themacguy

Just a note of thanks for these instructions. The Lube-n-Go tech tried but failed to reset the warning. 20 seconds of searching and reading revealed the answer (as is usual). 2013 Cmax SE, 45000 miles. I had a strange Sync system issue that was fixed under warranty but it scared me enough that I found a discounted genuine Ford extended warranty (from a dealer in Ohio, IIRC). Sure enough, 40 days later (30 days after the end of the three-year warranty was over), the Sync system failed and they needed to replace a $700 module with $200+ of labor. All was covered with a $100 deductible. As I plan to keep the Cmax until the end of the extended warranty (75000 miles), I expect there will be something else "electronic" that will fail that would otherwise cost a boatload of cash.

It's not the center console screen. Rather... 1. Turn the car on. 2. Using the left-hand set of buttons in the steering wheel, press left until you can't go any more screens left. 3. Go down to Settings, and select Settings. 4. Go down to Tire Mobility Kit, and select it. 5. Change the reminder timing on the Tire Mobility Kit. Options on my car are 1 through 4 years. It had been set to "1" so I set it for "2", backed out of the menu. Powered the car off then back on, and the warning no longer appeared. I then went back into the menu and set it back to "1" year. The entire kit had been replaced under warranty when the pressure gauge failed. I travel with a full-size spare when I take long road trips; otherwise, I call my insurance company who sends a tech.

Received a check for just under $800, IIRC. Sorry for the late response.

Averaging around 42-43mpg in mixed use. When I'm on the highway I try to set the cruise to 62 and it seems to be hitting the average. I live in El Paso so there's a bunch of up'n'down hills where you can see the mileage drop as you go up and then come back up as you go down. No complaints. Ford even sent me a check for $475 the other day. Considering my last car (a Scion xA) averaged 31mpg and was a loud and rough-riding go-cart, I'm happy with 43mpg in a car that is supremely comfortable and quiet. All I ask is continued reliability. Funny thing: I was looking for a vehicle to replace my wife's 10 year old Avalon and she saw a Lincoln she liked. Imagine my surprise when I checked the specs and found the same drivetrain as my cMax! My wife liked that. :D Barry

Update to my C-Max's issue (noted below): The dealer said he needed "about 2.5 hours" in order to do "something" (I didn't know what but, hey!, they must know more than I do about this, right?). I picked up the car around noon today and it looks like the problem has been resolved. According to the paperwork, they performed TSB 13-10-6 which is detailed here: http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/3139-tsb-13-10-6-myford-touch-various-functionality-concerns-built-before-8162013-supersedes-tsb-13-8-2/ It looks like they updated the software which I actually tried to do the day after I got the car. At that time the car indicated it was already up to date. Apparently (according to the dealer), this procedure dope-slaps the car back into factory specs and then installs the latest(?) software update. If it's not the latest but the unit continues to work properly, I'll leave it alone. :D I'm quite happy the dealer's service people were able to get this resolved so quickly. I truly like this car. Barry

Have just shy of 3000 miles. Did a trip from El Paso, Tx to Flagstaff, AZ and back along Route 180 through Deming, Silver City, Alpine, Painted Desert, Holbrook and along I-40 for the 90 miles to Flagstaff (@80MPH). Averaged 38MPG up there and about 43MPG on the way back (at 65/70MPH on the highway portions so it shows how excessive speed really hurts MPG). Up until this week, the car has been flawless. Then the MyTouch Sync radio started -not- updating the radio station ID or frequency readout, the preset buttons work only part of the time and, sometimes, they queue up the presses and play them back a minute later. The climate control readout has switched from F to C (21.5C, for example) and back spontanteously. Screen goes black and then, after powering off and on, comes back up. Multiple master resets didn't solve anything. A phone call to Ford to troubeshoot this didn't help. Was told to bring it to the dealer. I did so; they have it now and the service rep thought they'd have to order in a new "module". The kid who drove me home from the dealer told me they've had a number of bad Sync units in the car/truck models where they've been factory-installed and have had to replace them. I trust Ford will do this with mine. I will add that my original preference was to -not- have the MySync radio unit but the standard radio in the SE has like 50 buttons all over the top surface of the central dashboard area and this MySync unit, for all its "touch-screen-fake-button-pressing-skeuomorphic" nonsense, is still better than 50 separate mechanical buttons that will just stop working when they gather grime over the years. I do agree with others here that the "old-fashioned" radio with physical buttons and knobs is, in the context of an automobile that one is DRIVING, superior to any sort of touch screen. The voice "wreckognition" user interface is typically Microsoft as is the rest of the system. I heard Ford is considering Blackberry for the next version...great choice...a company that's been irrelevant for years and on the verge of bankruptcy. Hello! Ford! Ever hear of Apple?? They would have nailed this right off the bat.

