SnowStorm

So, 2.5 miles at 20 mph - I suppose you made it all the way around in EV?

47.0 again! After the winter doldrums, gas mileage in The Enterprise has returned to the "magical" (or infamous!) 47 MPG. This number is the average since the MPG upgrade last August. And most of these 22,000 odd miles are "highway" (55 to 70 mph). Lifetime since new is at 46.9. "Yes, Virginia," the C-Max does get 47 mpg.

The CCA rating does not indicate how long a battery will last under steady current draw conditions. For that situation you need the amp-hour rating (total energy output versus peak current capability). The 12V battery doesn't crank the ICE so the CCA isn't relevant to our problem. A 10 amp load would drain the battery "overnight". Lead acid batteries are designed as either "cranking" or "deep cycle" batteries. My understanding is that designing a battery for a high CCA conflicts with getting maximum amp-hours. Using the same physical size battery with a higher CCA will likely run down quicker.

From all the posts I have read I doubt there is anything wrong with the 12V battery. Instead, something is draining it when the car is off. To me, it looks like a good battery for the application and has a long warranty. When I had a dead battery it was down around 3 volts. Any battery will be dead with current drain that takes it that low that fast - my 2 cents.

To be noted on the gas price chart is that adjusted price was steadily dropping (except for that 1981 spike) until 2002 then abruptly shoots up. The long term trend should have us at $1.50 today, not $3.50. My approach is to get a car with the lowest long term fuel cost that meets the various other requirements. The C-Max won for us! Would have liked an Energi but couldn't give up the space (our SE has been packed to the gills several times). I have always enjoyed driving but the C-Max is the first car that just keeps me always wanting to "go for another spin"! missti; hope you join us soon!

My Regen is at 3.9% adding both before and after upgrade (remember Regen miles got reset). EV is at 37.5% with lifetime miles at 31,731, 93% braking and 46.8 mpg (46.9 since upgrade - which is still biased with winter driving). Our mileage has a lot at 55 mph and very little over 65 - using ethanol free gas. My front discs are relatively smooth all the way across. Rear ones are more uneven (slight ridges with the outer 25% looking like there was some rust there that has been mostly worn off by the pads). There might be a tiny lip on the inside where the pads don't hit but it is almost undetectable (except for color). Overall, front discs look a lot nicer but I don't know if it is from more use or less.

The other reason for a shade is keeping Sun/UV off the dash. That concern applies most anywhere and any season. I don't know how much it really matters but always thought the cracked dashes in older cars was from sun damage.

I keep an egg on the brake but not always on the gas! The C-Max is too much fun to never "step on it" now and then! Its gotten so bad I'm actually happy to see a slow car on a two lane road so I have an "excuse" to gun it! :shift: And at a 31,000+ lifetime mileage of 46.8 MPG it can't hurt that much! At risk of considerable repetition, here's my tips for new hybrid drivers. Don't Drag. Accelerate moderately. No need to be a slow poke - just don't "floor it" all the time. (And don't worry about the battery! It will take care of itself.) Don't Speed. For speed limits of 60 and above, keep to the limit (or below) when practical. I often drive 65 in 70 zones if traffic allows (not usually in a hurry). Plan Ahead. Get off the gas early ("coast" awhile) then brake gently for intersections and stops. I say any "score" above 90% is great. Cruise. If you can do it safely, use cruise control as much as possible (it works down to 20 mph). You can also use Eco cruise for gentle, smooth acceleration. Accelerate manually to 20 mph then tap Resume and the car will go back to the set speed beautifully. I love it. No Goosebumps. Go easy on the A/C. Use recirculate. Close unused vents (including back seat). If by yourself, direct center passenger vent to driver and close the other one (at passenger door). Set temperature as high as possible and turn up the fan a bit more. In the end of course, suit yourself. We're all different (and so is our weather). Drive In Fair Weather! OK, I'm mostly joking but don't be surprised to see head winds, precipitation and cold dropping your mileage. It takes a toll on all cars but it seems worse in hybrids since they start with such high MPG numbers. Be Safe. Don't do anything that jeopardizes safety. However, I think that developing the "hybrid habits" will make you a better driver overall. The unsafe crazy, speeding, lane changing maniacs get the worst mileage! Have Fun. Practice hybrid driving and don't worry about the car or battery. It will be a long time before you can outsmart the car (except for watching the road ahead!).

That one says C-Max but shows a VW! Try this one - and it is cheaper.

After 30,000+ miles, many 500 mile round trips and one at 1400 miles we have had no problems. We have the SE (cloth). I liked the SEL seats better with leather, more adjustments and, to me, a bit more comfortable but we didn't want the other SEL stuff (or the price). Unless you have already settled on an SEL, be sure to check out both. I don't generally have back problems but certain seats will give me a back ache in no time. Before buying the C-Max I looked at another brand - more of an SUV - not hybrid. Sitting in the seat for a minute started my back hurting - otherwise a nice vehicle. If you've been happy with the Volvo, you may like the SEL seats better. We're all different so get as much seat time as possible. I hadn't noticed the wheel well but I see what you mean. In general we love the car. I really like the performance and the way the drivetrain works - no gear shifting - the engine just speeds up as necessary. Used to hate getting behind slow cars on two lane roads but not now! It gives me an excuse to "floor it"! :shift: I would buy the car for the "no shifting" feature even if it wasn't a hybrid. But a lifetime mileage of 46.8 MPG makes the hybrid worth it. :)

I just sent a request - will let you know what I hear. Apr 23, 7:35 PM Still no answer.

