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Roger, it is nice for me to see you posting. The spare tire thread you started helped me a lot. It may not be the tires. My figuring is that the 2013 C-Max was unintentionally designed to have a camber problem in the rear which causes wear on the inside edge of the tires. Lots of posts about this camber problem. This may be due to not calculating the suspension right due to the battery in the back. I first rotated my tires at 12K miles and there was a terrible noise up front. 4K later I rotated them back and the terrible noise was gone, and a lesser noise was on the back. My dealer thought I should leave them them on the front and let them even out but I could not stand it. Reversing the tires on the wheel only helped a bit. My last rotation I simply switched the back left to right and the noise changed, initially louder and just different which lets me know it is not a bearing. I did not want the vibration up front for it is very loud and may not be good for my fragile transmission (early 2013 trans before modification have been having problems.) Just today I was in a parking lot and ran through some water and parked. Looking at the wet tracks, I noticed there was one edge portion of each of my tires which simply did not touch the ground. ( worse for the back tires ) Turning somewhat allowed me to see all 4 tires tracks without overlap. I am wonder if this may apply to your noise, or are you talking general tire noise like when they are new. Does the sound change after a rotation ? I have tried to get Ford to fix it under warranty but have met resistance and unreturned calls. I have two new Michelin tires I will use to replace the fronts when they are worn enough. I was actually surprised that the tires, getting close to the wear marks, are gripping rather well. The rears besides the edge wear are like 80% after 25K miles. So you (and I) may need an alignment and it may have to involve either a camber kit or an adjustable rear camber arm for the original arm is not adjustable. My fronts wear evenly.

( nevermind )

As I recall, somewhere on the forum there is a great post by the member hybridbear that goes into different engine states as it gets warm. I find the first state very cool. In the first state when the engine is cold, the engine either runs on electric or runs only to warm up the engine, not even hard enough to recharge the battery or propel the car, unless you really want to go real fast. The car is propelled with electric. So it bears fruit for me to be real gentle and slow until the engine starts to regen. This can be seen in the display that separates gas power and electric power(one up arrow from the start screen and it gets displayed. I have seen like 2.5 bars of electric acceleration with just a tiny bit of gas. But usually it is a tiny bit of gas and a half bar of electric. I gather this is because when the engine is cold the motor needs to burn really really rich to not stall, rich meaning high gas to air ratio. You can also set the car to display engine temp on the custom display. (one down arrow from the start up display) You can also set up a tach to display rpm on that display.

2013s - common to have transmission problems, especially if a lot of highway driving or driving like a taxi. A design change was made late in 2013. There are messages on this site about this transmission problem. UPDATE: Sorry to mislead you about the warranty. Please report back on what the verdict is.

Have you considered getting a spare tire and/or a tire repair kit ? http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/1116-spare-tire-solution-for-c-max-hybrid/ Lots of info on the web http://www.edmunds.com/driving-tips/run-flat-tires-a-primer.html

I took mine in for the update about a month ago (along with a Microsoft Sync problem and they did a Sync reset) I was wondering if some software was updated. After getting it back, when first starting the car, I suspect the software is a lot more motivated to start the engine to charge the battery up and warm up the car. My other theory is that doing the Sync reset messed things up. ( I tend to be of the understanding that Sync is messy source of problems. )

It is nice to get your observations of 2013 vs 2015. There are not a lot of people on this forum that have that perspective.

I watched a good portion of this video from July 2013. Much of it was over my head but I thought I would mention a few things I came away with - May be slightly distorted because it's as I recall. How to extend the life of any battery ? Keep it as cool as possible. Chevy Volt charges to 4.03 volts ( 80% ) This keeps parasitic reactions down. The speaker stored some Lithium Ion batteries in 1999 at 20% SOC (State of Charge) about 3.5 volts, in 2013 they were like new. However if they were stored with a higher state of charge they would not have aged so well. (this might be useful when I store an old notebook computer.) ==> This means to me it would be better to use that EV+ mode to run the battery down some before shutting off the car. That way it has a lower charge so less parasitic reactions. Other than voltage, temperature and rate of discharge effect battery life. Lower the temperature the better. The slower the rate of charge and discharge the worse. ( test data that is done over a short period will show more life that actual use by cars where the charge and discharge happens over a period of years. ) Tesla uses a type of battery that is pretty much the best. Nissan and GM use a battery type that is not as good, but GM cools their battery so it pretty good. Nissan did not cool their battery so it was not so good. (When I was battery type I mean the molecule with the Lithium - what other elements are used.) There are lots of additives that go into the batteries so they will last longer. (And I agree with Plus 2 Golfer - the battery is way designed right so I don't need to worry about it )

