Jay Posted August 29, 2020 Report Share Posted August 29, 2020 Howdy Group! The wife and I have the rest of the weekend to consider buying at 2016 CMAX SE. It's got 94,000 miles, no accidents, was driven in Texas as a fleet vehicle. We live in Kansas. I'd never driven one and our whole family was impressed with it from bumper to bumper. My only question is the life of the battery pack. I haven't been able to find how to check the "health" of the pack. Any thoughts, comments, or questions would be greatly appreciated. BTW, we're trading in a 2013 Chevy Traverse with 172,000 miles on it. The CMAX is in near spotless condition, inside and out. The dealer dropped the price a grand to $9,999. Thanks! Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-MaxA2 Posted August 29, 2020 Report Share Posted August 29, 2020 I'm not sure the EV battery is much to worry about (the main battery, assuming this is a hybrid and not an Energi). Might be worth having the battery checked since the warranty runs out at 100k. I'd want to check the date of manufacture to ensure it was after 8/15/15 to avoid the transmission issue. Yes, I know it's a 2016 but I have a '2016' that was manufactured in Oct. of 2015, so... Jay 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestevens Posted August 29, 2020 Report Share Posted August 29, 2020 (edited) I don't know of any specific way to check the HVB battery levels without a scan tool. I have a 2013 SEL with 106Kmi and I'm more worried about the transmission than I am the battery pack .. although so far the transmission hasn't made any funny noises and the service manager says there are no leaks. I replaced the 12V battery after 7 years and a particularly cold winter -- that was about $200. But other than that no service issues other than routine maintenance, headlight bulbs, cabin filter. Just recently had coolant and spark plugs changed for 100Kmi service. If it makes it to 150K mi will be time for first transmission fluid change. I think I paid about $400 for the 100k mi service so maybe you want to ask them to change the spark plugs and flush the coolant since yours would be at 94K mi. Extensive heat might be unkind to it but so far I haven't heard anyone having HVB pack issues except maybe one person who recently posted here a few weeks ago with a diagnostic code set that the battery management system detected cells charged unevenly. The battery level you see on the dash display is calibrated so that the battery back is still somewhat full even when the gauge reads empty. It's programmed to keep the actual pack level between 20-80% charged so that it can treat the battery kindly. Edited August 29, 2020 by jestevens Jay 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted August 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2020 Thanks for the replies! I have the VIN so I will see about if it was made before 08/15/15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted August 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2020 From the VIN, I was able to decipher that it was made in November of 2016. Looks like I dodged the bullet on the trans issue. BTW, sorry for the messed up headline. I'll proof the next one before I hit enter. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted August 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2020 Well, I wanted to make sure, so I had the salesman take a picture of the sticker with the VIN on it. This vehicle was made in July of 2016. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted August 30, 2020 Report Share Posted August 30, 2020 Other folks have hit the biggies. Regarding HVB life, this is the data that we saw in 2013. I've seen no sign it's wrong... in the Hybrid. Energi HVB issues are plug-in charging-related. Have no concerns regarding HVB life. Lots of folks beyond 200K have no issues. Frank Jay 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted August 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2020 That's definitely good info. Thank you very much. We are pulling the trigger tomorrow. With what I've learned on this site and with other searches, I think we are good to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.