NEWBI

[scotti]

Let me intro myself, I am Scotti, I love our C-Max I've only put gas in the car once since our purchase in Oct. 2013 we purchased the C-Max for my wife, it now has 700 miles on it. She only drives it on Wednesdays where she is a volunteers at the local hospital in town.

 

Unfortunately, last week she got in the car to leave work and it wouldn't run! She said she pushed the button 4 times before the car would run! hmmm this is not good. I'm not sure why the engine wouldn't start and drive home if the battery circuit failed.

 

Thank you for your input!!

Edited August 26, 2014 by scotti

[fotomoto]

Hello and Welcome to the site scotti!

 

A common issue with new owners (and even vets like me) is the occasional false start when the brake lever isn't held down long enough and/or far enough so the car doesn't achieve ready mode (green car with arrows ICON) but rather enters into accessory mode.  In accessory mode, you can put the car in gear and push on the accelerator pedal but nothing will happen (the car may roll if on an incline).

 

If nothing is working (no dash lights, no sounds, etc), then it's probably a weak or dead 12v battery.  Only using it once a week (especially if it's a short drive) might necessitate a trickle charge.  The 12v battery is small because it doesn't start/crank over the gas engine like in a regular car; the large hybrid battery does that.  The 12v battery simply "wakes the car up" by bringing all the computers online and activates the electrical connection of the HV battery to the car.  

 

HTH

Edited August 26, 2014 by fotomoto

[scotti]

Doug thank you so much! I feel so much better now, I really appreciate your reply. She drives the car about, 21 miles round trip. I'll check with the wife when she gets up about the dash lights, I'm sure your right on with the brake. I love the car, she wont let me drive it, but I do love it! I'm thinking about selling my R.R. and buying one for myself.

 

Scotti

[Kelleytoons]

She only drives it Wednesdays for 21 miles and won't let YOU drive it?  I sure hope she's making the payments (including paying for the insurance, gas and maintenance on it).  Otherwise, brother, um, does the expression PW mean anything to you? <bg>

 

My wife WANTS to drive Maximis more, but I only let her do it once or twice a week (for one thing, she brings down my MPG every time she gets behind the wheel, as she is a binary driver for whom only the states of gas/brake on/off seem to apply).  She has her right now and I'm feeling lonely <g> (not for missing my wife, though :>).

[scotti]

Your cracking me up. To answer the question, no I pay for everything ;) Ive been marries 24 years and my wife has never owned a new car. She's a stay at home mom, or was, the kids are grown and gone now. She has a rotten back (previous accident) and was driving a XJ6 jag which we had for years (her dream car) I hopped in to it one day to put gas in it for her, and quickly realized that she should not be getting in and out of that car, its just to low the ground. So we went looking for a new car, and mean looooking 3-4 months The first car she drove was the C-Max we purchased! I think it had 20 miles on it, and I'm sure we put 18 of those mile on it during the test drive.

 

I've been a car guy from day one! I own three Range Rover P38's, which I rebuilt from the ground up. I own a 57 Chevy restored. I have built Motorcycles, Jeeps, VW's,Trucks, boats and so on..Currently I'm building a new motor for one of my Range Rovers. I'm a GEAR HEAD at heart! I own a website www.becmdoctor.com

 

The C-Max is out of my league, I think, I'm sure I'll learn a great deal with the help of this forum. Thank you all for your support to the forum!

 

Scotti

Edited August 26, 2014 by scotti

[Adrian_L]

My wife almost started hyperventilating one day.  She pushes the starter button and nothing happened.  Battery's dead!  OMG Call roadside assistance!!!!

Turned out she forgot to put her foot on the brake and the SEL will not engage without that.

 

Welcome to the forum.  There's one or two Jag lovers around.  I've been restoring old VW busses for years--next project will be a Karmann Ghia, Thing or Type 2 (splittie) electric conversion.   

 

Adrian

Vancouver

[Kelleytoons]

Scotti -- let's hope she knows what a great guy she has in you.  Seriously.  While there is no denying she has paid her dues in raising your kids, there is also a real interesting dynamic that lets her dictate to you how you could use something you're paying for. 

 

Then again, "happy wife, happy life" but even though I've been married to my current wife (my LAST one, as I always tell her to say about me as her husband) for 27 years and we definitely have a "what's hers is hers and what's mine is hers" relationship, I am NOT going to let her hog Maximis.  Just too much fun driving it (and she can drive the Durango if she wants wheels to go to her hobb... ahem, part-time job).  Except for those days when she doesn't, like today.  Sigh.

 

My wife and I are both seasoned citizens and one of our requirements was to NOT have to climb down into a car.  Since we came from the Durango (which you have to climb "up" into, but that's okay) I had gotten spoiled and we thought the C-Max was okay, but nothing special in this regard.  Then I had a loaner while our baby was being fixed (a slight ding from the factory) and I not only had to climb down into this Honda Civic, I felt like I was riding on the road in a skateboard.  We had been looking at small SUVs along with the C-Max and I hadn't realized how very low most cars are nowadays.  Can hardly imagine what it was like to get into that Jag.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Kelleytoons

[RockwallRick]

I used to drive a Corvette but I don't miss getting up out of it! My wife is very possessive of her C-Max as well. I usually drive when we are together but she is a horrible back seat driver!!!

[Kelleytoons]

but she is a horrible back seat driver!!!

 

You make her sit in the back seat?  LOL -- don't let Laurel see this thread!

 

Truth be told, I'M a terrible "back seat driver".  My wife has threatened more than once to pull over and switch places if I don't like the way she's driving (and more than once we've done it :>).

[shinytop]

Amateurs!  My wife was such a bad back seat driver that I pulled over on the highway one day and told her to drive.  I never drove with her in the car for 18 months and she had to swear to keep quiet.

[scotti]

I can tell I'm really going to love this forum! We have a NO BACK SEAT DRIVING RULE at my house, If it's not your car, NO BACK SEAT DRIVING, funny thing, we always take the Rover and I'm always driving! I guess that explains the low miles on the C-Max hmmmm ;)

 

Kelleytoons. I have had a few Bugs in my day.. I restored a 57 rag-top as a daily diver back in the 80's..