Please see the PM I sent. Thanks.

From my 12V battery current measurements, they would have to be very short trips. Once the ignition is ON, the 12V battery gets charged (from HVB) and never discharged. The charging current can start at 30 or 40 amps, drops quickly, and then slowly drops until its only a "trickle". Unless you sit around a lot opening doors or whatever with the ignition OFF, its just hard to see how even a short trip wouldn't put enough charge back in - but who knows. The monitoring results sound quite similar to what I measured overnight here. So it is the BCM that wakes up periodically. Thanks for giving these details.

Sticker strikes again! Driving east in the evening (sun behind me) and dash lights suddenly get bright. Not to be fooled this time I glance at that inspection sticker and see it lit by the sun coming in the back windows. Sun goes away, lights go dim again. Happened several times. Its time for that inspection !

Per FloodFord the price for any car over 1 year old or millage over 12,000 is $1680 (PremiumCARE $100 deductible). If less than 1 year old and up to 12,000 miles it is $1580. The difference is only $100 and only applies if your car is less than 1 year old. I would hardly call a 6% increase "substantial". The real cutoff is 36,000 after which you must go to a used car policy. My question though is: Is there an extended warranty for the high voltage battery?

"Sumer is icumen in," Weekend trip (500+ miles) came in at 50.0 MPG! Gained back 0.1 on lifetime at 46.8 - come on 47.0! Winter took its toll. As we all know, temps at 70 to 80F really help. Can't believe The Enterprise is pushing 30,000 miles. :shift:

Dealer ads for C-Max say: "390CCA Maintenance-Free Battery w/Run Down Protection" :love_shower: Anybody know what that means? Is it new to the 2014? Still crazy about this car but would sure like some "run down protection"!

9V made it through two nights without a problem. Meter is UNI-T model UT61D. I chose it for the optically isolated data output and the 0.01 millivolt resolution on the lowest scale (most in this price range only go to 0.1). It comes with an RS232 cable but there is supposed to be an optional USB cable available. It seems to be an OK low cost meter but I haven't tested it much. Bought through Amazon from RobotJoy.

Here are results from "all night" monitoring. Graph shows first 250 seconds of 12V battery current, positive is discharging, negative is charging. Events shown are opening door and getting in, turning key "ON" (battery starts charging), "starting" car (Ready To Drive but ICE is OFF), turning key OFF, getting out and closing door, waiting for cuurent to drop to a low value. (Note: Software was only logging changes in value so the exact shape would be slightly different than shown but peak values should be correct.) Overall sequence follows: 10:04:31 PM Start of graph shown above 10:08:41 PM End of graph 10:36:51 PM Current jumps to about 3 amps for 6 seconds then back to 0.3 10:38:28 PM Current drops to 0 1:31:16 AM Current goes to 0.2 amps 1:32:10 AM Back to 0 2:05:06 AM Jumps to 0.2 again 2:06:01 AM Back to 0 2:24:40 AM 0.2 amps 2:25:34 AM 0 amps 2:58:34 AM 0.2 amps 2:59:27 AM 0 amps 6:39:32 AM Still 0 - End of test Of course I am not suggesting that this data shows anything wrong - its a record of what happened. It would be nice to know what "wakes up" periodically to draw 0.2 amps for about a minute, but it represents a trival drain on the battery. The main point here is to characterize "normal" operation and then look for deviation from that norm. We don't know if something fails to shut down after parking the car or if something wakes up at a later time and drains the battery.

To me, words in an advertisement don't mean anything. As for overdrive, the C-Max has always had an overdrive transmission. I understand "overdrive" to mean that the transmission output shaft spins faster than the input shaft. I've seen the car at, like, 65 mph with the engine at 1000 rpm - definately in "overdrive". I thought the 2014 was going to have a different gear ratio. Does anyone know if the epicyclic or differential ratios have changed? Very unlikely there are two mechanical "speeds". As mentioned, probably a [lame] reference to the two gearshift positions. Definition of SUV? Anything with a "wagon" body style and enough ground cleance to go over any curb or parking space stopper!

Plus 3, thanks for all the info. It is good to know that normal driving with SOC constantly going up and down isn't using that much of the capacity as I want that battery to last a long time! Regarding your comment, "does one count the tip of the battery symbol or not", I have noticed that, when regening down a long grade with CC active, the tip must be filled before you loose speed control and the car starts speeding up. Have you ever had that happen and noted SOC at that point?

+3, I wasn't very clear, the logging was going at its maximum rate which was almost 2 scans each second so the total time was more like 2.5 minutes. I'll get that axis straightened out next time. Yes, I want to log for an extended period but I might have to settle for fewer scans/minute - I think the software limits at 10,000. Also the meter's 9V battery will need to last all night. If not, I guess "one dead battery deserves another"! :lol:

After posting above graph I go out to unhook the meter and see that current is back to 1/3 amp! As I watch, it suddenly jumps to about 6 amps for a few seconds then steps down and soon goes back to zero (probably within 30 seconds). Good grief. This means I can't just check that everything has "gone to sleep" and then forget about it. If things keep turning ON and OFF all night, who knows when something might stay ON.