John Sparks

Guys, a LOT of people have been asking for something like EcoSelect. :happy feet:  This is what it does.

 

EcoSelect  • Allows the vehicle to operate more efficiently with only a slight impact on vehicle performance.

Drivers may notice:

– Less aggressive heating and cooling

– Softer acceleration

– Increased regenerative braking

– Changes in engine behavior

– EcoCruise activation

 

This is on the 16 Hybrid along with Sync 3.  Wish we could have paid for an upgrade to Sync 3 on the 15'.  Just got my 15' Energi.

Mine will do it any time of the year but I'm telling you, it's completely normal. I'm a Ford sales rep. I've driven 2 dozen different ones and they all do it. The average driver who does not drive for mileage will likely never hear this noise. It's a specific load generated sound. You also have to realize this thing functions quite different than a traditional ICE. There's a plethora of sounds it will make and different operating characteristics altogether.

 

Now granted the sound is not a pleasing one but, it is easy to quickly remedy by speeding up or letting off the accelerator.

 

As far as the fender liner. I haven't heard of this TSB. I can tell you the inner liner is nothing more that a sound dampening material. It plays more of a part in dampening road noise than engine compartment / AC Compressor noise, though I don't doubt it will help some.

There's another thread about the same noise. The link is below. Anyway it's a load related, harmonic vibration. It's completely normal. Mine has been doing it since day 1 and I have over 46,000 miles on it now.

 

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/5049-2013-sel-loud-noise-while-accelerating/?view=getnewpost

I know this sound that the engine is making. It's a harmonic vibration that occurs when certain load conditions occur. It's completely normal. I have 46,000 on mine and it has been doing it since day one. I generally only notice it when my family is in the car. This being because I'm using my normal driving techniques with more weight in the vehicle. It's loud and a bit annoying but "generally" only occurs under light acceleration or load. As you have said yourself, apply more gas or let off and it goes away. This is nothing to be concerned with.

 

I have also experienced the "whoo" sound but have never chimed in on it. I generally only hear it when riding with my windows down. I do not believe this is anything to worry about either. It's just the sound of the electric motor transitioning back over to the ICE. My belief is that in some conditions to avoid an abrupt start of the the engine, it more or less eases into it resulting the long whoo others have describe on the the other thread mentioned above.

36

It's based on VIN. You will receive a letter if eligible. Your locale dealer "may" be able to check for you

Check this out.

Here's is a sample of the letter customers with eligible VIN #'s will regarding the battery.

Check this out.

Etowah TN to Houston TX. 984 total miles. 75 mph cruise.

 

40.6 mpg.

 

The mpg actually started to slip once I got to flatter ground. Was at like 42 till I got into southern Mississippi. Seems to do better where there are hills. Charges up on the way up then recovers on the way down.

 

But for some crazy reason this car is "now" rated at 37 mpg hwy. Maybe if I drove it like I stole it all the time, maybe!

Are you sure everything is up to date? Some of the things you are mentioning sound like issues that were resolved a while back. PM me your VIN and I can check OASIS on your VIN just to make sure. Seems like I read about a resolution to the battery issue. Let me see if I can find it.

 

 

Update

Here is the TSB on it:

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=1557

Thank you all for your help!  I'm a bit confused over the dead battery issue on the 2013s in particular.  Did any of the TSA bulletins resolve the issue?  How did Ford respond to the issue?

 

It's also interesting that you mentioned this.  When I went to look at the new 2014s at a dealership here in Denver, ALL of them had dead batteries and they had to jump start them.  When I mentioned that I had read something about dead batteries as an issue with this car, the salesman stated, "This happens to any car if it sits around long enough!".  

That's funny, because I've had cars sit for weeks, if not months and they always started up.  So, this is concerning for sure.  Any other thoughts?

Is not uncommon for batteries to die on the lot. Happens all year long but even moreso in the winter. Even through the summer when moving the cars around it is not uncommon to have to get the jump box out for 2-3 cars.

I usually achieve a full battery gauge on the way to work. After about a 2 mile 2000 rpm burn I have about a 90-95% charge I then drop to EV and coast to my turn with some regenerative braking just before I turn. As I am turning many times the tip of the battery will fill. Only to immediately drop as I start to accelerate in EV.

 

Having this full battery allows me to make it over the next two hills and quite a way down the other in EV. Then it's back to a 2000 rpm burn up the next hill.

Here's a link to view the original window sticker.

 

http://fordlabels.webview.biz/webviewhybrid/WindowSticker.aspx?vin=1FADP5BU3DL528815

 

Yes, it has all or things you asked about. Sony premium sound, backup camera. It also has navigation.

