Adding A Cargo Net To The C-Max

[RedLdr1]

One of the annoying "little things" about the C-Max for me was the lack of a rear cargo net.  I have a fairly steep driveway and opening the rear hatch can cause a landslide of "stuff" out of the cargo area on to the driveway if I'm not watching carefully.  Plus I like being able to place grocery bags in to an envelope style net to keep milk jugs and other liquids upright.  While I have already added the Ford Accessory Cargo Area Protector rubber mat I have no desire to test it...  The Ford Accessory Store lists a Cargo Net by Lastik, Part No: VDM5Z-54550A66-A, but it is too small, left to right, and installs way too far forward at the top for what I wanted. 

 

So...what to do...  A bit of poking around in my garage turned up the Cargo Net that was in my Sonata Hybrid.  At 36 inches across and 12 inches tall (unstretched) it would fit the rear of the C-Max perfect for my needs...  That's one down.  Note:  Similar Cargo Nets are available at Automotive stores, dealerships, "junk" yards, or off eBay if you are not a pack rat like I am....

 

The two silver colored metal U-loops in the C-Max tailgate area will work perfect for securing the bottom of the Cargo Net.   That is half the battle...

 

Now the top of the net is a different issue, there is no handy place to secure the Cargo Net... :headscratch:   Since I've been riding motorcycles for over 40 years I am very familiar with "bungee cords"  I have used them to strap down all sorts of odd shaped items on my bikes.  And bikes quite often don't have a handy place to secure a bungee cord..kinda like the C-Max... ;)   So an aftermarket company came out with a product called Bungee Buddy which allows you to add a secure strap point.  A quick visit to eBay and I had a set of four of them for $12.00 including shipping....  Those will secure the top of the Cargo Net.  That is two down...

 

With all the parts in hand I realized I also needed a better way to hook the Cargo Net attachment loops to the anchor points.  A quick trip to Home Depot turned up some Zinc Plated Spring Links that make the Cargo Net easy to remove if I need to take it out....  Three down and time to go to work!

 

After some measuring, and looking at different locations, I decided to mount the Bungee Buddy's to the plastic rail the Cargo Cover follows.  The bottom of that area is open, I believe this is the intake for the battery cooling fan, and can be easily accessed to attach the Bungee Buddy without removing any panels.  I wanted the Bungee Buddy to lie flat so I moved it forward 7.5 inches as measured from the rear cargo cover's bottom to the hole I drilled.  I drilled the hole 1.5 inches down from the top of the rail.  I choose 1.5 inches as this allows the cover to lay over the Bungee Buddy with no interference.  See the attached photo ( Bungee Buddy Measurements) for the measuring points I used.   After drilling the holes it was an easy job to bolt on the Bungee Buddy's and tighten them down.  I found it was easier to hold the wrench on the backside and tighten the Bungee Buddy from the front with a screw driver insert through the loop twisting it.   This was a 30 minute project requiring only basic hand tools except for drilling the two mounting holes for the Bungee Buddy, I used a Dremel tool for that task.

 

Enough talk, here are some photos....  Too see a larger view than I can post here just click the photos and you will be able to see the larger versions in my Flikr account....

 

 

Finished Install

 

Bungee Buddy Measurements

 

Drivers Side Top

 

Drivers Side Bottom
 

Passenger Side Top

 

Passenger Side Bottom

 

Bungee Buddys

 

Spring Link

 

Disclaimer:  If you choose to make this modification it is at your own risk.

 

[Jus-A-CMax]

Great writeup and photos, thanks for sharing  :) 

[Gandor]

I think I have a similar net and was also disappointed that I couldn't use it.

I'll probably do some thing similar by adding some Bungee Buddies.

Thanks for the tip and the pictures.

Edited March 1, 2013 by Gandor

[NicksCMax]

"Wow, look at all that trunk space..." -Energi Driver

 

;)

 

Great idea!!!

[zhackwyatt]

Anyone here try this? http://accessories.ford.com/net-asy-load-fixing-10344.html

[Chinto]

Thanks for the Bungee Buddy info.  I have always  liked the cargo net, now I can have one in my c max.  

[har]

We have the complete storage package from Ford.  Works well.

[C-MaxSea]

Looks great Red.  Is this the one?

 

http://www.hyundaiaccessorystore.com/hyundai_sonata_2011_cargo_net.html

 

Nick

[RedLdr1]

Looks great Red.  Is this the one?

 

http://www.hyundaiaccessorystore.com/hyundai_sonata_2011_cargo_net.html

 

Nick

 

It should work, mine came out of my 2012 Sonata Hybrid....

