Tom

I chose the dealer that is closest to my home for future service convenience. I also belong to a credit union that has an auto buying service, as does AAA, which I also belong to. I went to the dealer armed with purchase amounts through these services for negotiating purposes. All worked out quite well.

While washing my C-Max with the wipers in service mode, I discovered that the wipers could be pulled out away from the windshield. The wiper arms each have a hinge that facilitates this. Good for when overnight ice and snowstorms make scraping a necessary the next time you want drive somewhere.

Just a thought: I'm one who carrys a spare tire and jack at all times -- hoping I'll never have to use them. I just added a big plastic bag to the carry list--so that If I do have to change a tire, I'll have a place to put the flat tire that will not dirty my C-Max's interior.

Saw two today in downtown Bethesda, Md.

Saw two today on Connecticut Ave in Aspen Hill, Md.

This has worked well for me. Haven't had to use the spare but can live with the loss of space to accommodate it. I placed the spare outside facing down so I have the wheel well to place things in like a gtocery bag and it doesn't fall over.

Take a look at www.easyviewhd.com/‎. Anyone use this?

I have found the down hill button to be very useful for its intended purpose -- to hold /slow vehicle speed while going down grades -- or just coming to a stop on a level grade. When I use it in steep declines, it sounds like the engine is revving up which I assume is the engine braking. A feature I quite like. I was reluctant to buy a car with an automatic transmission that did not include a mid range gear that I could shift into for this purpose. When I learned that the C-Max had this down hill feature, I kept it on my shopping list and ultimately bought one. Well, I ramble on, but to get to your question, I think that if you use your down hill button feature as much as you can, its use, while slowing you down, also sends some amount of energy to the battery thus reducing the need for the ICE to operate to recharge the battery. A gasoline saved technique, perhaps. To use it on a level road where you are not intending to slow /stop would seem counter productive. Your thoughts?

Anybody put their rear windshield wiper blade in a plastic bag before using a mechanical car wash? If so, why? Thanks

If you don't have heated side mirrors and your car is out in an ice storm, an ice dam forms on the ledge of the containers holding the mirrors and prevents mirror adjustment -- a real problem if you have more than one driver and need to readjust the mirrors. My solution is to use a thin plastic card as an ice scraper and remove the ice dam.

Well, when all else fails, read the owners' manual very carefully. I thought I knew how to set automobile radio presets -- after all, I've done it for years. My cars, company cars, rental cars, etc. Turns out that after one sets the desired preset in the usual way, you also have to push the OK button. Who knew? Not me. The ever so readable owners' manual does give this information. Tom

I'm still having trouble with my radio presets. I select a station, set the button, and some time latter, I lose the preset. Any new information on this issue? Thanks, Tom

Dealer performed according to the invoice: under Recall13B07, 13B07B Reprogram the Powertrain Control Module Recall13B12, 13B12B Check Battery with GR-1, Reprogram FCDIM 6402 programmed per recall Not sure what was actually done other than reprogramming but it seems to work.

Further info: When the AAA gave me a jump this AM, My radio came on along with with everything else. We routinely turn off the radio manually when we turn off the car -- so I suspect this may be the cause in this case. I told the SA when I delivered the car to my Ford dealer the morning. He was skeptical, but said he would have it checked. To be continued.

Just had my second dead battery. Have changed my vote in poll from one to two. My dear battery events are several months apart. Will get a jump start in the morning and take the car to my dealer.

Interesting article. Thanks Dave.

Good luck and keep us informed.

.Ashley, Thank you for you offer of assistance. On this form, the members reflect a wide range of expertise and some of us a very narrow range. To that end, what is or how does one PM someone else? Thanks, Tom

Yes, most definitely! It's fun to drive: comfortable for daily use and for trips,it is easy to get into and out of,easy to park,has a great deal of head room, andit is easy on the budget.Tom

No. The above quote is all I got over the internet.

Ford has a conundrum on its hands. The fuel economy we measured when we first tested its C-Max and Fusion hybrids last year was very good, placing them among the most fuel-efficient cars in their classes. The Fusion sedan got a stellar 39 mpg overall, and the C-Max wagon netted 37. But the results were far below the 47 mpg EPA estimates printed on the cars’ window stickers. We found the same situation with the Lincoln MKZ, which is an upscale sibling of the Fusion. We weren’t the only ones to notice the gap; owners have reported lower-than-expected gas mileage online, and Ford said that it has seen a relatively high level of customer dissatisfaction with fuel economy for the C-Max. A few months ago, it came to light that the company had never actually tested the C-Max’s fuel economy for the EPA. It used a legal loophole in the EPA’s regu­lations to simply use the Fusion’s mpg results for both cars because they share the same powertrains. Ford then lowered the C-Max’s EPA combined estimate to 43 mpg, promised to update its hybrids to improve their real-world fuel economy, and offered software updates to existing owners for their cars. Ford also gave C-Max owners money for the difference in fuel consumption. Because we still own our tested C-Max, Fusion, and MKZ hybrids, we had the software updates applied to our cars and retested them to see whether they improved. We conducted our tests, which use a different criteria than the EPA’s, immediately before and after the cars’ software was updated. We saw only minor differences for all three cars.

This December, I will have my C-Max SE one year. I experienced battery failure once. Got AAA to jump start it and drove it to my dealer. Dealer did something with the computer, a recall I think, and I have not had any battery problems since.

Does anyone know of a horn or bell (Bermuda bell comes to mind) that can be used on a C-Max that will politely warn a pedestrian that he/she is being followed by a silent EV and the pedestrian should take care? I encounter this issue frequently in parking garages. I don't want to blow the car horn and cause someone to have a hart attack.

When we bought our C-Max, i wanted a color that would not absorb too much heat from the sun. We were going from a black car. White was my color of choice. My wife is an artist so I leave color choices up to her. She chose ice storm. It has worked out great! Very little solar gain and, as others have said, it shows a very small amount of dirt. I think it is quite elegant.

Thanks guys. I have to admit that I am intimidated by the Trips 1&2. The owner's manual was of no help to me, nor the Ford training films on the subject. So, I'm following the old adage: If at first you don't succeed, give up re. Trips 1&2.