JonJen

Our CMAX is the manual 2.0TDCi and has now done 38,000 miles. Fuel economy is averaging about 48 to the gallon - which is a significant increase from its first 12 months when it did about 38 on average. we use it for a mix or round town, motorway and mixed roads, so am very happy overall with the economy level.

We had a cracked a/c pipe on our MAX, fortunately that was within the warranty period. Oh how I wish we'd gone ahead and bought an extended warranty! Such a shame as they are brilliant cars when they're running properly, which is why we've kept ours longer than any other car we've owned.

Update - Ford CRC has rejected our goodwill claim to cover 40% of the cost of the alternator because the car is 43 months old and has done 38,000 miles, therefore their technical team deem this to be fair wear and tear. Ford CRC said they had discretion up to 45 months old on cars, but now the decision has been made, it will not be overturned. I asked to speak to one of the technical managers who had reviewed the decision, but was told 'managers don't speak to customers'. As a Ford owner since 1998 (we've had 9 Ford cars in that time, the CMAX being the one we've kept longest), and as the o

Just had our alternator replaced after it failed (March 04 reg 2.0TDCi Ghia with 38k miles). Can't yet tell you how much it cost as the service manager is on holiday now so hasn't yet sent the invoice to us. However, he did get a 40% contribution from Ford since the car was only 6 months outside warranty and has a full service history. Will post as soon as we know cost, but may be a week or so before we get the bill (our garage post it out to us after we've collected the car!!)

Hi we had this problem and it was caused by a broken a/c pipe. There is a Ford TSB for this, but it indicates that water leak is to passenger footwell. I think ours was in the drivers side as we park our car on a slight slope, and liquid would run naturally to the drivers side in our case. Once fixed, we haven't had any recurrence of the problem.

I think whetheryou are the first or second owner is irrelevant. I'd ask for a phone number for Ford Customer Relations Centre and speak to them myself. It may be because if Ford make a contribution, it is at the rates paid for warranty work, not what the dealer may otherwise charge. 6 weeks outside warranty is not acceptable i would suggest. You can always try, you have nothing to lose at this stage. Surely it is a safety issue if you can't lower the seat to a suitable driving height? You could always try a different dealer failing that...

Parking sensors aren't infallible though, as my wife found out when she reversed into my car parked on our driveway. Sensors were beeping, but the noise of them was drowned out by our 2 kids and a friend's child in the car at the time (or so she claims!!!) As others have said, they are an aid though, and help when parking in tight places. Our car has front and rear sensors, the fronts are helpful I find.

For excellent customer service, you can't go far wrong with Hill & Swift in Stone, Staffordshire. We've bought several cars from them over the years and the level of service (both when buying and in terms of after sales) has been excellent. They are a small family run business, so know a lot of their customers personally, rather than just being a name on a database. Took our 04 CMAX 2.0TDci Ghia there today as it broke down at the weekend, needing a new alternator. Rang them in advance, the breakdown truck took me & car there. They've loaned me a car for the duration and when I asked

They are brilliant cars, so much so that we've kept our CMAX (complete with some of it's niggles) far longer than we've ever kept any car we've owned - 3.5 years so far against an average of 2 years. When we do replace it, it will be with another, or possibly an SMAX if we can stretch to it. Enjoy the car, enjoy the drive, I doubt you'll tire of it!

Thanks for this post. Our car is 6 months out of warranty and guess what. The alternator has just gone. Will do battle with Ford on Monday morning!

Hmm - lots of cars over the years - all boring & sensible - here goes Nova 1.2 Swing (1990 - 92 - would've been longer, but it was stolen!) Astra 1.3L Estate (92 - 94) Cavalier 2.0 Gl Auto (94) Nova 1.0 Trip (8 weeks) - we all make mistakes... Peugeot 205 1.8Diesel (94 - 95) Astra 1.7 TD Sport (95 - 97) Nissan Primera 1.6LX (97-99) Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDi GLX estate (99 - 2001) VW Passat 1.9 TDI Sport Estate (2001-2004) Mini Cooper 1.6 (2004) Focus 1.8TDDI Zetec (2004) Fiesta 1.4TDCI LX (04 - 05) Galaxy 1.9TDi Ghia (two of these since 2005) Just bought a Focus 1.6 Flight. The wife has owne

Great! We'll know where to come when ours need doing next time. Am fairly sure the dealer did ours at its last service. That's assuming we keep our car long enough for them to need doing again....

Think I've read somewhere that the EPB needs to be disengaged before the job can be done. There are posts on here I'm sure - I interpreted them to be that it is a difficult job, probably best left to the dealer with the right tools etc (but then that's generally the stance I take!) Am sure someone will be along soon with full detail on how to do the job

Sorry, I can't help you to translate this foreign language. Perhaps it would be easier to purchase a new CMAX that already has the IPOD interface built in. It would save a lot of time & trouble! I must also be ICE illiterate, but we did upgrade our CMAX to the Sony 6 CD changer which is absolutely brilliant - when it isn't playing Amarillo or Mr Lonely to keep our two kids happy. How's the SMAX by the way?

Matt I think the economy on the MAX is very variable. Our 2.0TDCi Ghia averages between 38 - 42 on a mix of town and distance driving (split 70% town, 30% distances). Part of the problem is that it is such a driveable car, it doesn't encourage fuel saving type driving! Poor economy issues have been well documented on this forum before - it wouldn't spoil the car for me though - after all that level of economy on a car of its size is pretty good I think