Riddley

Apologies for this offering - which has - admittedly - nothing to do with the C-MAX,,,
 
Being on the edge of the American football season, I wanted to offer this - the funniest video clip about football that I have seen in a long time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KeG_i8CWE8

Where would we be if we can't take a break away from our cars from time to time.

Fuel cost savings can be a delicate subject in relationships. Some people feel strongly about it, others, not so much. Friction occurs when one person feels strongly about it and the other doesn't. There are so many other things spouses feel differently about that have a much larger impact on overall finances, that fuel cost savings should probably be considered among the least of your worries. Examples of things that have a bigger impact include how much to money to dedicate to college savings plans, how much to set aside for retirement, how much to spend on insurance, and how much to spend on such things as cable, internet and cell phones. etc.

One helpful device to use is to run the numbers on Fuel costs and compare the results to performing the same analysis for many of the other expenses in your life. Decide how much to worry about this based on the results of this analysis. This will help you place the right amount of attention and worry on each major expense.

In our home we spend over $100/month on cable and internet, and the bill for cell phones is well over $100/month. Using just these costs as a baseline, consider the following fuel savings analysis, which assumes driving 12,000 miles per year, spending $4.00 per gallon on gas, when one person achieves 35 MPG, and the other 45 MPG:

  ◾ 12,000 MI/Year / 35MPG = 343 GAL X $4.00/GAL = $1371 / Year
  ◾ 12,000 MI/Year / 45MPG = 266 GAL X $4.00/GAL = $1067 / Year
  ◾ Fuel Cost Difference / Year = $304
  ◾ Fuel Cost difference / Month = $25.36
  ◾ Fuel Cost difference / Week = $5.85
  ◾ Fuel Cost difference / Day = $0.83

Using these results, one might decide that the effort required for establishing new driving habits is justified by the savings. But it is also not hard to see the case for concluding that the effort (the arguments, the worry, etc.) is *not justified*.  

A rational person might conclude that they can save more money by making a slight alteration to their cell phone plan, Cable TV plan, or schedule for dining out. 

The rational thing to do, however, is do the math. Run the numbers, Establish a rational basis for the feelings and worries.

I really like the C-MAX.  I like the technology, and the driver's seat - particularly the upright seating position - has been a blessing for my back.  

Lets add a new consideration:

Under scenario 1 (no August system update), the distance traveled to point B was necessarily at a speed of 65+ MPH (to force ICE, and battery charging). Traveling at 65+ MPH, you encounter increased resistance, so the system works harder to overcome this resistance. Reducing FE.

Under scenario 2 (August system update installed), you travel at all times between 60 and 65 MPH, because the incentive to force ICE is removed. You travel at reduced resistance (reduced wind resistance, etc.). Simply because you are traveling slower, you should realize some gain in FE.  

Add to the equation, with the August system update we get improvements in grille venting (presumably these will close with more awareness to vehicle speed), your resistance will be reduced further.  If these things are true, unless there are other factors to consider, you will arrive at point C with more fuel in your tank. 

Fire away at these assumptions and conclusions. 

Two scenarios for driving a distance on a flat road:

1) Currently, you drive above the current EV threshold to charge your batteries - essentially overriding programmed behavior. A few miles down the road, (call this "point B") you have a relatively charged battery.

2) In the post August Update scenario, you can't assume ICE at 65MPH. You imagine that you will actually see EV at 65, until the battery level drops below it's charging threshold (a few miles down the road at point B).

So under scenario 1, you are a few miles down the road at point B with a relatively well-charged battery.  Under scenario 2 you are reach point B, with a relatively weak battery. 

The thing to consider is that you have traveled to get to point B.  Under scenario 1, you got to point B under ICE. You have more charge in your battery, but less fuel in your tank. Under scenario 2, you got to point B under EV. You have less charge in your battery. but more fuel in your tank.

Let's next move beyond point B to travel a few miles further (call this "point C"), taking into consideration the relative state of batteries. Under scenario 1, you will travel from point B to point C under EV, and arrive at point C with a relatively depleted battery. Under scenario 2, you will travel from point B to point C under ICE, and arrive with a relatively charged battery. 

If all things were equal, (a closed system), then on a flat road, I might suggest that you will not realize gain or loss in FE performance due to a change in the EV threshold. Results might be different where the terrain changes (hills, etc.) .

I might be missing a lot of things, and just putting this out there as a point of discussion.        

No - there are no memory seats available in the C-MAX at any trim level.  Perhaps in a future model/trim level.

Bought our CMax Dec 1, 2012 and so far I am less than impressed with it.

 

You can see at my fuelly account:  http://www.fuelly.com/driver/octupi/cmax the type of mileage we average with it.  It's my wifes vehicle and she's pretty passive driver.  I actually get better mileage driving it than she does.  Over a full tank we're lucky to average 38mpg.  We've also noticed that with full charge, on the highway with the cruise set at 60, and getting it to switch to Hybrid mode, the farthest you can go it 2 miles before the battery is drained and needs to switch back to gas.

