mtb9153

I agree I have seen this at AutoZone and Pep Boys

Tdefny your comments about battery's going bad after sitting on the lot for long periods. Makes me wonder about the dozen or so CMax that have been sitting at my local dealer (Frontier Ford) for at least 6 months. some the earlier ones have been there more than year. I bought mine September 20, 2012 the day it came off the car hauler which might be why I've had zero battery issues so far. Interesting I've wondered why some have had so much trouble and I've had none.

Good idea Brother Jus, make is so, number one as Captain Picard would say :) but in this case maybe it should be...make it so, job one

xSZYDx that user name pops on its own :) To answer your question, I did Plasti-Dip my factory wheels using their satin black product with final coats of their glossifier clear coat to give it a little shine. Each wheel got a full can of paint because the thicker the product is sprayed on the the easier it is to remove any spray on areas that you don't want painted black. For example I didn't mask off with tape around the bead of the tire where it meets the rim. If you put on a thick coat and let it get on the tire, once dry it will pull right off to the edge of the rim nice and clean. I suggest you watch their video's on this process at https://www.dipyourcar.com/Videos-and-Guides.html using this bundle kit...https://www.dipyourcar.com/Kit-Wheels-Matte-Finish.html For myself I chose to take each tire off the car. In the video's they use a plastic sheet to cover the disc rotors and calipers by lacing it around the wheel through the openings. But since the factory wheels don't have large openings I thought that would be too difficult. Also since I was installing the red caliper covers from http://www.calipercovers.com I had too take them off anyway. One thing I had to learn the hard way is to wait till the plasti-dip is good and dry before reinstalling the wheel nuts because as I torqued them they tore the dip loose from the wheel and I had to do allot of touchup. If I did it again I'd cover the tapered part of the wheel where the lugs tighten against the wheel. Use masking tape or stuff newspaper in the holes. The dip has been on for about a year and still look as good as the day I did the work. The only areas that the dip has come off is where I tore it off running my wheels into the curbs. I wish the wheels were inset more to protect the wheels from curbs. Or if the tires had a bead molded into them like Bridgestone and Yokohama. Good luck with this project, it really makes for a stealthy look to the CMax. When you are finished post some :camera: Brother Mike

Smangerer you must be located somewhere close to Richmond CA since that is where you bought your CMax. Lets hook up, I'm in San Jose near Campbell. Interested?

I wish I knew about these before I bought my Hella 5 led lamps and modified my front grille to mount them. They are fine but irreversable without buying a new grille $$$$

Had a wonderful visit and dinner with our guru of aerodynamic fabrication as he and the Mrs. drove through the south bay. Was awesome to hang with them over dinner, talk about Mad Max and Maxus and other CMax facts in general. Here's a few pics of our mini CMax gathering. I've got two new super great friends I hope to spend time with again real soon. Was something I've wanted to do since getting Maxus in 2012...hang out with other owners and talk CMax. I do hope a national event can be arranged sometime in the future. Would be so cool to see a bunch of CMax's all in one place.

BTW those are the same ramps I have

Yes they are bolted on with a oval head Torx screw which threads into the panel which they sit. This is what I saw on the 2014 near me

I rarely can do a 1 bar acceleration since the folks on the road here give me the finger or the look of death doing 2 bar acceleration

Love your analogy

I use some gorrilla ramps I bought at Pep Boys years ago. They work great for me when I need to get under Maxus. However it can be a challenge getting up and onto the flat part at the top of the ramp. When my tire touches the end of the ramp they would slide forward on my garage floor. So I do one of two things to stop this. I used a concrete drill bit and drilled holes in my garage floor right where I want my ramps to sit. I tapped into each drilled hole a lead hole tap (bought at Home Depot) which allows a screw to thread in and out of the tap sleeve compressed into the hole. This holds the ramps in place as I start to drive up the ramp. Also if I want to leave the car out on my driveway and not in the garage. There is a raised edge to my garage floor where it meets the driveway concrete, this uneven edge holds the ramps in place as I drive up onto the ramp. I have no problem with clearing the front fascia before the tires begin to ramp up. My ramps are made of a strong durable plastic with a gradual up rise about 12" long before the tires roll into the cupped section which holds the car in place on the ramps. The car sits about 12 inches higher than when sitting with all 4 tires on the ground. I have four of these ramps and it if I want all four tires raised off the concrete. I place one ramp in front of each tire and then slowly drive forward placing all 4 corners on a ramp. I think the 2014 air deflectors would pose a problem with most tire ramps. But it most likely wouldn't hurt anything if it did rub. On my CMax there is enough slop in the black plastic fascia panel that it most likely would just bend with the pushing into the air deflectors. When I drive up my ramps with my 5 inch wide air dam that I designed, it doesn't even rub on my ramps. Hope that helps you?

