joe

I would like to make a small suggestion to improve economy. When I first drove my C-Max, I would gently drive up to the speed limit after stopping at a stop light or stop sign. What I found was that this used up most of my electric to drive 1/4 mile up to the speed limit, and then the engine would kick in at the posted speed limit because I had a low reserve of electric. The trick is to use gas to get up to the speed limit and use the electric after attaining the speed limit. During the winter, this also helps get the engine warmed up faster, and then turning on the interior heat sooner.

I'm not sure if any one has pointed out the obvious, but 10,000 miles is not 10,000 miles of engine wear. The engine only runs about 60% of the time (my C-Max has 36K miles of which 14,500 miles was electric).

I had to replace the front turn signal. If you follow the manual, it is impossible but I found a video that shows how to do it. http://www.carcarekiosk.com/video/2013_Ford_C-Max_Hybrid_SEL_2.0L_4_Cyl./lights/headlight The secret is removing the screw on the black shield over the firewall. I didn't loosen the body connector in the front as suggested although it probably would make it a little easier. I was able to replace the turn signal without unplugging the headlight assembly. Hope this helps.

SnowStorm. You are probably right. I didn't keep the cupped tires on the front for very long. But it took another 10K miles on the back before the tire noise began to grow.

I have had wheel alignment done at 13K and 30K and both times the front and rear wheels were not within specs. At 13K, when I had tires rotated, I could hear a thumping so I knew it was too late for the tires so I had them rotated back which put the cupped tires on the rear which made less noise. By 30K, the tires were getting noisier. So, I put new tires on (Costco), and took to dealer for alignment, which it needed. I'm not sure if 12K or once a year will be sufficient for wheel alignment with the C-Max. I think I will, however, rotate tires more often than 12K.

Here is a Youtube video of a guy changing the enginer air filter. http://www.carcarekiosk.com/video/2013_Ford_C-Max_Hybrid_SEL_2.0L_4_Cyl./air_filter_engine/replace I just had my filter replaced by my Ford dealer. It cost $19.95 for filter and $15 for labor. I think the labor charge is reseasonable when you see how much work it takes to replace the filter.

I'm sorry but the $149 for the Ford update is too much, when you consider my TomTom still gets free updates. Plus, I now have an iPhone6 with Google map which can do more than the TomTom or Ford system and for free. Now, I like having the Ford navigation available when I need directions and it is rare that it is inaccurate. And regarding new roads, I know where the new local roads are and just ignore the gps when using the new roads.

Inspecting wiring, etc. is probably a good thing. One theory is that corrision of some connections might cause the battery drain problem. My car is garaged and is rarely in wet weather. But over time, the corrision might be at work so having someone inspect it would be a good thing. I suspect the updating of software would be for cars that have not yet updated to current versions.

I just got my letter from Ford for this Program 15B04. 1. Check 12 volt battery and replace if necessary. 2. Update software in various modules 3. Inspect certain wiring and repair as needed. I have a SEL with about 27K miles and never had problems with battery. I hope they don't screw things up with this program.

I have a 2013 SEL. About a month after I bought it, I had the "safely pull over" message when I tried to start the car. It would not start. I left it over night and then the next morning, it worked and it has not occurred again. I now have 26,000K and have had no problems with the car.

If you're driving in cold weather conditions and you have heated seats, use the heated seats to keep warm and keep the environmental controls off until the engine has warmed up.

If it wasn't for the lack of acceleration, I would suggest that maybe the noise suppression system is failing, allowing for previously masked engine noise to enter the cabin. I know it's a long shot but occassionally I will hear unusual engine noise and wonder if the noise suppression system is taking a time out.

I've had the dealer do my oil changes because of the shield that is under the engine. I'm not sure a jiffy lube shop would know what to do in changing oil if they had to remove that shield first.

I just found this presentation about portable jump start systems on CNET. http://www.cnet.com/products/bolt-power-d28-portable-car-jump-starter/

This happened once to me over a year ago. I left the car over night and the next morning it started right up.

