fotomoto

This is not meant as an answer to your issue but turning the a/c off to lessen the start up load is old skool thinking. In fact in auto mode, the a/c will slowly ramp up its speed and not blast you with hot air.

The TSB calls for replacing a wiring harness in the engine compartment that they think shorts when water gets in and cause the battery drain. NOTE: for outsiders (google searches) we are talking about the regular 12V battery not the large hybrid battery that helps us get great fuel economy.

My thoughts exactly............ till the dead battery syndrome (DBS) affected me. March '13 build. I had just washed mine with a power washer then evening before. Last time I checked the poll reflected the most affected are base SE owners but that probably is just reflecting that more SE's are sold.

You can probably tell that the one pictured isn't the tinfoil design. I've read a few user reviews of that material flaking off so save your receipt just in case. I can slide mine between the front passenger seat and the center console so it very easy to grab and it doesn't get in the way of the passenger. It's too large to fit in the door map pockets.

First of all, this is not meant to down play dead battery problems as I can now count myself among those affected but forums attract problems; that's one of their main functions. So you can see a higher percentage than what is really occurring. No car is immune. My Prius had an unusual issue labeled "rough cold engine start" by its forum members. I'm not talking rough like running on 3 cylinders or bad gas. No, the engine sounded like it was going to explode! I had this happen to mine just as I was backing out of the garage with the car loaded to the gills with family and luggage for a week long spring break trip. If it weren't from the knowledge I had gained on that forum, I would have immediately called for a tow to the dealership (like most others) and cancelled the trip but instead I powered down, restarted the car, and the engine ran fine never to do it again. The Cmax comes with a warranty and, what appears to me, pro-active response from the factory to get things right so I wouldn't be too concerned about buying.

We need someone with a scan gauge to monitor fuel flow while in L going down a steep grade. I know in the Prius it would shut off the injectors so the ICE becomes a simple air pump/brake. As an aside, the volt does something similar but with its much larger battery also adds very aggressive regen in L till the battery is topped off. A volt forum owner traveling down Pikes Peak said there is a stopping point coming down the mountain where park rangers measure front brake temps with a infrared gun to warn those who may be overheating. The ranger said his volt had the lowest temp he'd ever recorded.

The Prius computer has similar inaccuracies and is well documented. I've also had much simpler economy readouts in an older Chevy and two Nissans and all three were optimistic. You'll need to fill up at the same pump and at the same air and ground temps to get anything reasonably close to accurate/repeatable pump readouts. As a matter of semantics, a computer can't lie; rather, it can be inaccurate or error prone.

Add me to the list (voted in poll). I washed mine with an electric power washer in my driveway but didn't spend a lot of time on the front fascia area as I noted at the time an amazing lack of bugs. HOWEVER, I also had plugged in an ultra-gauge into the OBD port earlier that morning. The car was off and I didn't have the FOB with me yet I noticed the gauge which doesn't have its own power supply began search mode. Even if it continued to search all night, I can't believe the draw from it would drain even a small 12V battery. The next morning I got in and notice the overhead lights were strobing at a very fast rate and car would not power on (dash completely dark). Checked voltage at the underhood terminals: 8.7v Put it on a charger for about an hour at 10amps. Powered on and drove it to breakfast, left it on with a/c, radio, headlights, and climate all turned off. Took it back home and left it on the charger at a lower 2amp rate for several hours. Been fine since and I have also removed the ultra-gauge. I'm going to wash it again next weekend to see if I can duplicate.

Snit, driving a hybrid is often referred to as playing a video game with the high mpg score as the incentive. It sure beats flooring it to the next bumper in front of you, slamming on the brakes, screaming at them to move out of the way, and then flooring it again only to catch the next red light. :banghead: On your next commute, watch the number of people who actually accelerate towards a red and then slam on the brakes. :doh:

You're off to a GREAT start Snit. :happy feet: If you had a 100% brake score, you'd probably would have been in the 70's! I would suggest resetting your lifetime now to truly reflect your miles and not the dealership. Also, you can use the up/down arrows on the left steering wheel controller to toggle back/forth between the trip summary and lifetime displays. This will give you enough time to get your phone/camera out. :camera:

