grege

Car finally back after one week (and sketchy service and "lost" parts).  Car bought new and now has ~32,000 miles.  Surprised to see one inspection item report rear brakes AOK while front brake pads are 4/32" and recommend replacing.  With regen braking and only 32,000 miles, front brakes have worn quicker than any other new vehicle I've owned?  Will need to visually check that in a few days, but disconcerting to read that while at the same time dealer reports all pads and rotors should be replaced due to rust.  Um, if rotor surfaces are rusted, then there's obviously not much pad contact and pads should not be worn much, right?  

Transmission noises reportedly relate to half shaft/axle and hub (based on chasis stethoscope "ears"), but "replacements" have not yet diminished noises, so I'm sadly skeptical about that too.  Second time in a row dealer has not rotated tires when requested as part of oil/filter/routine service.  Might end up having another shop look it over to verify service.  Servicing should not be this big a challenge for any customer.  

Greg

2018 titanium cmax, 32,000 miles.  Started with high-pitched whine several miles ago. That turned into a humming/growling noise coming from the cockpit area that I would have sworn was tire/wheel noise.  Dealer now thinks it's the CVT, which makes sense given the increasing growling noises I've been having, including some recent ones during hard acceleration.  Ugh.  Never been a fan of CVTs and still am not...

Greg  

Highway, not sure what would be best to avoid breaking something.  I'd try placing the fob on a sunlit, hot dashboard for for few hours to maybe help loosen up any "fusing" that's taken place.  I had to replace my new 2018 cmax fob batteries within the first year due to some "schmucky" slime (maybe dielectric grease) that was used on the button batteries.  

Keep prying...carefully.  Good luck!

Greg

Guestimate:  $10,300.00 USD

Greg

Son of a *&^@!

I've cursed myself.  When going to refuel today, receive a "Refuel Error See Manual" pop up on my screen today.  Of course the manual is zero help, so i pull the fuel rip cord.  Will see what next refill brings...  

Greg

Twice my fuel door did not open after I used a different "procedure".  My cable did open the fuel door and ever since then and because it's flimsy plastic not to be trusted, I will only use this process:  park car, pull hand brake, push "off" button and ONLY then do I press the fuel door button.  No codes or check engine lights, though, so not changing the working process until/unless I have to do so... 

Greg

2018 titanium with what may be a leak, roughly dead center about where a rear axle center line.  I placed a box/bag underneath to catch any drips after seeing a dinner-plate sized stain underneath.  Will see what tomorrow brings, but can only imagine it'd be either brake fluid or fuel (if it is an actual leak and not simply some kind of muffler/condensation dripping).  Fingers crossed for good news...

Greg

Our 2017 and 2018 both would lose some initially during the few months of "being new".  I check all fluids once to twice per month and have not had to add any coolant in many months.  I too purchased a 50/50 ford mix and simply add a few ounces whenever I see the levels drop and always make sure to check that no puddles are left under either car.  

Greg 

16 hours ago, tcesni said:

I have a 2014 C-Max Energi that I bought used three years ago.  This past week while having the car at the Ford dealer for the state inspection I asked for the engine air filter to be changed as I doubt it had every been done and the car now has 55,000 miles on it.  The service writer told me that this car has an air filter meant for the life of the car and to change it would cost $250.  I've looked at the instructions to change and while more tedious than most filters he must have been mistaken.  What was he thinking about?  

$250 is a huge markup as the filter costs around $20 and should take a mechanic 30 minutes if working very slowly (So, $50 dealer filter price and $60 labor = $110, which would be more reasonable but still a lot for a filter).  Replacing the engine filter is tedious, but easy to do and it is NOT a lifetime filter.  It does seem however to last 2 - 3 years easily before needing replacement.  Cabin filter is also tedious, but should likely be replaced every 1 - 2 years.  

Greg 

Searching this forum makes me wonder if this relates to the ANC (noise cancelling) plug.  Anyone with a 2017 or 2018 cmax experience this?  I will look underneath my glovebox and try unplugging this if the noise continues.  It makes some sense b/c right now it seems to emit from the passenger side ceiling microphone, but will double check...

Greg 

2018 titanium cmax with 25,000 miles and just recently, started getting an audible (ear-piercing tone) whine that sounds like it's coming from the passenger-side interior seat/ceiling area).  This is new and not the typical hybrid vehicle electric whirring/whine coming from the wheels or engine.  This noise is faint, but is the perfectly wrong pitch to make it piercing and does not change with speed.

Thanks for any relief,

Greg

6 hours ago, Stevem7 said:

I have my 2015 Cmax H back to the dealer for the third time. They replaced everything associated with a PO2450 code...........the check engine light still comes on. Not sure what to do at this point.

 

Stevem7,

Your dealer should have access to Ford's "help line" which allows them to collaborate with other shops and ford specialists that have fought the same issues.  Basically, pretty much every "problem" with these cmaxes has now been seen.  Took ours a while to sort out a parasitic electrical drain on our 2017 cmax, but eventually took this route to win (fingers crossed).

