jkngale

An excellent suggestion - thanks Fotus! This is the second time that someone has suggested recording the problem. I keep forgetting about that camcorder/voice recorder I carry around with me all the time! I remember my math teacher asking "you're not going to carry a calculator with you everywhere you go." Boy was he ever wrong. I don't just carry a calculator, but an encyclopedia and a multimedia production studio!

...he said hours too late, not realizing there was a second page on the forum :P

...he said six minutes too late :)

Hey hanneshorn - ICE = Internal Combustion Engine. There's a acronym thread on here, but that one is used a lot - I was confused by it at first, too!

FotusNC - I thought this, too, but held it down for over 3 seconds until I couldn't see at all and no wipers... I'm having trouble replicating it in a predictable way now that I've let the dealer know, though. Isn't that always the way. The front one worked every time today, but the back one didn't work intermittently (pun intended)

Sorry - double post :-(

I noticed that sometimes, after the first time of using the windshield washer spray the wipers won't go unless i manually turn them on. I don't have rain sensing wipers. It works the first time, but not after. Same issue front and back wipers.

I noticed that sometimes, after the first time of using the windshield washer spray the wipers won't go unless i manually turn them on. I don't have rain sensing wipers. It works the first time, but not after. Same issue front and back wipers.

We bought a demo model, and the panoramic roof was its only option. I wouldn't have chosen it, but my kids love it. I think it benefits the back seaters most.

I found this in the car manual p. 188 in the section on fuel quality: "Do not be concerned if your engine sometimes knocks lightly"

Thanks for the idea to record the sound... Interesting to hear that someone else has experienced this, too.. I'll monitor it and post here if it happens again.

Hey C-Maxians, This morning I got up to move Ceecee when the plow came. We're having a fairly significant storm, and there was snow up over the hood. I brushed it all off all around, got in, and turned her on. No surprise the ICE kicked right in - but with this very disconcerting knocking sound. About six-eight knocks / second, strong enough that I could feel the vibration all through the car. I got out and it sounded literally like a gremlin knocking in the engine compartment. It started getting quieter, and then went away after a bit - probably 2-3 minutes. I called the dealer - they suggested it could be snow or ice on a belt. But then they also said this C-Max is the only one in the province, so they really didn't know much about it. Monitor the situation, and if it persists bring her in. What do you think? Anyone else have this experience?

I'm wondering - would a block heater improve my mileage enough to warrant using the home electric to run it? It was cold today, and I noticed that it affected my mileage quite a bit. I kept the heater off for the shorter trips, but the ICE still kicked in on startup - I presume to get things under the hood heated up. I'd also love a plug-in option to get the cabin heated before getting in, like on the Energi. As it is, I'm thinking about running a small plug-in space heater in the hatch which I could connect an hour before I leave, and adding a block heater. Canada can get cold. But then again, would the hit to my electric bill be any more efficient? I'm thinking possibly not...

Doesn't the Energi already do this? If it does, doesn't it prove that they can not only do it, but it's also not too terribly expensive? I mean, most of the increase in cost is in the battery and the couple extra standard features, right? I guess the complication comes in making it an "add on" - when it's already in the connection, it's easy, but to retrofit would be expensive and complicated. That's what I'm hearing... ...but part of me can't help thinking - if the Energi can....

Ahhhh... well my mom always told me better a smart-ass than a dumb-ass. I could barely afford the SE, unfortunately. Trust me - I wanted to consider the Energi. I'm very happy to have what I've got, though!