alex1

Similar problems occurred on a few c-max. As mentioned it was caused by new jigs etc in the factory, and the problem was paint drips rather than bubbling rust. It does need sorting as on the c-max some of the excess clear coat drips were prone to popping and leaving nice wells for water to sit in. The problem areas on the c-max were the front left wheel arch ( the factory spray finishes here, and the gun pull back was leaving an excess), and the leading edge of the bonnet (inside), where the factory jig plucked off the top caot on removal. All issues very easilly sorted - just need falling

The smallest wheel size on the new focus is 16 inch. The zetec has 16 inch alloy, the sport has 16 inch steel - alloy look wheels. The only 15 inch wheel derivative is on the c-max and that is for the petrol studio and petrol lx models. Cheers al

Dear all, I just thought that I would pop up a note concerning the software update on the instrument binnacle. I have just had the car serviced, and mentioned that very occassionally the fuel light comes on early ie. half tank. Turning the ignition off and then back on rectifies the problem, but I have never had the clock problem with the radio. I did the dial test and the software was v. 422, so I asked for the update to take it to 424. At the time I did say that the clock has been fine, and does work via RDS. The service manager said that the software update may well remove ther RDS fun

I must be lucky :) because I have never had any problems with the 6000CD clock. I was made aware of the problems when I bought the car, but it is fine, and does auto update via RDS. I have actually set the clock to the wrong time manually and then returned the settings to RDS auto and after a short while @10 mins it picks up a signal and auto updates. :) For info the car is a 1.6 petrol lx with ESP - it was suggested that the ECU is visteon on this model, not Bosch as per others, so there is no conflict with software and hence signal interference - not sure how true this is, but the cloc

Different loom - it won't be there, unless they have changed and standardised on later models, but this is unlikely. The studio and lx share the same 'basic' loom, and the zetec and above have the extra elements such as footwell lights (bulbs missing only on zetec) and rear power. Sorry to disappoint. Alex

Can anybody post a pic, or the TIS diagram? Thanks Alex

I knew they were in the black bit of the bumper, but would like a photo so I can see how they are 'angled and spaced'. For the £50 you get everything: 4 sensors with angled housings, all wiring, control module, LCD display and sounder unit, hole borer and accessory kit. It is extremely cheap, and I was sceptical about the quality, but from the ones fitted to the corolla they are spot on. In fact the spec sheet virtually mirrors the ford factory fit items. ie operating temp between -20 and +65 degrees celsius, proximity sensitivity etc. They are made by FIAMM, and the shop selling them is

Could anybody post images of the rear parking sensor locations. I have found a good aftermarket set for £50 with sounder and LCD display. So I was hoping that people would post images of sensor locations so that I could fit as per the factory option.

I've never had any fuel consumption issues, and I have posted elsewhere about his. In essence I have a 1.6lx petrol, and on £35 it returns @420 miles every time. I wouldn't have thought the 1.8 would be massively different, but to add my bit I find the 1.6 returns the quoted "combined mpg" figure. Regards Alex

Dear all, there appears to be a common paint problem on the C-max, caused by the factory jig positioning. Speciafically on the inside of the bonnet, on the corners from the front edge to the sides, ie above the front lights by the front bumper, the paint is often 'plucked'. This was present on mine, and on three others I have checked, all were matallic cars, and it appears that the lacquer has not stuck properley on the inner edge corner, or been picked off when the jig was detached. Thought I would just mention it before winter sets in, especially as it is a very easy repair (about size

for info: the lx does not come with the power socket in the back. In fact the lx has a different loom, which does not incorporate quite a few bits from the other zetec and ghia model loom. For example you cannot fit the footwell lights on the lx, as the wiring is not incorporated into the loom at all. Hope this helps Alex

My car was built around the 20th Feb, so from previuos posts I assume it is a 2004.25 car. Is that correct? Incidentally I have posted elsewhere about the fact that I have not had any problems, so were there any production changes between 2003.75 (seems to be where mopst problem cars are from) and the Feb build, when mine was put together? Alex

Can anybody enlighten me as to how you determine the model year of your car? I see things posted about the 2003.75 and 2004 MY models, but how do you know. I know exactly what date mine was built / put together, so I assume it is fairly easy to tell the model year. Any help much appreciated. Thanks Alex