[rek]

I used "Bungee Buddy's" to add tie-down points at the top of the rolling cover. I purchased a Bell 22-1-33653-8 Cargo Net from Amazon, cut six inches off one side and re-routed the shock cord, added "S" hooks. I used the round tie-downs supplied with the Bell cargo net and mounted them to the roof of the back of the cargo area. I pulled down the headliner, drilled a hole and put a 1/4-20 bolt in the celing. I tapped the center hole of the tie-downs with a 1/4-20 tap and threaded them onto the end of the bolt. I can use the cargo net hammock-style, or open it up and have it stretch from floor to celing.

[Retired1]

Well done.

[PWBarrett]

Looks like a pretty ambitious project.

I'd like to do the same sort of thing, but have the anchor points even with the back of the rear seats rather than all the way back at the hatch.

That way I could stack things up in the back and not have them spill over onto passengers in the back seat.

[mtb9153]

One of the annoying "little things" about the C-Max for me was the lack of a rear cargo net.  I have a fairly steep driveway and opening the rear hatch can cause a landslide of "stuff" out of the cargo area on to the driveway if I'm not watching carefully.  Plus I like being able to place grocery bags in to an envelope style net to keep milk jugs and other liquids upright.  While I have already added the Ford Accessory Cargo Area Protector rubber mat I have no desire to test it...  The Ford Accessory Store lists a Cargo Net by Lastik, Part No: VDM5Z-54550A66-A, but it is too small, left to right, and installs way too far forward at the top for what I wanted. 

 

So...what to do...  A bit of poking around in my garage turned up the Cargo Net that was in my Sonata Hybrid.  At 36 inches across and 12 inches tall (unstretched) it would fit the rear of the C-Max perfect for my needs...  That's one down.  Note:  Similar Cargo Nets are available at Automotive stores, dealerships, "junk" yards, or off eBay if you are not a pack rat like I am....

 

The two silver colored metal U-loops in the C-Max tailgate area will work perfect for securing the bottom of the Cargo Net.   That is half the battle...

 

Now the top of the net is a different issue, there is no handy place to secure the Cargo Net... :headscratch:   Since I've been riding motorcycles for over 40 years I am very familiar with "bungee cords"  I have used them to strap down all sorts of odd shaped items on my bikes.  And bikes quite often don't have a handy place to secure a bungee cord..kinda like the C-Max... ;)   So an aftermarket company came out with a product called Bungee Buddy which allows you to add a secure strap point.  A quick visit to eBay and I had a set of four of them for $12.00 including shipping....  Those will secure the top of the Cargo Net.  That is two down...

 

With all the parts in hand I realized I also needed a better way to hook the Cargo Net attachment loops to the anchor points.  A quick trip to Home Depot turned up some Zinc Plated Spring Links that make the Cargo Net easy to remove if I need to take it out....  Three down and time to go to work!

 

After some measuring, and looking at different locations, I decided to mount the Bungee Buddy's to the plastic rail the Cargo Cover follows.  The bottom of that area is open, I believe this is the intake for the battery cooling fan, and can be easily accessed to attach the Bungee Buddy without removing any panels.  I wanted the Bungee Buddy to lie flat so I moved it forward 7.5 inches as measured from the rear cargo cover's bottom to the hole I drilled.  I drilled the hole 1.5 inches down from the top of the rail.  I choose 1.5 inches as this allows the cover to lay over the Bungee Buddy with no interference.  See the attached photo ( Bungee Buddy Measurements) for the measuring points I used.   After drilling the holes it was an easy job to bolt on the Bungee Buddy's and tighten them down.  I found it was easier to hold the wrench on the backside and tighten the Bungee Buddy from the front with a screw driver insert through the loop twisting it.   This was a 30 minute project requiring only basic hand tools except for drilling the two mounting holes for the Bungee Buddy, I used a Dremel tool for that task.

 

Enough talk, here are some photos....  Too see a larger view than I can post here just click the photos and you will be able to see the larger versions in my Flikr account....

 

 

Finished Install

 

Bungee Buddy Measurements

 

Drivers Side Top

 

Drivers Side Bottom

 

Passenger Side Top

 

Passenger Side Bottom

 

Bungee Buddys

 

Spring Link

 

Disclaimer:  If you choose to make this modification it is at your own risk.

Very nice, you are very clever rigging this together.  At first I was not sure about the spring clips, but after looking at the close-up pic, I see they are what most call a caribiner used allot by mountain climbers to secure their ropes.  I use one to secure all my keys.  Thanks for posting.

[dontfret]

Anyone here try this? http://accessories.ford.com/net-asy-load-fixing-10344.html

In looking at the picture, it appears the small hooks just in front of the lights are the attachment points.  I used them as well to 're-purpose' a cargo net from my Lexus RX300 in the energi.

