plus 3 golfer

I carry my set of jumper cables with me. The cables fit in the cubby hole under the front seat with a little persuasion. We travel in many areas where cell service is marginal / non-existent and can be many miles from a small town and even if we could call the emergency assistant number, I'm not sure what the response time would be. The jump start devices mentioned are basically a small battery pack that can be recharged. Since, the 12 V battery does not crank ICE, it should be sufficient to operate the control modules to energize the DC-DC converter which will then put about 14 V on the 12V system to charge the drained 12V battery. The car should then be able to operate normally. http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-J309-Peak-Jump-Starter/dp/B001U04NCA/ref=lp_318336011_1_4?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1406515834&sr=1-4 So, for maybe $70 or so (jump start and battery cables) one can hedge against being stranded for maybe a few hours with a dead battery.

What a lack of sensitivity to someone with the battery issue. Quite frankly, there's no need for such trolling. I doubt your comments are "funny" to those who have had battery issues, Don't worry though there are several others like you on this sight and they'll probably chime in. :) ;)

I too would like to have a PHEV but range limits its benefit for me. Did the $4k include installation? Also if a hybrid warranty issue develops, the dealer will likely blame the add-on even though it may not have contributed to the issue. IMO, the last thing I would want is to fight for a high cost warranty repair. Second, for me I wouldn't be able to justify $4k+ for a 20 miles EV range. I would need close to 40 mile range to break even with a reasonable payback. When I bought my C-Max the PHEV was over $2000 more after the tax credit. Payback based on maximum miles and reasonable spread between electric and gas costs was way too long.

So Here's my Experience with our 2014 C-max Hybrid so far, We LOVE IT! I drove it a few times already when my wife was sleeping to run errands and while I did go on the highway I noticed when I put it into Eco-Cruse it was in EV mode and the battery had a down arrow on it. Then I noticed when I had to speed up to accelerate the arrow was point up above the battery. So when I got to the City driving the only way I can keep it in EV mode is if I give it the gas then let off the gas. As soon as I keep it steady without Eco-Cruise on then EV mode will go off. So with that being said my questions are: What happens if the battery depletes all the way? will it kick to gas mode only until energy is built back up? The battery never depletes all the way. The battery symbol is only measuring battery level (state of charge (SOC) between about 30% and 70% of the hybrid high voltage battery (HBV). IF you watch the EMPOWER screen on the left hand display. A outlined blue box may appear which indicates the upper threshold where one can run in EV. If the solid white box indicating power requirements drops below the threshold, the white box turns blue and EV kicks in. The higher the state of charge in general the higher the threshold. If you see no threshold outlined blue box, the PCM algorithm won't allow EV which may be because the battery level is too low or engine is not sufficiently warmed up and so forth. I noticed when I brake at intersections or getting off the Expressway it will regenerate energy. Sometimes it says 100% energy restored even though the battery level isn't full? What does that mean? Other times I get 88% energy restored. The brake score is supposed to indicate how much of the available energy was captured via regeneration (taking the kinetic energy of motion and turning it to electricity) by applying the brakes when coming to a complete stop. If you applied the brakes such that the friction brakes (brake pads) were not used in coming to a stop, you should get a 100% score. So, an 88% score would mean that about 12 % of the available energy was consumed by your brake pads. What are the best ways to keep it in EV mode? Is keeping it in EV mode a good thing or bad thing? Watch the EMPOWER screen and read the tips and tricks section of the Forum. Remember all energy comes from burning fuel. EV is not free energy. IMO, there are times for EV and not times for EV based on conditions (again read the tips section). The PCM should be operating the Hybrid power train to optimize efficiency within constraints. But the PCM can't see conditions ahead. So there may be times that one doesn't want to use EV. Does the C-max not enter EV mode if the car is above 65 MPH or did Ford Fix that in a software update recently? In the summer of 2013 Ford upgraded the PCM software to allow full EV operation above 62 mph to about 85 mph. So, again watch the Empower screen and you should see that at higher speeds it is more difficult to get into EV mode because the load requirements are generally higher. If the SOC is high enough such that the threshold is high and one backs off the accelerator slightly or goes down a slight grade reducing load, EV will generally kick in. Any driving tips to maximize fuel Economy in the City and Highway? Been discussed many times (see tips and tricks). People will have different thoughts and what works for them may not work for someone else because of conditions. You will improve FE by reducing speed, coasting to slow down, and accelerating moderately. By anticipating conditions such as hills, lights and so forth one can improve FE in any car and even more in a hybrid. There's a Coach Screen the shows three bars: Braking, Cruising, and Acceleration. Keep the bars as far right as possible for your desired speed and FE will improve. There is no magic. It about physics. Generally, improving FE requires increasing travel time. The more time on your hands, the higher FE you can achieve. The reason why I ask all these questions is my dealer only had 7 C-max's in stock at the time we got ours and Our Salesman didn't know too much about Hybrid's but was very interested in learning more about them. I understand why he didn't know because he has to learn about 18 other Ford Models and their different configurations. He did give me a huge package of info to read for the C-max which we will get to but now that I found this forum a few months ago it's been very helpful with everyone giving tips to get the most out of the C-max. Most of the questions have been discussed before in many threads. See red above for short answers.

