ArizonaEnergi

I put a voltmeter in the 12v outlet today and it read 12.0v. I haven't had any problem in the month we have had it with the battery. So I put my charger on it and it confirmed it was 12.0v and 75% charged, so I set it to charge at 8amp and in less than 10 minutes it said it was charged 100%. The battery read 12.6v at that point. We made a short trip after that, I charged the big battery, and now, six hours later, it reads 12.0v again. First, does that short charging time make sense? And second, am I on the road to a dead, really dead, battery?

When I see that comparison it always makes me shake my head. The two numbers are not linked. If we had 100% of the world oil reserves, and consumed 30% of all oil production does that mean we'll run out in 3.3 years? No, because the size of "world oil reserves" and "oil production" are not specfied. Plus, as pointed out above, the oil reserves number is bogus. Frankly, I'm glad we consume so much oil as that makes us a prosperous, modern country with a high standard of living. I've seen how many in Africa and elsewhere live with little oil, and frankly I don't want to live like that and I'm glad I don't. BTW, the largest oil spill in US history, far, far bigger than Deepwater Horizon, is virtually unknown today and there is no evidence, other than an historical marker, that it ever happened. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeview_Gusher

MyFordMobile has a Notification Setting for "Low 12-volt battery", sending email, text message, and/or MFM notifications. Has anyone that has experienced a dead battery ever been notified by MyFordMobile?

I have to say I'm really enjoying my coal-powered Energi! I only wish it were nuclear powered as I think fewer coal plants would be a good thing. (Reduce the real source of CO-2, and save that fuel for future needs.) But I've worked next to a large oil refinery, I've been on drilling rigs, I've been in coal-fired electric plants, and everyone I know have driven oil powered cars, and I don't think its a dirty fuel. I like it. I like the energy it contains, and all the benefits its provided humans, and I don't see it getting replaced by alternatives in my lifetime, or for many, many generations. I would like to see France and China protecting their source of oil though, and get us out of there! I'm in with that.

I flipflop between thinking we should get as much oil as we can from other countries while preserving our own for bad times, and developing our own and eliminating use of Middle East oil, although I think we would still need Canadian and Mexican oil. Right now I'm in favor of job growth here so I'm in favor of more production in the US. Oil has made modern civilization, and will continue to be essential for hundreds of years, but I am doing my part to advance battery vehicles by being an early adopter of the Energi. (Although I wonder if my great grandfather drove an electric car. Could have!)

How easy is it to change the oil and filter on the CMax? My dealer provides free oil changes for as long as I own it, but I suspect its not with Mobil 1. I've stopped changing oil myself in recent years but with this one requiring it so infrequently I might re-start if its easy. Ignore - I see the Oil Change thread and will read all about it there!

We went with 35% (Arizona limit) and 5% in back. Think it's perfect, and are looking forward to using the remote start this summer as we walk to it in a parking lot in the Arizona heat.

I have audiobooks in MP3 format on a USB Thumbdrive and the Sony/Sync system has not been retaining the paused location when we shut off the car. We usually pause it while driving, park, and shutoff the car. When we return it has forgotten both the file we were listening to, and even the book. Each book is in a folder with multiple files. Since the Sync device does not have FF and FR, I have cut the books up into 10 minute segments/files anticipating this might be a problem. And sure enough, it is! Any tips on how to have the system start playing where it left off?

Update on this. My OP was made after a 150 mile trip. When I got a chance to examine the reservoir in detail I decided it had only dropped 1/4"-1/2" over the trip, but was now below the Minimum mark. Since I was unable to locate Motorcraft Orange antifreeze in Wal-Mart and an auto parts store, I stopped at a Ford dealer and was preparing to spend $22 for a gallon of 100% antifreeze (no water blend) when the clerk upon hearing my story suggested I let the Service dept top it off, and monitor it on our remaining trip (150 miles). So I did that, and it appears there was no additional loss. So I suspect it was just air in the system. One thing I did learn is that there is no radiator cap. The pressure cap on the reservoir is the only way to add antifreeze, and it is indeed a completely sealed and pressurized system.

I found it relatively easy with no drilling and use of the 6 threaded bolt points. Very strudy. See the thread I did on it for more info.

The water level in my radiator reservoir keeps dropping. It was at the minimum mark when we bought it with 50 miles on it, and now with 400 miles (150 ICE miles) its about 1" below minimum. Normal or something to take it in for?

I went out and did some testing and here's how to put the car into Accessory Mode: Push the button twice, foot on or off of brake doesn't matter. Mode will automatically shut off when you open the drivers door.