Greg 

4 hours ago, JimMoses said:

Just purchased a used 2017 energi - when driving it makes a rhythmic and mostly consistent humming noise which sounds like its coming from the right rear - dealer said it was tire noise - I put four new tires on - noise is still there - almost like something is rubbing - is this normal - any thoughts - thanks love getting the great mileage - plan to flat tow behind the RV

Both our 2017 energi and 2018 hybrid have tire noise.  Both also have rusty grinding/pulsing noise very noticeable at low speeds.  Both cars have had rotors replaced/milled and eventually both began doing it again.  I suspect yours is rotor related.  These cmax rotors rust and "pulse" often, especially after sitting for more than a day.  I figure as long as ours don't get worse with speed (i.e. wheel bearing noise) and MPG stays consistent, I'm starting to ignore the noise.  

Greg

32 minutes ago, Noah Harbinger said:

The 8-year / 100,000-mile warranty on hybrid-specific components will hopefully save me here. I just took mine in yesterday. (They said the transmission shop is backed up and wouldn't be able to look at it for a few days, but I'm working from home now, so it isn't that big of a deal to be car-free for a while...) 

 

I really love my C-Max apart from this, and I hope this keeps it drivable another 10 years.

Fingers crossed for a good outcome.  Please let us know the diagnosis and outcome.

Greg

1 minute ago, Arrival said:

Does the this filter restrict the airflow much over the OEM ones?

If you're referring to the Bosch, I'm sure it's an OEM equivalent with comparable air flow.

Greg

7-year old 12v is a decent run, but one dying on me would warrant a replacement.  I'm not as anal as a coworker who replaces theirs every 3 years regardless.  : 0

Greg 

Some of the cmaxes are known to have a parasitic draw on the 12V battery; usually a software update/change fixes it (earlier models are more plagued, but even 2017s; there might be a tsb for it, but it's known within the dealer-help lines).  Generally, driving-to-recharge a battery usually takes driving the vehicle (with ICE) for around 20 minutes at or above 40mph.  

Greg

Both jobs are not hard, but are way more tedious than they need to be (especially when compared to most where it's two spring clips and you're done).  I do wonder if "engineering" like this is intentional to deter DIY or simply the last thing figured out due to zero pre-planning.

Greg

24,000 miles and just replaced mine today (annually) and it is a PITA.  What's worse with mine is the refrigerant lines interfere with the cabin air filter pop-door-panel, so getting that thing back on is the worst ever and I don't bother with the retaining screw anymore.  I also did the engine air filter (first time), but coulda/shoulda waited another 5,000 miles as it is tedious with requiring about 20 steps.  And, as usual, I lost one screw-retainer; so, under and off with the undercowling to retrieve that.  Both jobs completed, but both are horribly engineered for access.

Greg    

19 hours ago, ptjones said:

Do you use recirculate so you aren't cooling outside air? Cabin filter been changed?

 

Paul

Filter is good (changed regularly) and I've tried various iterations, including recirc only, LO only, always with all vents open.  I'll test it for one more week and likely drop it at the dealer...again.  

Greg

All the vents are open and yes, the hidden center stack one is essential.  Auto ON 71F should feel pretty cold when it's 85-100F outside, but it doesn't, so I've given up just crank the AC down to LO and...not impressed (and not until 30 minutes later does it feel likes it's starting to get cold).  Ridiculous.

Greg

2018 titanium:  is the AC on these hybrids generally just "ok" or weak?  I ask bc even when I set mine to LO and LO-max, it blows cool air, but cold air is not an option until after 30 minutes of driving.  It's never blown warm air (yet) except at the beginning, but it's definitely disappointing and it's definitely not cold.  I will eventually grab a temperature probe and insert into the vents, but until then...would love to know other's experiences.

Thanks,

Greg

I'd drive both.  Generally, the cmax is a much better handling and driving vehicle, but build quality is more variable; I own two cmaxes and despise Ford's poor quality-build on both although I way prefer the way those drive compared to the prius when we tested both.  We haven't had anything catastrophic go wrong with either (yet).  Whichever one you prefer, have a trusted mechanic give it a thorough inspection for peace of mind.  2016 and newer cmaxes are the better builds. 

Greg

Having had two sets of Goodyear Assurance tires, I was not impressed by those (poor wear and all delaminating).  And our OEM Michelin energy tires that came on both our cmaxes = getting louder/cupping, so will steer clear of those too.  My next tires will be NTB house-brand (TBC epic or aspen or similar); while cheaper, I have a set of epics now and while i don't expect long wear, I've been happy with those to try again.

Tire prices have gotten ridiculous and the more expensive ones I've tried the last 20 years have been hugely disappointing.

Greg

Rav4 hybrid is the only one I'd consider at this point (until/unless Honda CRV hybrid improves).  My real preference is to see the Ford Transit Connect hybridized; that could be ideal (although I'd still be leery given Ford's very poor build quality with our 2 cmaxes). 

Greg