I agree, my wife says it's taupe so I say it's taupe. :) The brighter the light the more it looks taupe to me. In dimmer light is looks more grey to me. It's not tan in any light. When I look at our grey leather in our Nissan compared to the Stone in our C-Max, the colors looks similar​ in very dim light. But in bright light, the C-Max Stone takes on the taupe color.

IMO, the short answer is it depends on the light and what color the floor mats are. I would say the stone leather is a lot closer to taupe than tan. Although I haven't seen a stone interior in a silver C-Max, I'll bet it would look good. When I was looking for floor mats (I wanted sisal or coco), I called cocomats.com about mats for my stone interior C-Max. The guy indicated they don't have the dimensions for the C-Max and would go over to the local Ford dealer and measure. I also asked him to let me know which of the bottom two matched the stone interior if they had one with stone. He called back the next day and said the Black and Taupe is the mat you want; The taupe matches the stone perfectly.

Dmitriy, IMO the best thing to do is call Ford roadside assistance and get the car to the dealer. I know it's a hassle but if this is a recurring issue that Ford doesn't / can't fix, you will have the documentation to pursue a lemon law case. My guess is that simply documenting the incident over the phone without a dealer looking into the issue may not count (in Ford's eyes and per the law) as an occurrence in a lemon law case. Also, it could be that perhaps your battery is failing (can't hold a charge) which the dealer can test for. Having said the above, I'd probably do what you did the first time but if it happens again, I'd get it to the dealer on a flat bed.

I think you have to look at the expected charge / discharge cycles in determining an appropriate operating SOC range assuming one wants a long battery life.. The larger the battery capacity, the more you should be able to extend the SOC range and not shorten the battery life. The C-Max Hybrid battery which is 1.4 kWh might cycle around its normal SOC range say 30 times in 100 miles. A Tesla battery won't cycle one time in 100 miles. Number of cycles, temperature, SOC cycle range will affect battery life. So, a larger battery should be able to have a deeper cycle than a smaller battery and both should have about the same life since the larger battery cycles less. I believe the NRG 7,6 kWh Battery should have a larger %SOC range than the 1.4 kWh Hybrid battery. Someone with and Energi and ELM327 and OBDII App should be able to monitor the PID for the state of charge. It wouldn't surprise me if the Energi SOC range might be 80+% down to 20% or less. fotomoto, does the 5.7 kWh include the Hybrid operating portion of the NRG battery in EV mode or does the NRG switch from all EV to Hybrid mode at say 70% of 1.4 kWh or 0.98 kWh remaining capacity - the upper usable limit of the Hybrid battery or at the lower end of the usable range?

Welcome Tracy, yes there is a 12V battery issue and many threads on the topic and even a battery failure poll. Look in the "Batteries" section of the Forum. There is nothing definitive from Ford on the cause(s). It appears to me that the issue is more prevalent on the SE model (key ignition switch) than on the SEL model which has the push button start.