I had this problem with my 2013 C-Max and was fixed by replacing the GPS Module.

The other question is, where to buy a warranty. Third party warranty (non-Ford) has significant risks - such as - will the company be in business 3 or 4 years from now. Does it really cover everything you need covered? E.g., it might replace an AC compressor but will it pay for the back flush and other maintenance services that should be done? I suspect most third party warranties don't cover the electric hybred components and if the warranty can claim your problems resulted from the hybrid parts, they may walk away from the warranty. What limitations are imposed in the warranty. Years ago, I belonged to a fleet of vans and we found that extended warranties didn't compensate enough to make it worth the cost. Investing in frequent maintenance was a better deal than extended warranties. We would replace all fluids, make all mechanical adjustments at 15K miles. So, it might be a better investment to replace your fluids and other items that wear out more frequently than the maintenace schedule requires.

Regarding early exposure to computers. I worked as a summer employee in 1966 and 1967 at ATT&Ts computer center in NY. In 1968, I took computer programming and really liked it. When I tried to sign up for advance classes, I was told that I couldn't take the advance computer courses because I was an English major and would never have any reason to use a computer. For my term paper (program), I wrote a program that would hyphenate words. It wasn't until the 1980s did I get the opportunity to use and program computers.

I wasn't thinking about Moore's Law regarding battery technology. The point I was making is that we shouldn't assume that if we don't see how to make it today, it doesn't mean we won't know how to make it tomorrow. The idea of waffer thin solid state drives in 1991 would have been seen as futuristic. It is possible we may never make a really better battery than the ones we have today but building a better battery would certainly support an easier solution rather than the more complex hydrogen fueled solution.

Never say never. 20 years ago, a 100 meg harddrive cost $500. I have on my desk a waffer thin SD card that holds 32 gigs, with fast load speeds, and cost @ $40. There is also the interim alternative of swap out batteries in which you pull your car into a facility and your battery slides out and a fully charged battery is slides in, and your out in 5 minutes or less. It will require more infrastructure but it is feasible. I also agree with statements stating that at some time, oil will become a limited commodity.

The key to the world's energy is the battery. When an electric powered car has a range of 400 to 500 miles and can be charged up in 5 minutes or less, then all these other alternative fueled vehicles will go away. And I suspect it will take less research and developent to create a 5 minute rechargeable battery than building a hydrogen system. Plus, the infrastructure exists today where you can just plug into your home, at gas stations, etc. Yes, it takes some dirty manufacturing processes to create electricity (power plants) and to recycle the batteries, but a quick charge battery can be used for heating and cooling homes (using daylight solar power to recharge batteries for night use), etc. without needing a power plant except as a backup. And with more efficient solar panels on the car's roof, batteries could receive a boost to extend the car's range.

MPG is dependent on how you drive. For example, at high speed, I get lower mpg if I use cruise control because its reaction time is slower than mine when when reaching the top of the hill. I know to back off and go into EV mode. Cruise control waits until the car starts to speed up and then backs off. Also, when the stop light turns green, I accelerate fairly fast up to the speed limit and then back off. The idea is to use gas on the short stretch getting up to speed rather than using up electric reserve. It is best to use electric at the speed limit when you go further for the same amount of energy. I'm sure others can also provide tips that help with mpg.

@ 19K miles. Recalls and GPS fixed early last year. Last week, got 46 mpg going to Baltimore and 43 mpg returning home (360 miles round trip). Love the car.

The trip link costs around $70 a year. When we were out west on vacation, and wanted to go see a movie in the evening, we searched Sirius for the nearest theaters and what was showing, and set the NAV to that location. The weather map also comes in handy. In regards to traffic, we do get an occassional alert in route if there is construction, etc. I'm think we've gotten alerts to accidents but I'm not sure.

Received our $475 check today with a nice letter of appology.