Riddley

I haven't tested XBOX music much with SYNC/MFT. I'll try that later and report results in a new thread.

I'm fairly confident that people having NAV problems will find relief in are next version of the NAV software. Ford needs to provide that as soon as possible. So, anyway, and not to be flip, but until you have the software upgrade that resolves the NAV issues, here's a workaround for those carrying cell phones that have decent GPS/NAV: I haven't tried this, since NAV has been fine for me. You might need to use a mount that attaches to the dash instead.

Sorry. Its an HTC 8X Windows phone. http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/htc-wp-8x/ I seem to have a singular talent for putting salt in people's wounds.

So - directly related to this. I was driving in the C-MAX just now. As I was getting near home, the song that was playing on the radio (from a playlist on a USB thumb drive), stopped playing. The Sync Maven (you can use that) announced that I had a text message. She asked me if I wanted the message read. I said something to the effect of "read the message". I am still driving my car at this time. Hands on the wheel. Note: I have not set anything up to test this and have not received any messages while driving previously. So, anyway, the Sync Maven read aloud the text message that I had received. I thought "Cool ! That's progress." Next the Sync maven asked me if I wanted to reply. I said "Reply". She asked me to say the reply message. I said a short reply message aloud. She asked me if I wanted the message to be repeated, or sent. I said something to the effect of "repeat message". She read back the message. It appeared she didn't completely understand my words. She asked me if I wanted to cancel and retry the message. I did a new message, and then when she asked. I said send the message. All this while driving, hands on the wheel. The message was sent. So, the point of all of this is, there is hope. These system glitches that impair functionality are not permanent. System upgrades will most likely resolve these issues. My car is a newer one - which I got practically off the train in late March. It didn't sit on the dealer's lot for more than a few hours. I'm certain I have the Sync version 3.5.1. I hope people can set aside some of the frustration and focus on one or more of the other very cool features of this car. It is one of the most comfortable, fun to drive cars on the road. It is powerful, quiet, and handles the road with great manners. The system refresh will correct a lot of frustrations people are reporting. DISCLAIMER: I do not work for FORD. I am not affiliated with Ford in any way. I just like this car a lot. I guess I am seeing that the many weeks delay I had to wait for my car to be built and shipped has had a serious silver lining.

Article in Motor Trend: http://wot.motortrend.com/could-the-ford-c-max-be-getting-an-update-already-352127.html Disclaimer: Speculative. One of several photos:

In case anyone is confused - I have this feature in an SEL. Now my apology: I was reluctant to mention this, because I realize that there is already some hard feelings about availability of the latest system update. So, in a way, this is just salt in the wound. Mea copula.

I think you'll be rewarded when you get a system upgrade. Notice in the first photo - the home screen, that there is an icon to the right of the Home icon. The icon is the Ford Hybrid Symbol. Press that and you get to the rest of the screens. I was curious about this because there has been a lot of attention paid in the forums to the screens to the left of the steering wheel, but almost nothing about this display in the center console. If few people can actually see this screen, then that would explain it.

I can't agree more. If you have advertised features, those should just work. Period. End of story. The iPhone is the second most popular phone on the market, so manufacturers just need to test the heck out of it and get it right before it goes out the door. EDIT: On thinking further about this, I want to temper my response with this caveat: although increasingly integrating software into the car experience is fraught with risk and prone to cause frustration, I think it is also one of the most promising developments in Automotive technology. I say this because software provides for a serious potential to improve the experience over time. If something doesn't work reliably, that can be fixed over time with system upgrades. What consumers need to understand is that with software integration, the car experience is necessarily going to start feeling more and more like their computing experience. System upgrades to fix and add features will become increasingly necessary and routine. In the not too distant past, you bought your new car, and any improvements you want to get are all on you. Don't like the radio? You swap it out for an after-market product. You install it yourself, or pay someone to do it. The original car did not change significantly by the dealer or the manufacturer once you drove it off the lot. Today that is all changed. For the better. But software integration is just starting to catch on, this is going to require us to have more patience and understanding. Regarding the features Manufacturers advertise: Ford needs to edit their ads to show only what they can reliably deliver. Then they can reedit their ads to show new features only once those new features are delivered reliably and broadly. It is a brave new automotive world. I have an old truck in the driveway. I should put a bumper sticker on it that reads: "My other car is a PC... and a phone... and a NAV system. About the only thing it doesn't do is make coffee. I'm sure that's next".

