MadManMoon

Missed getting a photo (wife opened door too quickly, grr), took a 200-mile trip down to the Williamsburg area with my wife and parents. Four adults, luggage and some wind, and with ECO Cruise set at 62 mph, we ended up with 41.6 MPG.

So, since I haven't filled my tank yet, I can't really report Fuelly statistics...but I can take photos of my trip summaries to get a sense of how I'm doing. I missed the chance on my first few trips (from dealer to work, work to lunch, lunch to work, and work to home yesterday), but started this morning. Here's the first trip, from my house to the office this morning: Here's my second trip, from work to an off-site location: And finally, here's the (blurry, sorry!) last trip, from that off-site location to my house: So far, for a brand-new car that's not even broken in, I can easily say I am very happy with these results. This was all using the tactic of accelerating in ICE mode up to the second bar on the Empower screen, then pulsing-and-gliding into and out of EV. Most of the second and third trips were on a highway, where I tried to hold 60-65 mph. Not a bad start!

Although now that I think about it, "slam" and piano moving don't really go too well together... :lol:

Boo! That sucks! Run over to GoDaddy and register SlamProPianoMovers.com -- I'm sure they have a free e-mail hosting service thrown in! :)

And tomorrow, I can install my first official mod! :) I will fly my geek flag proudly on my starship!

Thanks, Adair! I am truly smitten with this starship of a car. She's incredible all around! I can also confirm that the software updates for fuel economy improvements were installed at the factory, since I was able to hold EV mode at 71 MPH. She also came with SYNC 3.5.1 from the factory (had the extra hybrid power flow screen), and I spent 30 minutes tonight installing 3.6.2, with no issues. Phone paired right up, reads my texts to me, voice commands are great. Today on my normal route home, I hit some pretty heavy traffic. Between my roaring beast (GT500) and peppy little stick-shift go-kart (Focus), I was generally an aggressive, impatient driver. True to the George Carlin bit, everyone going slower than me was an idiot, and everyone going faster than me was a maniac. Today? Nothing could faze me. I chilled out in the right or middle lanes, accelerating gently (up to the second bar on the Empower screen, of course!), nice easy braking to get the 100% score...and whaddya know, I got home more relaxed and in a better mood! This car is therapy! Tomorrow's my first official morning commute in rush hour traffic. I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to some traffic -- helps me build more battery charge thanks to braking regen! :)

I was tempted, but the dealer's a long way from the house, and I just finished a three-hour drive from Norfolk back to DC in the Shelby, so I was exhausted! But I definitely had a hard time sleeping...I was like a little kid on Christmas Eve!

Here she is, at the dealer, in all her glory! When I arrived, she was right there out front, but sadly they had put a SHEEHY sticker on the tailgate, which I specifically requested they not do. They took it in the back and removed it. Also, they installed the cloth floor mats, and put the rubber mats in the rear. I switched them before I left. As I said, here was the first song played through Maxine's stereo! And here she is at home, with two of our other three Fords (the Shelby is hiding in the garage)! When I picked it up, it had 20.0 MPG. After a few short trips today, including to and from work, I'm up to 33.0 MPG. I'm going to reset the lifetime mileage after the 1,000-mile break-in period, and see how we do after that. My last trip, a short five-mile hop from Red Hot & Blue back to the house with dinner for the wife and I, netted 44.0 MPG. I think I'm going to do just fine, mileage-wise! Now time to install the 3.6 SYNC update! :happy feet:

Speaking of which, I have a piano that needs to be moved... :lol:

MAXINE IS AT THE DEALER!!! :worship: They finished the PDI and she's all ready for pickup! My wife and I will be there tomorrow morning as soon as they open! Expect lots of pictures and one very ecstatic forum member!!! :happy feet: :happy feet: :happy feet: :happy feet: :happy feet:

w00t! :happy feet: :rockon:

Quick follow-up...received a welcome packet of sorts from Ford today congratulating me on my purchase, again showing the June 30 purchase date. However, the VIN was also listed...and it's not my VIN. I feel sorry for the person that actually owns this car and apparently did buy it on June 30, because I'm getting all their brochures and service coupons. I'll have to correct this at the dealership when I pick it up later this week (hopefully). At least my suspicions that the dealer was pulling some sales quota shenanigans didn't prove to be true.

I'm wondering if I'm being unreasonable here. When I went in Saturday to sign all the paperwork, my salesman told me there was a "good chance" it'll be here Monday. So, I figured I'd call Sunday to check the status via Vehicle Visibility to see if it left the railyard in Jessup. The dealer is open from noon to 5 on Sundays. I called at 1PM, was told that the sales manager (the only employee that can run Vehicle Visibility) was with a customer, and she took my name, number, and VIN -- she said he would run it and call me back in "a few minutes." Nothing for two hours. I called back at 3, asked the same girl if he'd run it yet, she said he was with "another customer," but that she had given him all my info and that he would definitely call me back. I asked for clarification that I would get a call back before close of business at 5PM. I was assured that I would. Naturally, no call. I tried the dealership again at 4:55PM, but they'd already turned off the phones. What I'm asking for takes approximately thirty seconds -- maybe a minute if he has to log in first. I understand closing sales with on-site customers is important, but I don't like being led on or lied to. I know I'm overly excited about my car, and I know I probably bug them more than I should, but that's no excuse to lie to me and blow me off. I'm wondering if the receptionist even ever gave him my info at all. Oh, well -- I'm just venting again! Trying to call to see if it was delivered overnight, but still answering machine, and it's supposed to open at 9 -- it's almost 9:30! Can you tell time is standing still for me right now?!? :)

I feel for you, slampro. And let's be realistic here -- my car can sit in Jessup, MD for a few days or more as well. You just never know with these things. Do what I do to pass the time -- read the owner's manual cover-to-cover...yet again! ;)