Stratosurfer, I just wanted to say that what Kelleytoons said way up top here is correct that 68 mph, "on Ecocruise .............and you should be able to get in the 40's." easily.  What is important is that you use the ECO cruise option (although I suspect simple cruise would be almost as effective).  It is just that simple, ECO Cruise allows the car to select the best mode for gas mileage as the hills dictate.  As you increase the vehicle speed from there, the aero drag will have significant effect on gas mileage (but nothing wrong with 70 mph & 43 MPG on cruise). For 70mph and beyond you might want to talk to PTJones here about aeromods, definitely a good way to make improvements for higher speeds.

 

We are easily able to ECO Cruise freeways at 68 mph and get 45-50 mpgs on the dash gauge over longer looped freeway runs.  We have not seen 45 since last Winter.  Your Texas weather & winds (& excessive AC) will crunch your numbers some of the time, but with quiet, temperate air it is easy to move into the low 40s at 70 mph (or higher 40s if you want to back off the speed just a smidge), the better part of the year, if you just use the ECO Cruise. ((Or just talk to PT))

 

Cheers,

Nick

 

(

 

I agree with this. I live in East Tennessee and we have plenty of hills, ridges, mountains, etc. At 66-68 mph 50 mpg is not uncommon. At 70mph I see 42-45 and at 75mph 39-43. Depends on how hot it is and how much more the air has to work. I still say Ford was spot on with they're first revision. With the latest revision it might as well say: "Drive this car however you want and you will get this mileage". My wife drives it from time to time and she doesn't even try to get good MPGs and usually comes out around 43. She's impressed with the car, so much were even considering leasing an Energi.

Other than when I am on road trips, I always fill at Costco (93 Octane), and mostly at the same pump. In winter, I noticed that the pump and the C-MAX meter are very close to agreement; when it's hot, there will be a bigger difference. So, I decided to just go with the C-MAX meter, not the pump.

I am not convinced about the theory that many have stated about the meter being way off. It could be, but I am chalking some of the reported differences up to factors like expansion and evaporation, poor pump maintenance, etc. My guess is that the C-MAX meter is measuring actual flow of fuel at a given moment, just as it reaches the engine. I just can't imagine Ford purposely chancing the risk that the public would find out about altering the code to make fuel economy look better. So, I am not buying into the conspiracy theory.

Also, there are people reporting that numbers are different (I believe the reports are actually that fuel economy comes out a little better in these cases) when checked against a GPS. So, there could be many factors to change the final number a bit.

In the end, I chose to go by the meter. If anybody doesn't like my numbers, feel free to knock a couple of tenths off of my average.

 

Okay, so I saw a video about this at an Exxon station in Knoxville, TN and I wondered, do all gas stations do this, so I conducted a test. When I filled up my Cmax the other day I pumped a few dollars then stopped the pump. To my surprise, about every 2 to 3 seconds the pump would progress another cent. So now it all makes sense, the gas stations are ripping us all off, but it makes sense as to why the pump to gauge is usually off.

 

Anyone else came across this?

I received my check on Friday - $475. I can't complain, first $550 and now $475. I just passed 10,000 miles and my lifetime average is 43.9 mpg. My summer mileage runs about 49 mpg around town and I don't make any special effort at hypermiling.

 

I just got my $475 on Friday. I've mentioned this before, I just think Ford is trying to make the public happy. I'm just shy of 21,000 miles and my lifetime average is: 46.5 mpg.

 

Love my Cmax! So much better than my Honda Civic Hybrid. My wife is still surprised by just how much cargo this litte car can hold and loves the difference in power. The Civic is weak.

Got to remember that this thing and all cars these days are computer controlled. I would suspect based upon how they operate that part of the system merely goes to sleep when you shut the car off. IOW it doesn't actually shut down so it can fire up quickly.

 

Well if you've got a computer (especially a windows computer) you know the more times the system sleeps the more likely you are to encounter problems. So I say if you power cycle the car and you're good, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Now if it starts occurring often it may be something to get checked out.

 

Every car I've had at one point or another has done weird things. I bought a Civic Hybrid at 36k miles and shortly after I was driving it and the air quit. Adjusted the settings, nothing. Pulled over, turned off the car, started back up and everything was fine. Kept the car another 100k and it never occurred again.

Do you use hill descent control to maintain your speed? If so if will engage the ICE to maintain your speed. May not run constantly but it will come on.

John, you need to understand why the C-Max rating of 47 mpg is not correct and why the Aug. 2013 EPA rating of 43 combined is wrong. You also need to find out how the EPA numbers are actually calculated. ;) It has nothing to do with people not driving like the drive cycles. It not about what FE you get. It's about how Ford misled the public twice about what real world FE might be - which is the fundamental principle of the EPA FE rules and regulations. Some drivers will get more than the EPA numbers some will get less. fueleconomy.gov shows the 2013 C-Max Hybrid average at 39.3 mpg - which is good. :) Interestingly, it looks like fuelly has now combined all C-Maxs (gas, diesel, Hybrid, NRG into one.