I think you are right. I took delivery in March, and believe I have 3.5.1. I have a fair amount of confidence that the USB features you are not enjoying now should show up in the next system upgrade. I can't imagine why it wouldn't work otherwise. Incidentally, I just posted another thread discussing another option I see that perhaps not everyone else sees - but I could be wrong. Do you see an option in the center console that allows you to see information about your hybrid drive? I put some pictures in the other thread. (click on View New Content at the top of the forum).

I took it for granted that everyone with MFT saw the Hybrid Drive display option in the center console, but haven't seen much discussion about it. I looked for information in the manual (hard copy and online) and haven't seen much in there about it either. Since I took delivery in March, I assume I have a 3.5.1 version of the system. Some pictures: My Ford Touch Start Screen: Hybrid Drive Info Screen - Opening Screen: Hybrid Drive Info Screen - Car at Idle Just started: Hybrid Drive Info Screen - Put the car into drive: Apologies in that I haven't figured out how to properly upload pictures that are acceptable. I'll work on that. One of the features in this display is it shows you in a graphical way when the ICE is providing power, when the electric batteries are supplying power, when the brakes are recharging, etc. I also like that it explains what elements in the system are drawing power.

Hi ArizonaEnergi, I wonder if the problem you are reporting might be something related to your model. I have the SEL. I use the USB Thumb Drive feature a lot. I have lots of music in folders, and some books as well. I just ran out to the car to test what you are describing. Not only does my Sony let you FFW and FRW tracks, but it also seems to remember where it was in the track. To test this I turned the radio on and it started playing a track in the middle of a song. I thought it was the song that was playing when I was last in the car. Anyway, I noted which song was playing, then I pressed (and held down) the FFW paddle on the steering column and noted that the song was advancing on the radio, but it didn't advance directly to the next track. I let off of the FFW paddle and the song started playing at the place it had moved ahead to. Then I pressed and held down the FRW paddle on the steering column and noted that the song was rewinding - but not moving directly to the previous track. I let off the FRW paddle on the steering column and the song then played from this earlier point in the track. So then I paused the song, then turned off the radio. I turned off the car, and opened the door. Then I closed the door, turned on the radio, and noted that the song was set to play at the same point in the same track as it was previously paused at.

I saw a segment on TV that was talking about how to escape from a car that goes into the water. The idea is that you need to get out quick. But I digress. Something interesting they talked about was a little safety device you can get that is about the size of a cigarette lighter. The person who spoke about it showed that you can hold this up to a side window in a car, push a button, and with virtually no effort, completely shatter the window so that it virtually goes away. If you travel around a lot of water, this might be a nice device to have on a key ring. Since I ride a ferry across the beautiful Puget Sound every week, I admit to being somewhat more interested in this than most people would be. But, there I am, digressing again... So anyway, My point is, a car thief isn't going to need a baseball bat. Regarding the Panoramic roof, I have it and really love it. I agree what everyone else has already said about the way it lights things up and makes the interior feel more roomy. If you worry about extra heat, the sun shade works very well.

Great advice C-MAXER and Dale!! I appreciate the effort you took to be thorough. I'm sure some other folks who are curious or may have older cars/bikes/boats they want to whip back into shape will appreciate this as well.

Welcome Aboard Red Twin! Like you, I jumped out of a daily commute in a Ford Truck (15MPG) that I had from the start, into the C-MAX. Also Red. Loving it!

Quite Apropos Rick!!

