Adrian_L

I think we can do without the armchair mechanics. My car sounding like an ambulance would get me down to a Ford dealer PDQ.

There's no reverse beeper on any of the C-maxes. It's a commercial vehicle requirement, at least in Canada.

Paul, did you ever put a K&N oil filter on yours? Or did you just stick with the Mastercraft filter? Think I will put Mobil 0W30 in ours this weekend.

Tons of C-maxes in the UK and Ireland. All diesels as far as I noticed on my trip last year.

I'm not sure if it is a problem, as such. On my GMC van I notice hot air on my feet when the heater is set for defrost. Basically it just means that the flap controlling the air flow is not a tight seal, allowing light flow to other vents. If I may ask, why not just turn off the air/ac completely?

Sorry to hear about that. 3-4 months for a new car part is unacceptable. I'd go up the chain of command. I'm not sure the "if it isn't broken.." thing applies here. Where do you draw the line? No software updates ever, because the car seems to be working fine? Is half a day without your C-max really that much of an inconvenience? I'll assume the bright minds at Ford know much more than I do, and send my car in for all recalls, fixes and preventative measures.

How is the A6? What do you mean? It'll be exactly the same as the A4 except it will include any road, restaurant etc. changes since the A4 was published.

For those who are looking for a smooth, matt, fresh-from-the-factory look to their tires, try this: after you wash and dry your tires, add a little brake fluid to a clean cotton cloth and wipe over once. I learned this tip from a car restorer, years ago.

It appears the good Mr. Cheezy is no longer with us.

Don't you need to pay for data or whatever to use your smart phone as a NAV? You can't put a price on having it right there on your dash. Honestly---I've used Garmin, Magellan and Audi MMI and they've all screwed up at times (Garmin wanted me to do a U-turn on an Interstate when I could see my destination ahead of me) It would be nice to be able to change the voices (by the way the word ROUTE is properly pronounced "root", not "rowt"!!!)

Nice to have a neighbor on the forum. I didn't make it as far as test-driving the Prius. I couldn't get past that ATM dashboard. We (wife and I) found that weather makes a huge difference on our mileage. But we're getting about 5.2 average on the placid streets of Vancouver. I have a new toy as well--A '66 Volvo 122s. She needs a lot of TLC but I hope to have her road-worthy by September. Long term idea is to do an electric conversion with Li Ion batteries. We'll see....

Looks like a good product. On the subject of washing: I have been washing my cars for years with Sunlight detergent. I just discovered it is so strong it will remove wax! Time to get a dedicated car washing product.

I have to hand it to Cheezy. On the forum for 3 days. 44 posts. At least 6 arguments started. He's been ignored by at least one member and soon to be ignored by another. Glad to have you aboard buddy. Help yourself to a drink and be careful you don't fall overboard and drown.

I'm just going to put this out there, because I'm getting such a deja vu feeling. Cheezy, are you Dr. Diesel back from the dead? I just can't imagine any newbie to the forum being so beligerant after being around for what, 3 days?

Time to get to know the dude!?.............ahem, no disrespect but cars and boats are always hers or shes. Although I have to say our Maxine gives me less grief than I usually get from............let's just say she's trouble free. I wish I had got into this conversation earlier. I would have had some lively comments to say about the "Energi is a better car" comment. Can you even get three of those little carry-on suitcases in the trunk?! Japanese saying: ten men; ten tastes. Not every Ford shoe fits the same foot.

As with most things in life, it is more complicated than that. Even if someone told us that the Energi would have been cheaper in car payments and gas, it wouldn't have pursuaded my wife to ignore that micro trunk. Still.........there's an Energi that plugs in at my work parking lot and I covet it daily.

46. I suspected there were a few grumpy old duffers around here.

I agree. You can't put a price on the pano roof. It completely opens up the interior.

The whole idea that driving big, gas guzzling vehicles is part of the "North American lifestyle" makes as little sense to me as the idea that we need to have restaurant food portions that would happily feed 3 in Europe. Things will change, as they did when the energy crisis hit and it wasn't so cool driving that Gran Torino around with the gas needle that could be seen moving on the highway!

I put DIY Reflectix window shields in my camper van a couple of years ago. You can use the aluminum seam tape to do a more professional job on the edges than regular duct tape. I used 3" pieces of black velcro every couple of feet to attach it to the black vinyl trim around the windshield. You might only need that on the top part of the C-max windshield just to hold it in place. The one for my van actually wraps around and covers both the driver's side window and front passenger window. Mainly for privacy and keeping the interior dark in the morning.

Why does California get to have all the fun?! (The Fiat 500 electric is only available there as far as I know) Thanks for the legwork....

I think the sound is crisp and detailed but there is a lack of low-end punch.

I wasn't aware that the Sony system actually HAD any bass. A very good idea/upgrade.

Mlsstl will disagree with me, as he did before. But here's the thing: the C-max isn't plagued by terminal transmission problems. Neither have owners been driving down the road and the electronics go wonky and leave you stranded. The dead battery problem is certainly annoying for a few, but can be easily fixed in the short term with a $50 battery charger. No worry, no anxiety......boost it up and you're on your way. I don't intend to start any contentious debate, but there are alot of worse problems that could plague a car. Personally I would stay away from the SE model, but anyone who claims that the C-max is some of dangerous proposition is clearly not using their grey matter. And to those who have decided the C-max isn't for them. Why are you still on the forum?! It is sort of like hanging out on a date long after you've told her she's not your type ;)

Welcome to the forum. Was beginning to wonder why we don't have more Ford employees+C-max owners around here.