To answer your question, I've not seen any write up as to how one can determine the maximum HVB capacity. I would think one would have to have the capability to charge the HVB to 100%. I would think that Ford should be able to do this or at least have an algorithm that estimates full HVB capacity. But the Hybrid HVB is operated in a range well below 100%. So, the HVB should never have a 100% charge on it and thus would not be subject to degradation from high operating temperatures and high charge. As far as discharging of the HVB over time to below minimum because the car is not driven in over 30 days, the owner's manual clearly states "Start the engine every 15 days. Run at fast idle until it reaches normal operating temperature." There is no mention of any HVB requirements when storing the vehicle for mote than 30 days. The dealer should be following this which should keep the HVB sufficiently charged yet adding little miles to the odometer as ICE will run if the HVB ever gets too low. There are a few members that have monitored state of charge (SOC) of the HVB in the Hybrid (not the same as displayed on the battery gauge). I have recorded SOC many times and never have seen SOC above 70% nor lower than about 30%. So the usable capacity of the Hybrid HVB appears to be around 40% of 1.4 kWh or about 0.56 kWh. However, the typical operating range that I observe when driving is between about 40% and 56%. One can get in the low 30% in EV+ mode if the battery level starts at a low level.and one can watch Empower and gradually reduce load by slowing down to keep EV power under the engine on threshold drops as it and SOC drop. It's easy to reach the maximum of 70% when the normal SOC is high and one coasts / brakes from higher speeds to a stop or by going down a longer hill at virtually any starting SOC.. Here's a link to Ford's testing of the HVB.

The X-Plan should be used as the maximum to pay. You can always negotiate less with a dealer. Some dealers may refuse to sell existing inventory under the X-Plan. When I was shopping in Dec. 2012, dealers were putting "add-on" to their inventory C-Maxes. Sticker on mine was over $33,000 which included a market adjustment adder of nearly $2000 plus $599 for lifetime tint (already on car, which they eventually threw in for free), $899 for an alarm system (like LoJack) which they removed and another $699 for a protection package (like Opti-coat) which was not on the car. Had the dealer held firm with the $33,000 sticker I would have had to order my C-Max. Most dealers had no inventory of C-Maxes and most coming in were already sold (I wanted a base SEL).

You're right.

Got my paperwork out and here is the dealer LIST vs X-Plan and incentives in Dec. 2012. Also for reference, below is what the current X-Plan pricing on FordPartners.com for Phoenix. Note the snips show the MSRP over $1000 lower than your $28400. I wonder why? Adjustment for Goodwill Payments. <-----------------MSRP--->X-Pan Base SEL.... = 28200.....27950 Opt 90C...... = 245.........218 Delivery ......= 795.........795 AdMin Fee = 398.........100 Adv. Assmt...= 427.........427 Fuel.............= 50...........50 Total... ........= 29915---- 28275 Above Diff...... .= 1640... Incentives.........= 2000 Total Discount..= 3640 FE Payment.....= 475 FE Payment.....= 550 Grand Total.....= 4665 in Ford discounts, incentives, and goodwill FE payments Total paid........ = 25250 + sales tax and registration fees

I think they made a mistake. :) Ford's hybrid sales including Mercury are about 16% of June Hybrid sales. The 45% Ford number should be a red flag that the chart is not Hybrid sales. It's easy to see that Prius sales alone (not counting Lexus) is over 45% of the 39,225 of total Hybrid sales. My guess is that the chart may be total automotive sales in June..

It depends on your needs and wants. Have you driven one? Why get rid of the Scion? Are you looking to save fuel costs? IMO, it's always better to wait, if there are no compelling reason to get rid of the car you have. I don't see C-Max discounting going away anytime soon. The stigma of the EPA fuel numbers drop and payments by Ford to current owners for such dictates that Ford needs to offer additional incentives that match the payments. I bought my C-Max SEL in Dec 2012 and paid around $3700 (X=Plan pricing and $2000 in incentives) less than MSRP (around $29k IIRC). So, I'd say any equivalent price to pay today on a base SEL would be about $5000 off MSRP Is that in the ballpark of what you can get a 2014 C-Max for? The lower dependability / reliability ratings of the 2013 C-Max stem primarily from the Sync, MFT, Navigation roll out by Ford. Those issues are far as I know have been fixed. The only issue I'd be concerned about is the "dead 12V battery, no start" issue. It's unclear whether Ford has "fixed" this. To me it seems that such issue was / is more prevalent on the SE model. I have had no issues with my C-Max in 27k miles. It's a great driving car that rivals / beats many gas fueled non-hybrid cars and gets much better FE than a non-hybrid car. For the average driver, it's a 40 mpg car (see fuelly.com). Getting near the original 47 mpg EPA number will likely require a change in driving style. But that does not make it a 47 mpg car. If you want a 47 mpg car, get a Prius (again look at Fuelly numbers). With a Prius and a driving style change you would likely be in the mid 50 mpg range. I doubt we will see much change in MY2015. Any big changes will likely be when Ford introduces a newer body style for the C-Max. The C-Max needs to shed 200-300 pounds and its aerodynamics need improvement. These changes will significantly help its highway FE.

