Bought a C-Max Energi that previous owner installed a C-Max (HEV/non-plugin) battery in - is this bad?

[human_person]

I just bought a used 2013 C-Max Energi, but the EV Now mode gets me 10 miles/16 km only (should get me ~20 miles/33 km). It's currently around 48 F/9 C in day, and 36 F/2 C at night.

 

The battery was replaced in 2022, said the owner. He said it was a 7.6 kwh battery. He sent me a screenshot of the purchase (from Best Hybrid Batteries), and now, only after buying the car, looking at the price on the screenshot, I'm realizing that he bought and installed the HEV battery and that it's is different than the PHEV one; it's 1.4 kwh, not the larger and more expensive PHEV battery 7.6 kwh.

 

Apart from being upset by this revelation, is this bad for the car to have the wrong battery type? Any insights on this issue would be much appreciated.

 

(I got an inspection before purchasing and asked for them to check the battery health, and they only checked the starter battery. What they did check - suspension, tires etc looks okay)

 

PS It seems to charge to "full" but the charger always ends up saying power fault, flashing the red power outlet symbol by the end of the charging cycle.

 

[jestevens]

It's normal for the car to get less mileage the more you use the heater or the colder it gets. The hybrid battery pack is much smaller than the Energi pack.  It definitely seems like a mistake to me, I would ask to undo the deal or ask the battery place if they would consider doing a swap at a discount.

 

I am surprised you can get 10mi out of the pack though because the hybrid pack is significantly smaller capacity. Perhaps the battery you have is somehow a blend of the two parts. Still doesn't seem to be programmed to match the car..

Edited November 14, 2023 by jestevens

[takingittothemax]

Yeah, I'm sure you could go 10 miles (16km) on a 1.4kWh battery. The best I've managed is just a tick over a mile in my Hybrid, and most of that was downhill and below 35mph.

 

You might want to physically inspect the battery itself. It might have some plaque or label indicating its capacity.

[human_person]

Hi both, thanks for your replies. Just to be clear, that range was without me running the HVAC, sound system, or anything extra.
I learned something interesting about the battery and will post about it soon, just got to figure something out first...
 

[nogoodbum]

Hi, Welcome to the forum. One possibility that you may not want to face, but honestly have to, is that the previous owner/dealer may be overstating repairs and/or upkeep done to the car to increase the resell value. This is hardly the first time this has happened & will never be the last. Without actual paper receipts from the battery replacement sellers & the shop that did the installation or reported via CarFax, I would be wary to believe what has been claimed to have been done to the car. If you bought the car with any kind of WRITTEN guarantee, you may have some legal recourse. IF not, it's as is, sorry it's on you now. Probably need to check for any codes & search the forum for others with like problems and their solutions. Really hope you get it worked out & Thanks for the read & sorry for being a Debbie Downer.