GreenChicago

Fantastic; thank you! Now for the $64k question: Have you noticed an improvement in FE since you did this mod?

And, duh: which info screen shows engine temp?

Wouldn't putting insulation over the grill block necessary air flow? I'd love to improve my mileage this winter in chilly Chicago, but would be afraid that this would block all airflow. Can someone post a picture, or at least a detailed description about how you did this? That would be really helpful! Thanks in advance.

The biggest gains are found in two areas for cold weather;

 

First, do not let the engine warm up in the driveway. Turn on the car and start driving to get the most use out of the running engine.

 

Second, do not use the heater until the engine is warmed up. This keeps the EV driving more useable.

 

These two things make a world of difference.

 

So, where are you located? I am Mchenry.

 

Matt

Seriously? Do not warm the engine before driving to improve FE? I'm totally confused. I also live in Chicago where we are promised ZERO DEGREES tonight. I have been firing the engine up in the garage for a few minutes prior to driving the car. Are you saying I should fire up and drive right away? My FE has taken a major, major hit in this cold weather and I'm also looking for ways to squeeze the most out of it, short of grill covers. Help, please?

Hi Pipewriter,

I'm also second owner and did receive rebate. It goes to the owner of record on the date the suit was settled-- my memory says early September. Call Ford Cust Care-- you should be eligible.

Looks like the checks only go out to the original owners. I bought mine used in June. Hope he's spending my money wisely.

Don't forget to reset the system :victory:

What do you mean exactly by "reset?" I have been using trip #2 to track lifetime mileage since the upgrade. Is there something else you are suggesting?? Thanks.

I was trying to wait until I'd burned at least one full tank of gas following the update, so here goes. Prior to the update I was regularly getting 46-48 mpg averages, and now I'm hovering between 42-44 at most on the same basic trips as before. Nothing has changed in my driving habits as before, not using heat/ other power sources, etc. Ford engineers advised that it takes 30 days to "break in" the new update before it stabilizes, but I don't like the direction this is headed. Anyone else observing the same?

I'm not saying I'm dissatisfied with FE overall versus my Subaru, but I thought this update was supposed to IMPROVE FE. What am I missing?

The rebate goes to the registered owner as of September 6, 2013. Frank, I am a second owner of my C-Max. When I phoned with a similar question as yours, Ford told me that eligibility for the rebate was based on ownership as of the date of the settlement, which was September 6, 2013. So whoever was the registered owner of the vehicle at that time would have received the rebate; hence your in-laws. I'm sorry this gets hung up in estate law in your case.

I am in northern Illinois and I received my check yesterday via FedEx (no signature; left inside screen door). Cashed and spent! Thanks, @Ford!

Frank,

Yes, that perspective especially reminds me of a whale shark! You realize, of course, that whale sharks are filter feeders who feast on plankton, right? They are extremely docile, curious, and will slow down to have a look at you. They are also very endangered because it is (completely falsely) believed in Chinese culture that their fins have medicinal properties that improve male virility (gag.) Every scuba diver I know has a whale shark on their "bucket list" and I've been blessed to see them 4x. Here's a great youtube taken by my dive buddies about them -->

I always thought the CMax styling reminded me of a whale shark. (see attached image) Then again, I'm a scuba diver with a fondness for exotic creatures. Check it out and let me know if you agree.

My ruby red CMax is called Lucy, for her flaming redhead.

So the $1M question was asked.. no response:

@Ford @MazenHammoud Will any 2014 CMax body enhancements be made available for the 2013 CMaxs? Do they impact FE? #EVtalk

KC, I got this direct message via Twitter from MazenHammoud early this morning in response to the above question. Okay so not live, but they guy obviously pays attention to his messages!

Mazen Hammoud (Ford) answer.bmp

Dear Testdriver,

Alas you are right about who they are addressing. Once again, the little guy gets hosed in the rain :-) I will leave capturing the rest of the love-in in your capable hands-- I need to leave the computer for now. Cheers.