I was thinking about getting a vanity plate for the new C-MAX. I checked with the DOL and found these were available in my state (WA): goodmpg | finempg | gr8mpg | c02mpg | cmax nicempg | bestmpg | seamax | ourmax | c02 cmaxmpg | lessc02 | mpgmax | c02low | highmpg | redwgon | themax | mpgc02 | Do you have a clever vanity plate, or have you seen one? You can check on the availability of the plate you want online in most states. These pages typically provide rules regarding invalid or reserved letter and number combinations. The page to check on availability for Washington is here: https://fortress.wa.gov/dol/dolprod/vsdpersonalplate/

To all who want to know WHY? The other cars in my driveway are all 10 or more years old. Some of them are really oxidized. I need to start on cleaning them up and moving them out. It might be a while before I feel comfortable enough to power polish the max. But fortunately I will have had a lot of practice by then.

I've never owned or used a power buffer/polisher. I'm starting to see the logic of getting one. Here are three different models I'm looking at: Meguiar's Professional Dual Action Polisher ($174) - http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Professional-Dual-Action-Polisher/dp/B002XOXSI2Porter-Cable 7424XP 6-Inch Variable-Speed Polisher ($115) - http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-7424XP-6-Inch-Variable-Speed-Polisher/dp/B002654I46/Griot's Garage 10765LNGCRD 6-Inch Random Orbital Polisher ($118) - http://www.amazon.com/Griots-Garage-10765LNGCRD-Orbital-Polisher/dp/B0042KOL9K/Let me know if you use a buffer/polisher and if you like it or could recommend it. - Riddley.

I just got confirmation from our agent that Safeco does not offer a discount for Hybrid cars. I agree with Plus 3 Golfer: Ask for the discount, but it is only one of many factors to consider.

We bought our C-MAXs because we wanted a decent ride and great fuel efficiency. Some also want the reduced carbon footprint. And I'll own up to really digging the cerebral/geek aspects of this new car (all the gauges and tech). Most hybrid drivers drive carefully to see how well they can do with MPG. One member on the forums said most of the techniques used resemble defensive driving techniques. Insurance companies have started to notice that hybrid drivers tend to be more responsible, and perhaps drive less recklessly. For that reason, some insurance companies have been offering a discount (~10%) to Hybrid owners. Don't forget to ask your insurance agent if they offer a discount. You deserve it! I did some research on this and found a few very old articles, and references to discounts on Travelers and Farmers websites. Blog post: http://www.thetruthaboutinsurance.com/hybrid-car-insurance-discount/ Travelers: https://www.travelers.com/personal-insurance/auto-insurance/discounts-advantages/hybrid-auto.aspx Farmers: http://www.farmers.com/washington_insurance_discounts.html Request: If you are getting a hybrid discount now, or find out that you quality for one, please report back here.

Since I'm going to be driving 98% in my home state, I've decided to get the tint to conform to those laws. F>24%, R>24%.

I looked at a lot of print and video reviews on the C-MAX before taking the plunge. Related to this topic (C-MAX vs Prius), I liked this video by Motor Trend staff the best (it is rather cheeky at times, which makes it better): Ford C-Max vs Toyota Prius V! - Head 2 Head Episode 20: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8RYVjrb80o

I would guess that the rules that apply to the state where the car is licensed would be in force. If I were pulled over in another state with more restrictive laws - and if the officer wanted to cite me for window tint, I imagine that I would reference the law for the state listed on the license plate. If necessary, I would pull up the page using my cell phone. But I'm not a lawyer. EDIT: I take this all back. Nod to CMAX (thanks for the blog reference): http://www.tintcenter.com/blog/2012/02/out-of-state-window-tint-violation/. Not only do I take this all back, but it may inform the level of tinting I get for my new car. As a WA resident, I was thinking of something in the 25% range (which would be in compliance in WA). As I read about this more, I'm now thinking about 35% transmit. I have not decided yet.

I love that Regenerative Braking display suggestion. Nice work! :) That wasn't easy to do. :worship:

I don't know why I forgot to mention this, but for dkashlee and any other college student or recent graduate, don't forget the Ford $500 college student bonus cash. Details here: http://www.ford.com/forddrivesu/