BIG ROCCO

OK - thanks folks - that's what I thought - you're right, I never played a DVD yet in the Buick, and USB drives work as well as a hard drive, so I guess it's no big deal - just checking. Thanks again for your response.

I have a dash mounted CD/DVD player as part of the Nav package on my 2012 LaCrosse. There is a hard drive, and the Nav database comes on the hard drive - to update it, you need to buy DVDs. The hard drive can also be used to store audio or video files, and it also works similar to a DVR, in that it is always recording the live radio program you're listening to, and you can rewind it - up to 20 minutes, I think. Does the C-Max have no hard drive and no DVD player?

Shift to neutral maybe? I do that... Question: If you had a Prius for 155K miles and never had a problem until the end, and averaged nearly 50 MPG, why didn't you just get a new Prius? I think a C-Max might go 155K miles, but not without a problem and not getting 50 MPG.

OK - so you're telling us that the Escape jack and Escape mini spare fit and work well on the C-Max? If so, could you please share with us what year Escape?

I've been driving mostly GMs, but my 2005 Lincoln LS had the nozzles on the wiper arms, like the rest

Yeah - I was thinking the same thing - probably made extra somewhere else. I think my friend bought everything the finance man offered him - LoJack, extended warranty, paint sealant, the bra...not sure what else. As far as the tint is concerned, here in Phoenix they automatically put that on as soon as the car hits the lot. For my Buick, the dealer had it on order for stock, but I made the deal before it arrived, so they did give me the option, at $249. I think $175-$200 is the going rate for good quality/lifetime warranty tint in Phoenix, so I thought it was worth paying a little more for the convenience. For the C-Max, I had gone to one dealer that said they charge $299; the other dealer, we ended up buying from, included the tint, the clear door edge guards, wheel locks, pin stripes, and fabric sealant (leather seats, so just carpet and cargo area) in the selling price, and I think it was an excellent price: C-Max Hybrid, White Platinum, with 302A $31,770 List $29,837.00 Internet Price less $750.00 Ford Public Rebate less $750.00 Private Offer from brochure = $28,337.00 No negotiation price Add in $399.00 Doc Fee (pretty much standard in Phoenix market)

Phoenix, AZ area. I've personally had 3 White Diamond GM cars, including my current 2012 Lacrosse. I really didn't want White Diamond, but that was what was available, for a good price, when I bought the Buick. When shopping for the C-Max, we bounced around from Blue to Red to Black - definitely didn't want another white car...but guess what? It happened again - the right car at the right time at the right price ended up being White Platinum, so that is what we ended up with. When seen side by side, the White Platinum is definitely more white, and less cream/less warm than the White Diamond Buick. It's a very practical for the desert - it's cooler and doesn't show the dust/scratches like a darker color

Right - I assumed it's not supposed to do that, but sounds like, for now, I can expect it to happen again :-(

Yeah - I actually have to agree with those who say under the hood/cowl is a better place, but I suppose under the dash will work, too

That worked perfectly - thank you so much! So should I expect to have to do that periodically?

My friend bought a C-Max about a week before we got ours - he got the clear bra thing and he told me he thought he paid around $129/$139. When we were at the last stage of negotiations at a different dealer, and we were close, I told them to throw in the clear bra (they call it LexShield) and it's a deal. The saleman responded that he doesn't sell that product, but he thought it goes for $700-$800. I said no - my friend only paid ~$129. Well, he checked with the manager and they agreed to the deal, so we bought the car...but now, after checking online, I think my friend was full of baloney and $700-$800 seems to be the going rate. Is that possible? They did the front bumper, the front part of the front fenders, the front 1/3 of the hood, the headlights (maybe the fog lights too? - didn't look there), and the front of the side view mirrors. The dealership had previously applied the same material to the trailing edge of the four doors (door edge guards), at no charge, as a "courtesy". The other only place that would be nice is the top of the rear bumper under where the hatch opens. Anyway, has anyone else gotten this, and do you mind sharing what you paid?

OK - I think I tried to do that with the left steering wheel display control - maybe this is somehow different

The backup camera works fine, but backup lines have disappeared on my wife's C-max - I have read the posts and I guess I have to turn them back on...but how, please? I haven't been able to find the right way to do that. Thanks in advance for your help!

