Generalbeluga Posted March 26, 2018 Report Share Posted March 26, 2018 (edited) Good Bye C-Max Forum! I bought my C-Max new in 2013. I have spent a lot of time at Galpin Ford getting the many (8 at last count) recalls fixed. It is clear that Ford rushed this one to market and it was not ready for prime time! Having said that, I loved the car. It's performance, fit and finish and it's fuel economy was great! Unfortunately, I just couldn't get my head past the CVT transmission recall and the cost of replacing the hybrid batteries, so I dumped it and bought a 2018 Subaru Forester Premium. The story begins when I had contacted Ford Customer Service twice over the past three years and was told each time that my car had no active recalls for the CVT even though my vin number was smack dab in the middle of those cars that were supposedly affected. At one point I was told that my car was built in another plant, not affected by the CVT problems. Then during my most recent call to them, I was told that the Detroit plant makes all C-Max cars. As my confidence in Ford's information regarding the recall waned, I could just see myself getting screwed in three or four years when my tranny dumps and Ford says that it is not covered and I get a $5,000 repair bill! Add to it, that I had almost 50,000 miles on the car and it needed new tires ($600) and new brakes ($740) not to mention the possibility of new hybrid batteries in the next five years or so for a cool $3,000. I "hemmed and hawed" over it for a few weeks and then made the mistake of contacting a local Subaru dealer and told them that if I could get a new 2018 Subaru Forester Premium with the Eyesite safety equipment and option package 15 for $29,000 "out the door," I would buy it. Well guess what, I received a call a day later and the salesman told me that they had "my car" and it was waiting for me on their lot. The rest is history! I dumped a potential disaster and bought one of the best AWD SUV's around. For icing on the cake, the forester gets 32 mpg HWY and 28 overall! Add 48 months no interest financing and it was a no brainer. Sorry Ford, but the C-Max was my last Ford automobile! Good luck to the rest of you C-Max owners. Edited March 26, 2018 by Generalbeluga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 26, 2018 Report Share Posted March 26, 2018 To me it looks like you talked yourself into wasting a lot of money and you will keep on wasting it with less MPG's. 1. At five years your car should be payed off and I'm thinking you are going to end up with payments on new car. 2. I'm unaware of any trans recalls and most 2013 don't fail, on this Forum we have only 23 that have failed between CMAX Hybrid/Energi and FFH with thousands of members between three Forums. BTW the trans is warrantied for 8yrs/100k mi. so it looks like you would have been covered for another three years anyways. 3. The OEM tires are rated at 55k mi. and with 5 yrs on the tires it is time to replace them. No problem here, normal maintenance. 4. Are you saying there is a problem with your brakes? That's unusual for CA car. Mine still look pretty new with 188 k mi. on them. 5. Then there is the cost for the extra gas you will have to buy with atleast 12 mpg loss in gas mileage and you are paying more than $3 a gallon too. OUCH! :sad: 6. The HVB will easily last the life of the car if you looked at the HVB Test thread and I'm not aware of any HVB failing on this Forum. Looks like you were trying justify your decision with negative emotions and not the real facts that are on this forum. I have currently 188k miles on my 2013 CMAX SEL and FORD has taken care of any problems I had, no complains here. :) Good Luck with your new car and hopefully you won't have any problems with it. Paul BIG ROCCO, C-MaxSea, JAZ and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generalbeluga Posted March 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2018 You are probably right, but then shame on Ford for not giving me the information I needed to instill confidence in my car. Everything they told me was inconsistent and made me feel like I didn't wanted to take the chance. Regardless of what you have read on the forum, there have been some real nightmare stories of people with tranny issues and Ford is not standing behind their warrantees. I just didn't want to take that chance. It looks like your car is doing great at 188K miles so I think we can say that you have one of the good ones. I'm not knocking the car as I said, I loved it for all the right reasons. I just lost confidence in Ford's ability to do the right thing when push comes to shove. Take care and continued good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakkers Posted March 27, 2018 Report Share Posted March 27, 2018 OP, There is a warrenty for the Hybrid system for 8 years and 100k miles. That is definitive. Not all vehicles experience transmission failures and you can’t expect them to replace what isn’t broken. You are now financing $28k for another vehicle. