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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?

Do you by any chance have the rear vision camera? If so, is it affected either way, rack on or off?

 

Alan

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

Hatch foot sensors still ok with hitch?

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.

What kind of rack do you have? Did you need any special equipment to install the hitch? I'm thinking I can do this myself, but have never done it. Thanks for the feedback!

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.

 

Did you get the 1 1/4" or the 2" I am trying to decide between the two. My wife's car has a 2" right now, and it would be nice to have the same, but I have a 1 1/4" rack right now. The only thing that worries me about getting a 2" is that the C-Max rides lower to the ground and many 2" racks are not designed for vehicles that ride that close to the ground. Any feedback would be appreciated!!

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).

Found one and ordered it: http://shop.tlcentra...Hitch-p1079.htm

 

Supposedly works with the foot operated rear hatch, see video at

 

I'll install it and report back.

 

Awesome! I hope it works out, are you planning to install it yourself?

 

Watched the video and am thinking that with the sensor it may unintentionally open while mounting bikes or the hitch. I think I'd zip tie a towel or something soft to the carrier the first couple times (to protect the liftgate from hitting it) until it can be seen one way or ther other if mounting the bikes or hitch would trigger it.

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.

Potential problem for installing a trailer hitch if you have the hands free - use your foot - lift gate option. It appears that the sensor is under the bumper and dead center.

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

Sorry I have not buy I did find a link that might be helpful to you

 

http://www.car-roofr...x-roof-rack.htm

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.

Thanks for the info that sucks about the cruise control is that with all of them? Or just a malfunction?

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

San Diego to Thousand Oaks, one passenger. Half at 75mph. Half at 55 - 65, with some slow and go in Los Angeles. 40mpg overall.

This thing has some real pep. A couple freeway situations where I floored it to change lanes into a gap in traffic that was not as large as I would like it to be. In one case, stuck behind a truck at 45mph, hit the gas to hit a gap in the adjacent 70+mph lane. Acceleration was immediate and more than adequate to the task. Same experience when merging onto the freeway from a couple dicey on-ramps. The Cmax is definitely not a Prius.

Ride is smooth and quiet.

Small problem with cruise control. I expected that tapping the "Set-" button would reduce my speed by a small increment. Instead it shut off cruise control completely. No resume possible; had to turn cruise control back on and set my speed. I'll read the manual and see if I'm doing something wrong...

Kinda looks like a mistake on their web site. It's a trunk-mount unit that might work on the hatch back. I'm looking for a hitch mount.

Thanks for taking a swing at this, though.

got a VIN spin ?

Sent it to you in private message.

I've got one on order. I didn't place a factory order. I found a dealer that had one coming in that met my specifications. Theoretically it's already built; just waiting for delivery.

My wife changed jobs and lost her company car - a nice Ford Fusion.She told me to go out and get a Prius. I told her to wait for the C-MAX, but I'll have to go get the Prius if it takes much longer.

I've got one on order. I didn't place a factory order. I found a dealer that had one coming in that met my specifications. Theoretically it's already built; just waiting for delivery.

My understanding is that quite a few C-MAX hybrids have been built, but it doesn't seem like they are being shipped? Any theories on why this is true? What is the ETA for delivery to west coast dealers?

I have a bike rack that mounts via trailer hitch. Anyone supplying a C-MAX trailer hitch yet?

I'm looking for GVWR.

Weight ratings yet?