Attached is a transcript of the tweetchat today on #EVTalk with Ford engineers. My humble opinion is that they pimped and retweeted all the posts that promoted the car positively (FE, Energi rebates, MSP) and dodged all the hardballs. I tried to ask several questions folks here requested and have not yet gotten a reply. If I get any direct answers after the livetweet, I will be sure to post them here. Meantime, here's what went down this afternoon with Planet Ford.EVTalk TweetChat Transcript.pdf

LOL so far on tweetchat #EVTalk, lots of questions from folks and zero responses from Ford! Maybe their lawyers are at lunch? <g>

Here is an example of a report I can pull and post after the tweetchat for all to see (attached) Please note that I am posting this as an example only, *before* the event. It should be much longer later ;-)TweetReach_evtalk.pdf

I will plan to "listen in" and post any and all insights/transcripts here later. Jus, i suspect Ford does monitor this forum-- I received an invitation by email using the screenname I have adopted in this forum, which is the only place it's used. So, yeah.

You don't have to have a twitter account to participate-- just google twitter.com/ford, and then search within twitter "#EVtalk" All posts and threads will come up.

I would offer to post the transcript but don't think I will be available then. I will try to capture this after the fact and post back here.

Okay folks I seriously need to count to 10 before I post! On the rebate, I called the Ford Cust Relationship line, and they confirmed the amount of the settlement, and said they are sending checks out in bulk beginning in September and continuing through October. So don't spend it yet, but if you were an owner on September 6, 201 of a 2013 CMax, you should expect USD$550.00 from Ford within the next 6 weeks. At this rate, I will have to re-invest that in fuel to make up for the lousy mileage I am getting since the "upgrade!"

I promise this is my last post on this topic! I was apparently too steamed about my lousy performance post-upgrade to do a simple google search: $550 for 2013 owners and $325 if you leased one. I wonder if I am eligible since I purchased this as the second owner from a dealership? Anyone?

http://www.topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/4805-ford-issues-goodwill-payments-to-c-max-hybrid-customers

PS - Forgot to mention that my service department claims that Ford has settled the mgp class action suit, and the remediation for all CMax owners is twofold: (regardless of if you formally joined the suit)

Extend the MFT warranty (MFT only)

A cash rebate (no amount provided)

Did anyone else hear about this? Can someone validate this?

Okay, so I've been "upgraded" too and I also give it a big thumbs down. I'm not experiencing cabin noise, but it definitely revs much higher before shifting and my mileage went back to the cellar -- 37 mpg on a trip I used to get mid-50s on. To achieve this fabulous milestone, I'm not using A/C, and no other power suck. I used to shift gears when ICE was no higher than the second hash mark, and now it needs to rev higher than the 3rd to shift! It's flat where I live so I can't comment on hill climbing. FWIW, my dealer says that the CMax is not selling in this area, but he's moving Focuses like hotcakes. Go figure.

Which view is it that actually shows the RPM? Anyone?

Paint me unhappy. Oh, yeah-- did anybody happen to see this gem? More egg on CMax face!  http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/ugliest-cars.aspx

Reading all these initially mixed reviews really makes me not want to schedule mine! Can anybody comment on the headliner modification? Did they do a neat job? Can you even tell they ripped the roofline open to do this?

Waiting and wondering here... thanks in advance!

mtb, sorry if I missed this, but what are "gaspods?" ::scratches head::

In other news, my cmax (now named Lucy!) is inching ever closer to the magic EPA claims of 47 mpg. Of the 8k miles on this car, I have driven 4100 and the previous owner put 3900 miles on.

So I checked the etis website and it looks like my c-max is due for the headliner recall, and also a "pcm calibration." Does anybody know what the latter is? I've already had 3.5.1 installed, so not sure what pcm powertrain control module may do, or if I even want to schedule it after my 3.5.1 debacle.

Anyone? Here's the notice: