plus 3 golfer

Below are excerpts from the Service Parts Warranty. Hopefully, the GPS will be okay today. You might want to try pulling the GPS fuse (don't have time to look up now) or disconnect the battery for a few minutes if it doesn't boot up okay. I think Ford might replace since you are only 1 k miles out of warranty and had the unit replaced prior. Perhaps there's an underlying issue that fails the GPS. I'd also argue that the new replacement parts warranty eff. Oct 1, 2013 if one had "paid" for the first replacement part has been increased from 1 year /12 k to 2 years with no mileage restriction. It makes no sense (other than economics) for Ford not to apply the same warranty coverage no matter who "paid" for the first replacement. What is Ford thinking???? "SPW Coverage on Parts Replaced at Company Expense Parts replaced at Company expense (e.g., Warranty, Customer Satisfaction Programs, Special Service Instructions, Field Service Actions (FSA), or Customer Loyalty Plan) are covered under the applicable Service Parts Warranty stated below or the remaining portion of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty (if any), whichever is greater. Ford/ Lincoln Cars & Light Trucks: The parts and accessories warranty is: 12 months / 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first" - Ford Service Parts Warranty (SPW) ,,, "On October 1, 2013 the Service Parts Warranty (SPW) Coverage on Ford Genuine & Motorcraft Parts replaced is increasing to 24 months and unlimited. Parts installed or sold by dealerships, or authorized distributors, to retail and wholesale customers qualify for the following warranty coverage: Cars and Trucks (under 600 series medium duty trucks) Dealer-Installed Parts and labor to replace defective part within 24 months/unlimited miles Towing is covered, if required; buy only if the vehicle is not covered under the Roadside Assistance Program. Warranty begins from date of installation, as noted on the vehicle owner repair order. Sold Over-the-Counter to a Retail Purchaser Part warranty is 24 months/unlimited miles For a retail purchaser, warranty begins on the date of sale as stated on the OTC invoice. Labor is not reimbursable" - Ford Service Parts Warranty (SPW)

Where does it say the 12 V battery is prorated? AFAIK, and after a quick search of the 2013 warranty document, the document is silent on the 12 V battery. Thus, it should be 100% covered under the 3/36 limited warranty unlike tires and other maintenance items which are excluded from the 100% b2b 3 year / 36 month. After 3/36 expires, the 12 V battery would not be covered under warranty (hence no pro ration) except that if another warranted item caused the 12 V battery to fail, Ford will likely cover the 12 V battery. "Sometimes Ford may offer a special adjustment program to pay all or part of the cost of certain repairs beyond the terms of the applicable warranty." -Warranty Manual RachelinLa, you can read the warranty document here.

Exactly why there was a recall and why one should report such incident to NHTSA. In fact, NHTSA recently opened an investigation on certain Ford products. It wouldn't surprise me if more vehicles are added. This is why anyone that has lost steering / brakes needs to file a complaint. Date Investigation Opened: OCT 02, 2014Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: PE14030 Component(s): STEERING All Products Associated with this Investigation Details 2 Associated Documents Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company SUMMARY:The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has identified 508 complaints alleging loss of power steering assist and increased steering effort in model year (MY) 2010 to 2012 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ vehicles equipped with rack mounted Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS). Four of these complaints allege that the steering assist failure resulted in increased steering efforts that contributed to a loss of control and crash. In addition, ODI has identified related information in Early Warning Reporting field report data submitted by Ford. Many of the complaints indicated observing a power steering warning message as the failure occurred. In some cases, the condition was corrected by turning the vehicle off and restarting. However, many reports indicate the condition returned again after restart. A Preliminary Evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect.

As I said in another thread, please file a complaint with NHTSA and then open a case with Ford directly (bypass the dealer in opening the case) and tell them you filed the complaint if your car has stalled while driving due to a system malfunction. If this is not a one off event (others reporting similar problems), NHTSA may investigate (assuming the issue is safety related) to see if there is a design defect. So, what was the DTC code? It should be on the service order that the dealer should have given you. I would be shocked if the car stalled while driving, illuminated the battery symbol, and didn't through a code. Are you sure your issue is the same "dead battery / no start issue" that some are experiencing? To me it sound that it is likely different as your issue occurred while driving. Once the car is started, the voltage thresholds for DTC are shown below. The voltage entry positions for most sensor monitoring OBD functions is 11 V, for more critical functions 8 V and for critical hybrid components 6 V. P0560: 5V power supply out of range (4.75V > x) OR (x > 5.25V) 3.3V power supply out of range (3.46V < x) OR (x < 3.13V) 1.5 V power supply out of range (1.57V < x) OR (x < 1.42V)P0562: Battery voltage when vehicle is running and in a torque producing state < 8.2V KAPWR voltage out of range (x > 19.0V) OR (x < 5.95V)P0563: Battery voltage too high> 19.0VP0A23: Generator sensor reference voltage out of range > 6V or < 4.50V for 500ms.P0A18: Motor current sensor reference voltage out of range > 6V or < 4.50V for 500ms.P1633 Voltage below 6.0V for 20 seconds, or 5 seconds during module self-tes