 

I've driven plenty of Priuses and the by far do better than the CMax.  Glad I leased it as I will most likely be done w/ Fords after this.

 

Sorry to vent but I hate false advertising.

Welcome to the forum NCost!!

Everything comes at some cost. You might be happier in a Prius if MPG is your only objective. To get the fuel savings you hope for, you'll be less comfortable. It is all about priorities.

It is unfortunate that just about the time your lease expires, you'll probably be consistently hitting 40+ MPGs. I say this considering that your car has just over 5K miles and will continue to improve in fuel economy over the next 10K miles, even without the August system update. Add in the August system update and I wouldn't be surprised if you were getting well into the 40s in MPG. 

One suggestion I have is to explore what changed with your car starting in June.  

Your MPG trend line was approaching 40, and then went down. Is that downturn the result of so much AC?  If so, the August system update will have something to improve that.  

Another suggestion I have is to not take this too hard. Since it appears your wife does not know how to drive the Hybrid for optimal Fuel Efficiency, it will be her lot to be riding around in the Prius you eventually switch into.

She'll stop nagging you about the MPG, but don't be surprised if she complains about the seats being too hard, the wind and road noise, and funky controls.  It is all about priorities.   

...then why bother to get the update at all, if you can't tell the difference. lol. ;)

 

:flyaway:

 True Dat! 

 Sorry for cutting some of the words out from under you JUS. I thought my unedited addition was a little too snarky.  

I have <20K miles on my car, so it will be challenging to separate FE improvement due to the August update VS the improvement I would normally expect to see over the first 20K miles. But my data will continue to be logged Fuelly for anyone curious.   

If you are happy with your current Fuel Efficiency results, there is no reason to rush to your dealer to get the update. It is probably prudent to wait and see.

That said, the sky is not falling people. For those who want better FE results, there should also be no huge concern about getting the August service update for FE.  My reasoning follows.

The people who created the August system update are the same people who created your original car. In the case of your original car, they were introducing new technology - never before made available in production, and with a relatively low amount of real-world testing. But they went for it and created the car that you all are driving or waiting to drive. They didn't get it perfect. We are all aware of the hiccups along the way. But they made a very good beginning.  Version 1.0 was released to Manufacturing.

You have a nice car. Many of you love your car.  Was all this luck?  Did the stars align?  No. This was engineering. Good engineering by a company that has been at it for a hundred years.   

Fast forward 9 months. Lots of time for feedback and real-world testing on the Version 1.0 C-MAX Hybrid. 

Ford has a lot more feedback and telemetry now than they had at the start. They probably have many terabytes of data. Ford engineers have been analyzing that data and identifying system weaknesses. They understand so much now that they may have known less about at the beginning. It is also true that there are things they knew weren't ideal at the beginning, but didn't have time to fix before launch. That is they way it always goes with new product launches.

The system fixes Ford is preparing to install will have been tested thoroughly, on hundreds of cars. There is a part of me that believes they have already released *some of these fixes* in recent production runs. I have no evidence to support this. But I think fair weather and sage advice alone doesn't explain the fantastic first tank results some of the new owners are reporting. New owners are not driving around in conditions radically better than Southern California or Arizona in the winter.  

Ford is far from perfect. They haven't fixed all of the glitches in V01. But on balance, they have been steadily moving the mark forward. As successes, I count the lift gate tweak, the GPS replacement (which I still need to get), and 3.5.1 (for many known MFT problems, if not all). I never had a battery issue, so I didn't pay too much attention, but suspect that the battery situation has also improved.

These results have given me sufficient confidence in what Ford has been doing to not have any qualms about getting the August FE update. I drive a lot at freeway speeds. I think there are some things in the mix to improve MPG there. I live in a climate that will eventually turn cold (not freezing, but reasonably cold). I look forward to the tweaks for warm-up time. Anyone who uses AC a lot should probably look forward to some of the tweaks for that system.   

In the end, I will not avoid getting the update in August. My car will be due for an oil change and I do need to get the GPS module.  So I'll report back after it happens. But I am not worried about the sky falling.

I'm sorry to read about the roof glass cracks pipewriter. I agree that replacement is necessary (can't be repaired). I hope this works out Ok for you.  

Welcome to the forums!!

It's only a guess, but you should read the ICE High posts, and then try that while checking the efficiency.  Right around 67-68 mph will do a lot better for you than 70. 

Seems to me that the 'coaches' reflect mpg, much the same way the green leaves do.  At 70 mph+ regardless of driving mode fuel economy is lower and the coach reflects that.

From a fuel economy standpoint, 70mph is not cruising it's hauling @$$!   :)   

I think you have all hit the nail on the head. I don't think you will ever see a good cruising score when driving a distance at 70+MPH.  As a simple test, try cruising at 64-67 MHP for an extended period of time (manual or in ECO-Cruise). The difference in your cruising score should be quite noticeable.  I cruise down the road at 64-68 every day, and the cruising score I see is always within a tick or two from the top.