I had the same message. The code stored was U0126 Lost Communication With Steering Angle Sensor Module. Make sure the dealer documents the codes on the service order and please post them. It certainly sounds like the PCM is confused as it may not have information that it needs to operate the car normally or has a bad data from a sensor. For example, could a bad brake switch cause such issues. Also, run a Vehicle Health Report. It will be interesting to see what it says.

Very true, IMO I'd say most of the ever increasing Federal requirements in the environmental and safety areas pushes technology and complexity in system design to the edge and reliability issues usually follow as manufacturers may not have adequately engineered / tested such new design (eg, the TDI fuel system issue mentioned above by darrelld). Other than the dead battery issue Ford seems to have done well in this area with the C-Max and perhaps well above average. The same holds true with the complexity of "convenience" systems that customers apparently demand and that will set one apart from the competition. But Ford's roll out of its Navigation, MFT, Sync system was a disaster. The good news is this is easily / cheaply correctable unlike the TDI issue (which apparently has yet to be corrected in nearly 6 years). I hope consumers are smart enough to research whats behind the poor ratings of various car systems. A black dot in one system is not the same as a black dot in another system. A little research shows that the TDI FUEL SYSTEM problem continues and could cost one $6000+ if VW doesn't cover it (which they have been doing well past warranty). The poor rating of its Fuel System is based on a comparison of the TDI Fuel System vs Fuel Systems in other cars. Two different vehicles could have black dots in its Fuel System rating. One may be a $500 fix and the other may be covered by the manufacturer well beyond warranty. More research would show that Ford's Audio System rating (again compared with other cars) was not very good. This is no way indicates that the level of problems with Ford's audio system is comparable to the level of problems with the TDI Fuel System. This statement from an above post has no merit: "Keep in mind CR ranks Sync locking up as a problem equivalent to a VW fuel system failing with $6,000 worth of repairs." It appears that Ford has fixed (with software updates) virtually all previous AUDIO System problems (where C-Max got the black dot) . So, it I were a potential buyer of a C-Max (new or used), I would believe that black dot is likely no longer applicable. Unfortunately, it will take time for new survey data to validate this. Surveys have their place and should push manufacturers to sell better products and inform consumers of problem areas. Consumers need to understand (and perhaps read what's behind the CR and JD Powers surveys), do due diligence on areas of concern flagged by the surveys on forums and in other reviews, and then make their decision.

Generally, you will always use EV up to about 15 mph. Then, It depends on your SOC as to where the engine on box is per the Empower Display and how hard you want to accelerate (kW load required to be met). In general, if you have room to charge the HVB, you'll want ICE to operate when accelerating. Accelerating moderately is generally adequate as to not pi$$ off the drivers behind you.and ICE to run near its efficient operating range or minimum Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (grams of fuel / joule of energy). I would think the PCM algorithm would always try to operate ICE in its efficient range of the BSFC. If the power requirement is too high for best ICE efficiency, the PCM should hold off requiring very much additional power to charge the HVB (probably somewhat dependent on where the SOC is at also). If the power requirement is too low for best ICE efficiency, the PCM should increase load on engine, increase engine speed, and operate MG1 to charge the HVB providing their is room in the HVB. This is seamless to the driver. But, one might be able to optimize this process by anticipating conditions and adjusting load requirements by the throttle for the anticipated conditions. The PCM does not know what's ahead (yet)! Try the tips that Paul linked to and adjust such to your liking and improvements you see in FE. As I've said before, generally one has to trade time for better fuel economy: Slow down, coast more, accelerate moderately, brake less, anticipate hills and stops, and use pulse and glide. Many of these techniques add time to a trip and hence a lower average speed but improve fuel economy.