Maybe rub some light grease or heavy oil (something like rear differential oil) or even some used engine oil after it's been drained on the rusted parts? That should prevent any further corrosion. I do agree it seems strange they didn't coat or paint or plate those surfaces. Not sure if it's an issue here in the desert in Phoenix - I will take a look

Yup - that works, but is goofy too! It's off subject, but: Another weird thing I noticed just this morning - the windshield washer spray nozzles are on the hood. What's up with that? All my cars for decades have had the nozzles on the wiper arms...

Yeah - I have had that on all my GM vehicles since 1994, but I don't think the C-Max has it. Also, what about a readout for the actual tire pressure in each tire - is that also not available? Just an idiot light if one or more are low? That seems kind of primitive, too - especially for such a new technology car

What I might try is taking the black metal antenna part off, and see how that affects things. If it's OK, maybe I would just paint the existing black box

Page 375 of the manual says change oil every 5,000 miles if driven in very hot climates like North Africa and Middle East. I think Phoenix in the Summer (~110 degrees for a high most days) might be in the same category - that plus driving up long steep grades to/from the AZ mountains on weekends means I will be using full Syn oil like all my recent cars - not sure yet on the change interval, but might go a little less than 10K, unless the light goes on sooner. For what it's worth, the oil life monitor on my 2012 Buick LaCrosse with E-Assist indicates an oil life of ~15,000 miles under those same conditions. I'm not sure how sophisticated the Ford system is, but the OLM on GM cars is pretty advanced and counts down from 100%, so you always know where you're at, and how much life remains.

Wow - great feedback...and for the record, I was serious. My 2012 Lacrosse came from the factory with what I guess is called the shark fin antenna, and it is painted the same color as the rest of the car - White Diamond. I think if someone has a black or dark color, the C-Max antenna might look OK, but it really stands out and looks cheap against the White Platinum. Thank you again - will update you with what we do.

We have an ugly black box on top of our White Platinum C-Max, with an ugly black antenna attached to it. It's a real eyesore, on an otherwise fine looking car. What's it for - anyone know? We do not currently use a Bluetooth cell phone, so if it's somehow related to cell phone use, can I at least unscrew the black antenna?

C-Max Hybrid, White Platinum, with 302A $31,770 List $29,837.00 Internet Price less $750.00 Ford Public Rebate less $750.00 Private Offer from brochure = $28,337.00 No negotiation price Add in $399.00 Doc Fee (pretty much standard in Phoenix market) They also included as standard and at no extra charge fabric protectant on the carpeted areas, nitrogen on the tires, pin stripes on the side, clear film door edge guards, and window tint (tint is a must in Phoenix - usually goes for $249-$299 at the dealer...maybe a little less in the aftermarket). We negotiated and asked they also add the clear plastic film protectant (like on the door edges) on the front of the car and mirrors (they call it Lex Shield), and they agreed. Take some off for the trade-in, add in for sales taxes and registration fees and taxes, and it was $26, 975.80 out the door.

LaCrosse is great, but has a smallish trunk made even smaller with the e-assist battery, and while the seats fold down, there is just a small pass through on the passenger side. It does get maybe ~ 6 MPG less than the CM on the highway, and probably ~10-15 MPG less in the city. (should have written: small pass through on the left side, and no pass through on the right side)

Thanks all - picked up the C-Max over the weekend (white diamond 302A) - got 41.7 MPG driving home from the dealer mostly 65-70 MPH highway, with AC. With some around town driving since, the average is already up to 42.5 MPG. With my Buick e-Assist, it's a mild hybrid, so the engine is always running anytime the car is in motion; I'm amazed when driving the C-Max in full electric mode, sometimes quite far and not just at extremely slow speeds, either. I'll update you once we do a long trip to our place in the mountains and back (~320 miles round trip). Thanks again to everyone for their input...oh, and by the way, the C-Max is the wife's car and she said it's the best car she has ever had!

Update: Went just browsing this past weekend - ended up driving away with a White Platinum SEL 302A. Paid $1,500 more than for 300A in Black from another dealer...~2,800 more car for $1,500 made it an easy decision...plus White is a much more practical color in Phoenix (my car, the LaCrosse, is also white platinum). I do think the audio system sounds better than the base system, though not as good as the Harmon Kardon system in my Buick. Thank you all for your input - it is appreciated. The wife loves the car, so far - she said it was the best car she ever owned, and she's always had pretty decent cars. Getting 42+ MPG so far on the first tank

Mmm - good point - thank you for that. I just don't like that slow opening rear hatch...but I wouldn't rule it out...will leave it up to the wife. I have the rear view camera on the Lacrosse - she won't use it - says she doesn't trust it, or more likely, herself using it.