[achecht]

I saw this thread a month or so ago after sharing the "no cargo net" frustration. I liked the instructions by RedLdr1, but I decided to take that inspiration and adapt it more to my needs. I don't like the Ford cargo net mentioned in this thread in that it leans far too forward at the top. RedLdr1's setup is better, but still too far forward for my use. Rec's modified install (also here) is closer to what I did, but I think that others may benefit from my mod. I have full pictures on Flickr (link below), but I'll summarize first.

First is the cargo net itself. My other car is a Mazda5, and I had that cargo net handy. It is by far the best I saw for this purpose. The biggest differences are that a) the Mazda net is a little shallower (top to bottom), and b) the net has it's own plastic hooks installed at all bungie cord ends. This makes it a snap to install with no possibility of losing parts. You can search for Mazda5 cargo net and find models for the 2006-2010 years (mine's a 2008 Mazda, but the nets for those years are all the same). Here's a link to one (if the link still works): http://mazdagear.com/cargonet-mazda5.aspx. The price was just under $40 for the cargo net, but remember you won't need to purchase any carabiner-style clips.

Next are the hooks to attach to the Ford. I wanted something simple that would also get out of the way when not being used (and not stick out and scrap against items in the cargo area). I also wanted something made of plastic so that in the event that anything did break, it would be the hooks and not the moulding of my C-max. I found the perfect ones on eBay for $10 (here's the link to the auction, but I'm sure it will be archived at some point: http://www.ebay.com/itm/130899609062). They were essentially hooks for mounting to the chassis of a motorcycle for adding panniers, etc. The eBay seller was http://myworld.ebay.com/flyncycle. I liked these because they were essentially little loops that fold down when not in use (see the Flickr pics). The only thing I changed was a bit of the hardware. I added some big stainless steel fender washers and replaced the regular nuts with ones that had nylon inserts to keep them from coming loose. Two of each were available at my neighborhood hardware store for about $2.00 total.

The next change I made was the location. I picked a spot before I saw Rec's post, but my spot was pretty close to that one. I just went a little farther forward but still on the vertical piece of moulding. I was able to access this by popping off the covers on the sides (where the seat belt retractors are stored).

Lastly, I use velcro straps to keep the bottom of the net against the C-max floor. That keeps things from rolling out the back when you open the hatch, and they're easily removed if you ever remove the net.

I've had the setup for few weeks now, and it has really proven to be good. No problems.

Directions:

• Do this for one side first, and then see how it goes in case you need to make any minor adjustments for the second side.
• Pop off the side covers, then feel around on the vertical moulding. You'll feel a small (1/3" wide) ledge on the inside near the top (more detail in my pics). You want to drill the hole so that the top of the fender washer will hit against or just below this ledge. Also, you'll feel a thin padding against the moulding itself. Just move this out of the way when you drill the hole and then install all the hardware between the pad and the plastic so that the pad doesn't get caught.
• Drill your holes. I made sure to drill so that the side of the washer furthest from the bumper was flush with the raised edge of the moulding (see flickr pics). I believe I used a 3/16" drill bit, but it all depends on your hardware, so measure what you have.
• Install the latch hooks with the additional fender washer and nylon lock nuts. I put the latches with the bolt at the bottom so that the hooks would fall down flat (i.e. closed) when the net is not attached.
• Install the cargo net on this first side and then proceed to mark and drill the holes for the other side.

And finally here is a photo. A more complete, step-by-step photostream for this project with details in the image descriptions is on Flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/96607927@N02/sets/72157633773717477/



Enjoy!

Edited May 29, 2013 by achecht

[ScubaDadMiami]

Nice touch, with the Velcro attachments.  Are those seat covers I see in the rear?  Which ones?  Happy with them?

[achecht]

Nice touch, with the Velcro attachments.  Are those seat covers I see in the rear?  Which ones?  Happy with them?

Thanks for asking; I had forgotten to mention those seat covers.  I got mine from PrecisionFit.com.  They were not cheap (about $400 for both front and back), but with the black interior, the silver Endura material will make it cooler in the Summer sun.  The term Precision Fit is no joke.  The covers are very customized to the vehicle and attach very nicely.  I'm working with the company because the cutouts for the rear seat release straps were off by a few inches.  Either someone measured wrong when they checked out a C-Max, or Ford puts the release straps in different places for cloth vs. leather.

[ScubaDadMiami]

When you get a chance, please post some pics of the seat covers.  I am thinking about it.  I have leather, which I didn't want but had to get as part of the package of things that I did want.

[Red]

I know I'm reviving this thread from 2 years ago, but I'm in the process of figuring out my own cargo solution, and am impressed with these photos/descriptions.

 

That said, I have a question: On my 2015 C-Max SE Hybrid, if you look up in that little nook with the tail light access door, I have an opening in the plastic, with a strip of plastic. I attached a carabiner to it in the photos below (although it seems too weak - and would be likely to break with a sudden force). However, it also looks like there is a metal housing for the tail light/seat belt that could be linked to, with a bit more effort.