I've been having allot of MFT issues this week and it is strange because it has been good since I got the last software upgrade back last Summer. Lately my iphone 5 has not been functioning right with the sync system. Also I've been having moments when using the NAV and the screen is locked up and shows me driving through buildings I'm driving past. Also a couple times I backed Maxus up and after shifting into drive the MFT screen locks up still in the backup mode and stays that way for quite awhile before switching on it's own. Really nuts stuff like that. Making me crazy and I don't want to take it in and be without my ride for an afternoon or more. I've never done a reboot and I'm not even sure how to do it. Why couldn't Ford choose Apple as their software and system provider, I rarely get so frustrated with any of my many Apple products. :gaah:

Brother Jus hung on to a 46mpg on trip2 all day today in my commute. Got up to 49.9 at one point. Yes much cooler here today in the south bay. Maxus has much improved over the last couple days since adding the airdam. Now thinking about adding left over Extruded Rubber to the side rocker panels between the front and rear tires but wondering how it will look and what would it give me? Seem to be able to keep my AvMPG no lower than 45 which I really like. Amazing how keeping the RPM's at or below 2000 when pulling out from a stop can make such a difference. Also keeping the battery level no lower than 1/4 or halfway used seems to really make a difference

Seems like Maxus arrived on the lot within a couple weeks of her build date Paperwork says birthdate was September 9th and I signed the papers the day she arrived on September 20th 2012. Fresh out of the car hauler.

Boy I've never had an issue with this panel. Maxus was built in September of 2012. I even took the panel off once to see what was under it. Put it back on and haven't been bothered since. Knock on wood.

Brother Jus got a good snicker from me on your comments. I frequently try doing the BS route myself but have never seemed to succeed in getting anything past my Denise. Seems Italians are too smart for a Texas transplant like me? Don't mean to slam those less fortunate than I for keeping their hair past middle age, but Governor Moonbeam probably can reflect enough moonlight off his topper to be visible by the Space Station. :lol2:

Sorry didn't mean to hit a nerve, but I love my Apple products and so much easier to use than Microsoft OS products

I have some experience with navigating on snow covered roads here in Cali. It is a very different form of driving for sure. Allowing more braking time and not mashing the brakes since it can send you sliding uncontrollably. I remember being up in the Sierra's on my way up to Kirkwood ski resort. Was traveling in my all white 1980 Toyota 4WD truck in a nasty snow storm with white out conditions up hiway 88 towards Carson Pass not far from Kirkwood. Wasn't even sure which side of the road I was traveling since I couldn't see the centerline. Bouncing off the snowbanks on either side of the hiway. Until someone approached me in the opposite direction I wasn't sure which side of the road I was on. Suddenly realized I was about to miss my turnout, jammed the brakes and slid head on into a snow bank towering higher than my truck. Backed out and saw a nice impression of my trucks front end in the tall snowbank. That trip was the last time I left the SillyCorn valley when it was raining in the valley because that just means snowing in the mountains. Got to Kirkwood after a harrowing drive over Carson Spur which is downhill most of the way into the Kirkwood area. Steep drop off on the cliff side and tall snow bank on the other side. Just hoped I didn't meet anyone coming up? Never did since when we got to Kirkwood they told us the pass was closed due to heavy snowfall. Anyone who knows highway 88 knows that Kirkwood pays allot to CalTrans to make sure that road stays open during the winter, except under these severe driving conditions. That was the winter of 1988 or 1989 when we got so much rain through the winter months. Unlike the last two winters where we have seen little or no rain. Todays system dropped precious moisture and our first since October which was hardly enough to call rain. Getting back to the Kirkwood trip, when we got to the ski area since we couldn't go back to our cabin off 88 above Jackson. CA, we tried to see if we could find a cabin to stay in? They told us all were rented, however since the pass was closed they let us stay in a rented cabin since the renters wouldn't be needing it that night. Got to our cabin and decided to build a fire since the air inside was as cold as the outdoors. The office said there was firewood on the stoop outside the back sliding glass door. Pulled open the curtains and found snow piled as high the roof eve's and densely compacted to the ceiling. No getting to the firewood, so proceeded to keep warm through body heat in bed with my then girlfriend and now my wife. That's as far as I'm going with the story that night sorry. But next morning went outdoors to my Toyota 4x4 which had a small lift kit and a camper shell. Knew where I parked it but so much snow had fallen over night everything was under deep snow. I found my truck but it was barely visible under a high mound of snow with faint out lines telling me which end was the front from the back. Found the door but the key lock was frozen. Had to go get hot water to thaw the locks. Lots of fun to say the least. Was glad we came well dressed for the the conditions so at least we weren't cold. BTW for those snow bunnies out there, just so you know skiing was incredible that winter. Kirkwood had an incredible 14 foot base with deeeeeepppp powder on the ungroomed area's. One jump off the top cornice and shooting down the "Bowl" as it is called you disappeared into deep powder. Me I stayed on the well groomed bunny runs I'm not a very accomplished skier, something ranking below a beginner. I spend allot of time in the lodge at the bar with hot cider drinks when the high winds closed the chairs to the top of the higher ski runs.

