ONSLOWE

Just when I thought it was running OK the dreaded EGR problem returned :x It happened about 6 weeks ago and the dealer upgraded to CD41 (supposedly) and it has been OK since then but tonight it did it again, though luckily hitting the EGR freed it up and I was on my way. What should I do next ? Is the new EGR widely available yet ? What would Ford advise its mechanics to do next ? There were no fault codes last time and I assume it will be the same again. Does CD42 provide a further fix ? Any advice will be greatfully received. Cheers.

It's not the nuts that are the problem, with all the nuts removed the wheel stays put :x It took a fair bit of kicking and cursing to shift the wheel without damaging the alloy.

My sentiments exactly thats why I have paid for the Witter kit which plugs into the rear light connectors and uses no Scotch locks, well worth the extra £40 pounds and about an hour of my time (I hope its only an hour, I haven't fitted it yet !)

I have just fitted a Bosal towbar (the type with a mounting plate and separate ball) to my C-max and it was an easy job but if anybody else is contemplating the job here is a tip :- run the chasis mounting bolts through the threads before trying the job on the car. I spent 30 minutes struggling to get the most awkward bolt in only to find that the captive threads on the towbar arm were blocked with a blob of weld :x . Once this was cleared the job was easy. Also if anybody is worried about the towbar getting picked up by the rear parking sensors, don't. On my car the sensors do not pick up th

I have just had to remove the rear wheels to fit a towbar and this is just to remind everybody that if you get a puncture and hope to change it yourself, at the side of the road, you will probably struggle to get the wheel off. I was at home so had access to tools and did not have traffic passing by but it took at least 10 minutes to remove 1 wheel as it had corroded and "welded" itself to the hub. I also had the car supported on 2 jacks so be careful if using only the supplied Ford item especially on uneven ground as the jack might slip after you have given the wheel/tyre the required heavy p

I have seen the wonder wipers for sale in Woolworths for £7.99 and the packaging did not say how long they were but looked about 26". The only thing is they are just rubbers and are meant as refills for normal wipers where you keep the original metal arms/blade. I read a post on the forum that you can replace the rubbers on the Focus bosch blades by levering off the end caps and sliding out the part that acts on the glass, has anybody tried that ? I have just replaced my Bosch blades ( about £30 from autobulbs direct, next day delivery ) which improved things dramatically :) over the worn or

I bought my 2ltr TDCI because you cannot get a comparable VW Touran unless you spend about 50% more (£9600 vs £14000) makes the C-Max a bargain. Also an estate would not fit on my drive due to the restricted length available :lol :oops: The Max has a few creaks, groans and the EGR problem but handles well and has effortless grunt. Seems to me that most modern cars have similar problems to the EGR such as MAF sensor failure(VW), throttle body failure (Volvo) for example. Maybe a Toyota / Mazda / Honda is the way to go if you want ultimate reliability and boredom.

My hatch has the same problem, the microswitch in the hatch freezes so will not open the hatch but the switch on the key fob or key will open it. I took it to the dealers (also to get CD41 loaded to fix EGR) and they said they could not change the switch as it was working at the time, I explained that was because it was above freezing on that day but they still would not fix it under warranty !! They said they would have to send the switch to Ford who would say it worked OK, then they would not get paid for the work. Did they think I was making it up ?? Anyway I will wait until the switch rots

Andytran, mine is still running OK not sure if it feels smoother as I have still got the engine cover off in case the wife has to whack the EGR if it sticks again, that means the engine sounds noisier so hard to tell. I do think the MPG is a bit better, probably about 10 % but also think the tick over is a bit different, it seems to flick up just after start up, maybe I am now getting paranoid. Overall I am happy with the software upgade but time will tell. Cheers.

Andytran, I had an update on the same day as you though the dealers were not so specific in what they had done just to say that they had followed the recommended fix from Ford (The mechanic said that he had only ever worked on 4 C-Max's, not sure if that is a good or bad thing!). Do you fancy a sweep on how long the fix will last ? I think I will mark the number of successful starts on the side of the drivers door just like the number of sorties on a WWII bomber ! Probably won't run out of space, currently 5. Keep us posted as to any further problems and keep the screwdriver handy. Cheers.

I was getting the new software today after my EGR stuck on Monday. I got the car started using your AA mans trick with the screwdriver (cheers :) )and took it staright to the dealers. They said there were no fault codes showing but have upgraded the software as advised by Ford. Unfortunately they are a small dealers and have not worked on C-MAX's much but only time will tell. Lets all hope the software can fix the problem though if the EGR has got gunged up I'm not sure how the recalibration will fix it but may make it less likely to happen.