It worked for me, however, I assume because my donut was a bit smaller than the other front wheel, it pulled when I hit the brakes toward the spare. If I had lots of time, on getting a flat, if my tire fix kit didn't do the job, I would put the donut on the back and take a full size wheel up to the front. This is my post on the pulling. http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/1116-spare-tire-solution-for-c-max-hybrid/page-2?do=findComment&comment=18247 From this thread: http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/1116-spare-tire-solution-for-c-max-hybrid/page-2 Update: Note: I just re-read that post. This test of the donut on the front was done with traction control off.

Welcome to the forum. This thread might be a good place to start for the spare tire. http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/1116-spare-tire-solution-for-c-max-hybrid/ (Here's another one http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/258-spare-tire/ ) I have a donut spare, described in the above thread. There is a whole section on tires: http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/forum/23-wheels-tires/

This kind of helps me understand the virtue of the way the HVB is charged and discharged ( Not fully charged or fully depleted ) http://www.powerstream.com/lithium-ion-charge-voltage.htm ( FYI to save time, there is a chart called "summary of tests" which gives me 80% of the understanding with 10% of the time. I tried to post the chart but it came out all distorted. ) So basically, by sacrificing 27% of the battery capacity, you get 4 times the cycle life, by sacrificing 38% of the battery capacity you get 8x the cycle life, etc. I will also be more generous with disk brake breaking on super long steep hills that max out the battery charge, or at least be grateful when the engine is used to brake.

One additional note for people with a real key ignition (SE) So turn the engine off. Turn Key two clicks. Do not move to third position which allows the car to move and turn engine on. (this is what the "on" position means to me.) Then press gas and brake hold them there. A message will go on (as described above) for a few seconds and go away and later the final message will display for a few seconds and go away. From Manual: IGNITION SWITCH (IF EQUIPPED) 0 (Off): The ignition is off. Note: When you switch the ignition off and leave your vehicle, do not leave your key in the ignition. This could cause your vehicle battery to lose charge. I (Accessory): Allows the electrical accessories, such as the radio, to operate while the engine is not running. Note: Do not leave the ignition key in this position for too long. This could cause your vehicle battery to lose charge. II (On): All electrical circuits are operational and the warning lamps and indicators illuminate. III (Start): Cranks the engine

I am glad I got in on this deal, especially the wipers. They charged a bit extra for shipping because the filters ship from a different warehouse but got them all in the same box. The wipers they sent me are labeled NAPA NeoForm. They seem first rate and have that sculptured look similar to the OEM wipers. The oil filters were not the ones pictured. They are black with what looks like Chinese and English writing but the threads and size look fine. The gasket unlike the OEM filter is not flat but kind of o-ringish on the outer side. I called up RockAuto and was kind of told well if you wanted a flat gasket you should have gotten the OEM but it will work fine. I won't use them soon for I just did an oil change. So for two set of wipers and two filters I paid something like 20.50. I am sorry I didn't remember to order a back wiper. I actually may not use the oil filters. I am concerned that with the round gasket the flat metal piece the flat gasket is squeezed onto will not be covered as well and will rust making it hard to go back to the original flat gasket. The wiper blades still are available. http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,2013,c-max,2.0l+l4+electric/gas,2002843,wiper+&+washer,wiper+blade,8852 Note: the blade they say is for the driver's side is 28" and the blade that Ford provided me is 29" Thanks tr7driver.