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Forester. However, it’s not a Hybrid and I can tell you from experience, you will only experience the fuel consumption figures if you drive it like a Hybrid. I regularly experience 23-26 mpg with 80% highway averaging 75 mph. Great cargo space. The AWD is nice and ride is excellent. So, definitely a nice vehicle. Congratulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obob Posted March 27, 2018 Report Share Posted March 27, 2018 I don't think problems with the integrity of dealers' service managers is just a Ford problem. I have paid extra money and have traveled further to get work done on my c-max just to avoid my dealer. ( like inspections and tire work ) I really dislike being lied to. Though some dealers are better than others, and even within a particular dealer there may be people that are not paid by commission that want to control the service managers. I have had bad experiences with Toyota dealers that have cost me money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zalusky Posted March 28, 2018 Report Share Posted March 28, 2018 Yep I still love my CMAX. I have a 2013 with a little over 40K. The brakes still have plenty of pad. The tires may need replacing next year. The only nuisance factor I seem to have is the car sometimes stuck in sleep mode. I feel like my FOB is getting weaker even after changing the battery. I am looking forward to see what Ford offers next year for their model E variants. It would be nice to have some of the latest tech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 Have you replaced the 12v battery yet? :) That could be the problem. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zalusky Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 Have you replaced the 12v battery yet? :) That could be the problem. PaulIf your talking to me. It has been replaced but I suppose it could be rearing its head again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 If your talking to me. It has been replaced but I suppose it could be rearing its head again.How long has it been? Normally their good for 5 yrs. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamp45755 Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 I wish you all the best in your new Suburu. To be quite honest with you I would have probably looked at them if there was a Suburu dealer here in Highlands County Florida. Ditto for the VW wagons. And despite 2 Ford dealships in Highlands County, I had to drive 55 miles to Polk County to get my 2018 Ford C-Max! No Ford dealer in Highlands county carried the vehicle. To say the least , the Ford C-Max drives and handles as well or better then our Mercedes C320 wagon. I have yet to test drive a Suburu, how everyone Ian sure you will not be disappointed. It is one of the few Japanese vehicles that appeal to me . I go for a more European flair and the Cmax does not disappoint. obob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zalusky Posted March 30, 2018 Report Share Posted March 30, 2018 How long has it been? Normally their good for 5 yrs. PaulReplaced in October of 2014. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted March 30, 2018 Report Share Posted March 30, 2018 Replaced in October of 2014.Well it's been awhile, it would be nice if you could check your voltage at Power point or under the hood. Here is one on eBay Motors fr the power point for $6.95: https://www.ebay.com/itm/us-seller-12-VOLT-CIGARETTE-LIGHTER-VOLTAGE-BATTERY-METER-REGULATOR-CAR-TESTER/281271379056?hash=item417d14a470:g:ohwAAOxy4dNS0eXi&vxp=mtr Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotPotato Posted April 7, 2018 Report Share Posted April 7, 2018 How long has it been? Normally their good for 5 yrs. Paul More like 1-2 years for me, and I live in a warm climate. However, I do have aftermarket audio installed, so maybe it's me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian_L Posted April 7, 2018 Report Share Posted April 7, 2018 As much as I love classic cars, buying a new car with 28 mpg seems kind of medieval. I'm not sure what the OP was intending with the original post: "I dumped a potential disaster" -HUH?! There is no evidence you car was defective in ANY way and I tend to agree with Paul that the motivation to sell was not particularly logical. And no--you don't replace the high voltage battery in the C-max. You seriously want to blame Ford for needing new tires? Hombre... Our 2013 C-max has been a trouble-free joy from the day we drove it off the lot.* Adrian * with the exception of the linkage arm to the passenger wiper coming off. DIY fix. ptjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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