In answer to the question above: The trim level was the lx, we did fancy the zetec, but we couldn't get as good a deal. I must admit to being concerned about going for the 1.6 petrol , given that the car it was replacing was 1.8 zetec focus (written off in crash unfortunately), but having taken the plunge we a very pleased with the motor. The 1.6 petrol is not underpowered. We had considered the Scenic and tried the 1.6 and 1.4 petrol models there. The C-max 1.6 is great. It pulls well, never feels underpowered, even when loaded with the three kids and luggage, and moves swiftly enough for

Given the large volume of problems people appear to be posting about, I thought I would just offer up my own experiences. This is not intended to be a post about - "how good mine is", but to offer the other side of the arguement. In essence we bought a 1.6 petrol, metallic with ESP. The car was ordered in January and arrived mid march. The build date was mid Feb, as confirmed by the various stickers and production note in the glovebox on delivery. We did have a problem with the dealer not being prepared to honour the discount allowance, but following the threat of being taken to court, b

I think what is being asked here would benefit lots of us. As stated the thread on footwell lights covers the fact that all you need to do is add the bulbs on the zetec, not on the lower spec models :( . Also in the thread vitrocmax has posted the auto locking instrctions. what other easy tweaks are possible? Ideas please. :idea: Cheers Alex

No problem Vitro. At least anybody who fancies fitting these in the future will either be able to if they have the zetex model, or know that the cabling etc isn't there for lower spec vehicles. It all adds to our knowledge of the C-max and its capabilities. On another note do you know if the locking 'fiddle' works. ie above 5 mph the doors auto lock. If so what is the process for setting it? Cheers Alex

The above photo (hole) is exactly the same as my car, but the bulbholders themselves are proving elusive, or not there at all. Did you find them easy enough, and if so where were they. I have literally followed all of the wires behind the dash and still not found them, are they under the carpet? I am beginning to think that they are not on the lx model! Cheers Alex

I have the LX model, and all that is there is an empty hole, with no lampholder. I've checked everywhere, but I'll look again, but it appears as thought the bulbholders don't exist, unless they are well tucked away. Am I correct in saying that the lampholder was in situ and all that you had to do was put the bulbs in? Thanks Alex

I have had a good look, but cannot see the wiring. I can see where the bulb holds would slot into, but I cannot find the bulb holders themselves, are they tuck away somewhere specifically, what do they look like? Regards Alex

Having read various posts about the footwell light wiring being present on all standard focus, I wondered if it was also there on the C-max. If it is, all that I need to do is put a bulb in the holder and put a lens in place. Does anybody know if the wiring is already there, or if not where are the footwell lights in the c-max, are they in the fibreboard bit below the glove box and under the steering wheel? A photo would be much appreciated, or description if not, so that I can do the mod if it is possible. Thanks Alex

Just to add to the debate, we purchased the 1.6 petrol and have been getting consistantly good mpg returns: filled up 6 times now, and have been recording the litres filled up with. Every fill up has been between 38 and 40 litres, therefore approx 9 gallons, (just under), and we have been getting between 380 amd 400 miles each and every time. This equates to just over 42 miles to the gallon as a worst case. This is with manual aircon on most of the time, and the car has ESP. This is the quoted combined figure from Ford, so we are quite happy. Obviously the car isn't ultra quick, but it i

Picked up the car two weeks ago. Took longer than expected due to problems getting the dealership to agree that the Ford deposit allowance was still applicable (had a full written contract, but they didn't with Ford). Anyway, I was a little worried that the car was going to be a little underpowered, but thankfully it isn't. It's never going to be the fastest thing in town, but my wife really likes the level of power - not too much, but plenty for pulling out of junctions etc. We haven't had any of the problems others appear to have had, like the petol light etc, but it did stay on when we

I ordered a 1.6 petrol LX C-max on 2nd Jan. Unfortunately my wife crashed my nearly new focus (full write off, :( ,but everybody ok), on Dec27th, following a 60mph slide on black ice into trees. The car was absolutely destroyed, but wife and kids walked from the car without a scratch, thankfully. :D Anyway we were looking at what to replace the focus with, either a new scenic or a c-max, when we were offerred a very good deal. Basically we didn't want to spend too much, but we wanted maximum safety features following the crash. So we went into our Ford dealer and asked for the price of a