Agreed. :rockon: Plus, early adopters were in the winter/cooler months when mileage always suffers. Folks in seasonal climes need to give the car a year to see how it handles each season. For me, it going to be summer that will test the car as winters are mild here. Personally, I can't wait till next winter when both me and the car will be well broken in so I will give you, Matt, a run for the money! :dogwalk: OK, even I can't convince myself of that boast! LOL :sad: I think the achilles heel of this Ford hybrid design is in heat recovery/management as Toyota has a leg up on everyone in that department. That means shorter warmups, less restarts for cabin heat, and longer EV mode.

Hey I'll gladly take credit for all the work but we did have a couple of slaves, umm, I mean kids helping too. :hi5: I just went and weighed one of the stones that I had originally estimated at 8 lbs but I was off..... way off: 18.7lbs! So the total load with me and the slaves was slightly over 1,050 lbs! WOW, I didn't know I bought an F-150 that will get 43mpg pulling it! :worship: Total project was about 50 stones and took two trips. Maxi-Mule edition! :rockon:

Sounds like a communications problem between you and the dealership. Can they replicate it or is there an error code? Does it do this bounce effect every time it creeps? Creep mode is real and without it you'd go crazy in stop/go traffic. It's on every car with an automatic transmission (there are a few exceptions). Hybrids in EV mode actually have the electric motor provide the creep via software. Maybe yours has a bug. <shruggs>

Pics would help. Thanks for the heads up.

The overall condition, features, and mileage will determine the value much more than 1 years age; an exception being a model design changeover with new features, better performance, more popular styling, etc.

The other benefit is it keeps the dash cooler and the ventilation ducts contained within so you'll get cooler air quicker. I don't use mine for short trips but you get use to using them especially after you see (rather feel) the benefits. Kinda' like seatbelts, you get in the habit and forget you even put the screen up or took it down.

Don't ya'll have more rocks than veggies in your gardens up there? ;)

Well I'm not gardener by any stretch of the imagination but I'm pretty good at giving plants a nice long death sentence! These are the next victims, umm, I mean our next attempts at getting something to thrive under our big oaks.

We had a previous thread on these with pics but I can't find it ATM. The windshield is big but there are way bigger designs like our old Nissan Quest van. Anyways, I have been using that one or another one leftover from one of our former cars. Odds are it was purchased at Walmart and it works well. I've since purchase an IntroTech that works very well too (especially heat).

Turned my beautiful Ruby Red into a common ol' work mule today. :sad: Loaded her up with bricks, paver sand, and top soil for a gardening project. Easily swallowed up 22 large stones, 4 bags of sand, and 4 bags of top soil. Even wondered what a CMax would look like lowered? Here's a good imitation (at least on the back end). I like it but I'm not into those sort of mods. Along with 3 passengers (me and two kids), I have an educated guess at 850 lbs total load. Car handled it with poise. I certainly could feel the weight at starts (ICE came on sooner) and notice a drop in FE since the route was exactly the same as grocery shopping thus I know it well but it was only 5mpg lower with that heavy load (mid 90's F so heavy a/c too). Love the utility of a hatch, don't you? :rockon:

AWESOME! I love it but........... I'm unfortunately not a member of the exclusive 600 mile club. :drop: I hoping (fingers crossed) to get there on this tank. I'm going to save your great work for that time when I reach that milestone and can proudly display it. THANKS! :worship:

Cool for you! Another Ruby Red SEL joins the ranks. :worship: I too have a 4s but I don't use the steaming feature enough to give you a good answer. Do you know how old the car is (build date) or better yet what version of sync/MFT you have?

Here's some eye candy with tinting (courtesy Hatchman) for you while you wait: http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/1418-best-products-to-use/

Impressive! :rockon:

I test drove a black SE last fall. Dealer still has it. ;) Over the years, we've owned 3 black, 1 green, 2 dark blue and 2 red cars and in the heat of a Texas summer they all get hot. The little bit of research I've done said darker cars heat up quicker but lighter colors peak within 10-15 degrees of a dark color. Hot is hot. Get tinting and use a windshield shade.