SnowStorm

Awesome! Do we see a world record tank in the making? If you get that far north, don't miss Bodie Island Lighthouse south of Nags Head, NC. Recently restored, its quite a treat. Or even further up is Currituck Beach Light at Corolla, NC. A "twin sister" light to Bodie Island, it is unpainted and my favorite lighthouse. Then if you head inland, there's an original "screw-pile" lighthouse in Edenton, NC, restored and furnished (though not at its original site). Have great trip, "keep the lights burning", and keep the MPGs climbing!

Congrat's and I know what you mean. Mine just went from 48.3 to 48.4 so I've got you beat! But winter's coming so it may slip back. (Have been able to do some lower speed driving lately.) I wonder, who has the highest lifetime MPG?

A few related thoughts: Would love to see a similar test on 87 E10 versus 87 E0 (no ethanol). There is no argument (AFAIK) about E0 giving better mileage but it would be nice to see some real test numbers. For the 2nd option you may want to carry some "ballast" on the half tank voyage equal to about 6 gallons of fuel - then toss it overboard for the full tank voyage! Can't have a weight difference messing things up! And watch beginning and ending SOC for sure. A big difference there could easily overwhelm the octane difference IMO. Once you're seriously into the "Hybrid Hobby" (getting highest possible MPG), cost per mile can take a back seat to MPG - just depends on your goal.Personally, I wouldn't pay the extra 22% for Premium but that's just me. I do pay a premium for E0 (over the MPG savings) because I don't want to run 1000s of miles of ethanol through my engine.

It is listed here - so you should be good.

It may be pretty quiet because the list is no longer being updated - 1st post hasn't been edited in almost a year. :sad:

You most likely need a new battery but consider: Replacing it won't fix any underlying problem where the battery is repeatedly being "run down" to a level that eventually weakens it but not low enough to prevent turning on the car. This sequence can happen over and over without being aware of it. My battery was replaced twice by the time the 15B04 CSP was completed. Checking for discharge at one point in time may not catch the problem. The car turns things on and off even when switched "off". If it doesn't turn back off properly then the battery gets drained. Or it could be an intermittent short circuit in the wiring.Again, I suggest you try and get the dealer to perform all the updates and wiring integrity checks outlined in CSP 15B04 (which included testing the 12V battery and replacing it if necessary). Be aware though, that the software updates may reset a bunch of stuff.

At least go and schedule the work with the dealer before that data - that may lock in the reimbursement even if the parts aren't yet available. I waited (on purpose) to the "11th hour" on the 15B04 battery CSP and my dealer was able to start the paperwork (on the last day!) even though it was performed after the end date - no charge. Then again, this is an actual recall (not a CSP) so they had better do it at no charge.

My thoughts (I had the dead 12V battery problem too): Go to owner.ford.com, put in your VIN and see what's listed under SERVICE & MAINTENANCE. There was a CSP a year ago about dead 12V batteries (see this post and this topic). Unfortunately, it ended this past May. It was NOT a "recall". You should find out if your car was on the list or if it ever had this 15B04 CSP done. If you can no longer get it done free, I would try and get it done anyway - and if they do it for $130, I would consider it a good deal. I expect you will need a new 12V battery. This problem seems to have gone away since this CSP came out.I hope others cross-check what I've said.

Me three! That's about how long it will take to hit the 250k mile goal - and prove false that silly stuff about "batteries die at 100k and leave your car worthless." Edit: I see the recall is now on owner.ford.com for my car but says: Status: 12 - RECALL INCOMPLETE. REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE.I'll keep the seat belts on! Reminds me though of my first helicopter ride - sadly, a search for bodies after a bad flood. They took a group of us down river in a Huey helicopter, leaving the sliding side doors open! There we go, banking through turns, with nothing below but God's green earth! Wow, what a fun ride. Just wish it hadn't been necessary!

Ah... watching an egg cook from underneath! Now that would be a first! I knew we would find some way to feel good about spending all that money!