Okay, I now see how I accidently arrived in Acc Mode a few times, and what I've been doing wrong in shutting it off. I usually have my foot off the brake when I shut it off (or think I am), so to put it into Acc Mode I just leave my foot off the brake. Got it. Thanks for the info. Ford should hire you to edit their manual because I don't see that procedure in there (PDF version).

Exactly what is the procedure for turning on Accessory Mode with keyless starting? With a key, its Position 2, with Position 3 being ignition. Well, pushing the button goes directly into ignition mode with the various engine status lights lit. The manual has references to Accessory Mode but never explains how to do it. A couple times while waiting for the wife to shop I've found myself with the radio on and apparently in Acc Mode but don't know exactly how I got there. The Manual: "To switch the ignition on, press the start button once. It is located on the instrument panel near the steering wheel. All electrical circuits and accessories are operational, and warning lamps and indicators illuminate."

I believe its sturdy. I'm 220# and stood on the center of it and didn't feel it bending!

Good question. My Wal-Mart bike carrier is a 1.25" with a plastic sleeve that allows it to fit a 2" hitch. It came with a threaded bolt that when tightened prevented any movement. However, to make the carrier easier to take on and off I decided to use a combination-lock hitch pin on the C-Max which required me to drill the hole in the carrier to 5/8". After doing this I found the carrier to be very loose when mounted. So I took some heavy duty velcro I had, and used a couple of the fuzzy pieces to reduce the spacing. I put one in the bottom of the receiver and another on the top of the carrier insert. That seems to have worked based on the one trip we have made with it so far. Someone else mentioned some bike carriers come with anti-wobble devices but those probably aren't sold by Wal-Mart!

I don't see any way to turn off the hands-free liftgate feature, other than not having the key (intelligent access transmitter) anywhere near the liftgate while you are near it. The manual says within 3'. Everyone should have an "intelligent access transmitter" for their car at least once in their lifetime!

I ended up getting the 2" size, as the platforms I were looking at all came in 2" and I didn't want to use an adapter. I think it looks fine, not "too" big, and will give me the flexibility for any hitch device.

Yes, the instructions say you have to bend the tab and show a picture of the tab - they just don't suggest a direction and I concluded toward the front of the car would be best to take advantage of a "notch" they have in the hitch frame. This is the link to the C-Max version of the hitch (I also fixed it in the OP.): http://shop.tlcentral.com/store/pc/Ford-C-Max-2-Eco-Hitch-Trailer-Hitch-p1080.htm Yes, I have the electric lift and its very easy to trigger it while installing the bike carrier or the bikes, so having a padded area for the door to hit is a MUST. As I said, I used some pipe insulation foam covered with black duct tape and you can see it in the picture.

I measured it at about 40 pounds. I don't think the 3,800# C-Max notices!

I think roof-top boxes will be a significant MPG hit, while a box on a hitch would be little or none but might interfere with opening the hatch. There are probably analyses of the MPG impact of roof-top storage options somewhere on the web.

We are replacing a Honda Odyssey with the C-Max and thus giving up a whole lot of cargo capacity, which we used when RVing and recently to haul two recliners in their boxes from Costco (and back), so we're trying to mitigate the impact by buying a cargo carrier for any large items that might pop up from time to time. I bought this one at Harbor Freight where it is on sale for $75 this month. It was well reviewed on Amazon, and is well made although it does take awhile to put together. I like that it is aluminium, and will carry up to 500# although the hitch is not really rated for that much. I also bought a $10 net that fits over it. Can't upload the picture due to kb limitations for some reason. (Is there a daily/weekly/user limit?) So here's the link: http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-aluminum-cargo-carrier-92655.html

As predicted, the Rear Park Aid display appears in the left display when I shift into reverse. I can set it to off to silence the alarm until I next turn off the car. This does not shut off the rear camera. This alarm can also be set to default to off in the Setup menu. So problem solved. Thanks all.

Thanks all. On mine without parking assist I don't have the "Auto Park assist button and Parking sensor disable button", but I do remember seeing the message on the left readout but assumed it meant just the rear camera. It's okay with me for the times we have the rack on to not have the camera, so will test that and suspect it will do the job.

Is there any way to turn off the rear sensor alarm? The manual on page 221 indicates there is a button for this but I cannot find it on my Energi. When I have the bike rack installed it is right in front of the center sensor and the alarm is activated as long as the car is in reverse. It's very annoying.