Thanks to all the respondents. - I had been using the "Engage" screen (tip of the hat to Captain Picard) but, sorry, no warp drive. :D - The Empower screen does, I think, do a better job of informing me when I've about to go ICE. - Brickly up to speed vs long, slow climb. *Check* I'll try the Hill Assist switch (that's the one on the side of the shifter, right?) Plus 3 Golfer says: "...One can likely detune certain inputs with an eco-button so as to kick in ICE later, less frequently, and with less power / torque but there would likely be a performance penalty..." I would be happy to have such an option made available to me. Ford's marketing of the C-Max (better accel. than Prius) convinced me to come in for a test drive and, IMHO, it has the pickup of a V8 when you need it—better, actually, because the electric motor provides instantaneous torque that an ICE only develops with RPM. But now that I'm convinced that I have the pickup when I need it, I'd love to kick dirt in Toyota's face with an option that might give me another 10mpg without having to tap-dance on the accelerator in a complicated manner. In other words: I should not have to do more than push a button to sacrifice some horsepower but use the ICE as a fairly efficient generator. When I'm on "EV", the ICE is off. When I need electricity to charge up the battery, "ICE on" as required. But the electric motor should be sufficient to cruise at 65mph (about 30-35HP req'd IIRC). So why not let us set our cruise control for 65mph and let a "Super-ECO" mode be even more miserly with the gas? Or let it run at only lower speeds so driving around town might give us 55mpg? I know Ford is counting on the C-Max to be one of its "green leaders" so why not take advantage of the technology's capabilities? It may not be perfect but I've learned that you shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. :D

I'm at almost 900 miles now on my 2013 C-Max. 41+mpg on my first tank; now on my second. This is my first hybrid car. As I'm driving I find that almost all hills—even small ones—force the ICE to come on when I'm not really in a hurry even though I am trying to drive with the proverbial "raw egg between my foot and accelerator pedal". I've read (elsewhere in this forum) that one should drive trying to keep the ^ arrow lit so the battery stays in a somewhat charged state but doesn't that mean you're either going downhill (half my driving, at best) or running the ICE to keep the battery charged? Therefore, I'm using gas to charge the battery the other half of the time and, if I'm going back up the hills I've gone down, the ICE is providing motive power, as well. I especially enjoyed the "sweet spot" topic and I believe I've experienced this on drives between El Paso and Las Cruces where the road is essentially flat. 65mph seems to be very efficient. What I was wondering, however (and this is the gist of my topic title), if the best practice is to keep the battery fairly charged and utilize driving practices to otherwise keep the ICE from running, wouldn't it make sense for Ford to provide a "Super-ECO" mode that simply runs the ICE to produce electricity for the battery but, otherwise, lets the electric motor actually move the car? I realize that when you "step on it" you're asking the car to provide add'l power for which the ICE is used (like a steep hill) but, let's say Ford provides a couple of dashboard widgets that give you feedback so you know when you're approaching the threshold where the ICE would kick in and can back off if desired. This behavior would essentially make the C-Max a Series Hybrid where the ICE is only used to produce electricity for the electric drive motor. This would, presumably, be more efficient as the ICE only needs to spin the generator. I am not an engineer but it would seem that a fairly straightforward software update would provide this capability to all C-Maxi on the road. What do you think? Barry

I was searching on eBay and found (on ebay.uk) a light bulb for the backup lights that contains an actual backup alarm. As the C-Max is silent in this mode (reversing out a parking space or garage), I'd like to have that alarm. However, the bulb seems to be a "press 'n turn" variety rather than the W16W (push fit) LED type. Has anyone managed to locate the proper bulb with a combo-alarm attached? It would certainly make for a simple install. Thanks, Barry

Isn't that feature only part of the SEL model, not the SE? If I'm wrong, that's great but how would I test it? Maybe get into the car, use the fob to lock it and then open the door? edit: Nope, that didn't do it.

Just bought a 2013 C-Max SE. I know there's an ignition immobilizer (if I remember the phrase correctly), but I'd like to add a perimeter alarm so, if someone breaks a window or manages to jimmy open the doors, hood or rear liftgate, an alarm will sound. Any recommendations? Thanks, Barry