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raadsel

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Everything posted by raadsel

  1. As ls973800 suggested, I was merely commenting on your comment, "the new & improved C-Max will probably be built in Michigan." I wasn't actually disagreeing with other parts of your post, as I have no issue with your other comments. As a general rule, however, I prefer to post full posts rather than chopping out "unrelated" bits as I've had too many do it to take comments out of context. I suppose we could talk about build out dates, though I'd probably counter with what you know about JIT manufacturing and we'd take the thread off topic. Besides, you have me feeling old now since I realized it has been roughly 25 years since I worried about that stuff. ;)
  2. Actually, as I stated above, I tend to think that the C-Max will be assembled in Mexico, that it won't go back to the Michigan plant. As I stated above, this is because the other Ford/Lincoln hybrid cars that use this power train are assembled in Mexico. It makes sense for ford to assemble all cars with the same power train in the same, or nearby, plants to cut transportation costs and issues. I do believe, as has been stated, that the Michigan plant will get another model Ford to build. I suspect, though it is just a guess, that the new "Prius Killer" will be different than the C-Max. Remember the C-Max is a "world car", in terms of frame/body, and Ford will want to keep it roughly the same body as its European sibling. So, I suspect that the "Prius Killer" might take the place of the C-Max in the Michigan plant.
  3. It sounds like it would be a good option to be able to lock in with MyKey. I can think several people might appreciate being able to lock it in for teen drivers, as well.
  4. Interesting. So we know now there will be at least one more year of the C-Max (a 2017 MY version). As mentioned by the OP, it looks like the C-Max will continue to be produce beyond that but likely in Mexico. I have to say, it does seem to make sense to have the C-Max made in the same plant as the Fusion Hybrid and the MKZ hybrid, since they share the same powertrain.
  5. Looks like it depends on how much you value a new car. There are some minor advantages to the newer model, though not much has changed, and the new car warranty. Much of it depends on if a new car is worth an extra $6000 to you. It is also odd that the used C-Max has had two owners and that the first one had it only 4 months and put only 400 miles on the car -- not sure what to think about that. It could indicate the first owner had issues or could merely mean the owner no longer needed/could no drive the car. Even if it was issues, it could be as simple as the owner being upset the car was not getting the original 47/47/47 fuel rating, or a bigger issue, such as the battery issue that some owners have had -- though the CarFax would show if it had been returned as a lemon. At the same time, this used car has the CPO warranty; which not only includes the original warranty but also has an extra one year/12,000 mile bumper to bumper (so four years or 48,000 on this car) and then extends the powertrain warranty to 7 years/100,000 miles -- though any work done under the CPO warranty (not covered by the original warranty) is $100 per repair visit. You can find the brochure for the Ford CPO program here. If you do opt for the new car, letting the salesman know you are considering this used C-Max might help negotiate a lower price.
  6. From what I can see, that looks like a pretty decent price -- assuming there are no huge dealer fees. Not saying you couldn't do better but the price seems fair to me.
  7. Just to clarify, the shop is open if I wanted to order one?
  8. While I agree that 23K seems high, 16 or 17 seems a bit low since there are used 2013 SEL's are selling in that range (depending on options). Having said that, there could easily be issues on a C-Max with this low or mileage, particularly if it sat for a long period of time. Like obob states, I'd want some sort of extra warranty to cover issues like tires, battery, and other parts that may have deteriorated from sitting unused. I think I would try to negotiate for the Ford ESP PremiumCare (with no deductible) and maybe even Ford's maintenance coverage, as well, at that price.
  9. I can't agree with this. From everything I've seen, CU has always liked the C-Max. What they objected to was the EPA rating of 47 mpg, which was a valid complaint. But the reviews for the C-Max have always been good, scoring quite well in the hybrid category, in fact, from what I recall, that 77 score is from their original testing of the C-Max in 2013.
  10. Yes, this is my thought, as well. Most people have no need for the 240V charger, since most charge overnight. Additionally, charging at 110V is likely somewhat better for the battery, as charging the battery faster causes more heat. Ford even has it set up so you can plug the car in but set when you actually want the car to charge, for many that would be after the electric rates drop around midnight.
