darrelld

Like: FE Dislike: No Spare Tire option for road trips

According to my SA the firmware updates were unsuccessful and they went back and forth with Ford on how to proceed. Ford finally authorized replacement modules on Monday that have yet to arrive at the dealer.

A Passat TDI set the world record for distance traveled on a single tank of fuel, 1,626 miles. http://phys.org/news/2012-05-volkswagen-passat-world-longest-distance.html

My C-Max has now been sitting at the Ford dealer for 1 week trying to get the 3.5.1 update installed.

Got a call from the dealer yesterday, may get the C-Max back today. Wife says she definately misses it.

The SA said one of the PCM modules is refusing to take the update and they need guidance from Ford on how to proceed. The SA said another C-Max they updated just before mine had the same problem and they needed to replace the module. I prefer they do this correctly the first time so I don't have to make another 45 minute one way drive to dealer again. Wife really misses the C-Max but agrees they need to completely fix the problems before its returned.

Nissan Altima loaner, surprising fuel economy of 38 mpg driving 75 mph on the tollway. The Altima engine maintenance light came on as I was driving off the dealer lot and when I got within 2 miles of my house the low fuel warning turned on. I am leaving town this weekend and taking my Passat TDI so all is good.

update: Dealer says they ran into problems with my update and the C-Max will be at the dealer till sometime next week, they gave no time frame.

I was told all the PCM updates require several hours each and the C-Max has to be kept on an external power source during the firmware upgrade process. They have successfully completed several upgrades before mine according to my SA.

C-Max is at the dealer now for 3.5.1 update, they estimate it will take 3 days. They are also addressing the front end rattles with the sway bar bushing TSB. Will report back at the end of the week with how the upgrade progressed.

Its coming to Chevrolet, and some high end autos as well. http://www.nasdaq.com/article/will-apple-incs-ios-in-the-car-upend-the-entire-auto-industry-cm253184

I would still buy the C-Max again even with the issues, all cars have them. Ford needs to do a better job of dealing with issues up front.

I participated in the JD Power survey. My quality issues were; fuel filler inlet and check engine light (resolved after 4 dealer visits), trim pieces coming detached from the door frame (resolved), misaligned body panels (unresolved), rattles in the front suspension (unresolved), MFT lockups, phone pairing and disconnect problems (hopefully resolved with 3.5.1). The filler inlet was a design problem, there is no excuse for trim and body panel problems. There is no excuse for releasing beta level software, my company would fire developers and SQA people putting my current MFT version in production. My 2012 Passat was a first year production car and I found defects in the dash and paint prior to taking delivery. Volkswagen flew a factory quality team to my VW dealership to install a new dash and replaced the bumper with the paint defects. This was all resolved before they handed me the keys and the sales guy hand delivered the vehicle to my residence.

So far the worst car I have ever owned was a Lexus (Toyota), one of many reasons I never considered a Prius. My Lexus had the engine torn down twice to replace defective camshafts and valve springs. Lexus issued numerous recalls from everything to leaking fuel pumps to defective brakes. They even issued a letter of apology. Lexus still made the JD Power top recommended brand that year.

Are you running v3.5.1?

I will trade my front suspension rattles for your AC noise. :)

This sounds like exactly the same rattle I have been hearing for months, drive over a dip in road, speed bump, or brake and turn. The sway bar bushing would explain all of that. I will mention this to my dealer when I go in for the 3.5.1 upgrade next week.

It does not take an hour for mine to get much quieter, you may have a problem with the compressor if the sound doesnt change from initial startup to optimal running temp.

I have noticed the AC compessor noise does get quieter after the system has been on for a while. You will notice the same when your house AC first starts.

Everything except the ones commented Blackvue are using my old iPhone. The last two are using the BlackVue DR500 HD. http://blackvue.com/en/main/main.asp

A dash cam will capture any true road rage and the police can deal with it, they are armed much better than I am. When it comes to bad drivers I keep a running log on my youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/darrelld3

The weed whacker sound from the A/C is normal.

I would like a PowerStroke sound option. :)

My wife parks her C-Max in a multilevel parking garage and has remarked how pedestrians are caught by surprise. I tell her to turn on the AC as you are exiting the garage, that makes plenty of noise.

I plan to update in about 2 weeks so my dealer has some experience with this.