Not having a spare to me is just wrong(disappointed at Ford). It goes against the Boy Scout Motto - Be Prepared. ( Though to me there is a lot about the teachings of the Boy Scouts that over-simplifies life. )

"SSM 44252 - Hybrids In Taxi Service - HF35 Transmission Bearing Noise Some 2013 C-MAX Hybrid and 2013-2014 Fusion Hybrid vehicles operating in taxi service may exhibit a metal-on-metal scraping-type sound from the transmission. This noise will be present in all gear ranges including neutral when the vehicle is moving, but will not be present when the vehicle is stationary or in park. The current transmission assembly (7000) service parts incorporate design improvements to enhance durability under the unique operating conditions of taxi service." Thoughts on the bolded text ?? It seems like Ford just didn't allow for something and there is not a lot we can do about it. Just a weak link. So the key to not having this problem with the trans is keeping the car stationary or in park - yeah no problem.

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/3094-ssm-44252-hybrids-in-taxi-service-hf35-transmission-bearing-noise/ This SSM was posted in October 2013 - I would say it is almost certain you do not the fix. I consider it a mistake to buy a first model year car, like I did. I wanted to buy American but am sorry I bought this car in the first year. In hindsight I could have gotten an manual transmission focus pretty cheap and used that for a while. I think the people buying a C-Max now are getting a great car. If they came out with one in a few years when my transmission goes bad that had a manual trans that would be a very tempting.

I never test drove the Prius V. I did test sit in one. The lack of headroom in my opinion makes the car unsafe for tall drivers. I would not be surprised if the C-Max does get canned. It probably has been a selling disappointment for Ford. Small cars with lots of headroom often don't make it. No more Nissan Cube, and the Scion xB may be gone too, though I never really looked at it after it was redesigned and in my opinion made too gangster-like for my tastes. I have thought of buying a car that has insufficient headroom and customizing the seat.

I am curious, What level extended warranty did you get ? Does that also mean the heater won't work ?

Could it be related to blowing snow ?

some 2013s have major transmission failures which is very costly if not under warranty. Design was changed to remedy this. So some 2013s are problematic but if your car was built late in the year it may have the mods. So I would definitely get the 2015 rather than the 2013. I would also look on cars.com for a new 2015.

Thanks. I just picked up 2 sets of wipers and 2 filters for like $10 less than the set of wipers I bought at the dealer last year.

As I see it what VW did is more like the banking crisis - big systemic problem. Perhaps other automakers could sue VW for cheating them out of sales. https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/california-vw-dealers/volkswagen-lawsuit-vw-recall-21135.html#.VowFuVQrK5c " One lawyer who represents dealerships expects dealers to file a class-action lawsuit - soon." Perhaps dealers can sue VW. Perhaps VW dealer employees that are layed off can sue VW. Or VW employees in Germany that are layed off can sue the company. ( So far I haven't heard of layoffs but it could happen ) Perhaps individual employees can be sued. (not surprised at lack of cooperation in the investigation.) Perhaps cities can sue VW for air problems. http://fortune.com/2015/09/30/this-houston-attorney-is-suing-volkswagen-for-100-million/ Perhaps individuals with health problems can sue them. And of course the car owners and EPA who are already suing. Lots of lawyers getting work here and it may not be settled for a long long long time. Lots of google hits on "VW sue" http://www.timesfreepress.com/cartoons/2016/jan/05/volkswagen/2350/

In case this helps other people: My experience of getting the picture larger was different - using chrome browser on Linux click on report View all images Click on the oil report (presently the first small picture) Option – view all sizes click Large

What I was referring to with Forscan is continual update of engine temperature into an android tablet or phone, not a error code from something like this http://www.amazon.com/Autel-MaxiScan-MS300-Diagnostic-Vehicles/dp/B001LHVOVK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451263291&sr=8-1&keywords=obd+reader

Just though I would mention, I had a good inner laugh looking at this diagram. Kind of thought to myself, Oh you have to remove the head gasket to change the thermostat. I recall having a 1966 tempest and the bumper had to be dropped to change the tail light lens. It seems like a lot work and money goes into these manuals and diagrams. I can see why car manufacturers need to maximize using the same parts on many models and not redesigning things too often.