One can monitor the battery voltage via the Engineering Test Mode (ETM) screen both before the car is "ready to drive" (before the DC/DC converter begins to charge the 12 V battery) and after the car is "ready to drive" (the DC/DC converter is activated to charge / maintain the 12 V battery). I assume if the 12 V battery is "dead", one will not be able to enter the ETM screen. I've seen 12.3 V before and generally 14+ V after the charging is activated. Search for ETM to find how to enter such. Also, one can spend about $30 for and ELM327 module to plug into the OBDII port and an App for a smartphone and monitor the 12 V voltage while driving along with other interesting data. AFAIK, no one has reported a failure of the 12 V battery system while driving the car. That would imply a low impedance path to ground (bad battery or other low resistance path to ground) such that the DC/DC converter can't maintain sufficient 12 V system voltage or a failure of the DC/DC converter and then subsequent 12 V voltage falling below a level sufficient to operate the control logic. If your car has stalled while driving, you need to file a complaint with NHTSA (safercar.gov) as such may be a safety issue. You can also look at all complaints filed with NHTSA. You should never lose your brakes or steering. Brakes and steering may suffer degradation when losing power, but one should still be able to brake and steer the car albeit a lot more difficult. Again, if you suffered loss of brakes or steering while driving, you need to file a complaint with NHTSA.

The last time I checked my Garmin GPS miles with mile markers and the odometer was on my 2041 mile trip from AZ to PA (Mapquest door to door miles) . GPS was virtually spot on with mile markers over 100s of miles (within tenths of a mile). Odometer was always low by about a mile or more. GPS showed door to door miles at 2048 which included 8 stops (fuel, food and lodging) which likely virtually makes up the 7 miles difference between Mapquest and GPS miles as I'd say we never were more than 1/2 mile from the interstates. My odometer showd a difference door to door of 2021 miles. So, the odometer likely read low by as much as 27 miles over 2048 miles or 1.3% low. Miles on my odometer at the PA trip end of was about 22 k. The first time I checked the odometer against mile markers and GPS was with less than 1000 miles on the car for short distances of around 100 miles or less on local interstates. The odometer showed low by 2.1%. So, I guess tire wear likely reduced the error on the PA trip over the first check as wheel revolutions per ACTUAL mile traveled would increase as tires wear and thus the indicated odometer miles when converting wheel revolutions to miles would move closer to the ACTUAL miles traveled. My tire pressure should have been about the same for both trip and test - about 45 psi. I've had several different Garmin GPS in the last 7-8 years and the miles traveled as indicated on the Garmin is always very close to the interstate mile marker mileages. Actually, here's wiki's answer to GPS vs Odometer which I have validated many, many times. :)

I believe gasoline is treated as a mixture and should have a MSDS. Additives are added to gas at the ditribution terminal based on retailer requirements. I have seen on many Top Tier and non Top Tier retailers' web sites indicate the additional level of detergent additives included in their gas expressed as 2X, 3X and so forth above the EPA minimum. Exxon is a top tier retailer. I wouldn't worry.

Usually, the manufacturer of a product has the product specs and MSDS on their websites. The sheets are probably available at some govt agency. For example, here's Techron. My guess is PEA is covered under the Stoddard Solvent on page 1 of the sheet.

CEL = Check Engine Light or MIL IIRC = If I Recall Correctly :) MSDS = Material Data Safety Sheet The EPA specifies a minimum detergent level in gasoline primarily to keep engines "clean" which should result in lower emissions and may improve fuel economy over "unclean" engines - engines with deposits. PEA is probably the best cleaning agent available to remove deposits in the combustion area of ICE. BTW, with a VW scan tool one could monitor misfires as there is a counter that keeps track of misfires. When a threshold level is reached the MIL is illuminated. If we knew the misfire PIDs (diagnostics Parameter IDs) for the C-Max, we could do the same with various inexpensive Apps or a Scangauge. I believe one could perhaps then gauge when one might want to try a FIC.