1. Is that metal tail light/seat-belt housing part of the frame?
2. If so, is there a reason not to hook to that, rather than use the (somewhat thin) plastic to make attachment points with the bungee buddies?
3. And, if so, would it be better not to use a metal carabiner to hook to the metal frame near the tail light, but perhaps use a plastic carabiner, or fishing wire?  

 

Thoughts?

 

Here is a picture of the opening with the strip of plastic, and (what I think is) the metal tail light housing above it.

I think this strip of plastic is too weak to keep a cargo organizer clipped to it (near passenger-side tail light):

But what about attaching to the metal (tail light housing?) behind it?

A view of the plastic strip and metal behind it, on the other side of the car (near driver-side tail light, with no carabiner attached)

 

Hmmm... in looking more closely, does the metal behind the plastic, look different on each side of the car?  (Now I need to check if it's just a difference due to the angle of the photo).  

 

ETA: Looked again now that it's daytime, and both sides are the same. 

(ETA again: I posted about the cargo organizer itself in this thread: 

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/3594-great-deal-on-genuine-ford-oem-pop-up-cargo-organizer/?p=59118 )

Edited August 21, 2015 by Red

[Red]

In looking again at that metal part, I think I could use it as an attachment point for the cargo organizer. I could thread something through the holes on the side of the metal -- probably something thin and tied tightly (perhaps fishing line) --which seems far enough from the seatbelt pass-through area that it wouldn't interfere with the seatbelt motion.

 

Has anyone tried this?

Edited August 21, 2015 by Red

[fbov]

While there are places you don't want to go, most of the car interior is benign. This looks like metal structure supporting the rear quarter which should be fine with mechanical stresses (within limits).

 

If you do a wrap-around, be aware that internal metal stampings may have sharp edged that could cut through over time. A magnetic attachment would be ideal if you can get enough holding force (scroll down)... Have a look here for some ideas; I even see a carabiner-based approach, so you're not far off!

http://www.mcmaster.com/#mountable-cable-holders/=ylc5gr

 

And be aware that McMaster Carr sells everything, so be careful when you shop...

 

Frank

[Red]

Thanks, Frank -- a bunch of those ties look like great options!

It reminded me that I had some slim velcro straps that just might work. Now I have to try to find them...

[Red]

I ended up using 6" (blue) reusable rubber twist ties ($3 @ Home Depot) to fasten carabiners to the metal car frame -- one on each side of the trunk (hatch?).  

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Nite-Ize-6-in-Gear-Tie-in-Blue-2-Pack-GT6-2PK-03/203210604

 

 

Since the twist ties hold their shape, preshaping them like a hook helped with threading it through the holes in the metal frame. Threading it took a few minutes since it's not easy to reach into the metal structure behind the cut-out in the plastic molding in the C-max (The photo above is looking up into the cut-out from the floor of the trunk).

 

The 6" ties just make it through the two holes in the metal support and around the carabiner. If the ties came in 8" or 10" it would probably be better/stronger... but the next size seems to be 12", which for me, left too much twist-tie left over (I didn't want to double it since I don't want it accidentally interfering with the seatbelt which also passes through the metal support).  

 

Since I used the twist tie to fasten a carabiner, I can fairly easily hook/unhook the cargo organizer using the caribiners. So far, these rubber twist-ties are doing the job well. I'll see if it holds up over time, or if heavy groceries and taking sharp turns ends up pulling the carabiner out of the twist tie grip.

Edited September 9, 2015 by Red

[Bill-N]

Good job.

 

You might also consider heavy-duty cable ties, left in a loop, to attach the carabiner.

 

Do they still make pipe cleaners?  They are (were?) great for snaking stuff around and through holes.

 

 

Cheers.

[Red]

Thanks, Bill.

 

I have some velcro straps that seems similar in concept to cable ties (like these ~$3 ones at HD: http://www.homedepot.com/p/VELCRO-brand-8-in-x-1-2-in-One-Wrap-Straps-Multicolor-5-Pack-90438ACS/202261928 ).I'll be trying those velcro straps if the rubber twist ties aren't strong enough. (The rubber ties are narrower and can maintain a hook-shape, so they were easier to thread and fasten in that space, so they got the first attempt).  

 

I have two kids, so we do actually have pipe cleaners, which I admit, I didn't even think of. That said, while the rubber twist ties seem similar in concept to pipe cleaners (it's basically rubber coating a wire instead of fuzz padding a wire), the rubber twist ties feel a bit more durable than the cheapo craft pipe cleaners we have.

 

(ETA: Just realized you may have meant to use the pipe cleaners for snaking other things through, rather than as the fastener themselves?)

Edited September 12, 2015 by Red