YIPPEEE ADAIR !!!

YOU GO ADAIR!!!

I want to see 600+++

Welcome to the club AZTAXI!!

I look forward to many valuable insights you can provide to all of the members based on your heavy usage.  Thanks for trusting the new Ford C-MAX!!

Riddley

As an aside, did your Fuelly average change much after that epic tank??  (even .1 or .2 would take you closer to 47).  

JUS -

I was away over the weekend when the 8338 party started.  That is such an awesome accomplishment. Thanks for giving us all something to shoot for!!

Like others have said - take some time to just enjoy the ride - no peeking at the gauges for the next tank!!

Let er' rip for a change of pace.  You've certainly earned it!!

JUS

You might want to see if the vanity plate 800 MPT is available in your area!

or perhaps JUSCRAZY

I brought home 4 10 foot pipes from the Depot the other day as well.  It was close though.  I learned to make sure I have some padding material after that.  I had to take my shirt off and stick it in front of the pipe which was a few inches from the windshield.

Always use care when running something up near the windshield. I was with my brother on a trip to the lumber yard in his Toyoda van. We loaded up the 2x4s and they ran up near the windshield. All looked fine, but it turned out they were about an inch too long for the available space. When he closed the hatch, it forced the lumber one inch forward and he ended up cracking the windshield from the inside. Ouch. Lesson learned. This happened a few years back, and I still think about it from time to time when loading stuff into cars and vans.

JUS:

I just noticed that you are creeping up on 47 MPG lifetime on Fuelly!!!

Way to go man!!!

I'm sure at your current rate you will get over 50 lifetime on Fuelly before too long!

I'm not sure what to think of SnitGTS at 1 fill up.

Go SnitGTS!!

Just ordered today.  This is a black and white screen shot the tag agency gave me.

 

Riddley, I promise that I didn't see your search, showing this as an option, until I just went to search for the thread, after placing my order.  I guess C-MAX minds think alike!  :hi5:

No worries Scuba!  I threw those up there in the opening post for grabs and inspiration!

I ordered "CMAX GO" in Arizona.  I know others have used it, I stole it, I'm sorry :)

 

I like the pun that CMAX translates to See Max

If you live in the Seattle area "Sea Max" is also a nice play on words.

Mtb9153 you might want to have the body shop at your dealership take a boo.  A few years ago, I had a big Chevy pickup and went and got a load of hay.  The young kid loading threw a bale down from way up high aiming for the bed and it hit the passenger door leaving a huge dent.  I didn't want the kid to get fired so just let it be, and got a quote at the dealership.  It was $1500!  I told them I couldn't afford that, and the service manager said he would try to do a cheaper repair.  He did and he charged me $50.  My husband says he has read about a method of fixing dents with a hair dryer apparatus that is supposedly economical.  Never hurts to ask.  My truck repair was totally unnoticeable after the $50 repair. 

 

PS Thank you for the lovely compliment. 

I, too am very sorry to hear about this MTB!  Laurel's is a great suggestion. If you have a good relationship with your dealer, they might have a dent specialist on staff. Hopefully they do, and will agree to work out the dents/dimples at a lower cost.  

When I picked up my c-max I noticed that it had a dimple about the size of a golf ball above the driver's door handle. The dealer looked at it and agreed that it needed to be fixed.  He paged their on-staff specialist, who came out and looked at it. He said he could have it fixed in 20 minutes. I went to get a coffee and within 20 minutes, the car was done. No charge. It looked like nothing was ever amiss.

I hope you can find a simple fix like this. I think the specialists have special tools for work like this.

I work in Issaquah Washington.

On my commute north and south to and from work I see a C-MAX here or there while on the road, probably once every other week.   

What a strange day it was to pull into the parking garage at work and cross paths the three different C-MAX before I parked (a gray one and two different white ones).  I work in an office complex, but it isn't that large, and I take a direct route to where I normally park.

The C-MAX is growing in popularity and Ford sells them as fast as they can make them. It shouldn't surprise me that they seem to be slowly invading my stomping grounds.   :)

Way to go Hannah!!!

Verizon

HTC 8X (Windows Phone)

No problems with Sync functions, Bluetooth or streaming.

The phone reads text messages to me while I am driving (when they arrive) and prompts me to reply verbally. It will read back what I said verbally to check for accuracy before sending. It has been so reliable at pairing that I don't think about it anymore. It even paired with my phone when it was in the very back of the car in a backpack.

I love the Windows phone interface. It is different from the iphone and Android interfaces, and I like that. I've been able to find and install all of the Apps I need and I don't think I've spent more than $5 total for all apps.  The HTC 8X has been a dream, but an alternative is Nokia (very reputable hardware), which has been selling the most Windows phones.