  11. As jdbob mentioned, all the displays other than the actual speedometer can be changed. The speedometer, even though the metric markings are smaller, likely isn't worth bothering to change -- at least that was my experience. I'm guessing the car you are buying either has the Daytime Running Lights installed or have set up with a dealer to turn them on.
  12. I suspect it won't be the big issue some suspect. Much of that is based on the Prius, though Toyota has sold far more Prii than Ford has sold hybrids. There are companies now that sell/install refurbished Prius batteries for $1,000 -- and that includes them installing the battery where you are rather than needing to take your car into their shop; plus they give a 1 year warranty on the battery. There are some Prius owners, those electrically inclined, that have "fixed" their battery packs for $100. One thing you need to realize is that it is not a single battery, the HVB is multiple small battery cells that are wired together to make 1 big battery. When the HVB "fails", often it is just a few of those cells that has actually failed. So, what these battery shops are doing is finding a few wrecked cars to get the first few batteries, then test the individual cells and reconditioning them, then making sure the cells are within norms for capacity and holding a charge. Any bad cells are recycled and the usable cells are put back together to make an HVB. Then, when they replace a "bad" HVB and put their reconditioned pack in, they start the process over with the battery they replaced. I'm guessing that many of these shops that specialize in Prius now will expand to work on other hybrids as our cars get older. Additionally, Ford is claiming that the battery pack will last for the "life" of the car. Granted, that is a rather generic term that could mean anything -- though we do know that Ford has been testing the packs for longevity in various environments. There are reports of Lithium Polymer battery packs lasting 200,000-300,000 miles; I seem to recall there are some taxis that have done this. Additionally, Hyundai claims their HVB, in testing, was found to have minimal degradation after over 300,000 miles -- and they offer a lifetime warranty on the HVB in their hybrid (non-transferable).
  13. The choice between Energi and SEL Hybrid should largely be based on the type of driving you do. If you typically take shorter trips, the Energi is the better choice. If you typically drive 10 miles or more when you get in your car, then the Hybrid is likely as good or a better choice. The issue with hybrids and short trips is that when the car first turns the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) on, it keeps it on until everything is up to operating temperature. This means (somewhat depending on temperature) the first 5 or 10 minutes of your drive,the ICE will be on pretty constantly -- meaning you will get around the same fuel economy as a regular car. This is particularly true if you need the heater on, as it uses the heat from the ICE to warm the air. By contrast, the Energi has an electric heater; if you have remote start you can even turn the car on and get the interior warm before you leave the house. Since, as long as it is charged, it can work on the electric motor only, you have 20+ miles of driving before it needs to start the ICE. Like the Hybrid, though, when the ICE turns on in the Energi it will stay on until everything is warmed up. Of course, there is also the consideration of cargo space, as the Energi does have the large battery pack that reduces the space behind the rear seats. As was suggested, you can likely find a 2014 Energi or Hybrid in Ice Storm, or you can likely find a new (if that is what you want) 2015 in the Blue Candy which is an interesting color. Hopefully you can find one you like as it is a great little car. Personally I love the height which gives easy entry/exit as well as lots of window area while you are driving.
  14. Again, it is listed as a new feature, so perhaps they are adding a similar button to the hybrid? I did just find where Ford applied for a Trademark in February of this year. The application state that it is, "computerized electronic controls for motor vehicles to manage engine, powertrain, battery and climate control functions." OTOH, the only references I find to it are on Energi models. Such as this article on price cuts mentions, "More than that, the Energi is expected to offer a new EcoSelect driving mode than can activate additional regenerative braking as well as more gentle acceleration as Ford look keen on attracting buyers' attention towards its eco-friendly models." So it might just be mentioned as a new feature, because it will be something new on the Energi -- though I'm sure most of us would appreciate something like that on the hybrid.
  15. It appears as if that car is being sold as a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO), which means they should have performed any of the recalls on the car when they did the CPO inspection. It is possible that there has been a new recall since the inspection was done, which may not have been performed. Additionally, depending on what source you use, there are recalls that only apply to a range of build dates and not all 2013 vehicles but some sites still show the recalls as "needed" for a vehicle that was not built in that date range. I'll agree, it does seem odd that a Ford Dealer would not perform known recalls on any pre-owned Ford they sell. There are a couple of "recalls" that may have no work required. One is the Fuel Economy Customer Satisfaction, which merely provided first owners with money for the car allegedly not living up to the original EPA mileage claims. The other is the MyFord Touch Warranty Extension, which is merely extending the warranty on the MyFord Touch.
