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CMAX SEL, OBD panel below and to the left of the steering wheel. There is a pushbutton that is installed at the bottom of the panel. What is it?

I can't see the hitch in the rear view camera. I definitely see the rack when it's on.

Yes. I feel like it's just a bit harder to trigger, but not sure. Frankly, the foot sensor didn't work that well for me before the install, seems like it always took about three tries.

Other hitch rack features to consider - when the bike(s) have been placed on the rack, is it stationary, fold down, or swing away? Stationary doesn't move out of the way. Once installed, you can't use your liftgate. Fold down folds down and away from the liftgate, toward the ground. You can fold the bikes down and then open your liftgate. Be aware that you will be stepping over / around the bike rack as you access the back of your vehicle. Swing away get's the bike rack further out of the way. Instead of pivoting down, the rack pivots to the side. Now you can lift the liftgate and pack/unpack your vehicle without stepping over the bike rack.

Re: do it yourself, the only tool you will need is a 13mm wrench. A socket wrench with a few extensions of different lengths made the job easier. You will want a couple wheel ramps to raise the rear of the vehicle up. The instructions say to have a wood block to support the exhaust system (exhaust brackets are removed and then replaced during installation). I had a jackstand ready, but I found that the exhaust only dropped about an inch before being held up, firmly, by another frame element, so no support was really necessary. I had my son help me. I've installed these hitches myself, but they are heavy and awkward. It's very useful to have one person on each end of the hitch. The CMax hitch weighed 35 lbs. Re: bike hitch model, it's generic. The mfg name has worn off, but it's nothing special. Just a generic 2 bike hitch rack. It's not the platform style. If you are buying a new rack, make sure you get one with anti-rattle features. You will find that once the rack slides into the receiver there will be an alarming amount of play in the connection. If you just use an ordinary hitch pin, you will find that the rack can sway right or left substantially. It's not dangerous, but it's disconcerting, and might make drivers behind you worry? Most modern racks have anti-rattle devices to fix this. They are called anti-rattle because the same extra play in the connection causes a rattle if you are towing a trailer. Even though the rack is swaying, not rattling, they call it anti-rattle. There are three types of anti-rattle device. One uses a threaded bolt in place of a hitch pin. The bike rack will come with a threaded bolt, and the part that slides in the receiver will have a matching nut. You will naturally need a wrench to take this rack on and off. If you leave the rack on all the time, or you don't mind the installation time, this is will work fine. If you take the rack on and off all the time, or you are looking for the quickest install, you will want an anti-rattle device that uses a manual knob. You attach the rack with a normal hitch pin, then tighten the knob to drive a wedge into the gap between the receiver and the rack. This gets rid of the extra play in the system. If your rack doesn't have either of these, you can use a third-party anti-rattle device such as is available from Softride. This will need to be installed with a wrench. Hope this helps.

I got the 1 1/4" unit. I also was concerned about clearance with 2" racks. As it is, I'll probably be shortening the square tube that goes into the receiver and drilling a new pin hole so my bike rack isn't as far away from the car.

Got it, installed easily, works fine. Very low profile - hitch fits entirely behind the bumper, only the (1 1/4") receiver is visible. Works with kick-activated liftgate opening, but I think the sensitivity is a bit reduced. No impact on rear proximity sensors (unless you have your bike rack mounted of course).

Good point regarding unintentionally opening while the bike rack is mounted. A towel is a good idea. My bike rack is a swing away so that the hatchback can come up after I swing the bike away. I'll try to mount the hitch myself. I've mounted bolt-ons to three other vehicles so far without a problem. The C-MAX is lower though, I may have to get a couple ramps.

Found one and ordered it: http://shop.tlcentral.com/store/pc/Ford-C-Max-1-25-Eco-Hitch-Trailer-Hitch-p1079.htm Supposedly works with the foot operated rear hatch, see video at I'll install it and report back.

Yep. Now that I have my Cmax I can see this will be a problem. Also parking sensors on the bumper.

That's a UK company, for the European C-Max. Might be compatible, might not.

After 1500 miles, averaging 42 mpg overall. Had my first 50 mpg trip today - in town, stop and go, lots of hills, top speed 45mph.

Whatever is cheapest.

Overall mileage since ownership is up to 42 mpg. The wife has been doing 50-100 mile freeway commutes.

Just mine as far as I know. I'd be surprised of something like that applied to all of them.