All cars should have better seats. Its a "crime" that a little more money isn't put into the seats - and that they are so specifically shaped that only the "perfect" body can ever be truly comfortable. Very few if any "adjustments" actually change the shape. Back in the '50s we had big comfy seats made with coil springs! Why? They adjust to any shape automatically, just like your mattress! Ever see a mattress made like a car seat - all perfectly contoured to fit the "perfect" body? Neither have I. (Seats have been stuck in the "bucket seat" craze of the '60s for decades now - and they're about as comfy as a bucket!) I thought the SEL seats where more comfortable but didn't want to spend $3k more for other stuff we didn't want. Noise and ride are important but seat comfort is tops. Before settling on the C-Max I sat in a competing car for about 30 seconds and my back started to hurt! I just moved on. Car makers should put the best seats possible in a car or at least have them as an independent option.

Agree about the overripe taste - and overripe isn't that good for banana pudding either. I've gone off on a kick making them for some unknown reason - real pudding too, boiled on the stove. First one was done "proper" with vanilla wafers - quite good if I say so myself. Second one was with "overripe" bananas (recipe says "ripe but firm"), graham crackers and half the sugar. Mushier bananas were not as good IMO, but graham crackers weren't bad at all - DW liked them better than 'nille wafers. Half the sugar was definitely an improvement too. Next one is going to have shredded coconut added. :) Now that this topic has gone to mush; did you hear about the guy who had his first banana? He said it was pretty good - but had an awfully big core! :lol:

Certainly agree with wanting a button to control charge/discharge - really need it for mountain driving. I've also noticed that getting the most from EV+ requires driver attention (just like so many other scenarios). The last 1.5 miles to our house can be done in EV / EV+ with some care - and I can end up with a very low SOC. But its easy to end up with 50-70% indicated SOC if you pay no attention to it.

Why would starting ICE later in the morning be a good thing? Ford says its better economy to start right away and get everything warmed up as the battery charges - seems to make sense. Its going to start at some point - all the energy comes from the ICE (NRGs excepted - that's another forum!). Someone may have a driving scenario that leads to better MPG with a late start but think it would be a very special case - and hard to prove. The transmission gets lubricated sooner. You get heat sooner (if that's what you want). You are more likely to be driving with a low power requirement soon after leaving home, which means you will be using less power during those first few seconds after ICE starts - while the car is in that mode where ICE is running but the HVB is still driving the car. You don't want to go out your neighborhood in EV then "floor it" pulling onto a busy road with ICE starting at the same time! Bad for both the ICE and battery. The HVB is "stored" at a lower SOC.I don't see why there is any possibility of getting the HVB to an "ultra-low" SOC. Remember, the SOC bar graph only shows a limited range of the actual internal battery SOC. The car will always start the ICE when the bar gets near the bottom (but the real SOC is still like 40%). Ford has loads of data that we don't have and I can believe they new what they were doing in setting the various limits for SOC and power levels in various situations.

Wow, who would have thought EV+ could create so much buzz - and here's a bit more (sorry for any repetition): Ford's Reasons For Having EV+: The link from +3 (another link and another) says it is for increased efficiency and to give the customer what they want (more EV operation). Increased efficiency. Some may argue that it doesn't help them but remember that Ford doesn't know your specific operating scenario, just that of the "average" driver. I could easily believe that the algorithm helps in that case. More Of What We Want. Don't you love how marketing people like to tell you what you want? However, they seem to be right - you read endlessly how we should maximize EV operation. You can agree or not but Ford believes it is good marketing to say we want more EV operation. Ongoing research. Ford has patent(s) associated with this feature that appear quite broad. They will want to collect both technical and marketing data on how well it works in the real world so they can better develop the application of their patents. A number of features related to safety and efficiency discussed in the links are not in today's cars. Data will be needed to create these new features. Extended Battery Life. I tend to agree that it is good for battery life but don't know if it is a reason Ford included it or not. Ford doesn't seem to be worried about the battery lasting the "life of the car" but they sure don't want a bunch of early failures either. I'm glad EV+ is there on this account as I plan to go 250k miles.Ford's Reasons For Telling Us Why They Included EV+: Lets assume all the above are reasons - here's why Ford might tell (or NOT tell) you about them" Increased efficiency. Sounds great - we'll tell you about it! More EV Operation. Ford knows what we want so its safe to tell us so! Ongoing research. Ford said there is more efficiency to come - sounds great. Extended Battery Life. Should sound great but wait! The "urban legend" says electric/hybrid batteries "die" after 100k miles and leave the car "worthless". Once that idea is stuck in someones head you can just forget about talking them out of it - its simply "true". So, why would Ford "admit" there is a problem with battery life by telling you how they are trying to extend it! Marketing suicide.Other Reasons To Like EV+ Transmission Lubrication. "Forcing" the ICE to start earlier in the morning seems good so the transmission gets lubricated right away. I often kick on the ICE when leaving the house for this reason. I'm past 100k miles so there's no more warranty. Cooler car/ICE when you park. Might be trivial but should keep some heat out of the garage in the summer. Creates lots of forum discussion!