  16. A little search and it appears that the Eco Select is the button on the Energi models, that toggles between EV Now, EV Later, and Auto EV. I'm not quite sure what to think with it being a new feature, though hopefully it will be a way to put the car into EV+ mode, or something similar. I also noticed on the other thread that the Rear View Camera is listed as a standard feature; I believe that is a federal requirement for the 2016 model year. It seems strange that change isn't listed here, but still shows it as an option included with the 302A option package. Edit: It appears that the rear view camera requirement has been pushed back to 2019 -- so it will be interesting to see if this is standard.
  17. It does mention: New — Standard EcoSelect Button — SYNC® 3 – Enhanced Voice Recognition Communications and Entertainment System. Includes 8” LCD Touch Screen in Center Stack with Swiping and Pinch-to-Zoom Capabilities, AppLink™, 911 Assist® and Two Smart Charging USB ports – Replaced 15MY SYNC® with MyFord Touch® So this does confirm that the 2016 Hybrid will have Sync 3. I also have to wonder what the EcoSelect button is going to do.
  18. While it doesn't mention Sync 3, it also doesn't say MyFord Touch, and the picture of the Hybrid interior shows Sync 3. I also noticed that the rear view camera is now a standard feature -- 302A only adds the foot activated hands-free liftgate.
  19. I saw this recently and, for those of us with '13s, it looks like it might be a decent alternative. Not sure if it is any good but, for the price ($1.18), I figure it is worth a try.
  20. Just to be clear, the ICE is started by the Electric Motor, which is run by the HVB (Li-ion). The 12V battery is used to start the various computers on the car, at start up, and to power some of the accessories. Additionally, once the car is On, the HVB should charge the 12V battery. If you start the car and just sit, the car will stay in electric mode until the HVB is at a low power level, at which point it will turn on the ICE to recharge the HVB. Forgive me if you meant something else.
  21. The real trick would be getting that going the other direction. It really helps fuel economy when you are dropping almost a mile in altitude.
  22. I'm guessing the main reason for the different exhaust manifold in the Hybrid vs. the Energi has to do with the Climate Control system, in particular the heater. On a cold day, on the Hybrid, you will have no heat until the ICE is warm since it generates heat for the Climate Control system, whereas the Energi has an electric heater, so doesn't need the ICE to be warm (or for the ICE to ever turn on, depending on trip). There is likely also some fuel economy considerations. From what I recall, the C-Max (once it starts the ICE) will keep the ICE on until it reaches normal operating temperatures. Since you may be in stop and go traffic or stopped at traffic lights during this time, they want the engine heated as quickly as possible to reduce fuel consumption. By contrast, the Energi should be in EV mode during this time running off the larger HVB. If the Energi will be taking a longer trip, over 20 miles, where it needs the engine to start then it can likely wait to heat the ICE until the driver is on a highway and out of traffic lights and traffic where there won't be a "fuel economy penalty" while the engine warms.
  23. I get the impression that a lot of companies tend to be very protective of the details of their hybrid systems -- they are happy to give overviews and the basics, as they want to "wow" people with their technology, but don't want to share the details (particularly the software portions). On top of that, I find Ford's Owner Manuals rather weak. While there is some good information, they seem to lack organization and miss some information. For one example of something missed, I wish they had a simple overview of the various lights and controls on the dash and console, showing a drawing of the dash and pointing out where each is located. It is a pain trying to figure out what some things are, such as the light showing the doors are locked.
  24. For those wanting help, the major options each group adds: SE 200A: Base SE SE 201A: Adds power liftgate, ambient lighting, and reverse sensors SE 202A: Adds MyFord Touch SE 203A: Adds Navigation SEL 300A: Base SEL SEL 301A: Sony Audio and navigation SEL 302A: Power liftgate and backup camera SEL 303A: Active Park Assist While this is based on the 2015 models, these options (from what I recall seeing) haven't changed much since 2013.
  25. I'm 5 -- at least counting decades. I started doing that when my kids asked how old I was, when they were young. I'll turn 6 in about 3 years.
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