LOL, or maybe offer $8000 for the dead battery inconvenience. If I had the battery problem and Ford offered me $8000, I'd be a happy man! :)

Yes, it's not a snug fit and I did hold it while pushing inwards and turning but it turns easily to open the lock..

When you remove the key from the FOB, there's a slot inside the FOB to insert the end of the key into. The FOB thus acts as a lever arm making turning the key easy.in the lock.

I have not seen a Ford write up on the algorithm for EV operation. You do know that you can watch the Empower Screen and observe the engine on/off load threshold. Keep the kW load under the on threshold and you stay in EV mode. From my observations, the threshold changes as you drive. It appears the primary driver of the threshold (in normal operation) is the State of Charge (SOC) of the Hybrid High Voltage Battery. Typically when recording data and normal driving, the SOC runs between about 40% and 56% (not the same as the battery symbol). So, when the SOC increases, the engine on load threshold increases and EV operation will kick in when the engine on threshold excees the kW load, EV operation should kick in. As the HVB SOC diminishes from running in EV, the engine on threshold drops. When the kW load goes above the engine on threshold, the engine will come on. So, by adjusting the kW load generally by slowing down, one can stay in EV longer as the engine on threshold drops. By watching the Empower Screen, knowing your route, and better controlling the SOC to match your route, you may be able to better optimize fuel economy. For example, it may be better to accelerate slightly up-hill maybe keeping the kW load at a certain level on the Empower Screen to get the SOC near maximum and use the full battery SOC in EV mode on the downhill portion of the hill. I think the issue though is that what works for one may not work the same for someone else, as driving conditions are likely not the same. I very seldom try to intentionally stay in EV mode as it generally requires changes in speed and subsequently more driving time than simply using ECO cruise mode which supposedly moderates the response of the car to changes in load requirements such that one's cruise speed may fall slightly when going uphill and increase slightly going down hill which should have the effect of reducing mode changes.

I think most states like AZ do not allow the windshield to be tinted except for the very top few inches. I don't like the looks of the top few inches of the windshield tinted but a 5% (or even 20%) tint would certainly help block the sun when we travel in early morning / late evening into the sun. $170 is a very good price. Just make sure the tint is warranted against fading or turning purple like many did years ago.

Search Google for Florida tint laws. You can go darker but run the risk of "getting caught" for illegal tint and have to remove it. The dealer had 3M Color Stable 35% already on driver's, passenger's, and the two little front windows and had 20% on everything else. Window Sticker showed $599 (lifetime warranty) which I ended getting thrown in for nothing with my X-Plan pricing in Dec. 2012. Here's a 3-M comparison of tints. Decide on quality / type / light transmission of tint you want. Get prices from reputable tint shops. They will likely all beat the dealer price. Also, you can probably find guys on Craigslist to install tint if you want to save money. but likely won't get a guarantee worth anything nor be sure what tint you are really getting. I also had a mid-grade SunTech tint on my Jetta for 4 years with no issues.

Paul, I recall asking you about your regen miles in another thread. Also, if you want to do any meaningful analysis one needs to make sure the total mileage is at the mileage from the PCM update not the odometer total mileage or last manual reset of the lifetime summary whichever is later. My lifetime summary was reset at the PCM update in July 29, 2013 with 8108 miles on the car (shown on the Dealer Service Order). Currently, I have 27372 miles on the car. So my data is as follows from July 29, 2013: Total Miles since PCM udpate: 19,264 EV Miles: 9,389.6 EV% of Total: 48.7% Regen Miles: 828.5 MPG: 41.2 Brake Score: 92 My thoughts on trying to compare / analyze the data: 1) one significant piece of data not available is average speed (preferably average moving speed). 2) climatic conditions will affect the data, one may want to separate the data by geographic region as a start 3) regen miles is supposedly all regenerative energy including braking and coasting somehow converted to miles. Brake Score supposedly is the % of actual energy captured over the available energy that could be captured presumably by braking to a complete stop. Given the relatively small % of regen miles vs total miles and that braking regen is a part of the regen miles, I would expect a few tents of a mpg difference for brake scores between say 86 - 98 vs my actual FE with a brake score of 92. 4) there are other data like driving style, mods, terrain and average distance per trip and so forth that will affect results.