PEA = Polyethyl Amine You may need to look at the MSDS to see the concentration level of PEA. Higher is better. I have been using Top Tier gasoline (including Costco) for quite some time. I've never needed to use a FIC since I started using Top TIer gas. Prior to that I've needed / used a FIC like Techron maybe every 3-5 k miles. If I didn't use a FIC, after about 10 k + miles I'd start to notice occasional hesitation and CELs on hard acceleration for misfires in my 2000 VW. VW subsequently (IIRC early 2000s) came out with a TB saying that they recommend use of Top Tier gas. Shell is a top tier gasoline. So, I highly doubt you need a FIC.

The 12 V battery is under the floor in the hatch area. There are several studs / nuts on the + battery connector that one should be able to put a spade connector on with a fuse link. It should then be easy to route a heavy gauge wire from the hatch area to the dash area. I'd find a ground under the dash area to connect to. There are + and ground posts on the passenger side under the hood for jump start purposes.

IMO, you don't want to buy a C-Max with as Kelleytoons says the "infamous battery issue". It appears you are buying from a private individual. Ask the owner if the car has ever failed to start and if so how many times. Ask the owner for all service records and see if the car was checked by the dealer for a no start. Generally failure to disclose information about a vehicle when asked is fraud. In the bill of sale, I'd have the owner attest to the fact that the car was never taken to the dealer for failing to start. Search here for the 12 V battery issue and read. Although the battery issue affects a small percentage, it appears that Ford has yet to fully resolve the issue. Otherwise, the C-Max is a great car. :)

Welcome. You can call Ford Roadside Assistance and they will send someone out at no cost as your 2014 should be under warranty or you should be able to jump start the car with a set of battery jumper cables . There's a positive post and negative post under the hood on the driver's side to attach the cables as the 12 V battery is in the hatch area under the floor in the rear and not readily accessible. IMO, if you have the time, I'd get roadside assistance out to document the problem and then take the car to the dealer so they can run their diagnostic tests.

Daniel, welcome aboard. What model do you have? If SE, do you have My Ford Touch large display upgrade? Have you had the software upgrades for dead batteries? How did you get it started? Many carry / have a rechargeable jump start or jumper cables. The dead battery issue seems to be an issue with some C-Maxes. I doubt the same issue carries over to the Transit. But I understand how any model specific issue affects brand loyalty and the likelihood of buying that brand again.

The benefit of Nitrogen that makes sense to me is that it should be a lot "drier" than air when put in ones tires and thus pressure fluctuations due to temperature differences are less because of less vapor pressure in nitrogen filled than air filled tires. But I would think that most shops drain the water from their air tanks and / or have coolers that remove water from the hot air and thus lower the water vapor content of the air pumped into ones tires. How much will the tire pressure 1 psi change per 10 F be reduced due to minimal water vapor pressure in a nitrogen filled vs an air filled tire. My guess is that in the 70 F to 120 F example maybe 1 or 2 psi with "wet" air. So, the 49 psi might only be 47 or 48 psi in nitrogen filled tires - really not significant to me. Here's something from Bridgestone aimed at truck tires. Getting back to Costco's new program. The question is how much is one willing to pay extra for nitrogen fill given the difficult to quantify $ benefits of Nitrogen filled vs air filled tires for passenger cars. For me, the inconvenience alone of running to a tire shop or Costco every 5 k miles for a rotation or when I need to add air to balance the tires isn't worth the benefit (even if the nitrogen fill is free) since I can rotate and add air at home. I've had nitrogen fill in tires I've purchased from Costco and simply rotated and topped up at home. Also, I think you can still find "free air" at gas stations should ones tires need air.

IMO, I'd use the EPA unadjusted FE data for comparison with the Energi operating in Hybrid mode. This should be the raw data from dyno runs before adjustments are applied. Since IIRC, your driving is mostly city / suburban, the City might be a good comparison. The Energi gets about 4% less MPG in the City test. This makes sense because of the additional weight and lower (numerically higher) gear ratio of the Energi.

The thermal coefficient of expansion of N2 vs O2 and dry AIR is about 0.06 % less than O2 and about 0.03 % less than air. So, if cold inflation pressure is 44 psi at say 70 F for each tire and the tires heat up to say 120 F, the pressure increase at 120 F is about 0.03% higher for a AIR filed tire than a N2 tire - Virtually, no difference at all. So, if we use the typical change in pressure of 1 psi for each 10 F temperature change (can't exactly calculate because as tire pressure changes the tire volume is likely not constant and also changes with temperature and pressure), the AIR filled tire will be about 49 psi at 120 F . Then, the N2 filled tire at 120 F might be 44 psi plus 5 psi X (1 - 0.0003) or virtually no difference. Read the gas test in the link below. Now for the other claims / truths on Nitrogen filled tires and benefits if any, here's something to read.

