ScubaDadMiami

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Regarding number two, sometimes it takes a little bit for ICE to complete shutdown. So, you'll see the MPG go up to 60+ but in white for a few seconds while ICE is doing the shutdown. Is this what you mean? If so, the reason that you think that ICE has turned off is that it is running quietly while shutting down, however, the white indicates that it is still on. Once it has shut down, you will see the indicator turn blue. My C-MAX will do this, but usually only does so occasionally, not nearly every time that it is shutting down.

Thank you.

Did yours come with 3.6, or did you do that upgrade?

Isn't this feature programmable for either 5,000, 7,500 or 10,000?

A video or other feed would be great. I don't tweet.

I had trouble with photos, the other day.

I'll be up in NH for at least part of every summer. Maybe you can meet Slowpoke and me for some hiking, and you can let me know some of the good spots. I know what you mean about the cold. I use a drysuit year round down here. There would have to be a pretty compelling reason for me to dive up north. I've done it, but that was then.

I really don't see it that way. My understanding is that the C-MAX has been sold in Europe for a number of years, so that part was not new. I also thought that the Hybrid engine, while not used in the Euro C-MAX, has been in use by Ford for a number of years. Yes, I get the part about not separately testing the C-MAX for FE numbers. That is the reason that we are getting the money and free recalibration. True, while I'd rather have better FE numbers than a check, at least Ford 'fessed-up and is handing out the money rather than fight tooth and nail about it, like many other car manufacturers often have done in similar situations. Ford either made a mistake or followed the established system for EPA ratings on purpose, knowing that it would produce better numbers. I can't say which is actually the case. I can only think that it would be a stupid long-term decision to do things like this on purpose, but stupid decisions have been made in the past. In the end, I am looking at how it seems to be getting handled, given the situation in which we find ourselves. So, recalibration from what has been learned plus some cash to make up the cost seems like a pretty fair start.

No problem with the A/C. The car drives a little differently than it did before getting the recalibration, but I have not found a down side to getting the update. I still need more time to determine if my FE has gone up.

Are you talking about a whewing noise? I have had that sound since the beginning, but I normally only hear it when stomping on the gas pedal.

Just finished Maxie’s first big road trip, driving over 2,000 miles from Miami to the mountains of western North Carolina and back. The trip was composed of mostly highway speed driving that started at sea level and then rose to mountain road driving up to altitudes spanning 6,000 feet above sea level before heading back down to the starting point at Miami Beach. Other than a few small hiccups from NAV, this was a great road rip, filled with lots of great driving and other experiences. My latest edition of the Chronicles of C-MAX includes my trip journal and stats, including post 13B07 recalibration stats. I purchased my C-MAX to be functional. This means hauling things like my extensive scuba equipment collection, and things like enough gear for cross continental road trips. For this trip of possibly as long as ten days, there was enough room in Maxie to hold a foot locker, two coolers, cooking equipment, suitcases, hiking gear, food stores, two people and the pooch. (Loaded for Travel) On the two day highway speed drive from Miami to the mountains of western North Carolina, averaging around 70 MPH on Eco Cruise, I got about 41 MPG with 100 percent air conditioner use, temperatures mostly in the low 90's (F), and then down to the low 80 degree range once we started climbing up the mountain roads. (Mountains Ahead) (Highest Driving Altitude of Trip) The trip included daily mountain driving as we drove to hiking trails and rivers located in the area. (Riding on a Cliff Edge Roadway, High in the Mountains) Surprisingly, I averaged 45-47 MPG in mountain driving, with average speed (over a range of 35 to 60 MPH or so) of about 50 MPH. When I say mountain roads, I mean grades frequently of seven percent, with some well over that. Maxie made lots of the steep climbs with three bar burns. On the downhill sections, I used the Hill Assist setting on the CVT. Often, these declines were so long and so steep that the battery indicator would top out, and ICE would provide braking assistance by running (but without gas usage). FREAKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Speaking of mountain driving, one thing that I learned about the mountain roads of western North Carolina is that the speed limits are not always fully posted. So, if you are traveling down a 45 MPH road, there often is no indication that the upcoming curve should be passed at no greater than 30 MPH. Luckily, Maxie handled the situation well enough to allow me to survive and learn that lesson. This car is a joy to drive on curvy mountain roads. On the way back to Florida, we diverted for day in Savannah, Georgia. Temperatures on the ride back to Florida were always in the 90's, once we made our initial descent down the mountainsides. Our average speed on the return trip was around 75 MPH, maybe just over that, and 100 percent air conditioner use. I would say that the AVG MPG was about 36 for those highest speed legs of the journey home. One surprising positive to report–believe it or not–was NAV. We traveled on a lot of mountain roads, sometimes up over 6,000 feet, and sometimes waaaaayyy down in steep gorges. We went through mountain tunnels, wound around mountainside highways covered by arching forest trees, and we were far from the big cities. Other than about two minor incidents (where NAV would try to divert around the block and back to the same highway that passed through stoplight sized town, or where the screen would show a left turn and the voice would say to turn right) NAV worked really well. I was able to search for POIs, call to see if open, set as destination, all without issue. NAV even worked when we traveled through remote, small roads that led to trailheads for hiking. I did not have one Synch/MFT reboot on this entire trip (nor can I recall having one since 3.6). I had just had the 13B07 recalibration done only two days before setting off on this trip. Further, before this trip, I was pretty much a :noobie: to highway driving of my C-MAX, and I had avoided highway driving as much as possible. So, I had no idea what kind of FE numbers my updated Maxie would get on this long distance highway trip. Plus, as you can see, I was carrying a full load. My friend drove for half of the drive up to North Carolina, and he probably drove about 60 percent of the drive for the way back to South Florida. Let me tell you, it is hard to give up control of your C-MAX to another driver, and it is even worse to be sitting there, helplessly watching your AVG MPG drop at the hands–well, the foot–of another driver! (Yes, he was using Eco Cruise, but believe me, there are still plenty of ways to kill your MPG: speeding up/slowing down, braking for drivers merging.) My braking score has dropped, and my Lifetime is now way down, but we had a great time on this trip, and Maxie has done everything that I have asked of her. So, I am not going to worry too much about the numbers thing. Instead, I am going to start planning on Maxie’s next big adventure. One last note: I spotted three C-MAXs while in the mountains of North Carolina. I got the pics of the plates for two of them. The third passed head-on while curving a mountain road. So, I wasn't able to do more than wave like an idiot as we zoomed by each other. Did anyone here in a sliver colored C-MAX spot me in an Oxford White driving near Sylva, North Carolina? Does anybody here have the Sea Foam that tows behind a big RV, and that was parked in a campground in western NC during this past week? Next on the agenda: Full interior and exterior cleaning. Maxie has over 5,000 miles on her. Time for a little TLC.