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Update. Visited a couple of local auto electricians who seemed reluctant to take on the job. They referred to the complexities of the ‘smart charge system’ and difficulties with identifying the correct replacement, prior to removal. I eventually took it to the local ford dealership. They diagnosed the alternator as being faulty and replaced it. The total cost for diagnosis, replacement (parts and labour) and VAT was £200 with a year’s warranty.

Hi Bluemax thanks for the info. I am pretty sure the battery is OK. The fault looks more like the alternator. During further investigations the light when out and the whine disappeared when left idling, however when I took it out for a short trip both returned. Unless someone can throw more light on this I will take it to a local auto electrician for them to have a look at. Any further info/advice/help from forum members would be most welcome.

Hi My C max has been running like a dream. Today however when I started it I detected an unusual whine. Further down the road I noticed my battery warning light was on. I returned home to investigate. When you rev the car the whine gets louder and the battery light stays on. I suspected a problem with the alternator and checked out the belt etc. however it all seems OK. Anybody else had a similar experience? Or can anybody give some advice? The car is out of warranty. So, am I better given the complexities of the TDCi taking it to our local Ford dealership (Evans Halshaw). Or wou

Black - It is a Ford!!!!

A recent rip to the far north of Scotland doing about 500 miles over a few days resulted in an astonishing average of 59 mpg. Roads and traffic (A9) meant driving around 60mph at the most. I normally get around 38 in my day to day driving which is mostly urban. EGR status is: EGR replaced with unmodified original and latest software release CD 42 I think.

Onslowe - Thanks for that I was beginning to think I was the only person with the 'doesn’t fit' issue. When did you get your valve changed? Mine is in the local dealers today for the valve replacement and an EGR cooler. The last valve I had only lasted 3 months before becoming problematic. Real worry with early builds is that the warranty runs out soon, without being properly IMO fixed.

Given the information from Mastertech I challenged the service manager at my dealers and got the following response: Given the short timescale repeat nature of the fault they contacted ‘Ford Technical’ and it was they that stated the new modified valve was not suitable for my vehicle (via VIN number). When I outlined my concern and requested that the situation be clarified, as others I was aware of, had had the valve fitted to early vehicles (info from Mastetech). They insisted that as it was a warranty job they had to follow the ‘Ford’ instructions which were to fit a new valve (same typ

Mastertech Have sent you the info. All I have to do now is have a serious conversation with said service manager.

1955 Diesel Yes. The new valve does not fit. The fix was a PCM update as part of CD 42. This has been claimed by others as the fix for my model of engine. Therefore the 'fix' that was available at the time has failed. OR The vehicle has not been fixed!!!! Either way I am fast approaching the end of the warranty with no sign of a permanent fix or any way of knowing if it is a permanent fix. Has anyone any info on this latest modification for early 03 cars?

I have a 2.0 TDCi C-MAX (September 03 model) which suffered the ubiquitous EGR fault earlier in the year. The car was off the road for a number of weeks waiting on a replacement valve/solution. The valve was replaced and CD 42 applied i.e. it was fixed. It has been fine until recently. A couple of days ago I noticed hesitations and once, when negotiating some speed bumps a complete lack of power. I contacted the dealership who acted immediately and booked it in first thing the next morning for a diagnostic check. Guess what. The diagnostics show that the EGR valve is faulty and the ac

I agree, a sudden complete loss of power when overtaking could result in the participation of an 'undertaker'.

Thanks for the info. Have you had any of the PCM update only updates back?

Does that include early models (2003). There seemed to be some difference with the 'fix' for them.

This appears to be a different fault than the 'normal' valve stuck with no power at start up. This really is dangerous and must represent a safety issue. Concerns and fixes may be available but no safety recall.

Thanks Pichacker (sorry for the Pie bit)

Thanks for that Piehacker - I see the menu items in the user guide but they do not appear on my cluster menu. It is a 53 Plate 2.0 TDCi Zetec. The lump of blue tack might just do the trick. How do you access its location? Regards JR

The buzzer that I find annoying is the door opening buzzer. Every time a door opens it buzzes. Is there any way of disabling this particular function of the C-Max.

Thanks for the advice topgazza. I will do something along these lines, however the valve may fail again before Sept so I will wait and see. I also agree that the dealer has a responsibility for the work they do and can be held to account for it. Mastertech - Would FMC recall a car and work on it out with the warranty on a safety recall? I think the answer would be yes. If the EGR fault could, and this has been described elsewhere on the forum, constitute a danger then it is important that owners who have experienced this write to FMC to register their concern. This would put some p

That gives me a cause for concern. My car is a Sept 2003 2.0TDCi. When I had the EGR problem I waited weeks for, according to the dealership, a modified valve to be fitted. After it was fitted there were a number of other problems eventually traced to a fault injector. What was then fitted? When I asked what CD had been used I was informed it was CD42. So. If my car can't take the modified valve and the existing one is 'faulty', how do I stand when the warrenty runs out in Sept.

Very interesting to hear of your experiences in Spain. I would agree it is very depressing. I consider the C-Max 2.0 TDCi to be a good all round vechicle with a bit of pep when you want it. It is spoiled by the EGR issue. What about all the non C-MAX Focus 2.0 TDCi vehicles, are they having any trouble? Given the volume sales of the standard Focus you would think any issue with them would have FMC working flat out for a resolution. After my new EGR valve was fitted I did not notice any drop in performance and the fuel consumption is much the same, not brilliant but not as bad as some r

1955diesel I had a problem with the EGR valve on my car. You may remember I posted a few items back in January. At that time you were waiting for a new valve. My dealers (under advice from Ford Technical) also waited for a new valve. This wait was in excess of 4 weeks - I did have a hire car. They fitted the new valve and then encountered a number of problems with injectors etc. To be fair they kept on the job until the car was running OK. I have had not had any problems so far. I am not convinced that my ‘new valve’ is the same modified valve you are waiting on. I would therefore b

tesscott6312 Thanks for the link and info. I drive a 2.0 TDCi C-Mac with 6 speed box. I find the original knob a bit 'plasticky' and feel replacing it will not only improve the aesthetics but also provide a practical benefit as well.

topgazza & tesscott6312 Great looking knobs. Where did you get them?

Is’nt outdated legislation frustrating or what!!! Guess there weren’t to many Ipods around in 1949!!!!

You can purchase and use a small FM transmitter designed for this type of connection. There are a few different models. You connect your IPOD to it and tune in your radio to the specified band. Search Google for ‘Ipod FM’ to see.