Only had my 2ltr Tdci for 4 weeks and 400 miles (though its an 04 with 15000miles with no previous EGR problems) and the EGR stuck in the supermarket car park :x Thanks to the helpful posts on this site I immediately new what it was, car started but no power not even enough to re-park !! Thankfully I was on a slope so rolled back into place. Tried re-starting about 10 times with no difference, I could hear various noises from under the bonnet, clicking and whiring but no power. Thanks to the other forum members (especially 1955diesel and Mastertech) I took their advice and got a screwdriver,

I got a manual on CD from Ebay for £3.29 delivered. It is a copy of the Ford Technical Information System manaul which covers all Fords but it is for 2003/2004 models so is a bit out of date and difficult to navigate. It is way better than nothing ! Just do a search on Ebay for "Ford TIS" and look for the one with the official looking logo £2.99 plus delivery.

Has anybody got a picture showing the location of the EGR ? Just so I know where the hammer (rubber mallet maybe) should be applied if required as an emergency get me home cure. Cheers

The sales manager told me the code is stored on the ECU and would be uploaded to the radio when the battery was reconnected. I told him in writing that I didn't believe him and that he should get the code, he still insisted he was right but said if I had trouble they would get the code if the radio stopped working. At this point I got the code from the previous owner as it was less trouble. When I do disconnect the battery if the radio doesn't work (cast iron certainty) I will ring him to tell him he was wrong ! Haven't had a Ford for 20 years, nice to know I haven't been missing great custome

On the standard cd6000 the sticker says "unit type FD 6000CD" Has a serial number "M 234565" (that is not my number but it starts with a 2 and is 6 digits long) and also has the "key code 2478" (again not my number but an example). I had trouble getting the code when I bought the car, Ford said I didn't need it and were not very willing to get it for me, but I contacted the previous and he still had it. Good luck with the dealer.

Have just filled up and it showed 433miles to empty. Can't say I'm impressed with the MPG I am getting, I have seen it as low as 29MPG on short runs (never sat in traffic for ages but journeys of 1-3 miles only) with average speed below 25mph. On a run at 75mph I think 45 - 50 mpg would be achievable,(I've only had it 3 weeks so not much chance to try it on long runs). Mine has not had EGR problems yet and has done 15000 miles.

Mine is doing exactly the same, will open with the key or key fob but not micro switch built into hatch. Andy, if you get it fixed let us know, Cheers

Has anybody fitted a non-detachable towbar to a C-max with rear parking sensors? Do you get interferance from the towball causing false readings when reversing ? Also I was going to use a plug in wiring kit (non Ford) which piggybacks onto the existing loom at the rear light cluster (does not disconnect the sensors, but I don't reverse much when towing so can put up with that), has anybody used one ? It has to be better than scotch-locks and is about £54 with the reqd relays etc

Gave in and got the Ebay disc which, though out of date, (my C-max is only an 04 anyway) is alot better than nothing. It covers all Fords, is a bit tricky to navigate but for £3.29 including next day delivery I would have to say its a bit of a bargain. Hope I don't need to use it too often though. As soon as a pukka manual comes out I will buy it but until then its the completely "genuine" article from Ebay for me :)

Just got my C-max (2.0 tdci zetec 04 plate) 5 days ago..if I had read all these reliability woes I would probably have bought the 140bhp Octavia diesel in the same showroom for £1000 more, but it didn't seem as practical as the Max...time will tell if I made the right decision. I have to agree that the "beeps" are very annoying, beep its cold, beep I pressed a button, beep beep beep the fr*gg**g seat belt is off, though I have been told VW's do the same and Alfas beep and tell you off if you go over 70 for gods sake !! If Ford can fix the EGR, Electric Handbrake, rattles and ECU they will be o

I noticed that Haynes do not yet cover the C-max in any of their manuals yet. Is there an alternative such as a CD based manual or do we all have to wait for Haynes to take a C-MAX apart ?

Thanks for the replies just thought I would finish the thread with the solution. I had written to the Ford dealer insisting that they got the code, they rang and insisted that the code was stored in the ECU and if I ever have a problem they would sort it out at the time, at least they rang me straight back and if they are correct then not bad customer service. Thing is I found the original owners phone number and rang him.....low and behold he had the original card with the code and is sending it to me (very decent chap !!). It will be interesting to see what happens when the battery is off, w

Hi, just joined the Forum after buying an 04 C-max 2.0 TDCI Zetec, £9600 from Ford Dealer with 15k on clock and 20 months warranty, not a bad deal, I hope! Anyway when I got home and checked all the paperwork I found no sign of the Radio Code. When I phoned the Dealer he told me it was stored in the main ECU so if I disconnect the battery and then reconnect the ECU will upload the code to the Radio (6000CD). Am I getting fobbed off or is it the truth ? I don't need the code at the moment but in 6 months time I can see the dealer wanting money for the info when I do need it. Thanks for any repl