Adrian_L

Two words of advice: Coleman stove.

http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/08/06/uk-more-charging-stations-gas-stations?cmpid=tp-ptnr-huffpost Hybrids: you can't build an efficient vehicle that includes two motors, two batteries, fuel tanks, twice as many things to break down and limited passenger/cargo space. Having said that, hybrids have been a great stepping stone from ICE to pure electric.

Ridiculous? How so? The rise of electric cars is to be welcomed. (it's ridiculous that North Americans are driving around in smoke belching pickups that weigh 3 tons) When DC fast chargers are everywhere (and they will be) you'll plug your car in while having a coffee at McDonalds. People will look back at range anxiety as a quaint teething problem of new technology.

I would only trust an independent mechanic with non-hybrid stuff such as brakes or filter changes or bulb changes etc. Do you really want a mechanic messing around in there when they have indicated a lack of confidence? As much as a object to dealership service prices, they are getting regular bulletins and updates from Ford.

A paddle shifter on the steering wheel? Like formula one cars??! Bizarre..... the gear selector is where it should be. The lack of of power adjustment on the passenger seat is stingyness I associate with 1970's Ford, not today's.

I suspect it is carbon build-up in the exhaust that is getting discharged. It happens to city drivers who "baby" their throttle. I noticed it for a week after buying a used Acura from my cousin.

You're understandably frustrated, but who else would be the arbiter or warranty claims? Whether it's a transmission or a chef's knife, the dealer assesses the broken item and determines if it was a manufacturing defect or user negligence. You're free, as Paul suggests, to take the car for a second opinion. But the defect that the service bulletin refers too will have specific criteria and evidence when the transmission is dismantled.

Really? I searched on the forum and only found a couple of "transmission failure" threads. Including the one where Automate surveyed the forum and found.....wait for it..........six Hybrids who have had failures.

I believe you . The Fusion is a full 20 inches longer than the C-max and 2 inches wider.

Have you lifted up the trunk cover and looked at the battery? I would recommend online shopping for pretty well anything except batteries--the thing weighs 50 pounds! Walmart, Costco, Napa....

Why not? Because there isn't any room! Ford shoe-horned two engines and two batteries in a smallish package. They couldn't even find room for a spare tire, let alone a brake assist device and all the other stuff you mention. I'm a huge fan of turning my head and looking beside the car before I change lanes.

If everyone stopped behaving like children and put their phones away while driving, rates might actually go down.

Unbolt the red and black cables and remove and replace. Consumer reports recommends Everstart Maxx.

We just had our rattling/vibrating roof console fixed under warranty. Apparently Ford has a file for this problem so it is a known defect. I'm talking about the plastic console just behind the windshield on the SEL model.

I have never read anywhere that draining oil on a slope is beneficial. However, draining after a drive when the oil is hot is a good idea.

Depends on the current. A 2 amp trickle charger could take several hours. I think my charger has 2, 8 or 12 amp settings.

Rear seats? I have sat on park benches that were more comfortable.

Put an RV solar panel on a roof rack?! That's about as nutty as that guy who had one pair of rims on his driver's side and a different pair on his passenger's side :)

Volvo probably have the best seats in the business. Years ago my wife made me a small cushion about 6X8" and 3" thick. Foam with a cloth cover. It was a good lumbar cushion. Just shove it behind your back or velcro it to the seat.

Let's look at this logically. Let's say you could buy a regular car and there was a $3000 engine modification to save you, say, 2 mpg. Would you buy it? Of course you wouldn't.

Sure. If the panel is free, which it's not. Just another example of a marketing swindle to make money from consumers who know nothing about the science.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/410454/does-car-mounted-solar-make-sense/

Intriguing. But I heard they were kind of useless. Roof solar panels that is, not the Toyota Prius :) Or to put it another way, sitting the car in the sun for 6 hours only regenerates a tiny fraction of the battery.

Sorry to hear about that. I wouldn't recommend the SE model to be honest.

So what? It's not an Aston Martin either! Comparing the C-max to a Prius makes sense, but this doesn't.