 

I'm sorry. I just don't agree that the numbers are incorrect, especially the previous 45/40/43. I'm a sales rep and if you ask me Ford is just trying to make the public happy. Seriously....I took a 350 mile trip yesterday. Longest trip I've taken since I got the car. 90% was on the interstate and 90% of that was at 73-75 mph. When I got home my average was 43.4 mpg. That's the combined mpg for when I bought the car and again, most of the trip was interstate. So how does the vehicle not get 40 mpg highway? I'm confused, can you clarify?

 

 

That was simply the longest trip that I have taken. My experience has been the same with shorter distances and with "true" highway speeds, 55-65, I get mid 40s to low 50s. Example: I was running late this morning so I just set my cruise at 63. For my 31 mile commute to work I averaged 45.5 mpg.

 

 

I just don't get it. For some reason Ford is getting beat up on this car when they really shouldn't be (it's killing the resale value).

 

 

Just a note, if you're not using EcoCruise, you should be. It makes a difference.

Adrian we live in the lower mainland.  Same experience as you.  It is very sad that the sales people are so poorly informed.  In our experience this lack of information extends throughout the whole dealership.  Hate to say that as we have a good car, but it certainly has coloured our experience with Ford.  I honestly can't believe that they are allowed to sell hybrids.  That is why I think Ford should have dealerships specializing in the hybrids only.  You wouldn't believe some of the things we have heard at the dealership.

I don't get it.  Where are the cool "we're killing Prius" ads on TV?!  I watched a half dozen Prius vs C-max hybrid comparisons on YouTube etc. and the verdict was the same every time--C-max:  better car, better options, a level higher of interior luxury and a more fun ride. 

 

Thank heavens for independent research, eh?  My saleswoman didn't know what the green "ready to drive" symbol meant.  She thought the glass roof could be opened and had no idea that the Energi had an all-elecric range.

 

It's not that the dealerships are poorly informed, it's the salespeople. All the information we could want is at our fingertips. The problem is that the sales people do not understand the concept of a hybrid, it's crazy, but the average person believes that they have to plug in a hybrid and a large number of those people believe that hybrid means "no gas". The public understanding of what they are, at least in my neck of the woods, is not that good. The people that do understand the "concept" see the vehicles as being slow, unresponsive, and just no fun to drive, which is a good description of the Prius. :D The fact of the matter is if sales people truly understand our current hybrid Powertrain, it's benefits, and why it truly is the best Hybrid Platform, we would out-sell the Prius all day long, but sadly they do not and the availability in my area is low. We have 1 Cmax right now, go 2 miles down the road and Toyota has nearly 30 Prius.

 

Also we cannot sell the Electic Focus or any Energi models here because we are not an Electric Store. Our owner doesn't see a benefit in the cost vs return, again I just don't believe he understands it, especially when almost every other dealer in a 100 mile radius has made the switch. There's lots of benefit to the Energi, I've lost several sales because of it but I digress, nothing I can do to change it.

 

Although I say all of that, take the hybrid out of it and there's always sales people that just want to sell you a car and send you packing. All they care about is the sale and don't know anything about any vehicle. Those are the sales people that give us a bad name. Cars are complicated now, it's a lot different than 10-15 years ago and that tactic won't work forever.

 

I thought we researched this already and 2014 CMAX is the same as 2013 other than aero enhancements.

 

 

My Dealer just got an allocation for their first 2014 CMAX  and he's wondering why he would want one now when the 2015's will be out in few months. It kinda looks like only Electric Dealers got the 2014's. ;)

 

Paul

We've had several 14 models and we're not an electric dealer, wish we were, would really like to be able to sell the Energi.

 

I don't want to take your head off. (You seem like a "good egg" to me!) I am at 10,000 miles @ 38.7 mpg which considering that I haven't gotten a cover or a block heater is not bad.. got the car on MLK Day.   I promise I have never complained about my "low" mileage (best I have ever had over an all highway 75 mph drive of 80 mi/daily! ) I also love My Ford Touch! But my complaint remains with the fact that the reliaility of the car is so highly questionable. If something goes wrong will my dealer's mechanic staff actually know what to do?   Edmunds and consumer union's reliability rating is killing me.... I will put 100000 miles on a car in 4 years... so I am praying the batteries will hold on til 175,000 lol I can dream!

 

I really love the car... I just wish others did too!

 

With the battery being Li-ion, I don't think we'll see too many battery issues. The great thing about this battery chemistry is that it is not sensitive to charge cycles, no battery memory effect. We also determined there is a happy zone. Don't allow the battery to charge above a certain point or discharge below a certain level and the battery will last indefinitely. The computer on the Cmax maintains the battery and does a meticulous job of it. It charges every chance it gets. Not to mention that the battery being Li-ion is what gives the motor the power to operate independently at higher speeds.