Well, don't belittle yourself for "only" changing your oil - you're ahead of perhaps 99.9% of the drivers out there! As to the classic light bulb joke, how about: 1. How many C-Max drivers does it take to change a light bulb? ONE, anyone smart enough to buy a C-Max can change a light bulb! 2. How many Prius drivers does it take to change a light bulb? NONE, they never burn out - because they never get used - because they're trying their best to save more gas! (above is based on personal experience where I saw this Prius cruising along on a 65 mph divided highway with NO lights, and it was almost pitch dark. Absolutely nuts!)

I see the rebate is on again for Aug 1 through Oct 31.

You might want to get an OBDII interface that uses Bluetooth or WiFi to get rid of the cable. I had an old wired one but would much prefer no cable. Also, I understand that some interfaces will power down when the car is off so you don't have to switch it on/off manually or unplug it (but I have no experience with these). I used the port under the steering column so the cable could more easily be kept out of the way running to the passenger side of car.

Do you know Morse code? It might be trying to tell you something! If you have the Forscan software, you might look for a DTC from one of the modules. As I understand it, many DTCs don't turn on any warning lights.

If you go past 13 gallons on the Trip screen, you might want to have some gas with you (or be within EV range of a station). When I purposely ran completely out of gas the Trip screen indicated only 13.25 gallons! It took 13.7 to fill up, but while you're driving you only have that screen to guide you.

Been there, spent that...! "The Enterprise" was built in April 2013. I think there was a Service Action, and also letters were supposed to be sent, but I never got one and the SA never showed up for my car so I can only 'assume' mine has the fix. Am now at 99k+ so I sure hope so! Several times I have checked the temperatures of the coolant lines up at the radiator (after driving awhile) and always found a significant difference between them. I have not done much monitoring of OBDII data, however.

I'm all for solar so just how good might this panel be? The "up to 10%" statement, being totally unqualified, is rather meaningless so lets look at some numbers. The panel appears to be about 1 square meter in size. Horizontal solar irradiation averages about 1800 kW-hrs / m2 / year or about 5 kW-hrs / day. With a 15% efficient solar panel you get about 740 watt-hours per day, enough to go 3 or 4 miles. I've ignored some losses so maybe its 2 to 3 miles average. Under the best conditions it might be 4 to 5 miles. Whatever the exact number, its a small but not insignificant distance you add every day (on average). You can certainly say "its not worth it", but the marketing and public awareness value for solar power in general cause me to give Toyota credit for doing it. People are starting to change their view of electric cars - its time they do the same for solar power!

That's about what the panoramic roof does - when shade is open the car gets toasty warm, close the shade and it blocks the sun. Now we just need a built-in shade for that huge windshield!

Sure wish we could get hold of a model!

Finally had 15B04 done a couple of weeks ago (along with recalls 14E02 and 14S21). I purposely waited to the last minute because I was sure the 12 volt battery was occasionally being run down - though still capable of turning on the car. The hope was that it would end up weak enough to get replaced. Well, I guess it worked - the battery was replaced - but I almost blew it because I called on the last day (May 31) just before 5 pm! He was able to go ahead and enter the ticket that day and get it covered under warranty and then did the work a few days later. He said the wiring was OK and they did the reprogramming. "The Enterprise" is now all up-to-date. Although I was told that nothing would get "reset", I found the following items cleared: lifetime regen, lifetime brake score (I did take pictures before turning the car in), time and date, EV+ locations, MyView, dimmer setting... Mostly no big deal but these programmers really should get their act together and write updates that don't blow away a bit of "customer satisfaction".