SPL Tech

Yes, that's the exact document I was looking for. How do I input the VIN of a prospective vehicle that I am looking at and get that window sticker document? The etis.ford.com link posted above does not say what equipment group the vehicle has.

So I know that 301A does not include the backup camera, but does it include the proximity sensors that beep when you are backing up toward an object?

Do we know what the specific problem with the transmissions is and what the symptoms are leading to the failure?

Because they are the cheapest and there are virtually no changes between the year models on the CMax. How much of an issue is it really? I've read about two guys having problems on this forum, but that's out of how many tens of thousands of 2013's sold?

I am looking at getting a used 2013 C-Max and I want to be able to compare different options when looking at car listings online before I drive to the location to look at the car. Specifically, I am looking for an SEL C-Max that has the 5-speaker stereo system with HD FM (as opposed to the 4-speaker systems) and the colored accent lighting inside. However, I dont know what Ford actually calls those features nor what equipment group they are a part of. As such, is there an old brochure on Ford's website somewhere that shows every available option for the C-Max and what the different equipment groups contain? That way I can plug the VIN of a prospective vehicle into Ford's VIN decoder and see if it has the equipment group I want before I drive to the dealer.

Maybe, but it also increases the risk of flying off the road in every other possible senario. You need tire contact pach area for grip in snow, wet conditions, dirt, mud, and even dry pavement. If you increase the PSI, you lose grip in all conditions except driving through standing water in a turn.

Running the headlamps on for 1.5 hours during a movie would completely kill the battery. I killed the battery enough to not be able to start the car with the lamps on for only 30 minutes or so.

Keep in mind cheap LEDs are quite unreliable. Your standard OEM bulb that comes with the vehicle will far outlast a cheap LED light. Most lights sold online and in auto parts stores are cheap, made-in-china crap. The problem is the LED can last upwards of a million hours but the components, the power supply namely, can fail in less than 100 hours. I experienced this in replacing my lights in my house with all LEDs. I bought over 40 LED light bulbs and within a year 38 of them were completely dead. I replaced all 40 of those lights with compact CFLs instead, and a year later 40 of the original 40 are still working good.

There is. Like a million. Yelp, Google, Trip Reporter, BBB, Rip off report, ect. tons out there. I would start with Yelp.

Yes, all dealers suck, this is not news, and it's not specific to Honda dealers. If you look at the consumer reporting index with regard to the general public's honest perception of those who work in automotive sales and repairs, it is quite low. I think it's just a tad higher than politicians, and about on par with bank executives and oil refinery executives.

For a 2009. Diesel does seem cheaper now. For the entire time I had my 2009 TDI, it was more expensive. I wouldent count on diesel staying cheaper forever. Diesel price is quite volatile.

More like 45, I owned one for 50,000 miles. Also, like most consumers, you're missing some major points here. Do you want a vehicle that is fuel efficient, or money efficient, because they are not always one in the same. Even if the Diesel gets better MPG on the highway (which is only barely does) diesel costs more, in some areas (although less in others), but more importantly, the maintenance cost on VW diesels is absolutely astronomical. You need to use a very specialized type of oil that is not available at Wal-Mart, and it runs about $70 if you change it on your own or $150 at the dealer. You also need to change the fuel filter every $20k miles, which is more complicated than on a gasoline car, and that runs about $120 - 200 at the dealer. Then you need to change the brake fluid after three years and every two thereafter, which is about $300 at the dealer. The tranny flush every 50k? About $400 at the dealer. If you do all the maintenance required for the 60,000 mile change interval, it's about $1200 at the dealer. The 120,000 mile interval is about $2,000 at the dealer. Again, this is just for maintenance, then just wait until something breaks and you need to order those expensive euro Audi parts! So when all things are considered, operating cost for a VW diesel is many times higher than a hybrid car.

So what did THE guy say the problem was?