If you say it has all the usual US market SEL equipment and documentation except for the SL designation on the rear door. It is my understanding that the European market CMax has different front fascia. The grille openings are different than ours. plus I don't think the Euro cars are Hybrids only gas powered. Another thing is the rear doors pull open and slide down the rear fender like most US mini vans

Doesn't surprise me about it being a Microsoft issue, I hate their products and PC's.

ok got the new black extruded rubber installed on Maxus and took a ride on the freeway with my GoPro recording the Air Dams movement. Unlike my second attempt with the 1/16" clear vinyl, the 1/8" extruded rubber stays pretty much in place with minimum curling from top to bottom (5inches across). I'm pleased with this design and it flexes well when backing out of my driveway. You can hear the rubber rub from inside the car which will require a little care when going in and out of a driveway so not to bottom out the suspension. I'm editing video footage of both the clear vinyl test and the new Black Rubber Test. I will combine both onto a short video which with be on YouTube soon.

Well what ever the truth maybe, you can most likely count on that you have an extremely rare CMax, maybe something that wasn't even suppose to be sold publicly. Like a show CMax at car shows or a study in design of the final Production CMax? I sure hope someone from Ford can chime into this thread and add some interesting insight? When I had my GMC Syclone there was only a little more than a thousand ever built over one production year. Our club was able to research a GMC registry with VIN #'s to see what each truck built came originally with and when it was built. I wonder if such a registry might be available from Ford.

:lol2: Brother Jus, I laughed over your description of Governor MoonBeam. Very funny, yes he is very hung up on the idea of building a bullet train so that we all can pay for his mistake after he leaves office. NOT! Why not continue with the work the Govenator AAARNOLD started with building a self sustained electric highway infastructure and really do some good with taxpayer $$$$. :doh:

rfaunce you are so right about hybrids needing and should be driven a bit differently if you want good mileage. Once I learned that fact and started driving 100% of the time right at the speed limit. As well as pulling out from a stop slooooowly while building up speed to the posted speed, then setting the cruise control so it is easier after the next stop. I try my best to keep the RPM's at or below 2000, by doing this I've seen a dramatic change to my numbers. Also by braking to a stop well in advance gradually applying light pressure over a longer space before reaching a full stop. Really increases my numbers and gives me back braking scores of 95-100% all the time. Which also brings the numbers up by keeping the Li-On batteries near to full power. Conclusion is if you aren't willing to do these things? Then don't be surprised that your mileage sucks, because it will I guarantee it!. I'm a believer since my numbers rarely went higher than 40 if I was lucky. Today in my commute through using the techniques I've mentioned I watched my trip2 numbers go from 44.5 to as high as 59.8 in the course of one days driving in town in the 35-40mph range. Freeway speeds set to 65 (the state maximum) I'm seeing a drop to a steady 44 range. But get off the freeway and the numbers go back up. I love this car, it is so smart and rewards me with better mileage and trips to the pump once every two weeks or more if I really hit my marks. End of sermon...Enjoy the ride. 47 mpg is obtainable, but you have to work for it. These are not regular cars polluting the crap out of the planet like the countless other drivers on the road.