She's escaped! TTGX977170 was reported "empty" at 10:57 AM EDT via CSX! She's on the ground! Just one more step until delivery!!! :rockon:

Went in to the dealership today to sign all my paperwork. Price was still $500 under invoice, as agreed to. However, their cost for the maintenance and extended warranty plans went up slightly...so to make up (most of) the difference, they waived the $100 documentation fee! (The X-Plan limits doc fees to $100; their "normal" doc fee is $589.) I was also able to lock in 0% financing for 60 months! I had to sacrifice the current $1,000 cash back offer, but the 0% financing is worth way more than that anyway, so it's not a big loss. They're trying to see if I can still qualify for the $400 rebate on the extended warranty, but due to quirks of how inventives are "locked in," it's not a sure thing. Either way, I think I made out pretty well, because the dealership's finance manager was NOT happy with me as I signed my paperwork -- I took them to the cleaners! They couldn't upsell me on anything! :lol: All we have to do when Maxine arrives is have my wife sign all the paperwork and drive away! Easy peasy! Now, Maxine just has to escape the dreaded confines of TTGX977170 and board the valiant truckly steed for her final journey! :happy feet:

I read the first post and was all :yahoo: Then I read on, and was all :cry: Sorry, Slampro! In the long run, though, better to avoid anything to do with stupid dealers like that. You'll be happier to see your own C-MAX, exactly as you ordered it, finally arrive! I know I can't wait!

My wife and I took an Amtrak trip across the country last month (I'm a huge train buff), and the last leg of our journey was on the Capitol Limited from Chicago to Washington, DC. Given the limited CSX routing between the Toledo area and Jessup, I think it's a safe bet my car and I rode the same rails less than a month apart!

So, according to the CSX website, the routing from Walbridge, OH to Jessup, MD takes 5 days and 20 hours, so I had resigned myself to believe that I won't see my car until the end of next week at the earliest. However, I can't stop calling CSX TouchTrace every few hours, just in case. So imagine my shock when it tells me that TTGX977170 arrived in Jessup, MD at 8:50 PM EDT tonight! :yahoo: So, if my dealer really marked it "hot" like he said, it could be there TOMORROW! Or maybe SUNDAY! Or even MONDAY! But hopefully not Tuesday, because I have an all-day trip for work. So maybe WEDNESDAY! For the first time, Maxine and I are in the same state! :love_shower:

Well, TTGX977170 departed Walbridge, OH heading to Jessup, MD on August 2 at 12:01 AM EDT. Getting closer! :yahoo:

Choo-choo! :woohoo: TTGX977170 has left New Boston, MI and is en route to Walbridge, OH! It's 46 miles by road, probably slightly more via rail. I'm a huge train buff, so I'm enjoying trying to scout the route via Google Maps. I only wish I could drag and drop a rail route like you can with a road route...but Google Maps sadly doesn't work that way. ETA: Arrived at Walbridge, OH at 4:46 PM EDT. No ETA for next destination. At least I can call CSX TouchTrace every five minutes and not bother any humans! :lol:

Thanks, salsaguy -- I'm trying to stay positive, and balance rational responses against my animalistic urge to HAVE MY NEW CAR RIGHT NOW!!! Although I really don't think the recall had anything to do with it, since (a) the fuel economy software upgrade was installed at the factory for all cars built after July 9, and mine was built July 11, and (b) I have the panoramic fixed-glass roof, so it's not affected by the safety recall. My main frustration is with my dealer. Even assuming a several-hour lag between status changing and the Vehicle Visibility Report reflecting the change, the railcar number was available on July 30. When I called the morning of July 31, they said still no change. That's obviously not true! Even at the dealership in person, I had to ask specifically for a Vehicle Visibility Report, and to have the full history printed out for me. That's apparently exactly what I'll have to ask for every time I call. At least now I can spam the CSX TouchTrace number and watch TTGX977170 wind its way through the Northeast en route to this area!

Movement! I have a railcar! Maxine is currently sleeping peacefully inside the grand palace known as TTGX 977170. A palatial home, if I do say so myself! Here's the current full history from my Vehicle Visibility Report: I had to go to the dealership in person to discover this. My salesman is a nice guy, but a bit old-fashioned -- apparently he prefers the "tried and true" CONCEPS system, which is an antique, DOS-based system, that almost never has the most recent status! The twenty-something assistant sales manager logged onto the newer Vehicle Visibility system, and was able to print out my full history, including the railcar info, in about ten seconds. I happened to be a half-mile from the dealership since I was at the doctor's office today (otherwise, I don't live or work anywhere near the dealer), so this was all blind luck! So, let's keep everything crossed for an August 5 delivery -- I have a nice long day trip for work on August 6 that would be the perfect break-in adventure for Maxine and I!

I could believe that's the case if my car were still sitting at Michigan Assembly Plant, but it's not! On July 25 it was trucked about 10 miles south of MAP to a CSX railyard/auto loading facility in New Boston, MI where it's been sitting ever since. At this point it appears to be plain old transportation inefficiency. This is when I really regret not ordering through my dealer in Georgia. When I flew down to pick up my wife's F-150 in 2011, the truck was still at the railyard in Atlanta, GA (two hours from the dealership). He called the railyard and had the car released to me, so I drove it from the railyard to the dealership, with the white protective plastic still installed, and did the paperwork while they did PDI and prepped the car. It may have taken another week before the railyard got it onto a truck and actually delivered to the dealership! He was willing to pull strings like that for me; this new dealership is obviously not! I'll say this -- whenever the car actually does arrive, if they do not honor every single rebate I'm expecting, including the $750 brochure rebate, I am canceling my order on the spot and ordering from Georgia. I don't care if it takes another three months -- at this point, it's the principle of it!