See if the shop checked the alloy wheel for leaks. I've heard of alloy wheels developing a crack where it's virtually impossible to detect visually and may not leak until under load while spinning. I don't know what the best method is for finding and repairing such a crack.

The SEL does not have the 4.2" display. What are / were the radio issues? Did dealer look at radio and dead battery issues?

"As soon as a tire is manufactured and exposed to air, the effects of "oxidation" begin to deteriorate the rubber. Over time it loses its elasticity and strength, just like an old rubber band you've probably found around your home. This same process occurs in tires inflated with air as the oxygen attacks the rubber molecules, working from the inside out, until the oxygen, and its destructive properties, permeates the tire structure and ultimately the tread." -From the link above Of course what the link doesn't mention is that for most drivers, the tread will wear out long before age deterioration is an issue - yes, typical "scare tactic" for the uninformed consumer.

The general rule of thumb for tires is 1 psi loss of pressure per month due to time for air in tires. I have't seen anything for nitrogen in tires. But air is 79% nitrogen. The rule of thumb for temperature is about 1 psi for every 10 F change in ambient. The Michelin energy saver might be a better tire with respect to leakage through the tire. I've found that once the ambient temperature starts to drop, I increase pressure several times between summer and say January to maintain cold pressure of about 44 psi. Then, the pressure seems to remain relatively constant as the ambient begins to increase over the next 6-7 months. My morning garage temp today is 82 F which is down about 10+ F from summer temps. It will drop to just under 60 F in winter. So, that equates to maybe 35+ F difference from summer to winter or about 3 - 4 psi due to temperature change. Factor in drop in pressure due to time, and I'd say 6+ psi change is not out of the question going from summer to winter. Going from winter to summer, the rising temperature likely offsets the losses due to time as I don't generally need to adjust the pressures in this period.

Agree, the pressure of each tire could be displayed to the driver with adjustable warning levels say on the hybrid power flow screen or in a ETM screen. Why isn't it available? - probably because consumers are more interested in "convenience" tools like adjusting the automatic volume sensitivity level of the radio to speed than "safety / social" related tools (see EPA quote below) and manufacturers generally need someone with a "big stick" to force them to implement stuff that might improve safety and reduce social costs. Also, if we had the PID codes for the TPMS sensors, we could view the data via the OBDii port on the various apps like Torque App. "Check your tire pressure regularly. Under-inflation increases tire wear, reduces your fuel economy by up to 3 percent, and leads to increased emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. If you don’t know the correct tire pressure for your vehicle, you can find it listed on the door to the glove compartment or on the driver’s side door pillar." -EPA

"Rather than pay extra for nitrogen, most drivers would be better off buying an accurate tire pressure gauge and checking and adjusting their tire pressures regularly." Tire Rack

Correct my response was to set the record straight on Kotsby's comment about our C-Max - "As long as all of them are nearly the same pressure, the TPMS is not going to warn you." That is not correct for our C-Max as if one or more of the tires drop below the threshold pressure a TPMS fault will be indicated. After a quick search I believe the final rule of TPMS threshold activation level is the greater of 75% of the placard pressure which for our C-Max would be 28.5 psi or a table based on type of tire which is lower than the 28.5 psi. There is debate about the indirect system vs the direct system but both meet the safety standards for a TPMS. However, I think people mistakenly believe that a TPMS mitigates the need to check tire pressure regularly. Obviously, given the threshold pressure level for triggering a fault and the inability to capture gradual pressure loss, one could be driving on under inflated tires for quite some time believing everything is fine if they solely rely on TPMS to alert them to a pressure issue.

The service manual indicates each tire is monitored and " the TPMS warning indicator and the message center displays a message when a fault is present or when the tire pressure falls below the low pressure limit." I don't know what the threshold is but when I had a screw in one of my tires on my C-Max, the indicator came on and the pressure in that tire was down to IIRC around 22- 24 psi. The other 3 tires were at 44 psi +-. TPMS systems that do not use pressure sensor but the ABS wheel speed sensors to indicate a tire issue are based on wheel speed differences not pressure. So a fault is triggered when one wheel spins faster than the others and a threshold is reached regardless of pressure. I don't recall what the speed sensing TPMS algorithms generally use for a differential speed and what that equates to in a tire pressure difference. But it is probably a fairly large pressure difference. Also, different size tires / wheels say on rear wheels vs front wheels can trigger a fault with TPMS speed sensing system. Obviously, the advantage using the ABS speed sensors is lower cost as TPMS pressure sensors aren't needed.