 8800 miles.

Welcome kotsby, After starting life in California, spending a few years near your territory at Purdue U., a lot of years at a few other places, I too got a 2013 C-Mas Hybrid SE, Platinum White, no sun roof. About 9,000 miles now. Real mpg runs 43 to 46 per whole tank fill. A great car, replaced my 2011 Toyota Sienna 4 cylinder which was also a great car; didn't need its size any more. Enjoy.

Thanks again, Ashley. I did get a call. Advice was to not try more to get the key in, call road svc, get hauled to the dealer so their guys can see it in the failed mode and work on it from there.

I have used the much cheaper parts store mud flaps on other cars and found that there is not always a good place to mount them securely and they are more easily ripped off. I hate the cost of the custom oem type flaps but they stay on and work better.

WIRING MODS ON THE WHITE HORNET (the name I gave to my platinum white C-Max SE) For reader convenience, I've split my original starting post, first getting quickly to looking at the finished project then getting into the details of doing it. Now for details. I found that all the fuses in the box under the glove box are always hot, not good for DRL. Checking the fuse box in the engine compartment, I found always on, simply switched on and switched on ones that also come on when a door is opened. OK, that will require running wires through the firewall to get from fuses to switches near the driver. I did that by using the grommeted hole through which the hood-opening cable runs. Using a length of welding rod or larger plain copper house wire, I poked around that grommet where the cable goes in, above the driver's left foot. After a bit of a struggle I got it through and slid it to where I could grasp it from the engine compartment side. Thinking of the DRL system, I needed a switched 12V source, get it inside and through a manual switch, and then back out to the DRL LED strip I was going to use. So I fastened two small-gauge wires to the end of my pull through wire which I pulled back through the grommet bringing my hook-up wires along. The grommet is very tight and will easily pull taped wires off the pull wire so that part has to be meticulously done. The most certain way is to use a copper pull wire and solder the lead wires to the end of it. Also needed are an always hot wire, and another wire to get out to the alarm horn which I mounted in the back of the engine compartment. One by one I taped a new wire onto a midpoint of a little wire just pulled through and pulled it through. While at it I pulled a fifth wire through for possible later use. Whew! Let's look at the fuse box and the fuse identifications in the owner's manual, pages 267 & 268. Down the left side as we look at it, always hot are F 20, 21, 24, 30 and a blank position at 31. In the center are F 23, 26 and 27 which are hot only when the ignition is turned on. Again, as we look at it, the hot side of each fuse is on the right. I positioned my little wire alongside the left fuse prong and shoved the fuse in its slot thereby allowing fuse protection for my application. Using F26 for my switched needs the little green wire is seen in the photo. For always hot you see the little black wire going into F31 where I put a fuse with the little wire wrapped around its left prong. I filed a notch alongside the big wire harness entry grommet to run the little wires into the fuse box. Along the front edge F 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 are unpowered unless the ignition switch is turned on or a door is opened. I did not use any of these. There you have it. See the jpg.

WIRING MODS ON THE WHITE HORNET (the name I gave to my platinum white C-Max SE) For reader convenience, I've split my original starting post, first getting quickly to looking at the finished project then getting into the details of doing it. Realize that in modifying wiring on the C-Max we should not tap into its in-place wiring system. That is a multiplex system and is destroyed if we cut into it like we may be used to doing in old conventional wiring systems. However, for example if you want a device to be powered when backing up (e.g., a back-up camera) it is safe to go to a backup light bulb and right there tap into its wire but you cannot get that power at the shift stick reverse position in a multiplexed system. So I wanted to get 12V from a fuse and wire it to my application the old fashioned way. Objectives: 1. Daytime running lights (DRL). These should automatically turn off when ignition is turned off. In addition I wanted to be able to switch them completely off. Light electrical load. 2. Alarm horn. This would need a little button switch. Power could come from always on or switched on by ignition. Very brief electrical load. 3. Always on outlet for Garmin 2720 GPS. Light electrical load. So I would need two power sources, always on and switched on by ignition. Look at my finished product. Fortunately the headlight switch module is easily pried out of the dash panel with a thin flat-blade screw driver that reveals a place where the special wires can be managed. So first, the DRLs. See the first two jpgs. Then the set up at the headlight switch. DRL switch on the right, little red horn button on the left. See the third jpg; Then the outlet for the GPS and a manual switch for it, the larger red button, fourth jpg. I plugged the Scangauge into the lower OBD II outlet and ran its wire through the other OBD area and through a notch made in its panel. Then see the finished set up, jpgs 5 & 6.

I am a mud flat type, they prevent some grit damage to the rear of the tires. As I was buying my C-Max, I went to the parts dept. and found the mud flaps were available and got the part numbers. On closing the deal with the salesman I got him to include installed mud flaps in the price I had bargained to.