 

Ford has designed the battery to last the life of the vehicle. I feel pretty confident the battery will not be an issue but only time will tell.

I would think the FE would always be better at 72*F than 20*F and 72*F, 95*F similar depending on the use of A/C? :)

 

Paul

You hit the nail on the head! At 95° my mileage suffers due to A/C use. Sure it's going to suffer some anytime I'm using it but when it gets that hot, like today, it works overtime, plus the window area is pretty big in the cmax, meaning more sunlight heating up the cabin. I really believe some dark tint will help a bunch, unfortunately, with everything else going on right now, getting it done is way down the list.

 

I remember visiting car lots in the 70's with my dad and him saying "Sure the sticker says 18 mpg but you'll never get that".  I thought that was common knowledge--"under ideal circumstances"...

Totally agree, the majority of people that buy cars look at the sticker and figure 5-8 mpg difference. For some reason this reasoning doesn't apply to the cmax. I have always told my customers, buying the cmax or fusion hybrid, what the car will do and that the worst case scenario is 38 mpg and you know what? People are like, that's a lot better than what I get now.

I refuse to buy anything not built in America.  By doing so you only erode the economy that much more by buying a foreign car.  Not to mention hurting American auto workers jobs.  If a better solution doesn't exist from America then keep your CMax.  Bottom line, I'm staying with my CMax despite the recent flurry of Nav and Sync problems I've been having.  The Sync unit is crap that much I know for sure.

When was the last time you updated your sync system? The last version is pretty good. Does have a few minor hiccups but it's pretty good. All you need to update it is a flash drive. Goto www.syncmyride.com and login. You can download the sync update from there. Copy the update to an empty flash drive, start your cmax and insert the drive. It will auto run, just follow the directions and leave the car running, it takes about 30 minutes.

John, you need to understand why the C-Max rating of 47 mpg is not correct and why the Aug. 2013 EPA rating of 43 combined is wrong. You also need to find out how the EPA numbers are actually calculated. ;)   It has nothing to do with people not driving like the drive cycles.  It not about what FE you get.  It's about how Ford misled the public twice about what real world FE might be - which is the fundamental principle of the EPA FE rules and regulations.  Some drivers will get more than the EPA numbers some will get less.  fueleconomy.gov shows the 2013 C-Max Hybrid average at 39.3 mpg - which is good. :)  Interestingly, it looks like fuelly has now combined all C-Maxs (gas, diesel, Hybrid, NRG into one.

 

I understand how the EPA tests the vehicles, conservatively and in a controlled environment. Nothing close to the average driver. Look I can make my car get the mileage that has been revised by zipping around people, accelerating very quickly, braking hard and using regular E10-E15 fuel, I prefer 100% gas which is what the EPA uses in their tests, and i do these things from time to time but, I am still averaging well. The majority of vehicles do not get the stated EPA numbers by most drivers. I've said it before, there needs to be an interstate rating. The fact of the matter is Ford followed the EPA guidelines and achieved those numbers and PLENTY of people are hitting them. I guess it's true the squeakiest wheel gets the most oil.

 

BTW......The city rating on the Cmax is way off. In city driving, stop, go, stop, go, I get 55--58 easily.

Alright. I'm gonna step in here and get my head taken off but, seriously people, the Cmax gets the original 47/47/47. You drive the car the way the EPA tests it, it will get that and better all day long! I have a lot of mixed driving on mine. City, highway, & interstate. My lifetime average is 46.4 mpg for almost 17,000 miles. Speaking of interstate, that is the REAL problem. The EPA does not calculate for interstate.

 

Their highway test is at 48.3 mph, for 11 miles on flat ground, at a controlled temperature. So tell me, do you really expect your car to get the same mileage as in the conditions I just mentioned when you're cruising at 75 down the interstate, going over hills, having to speed up and slow down because of traffic, in a barrage of different types of weather? If you do, then you are not living in the real world! That being said I usually get 40-43 mpg avg at 75 mph down the interstate. If it gets over 90° It tends to be lower as the air has more work to do, but I'm sure it will help when I get the windows tinted.

 

As far as the the resale value,YES it's terrible, but it wouldn't be that way if all of these people that bought it didn't complain to everyone and their mother because they expect to drive which ever way they want and expect it do just as good as the meroney sticker says.

 

I love my Cmax, the same factors that affect every car affect it as well. After breaking in the vehicle I have noticed much better overall performance.

 

So I guess what I'm saying guys is lay off of Ford, it's the EPA. Plus think about it, do you know anything the government mandates, regulates or oversees that is worth anything? I sure don't!

 

I'll get off my soap box now.