I want a list of settings

[bigloaf]

We took delivery of our EX30 in June.

Much of the software appears to be raggedy. I program websites and have been writing software since 1959 so I feel equipped to know when it is OK.

It took me a dealer visit to find out the lsoftware delvered with the car reset the charging rate to minimum EVERY time you unplugged.
At the same visit we got updated to Software 1.4 .

I had a trail of 45 emails with customer care at Volvo, who finally got fed up with my simple question and referred me to the selling dealership at Shrewsbury where we were told we could find 'an onsite specialist'.

We spent 2 hrs at the dealership and failed to get an answer, but the salesman admitted there was a fault in the screen provided QR code which he could not fix.

We booked the car in for a day long check up.

At 5pm on the day I was asked if I would be happy with an email explaining what had been found and whether or not the car needed new parts ordered from Sweden. I was happy to oblige as I am very deaf.

After a week we had no email and I sent a reminder which was acknowledged with an apology.

After more than a MONTH, I requested a response - nothing happened.

I sent a rude email to the dealer demanding action and got some limited response after a few days.

I asked more questions and am awaiting a reply.

The original issue is very simple:

I want to know which settings on the screen are set by the key-card/fob.

As far as we can tell with 2 drivers swopping every day the car remembers little in the key profile.

Usually the car does set the drivers seat position and the door mirrors BUT NOT always.

My wife hates One-Pedal drive so always unsets it - I love it as it saves brake pads and always have to reset it to ON.

Today after 6 attempts the One-Pedal failed to set and only came on after a mile of driving. This is with reverting to Park each time I swopped the setting. I do wonder if it needs the mobile signal of which we have none.

The dealership claims that there is a legal requirement to have Lane_keeping_aid and Intelligent_Speed_Assistance off at switch on.
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Is it so unreasonable to want a list of which switches need to be set by the driver because the key does not remember them ???
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Why does the temperature setting stay at mimimum when you revert from A/C+recirc+man to AUTO instead of going back to the preset temperature like every other car. ?

Why does the car unlock and re-lock with the fob before my wife can get the door handle pulled ?

Why does the heated steering wheel come on even when set to off?

How do you stop the wipers?

Is there a list of emergency brake situations where the car just takes over? - as it has happened several times without obvious danger.

Why does the EX30 app on my Android phone ALWAYS need loading twice before it displays any data ?

An irritating quirk is that the speed control + and - are backwards - a short press for 5mph and and a long one for 1mph.

An irritating quirk is that the headlights and A/C seem to come on by default each time the car is switched on.

We find the user manual particularly poor on searching for a specific setting, it doesn't even find some obvious single search words.
My wife complains that the display is 'dark' ie grey not white - when she searches for 'display' the manual misses listing the section with auto/dark for the screen.

The Merc 600SL I bought 25 years ago had good key profiles

I could go on but I feel I might have made my point

[gloucester]

Welcome to this forum.

One of the issues with the software is its inconsistency. And the driver's handbook is dreadful!

Some of the points above are features not issues.
e.g. the steering wheel heating comes on automatically if the temperature is lower than about 10/11degC.; the wipers are probably set to AUTO - if you don't like that switch it to OFF; I don't think you could produce an explicit list of when the auto-brake might kick in (mine's only done it once going forwards in nearly fourth months, when I was passing a bus); the ACC speed changing is purposely like that, and to be honest once you get used to it I've found it much better than the alternative; I'm not sure what you mean regarding the display - there is a known issue with the bottom part of the screen being dark when the top part is light - the solution is to shuttle dark on and off; Lane Keeping Aid and Speed Limit Warnings should be ON at startup not off.

Some of the points above can be sorted in the settings.
e.g. the automatic steering wheel heating can be switched off;

Some of the points above haven't been experienced by others.
e.g. No one has reported the car unlocking then relocking before the handle is pulled; the headlights don't come on in my car unless it's dark (after illuminating briefly when the car unlocks) - have you checked the settings?; the AC dioesn't come on when I unlock the car - unless it was on previously.

[andrewollason]

Welcome Bigloaf,
Sorry that you seem to have got off to a bad start with your EX30. It seems a fair enough question you are asking but obviously Volvo are struggling with it. Although we really like ours it does have many frustrating features. The locking and unlocking does annoy me a bit too! I forgive it though as I do find it a pleasure to use. Our first ev and overall I’m very impressed.
Coming from a SL600 will be a bit of a shock though as that is one of the nicest cars ever made!

[OrganMorgan]

In terms of overall satisfaction, I do slightly wonder if those most satisfied or content with all the foibles, compromises and difficulties are first timers in EVs. There is no doubting that the switch from ICE to EV is a very pleasurable one - well, it was when I first made the change. I can't help really liking the Volvo to drive and be in, and I like its simple stylishness very much. But it is far less satisfactory from an operating/control perspective than the Peugeot e208 and some features take me back more than 20 years. Here's an example...I remember test-driving a Rover 75 when it first came out - 2001/2002?. It was a horrid, wet, winter evening. When I asked the salesman about ventilation controls to make sure I wasn't going to steam up, he said 'just make sure it's in AUTO.' I may have imagined it, but I think I came to understand that in AUTO the car knew what to do. So if the wipers were on and the outside temperature was low and the car was set to 22*C, it would blow warm air at the screen reasonably hard. Similarly, on a boiling hot summer day with the heat setting at 16*C it would blow cold air as hard as it could to get to a lower and more comfortable setting as soon as it darn well could. I bought the Rover 75 and from that day on the AUTO setting in every car I have owned has behaved like that. Why on earth does the Volvo have an AUTO setting yet you can also choose the fan speed? It is completely illogical. The EX30 seems content to reach the desired temperature anytime within about a fortnight unless you intervene to turn up the fan speed - something that I believe should be possible with voice activation but doesn't work, of course. And all this faffing about with locks... will it, won't it let me in without touching the door handle? Will my wife have to wait in the rain while I lock the front door? My Peugeot has denied me immediate access about twice in over two years. The Volvo does it three or four times a day. They seem to have spent time developing the wrong things. Why do I need my map partially and unhelpfully occluded at traffic lights by an non-removable image of the vehicle 31 inches behind me? Why do I have to confirm that I don't want steering assist on? Why did I not uncover all of these idiotic issues before I purchased it? How will I ever be able to test drive a car so as to make sure I am not taking on another vehicle with other ludicrous inconveniences? I have said it before, but just about every control is more complicated or inconvenient on the EX30 than in any other car I have driven. It's almost as though Volvo, as a company, are new to cars - a bit like BYD. But there really is no excuse. And now, the motoring press is full of reviews of the Kia EV3. And granted, only its mother would love its looks, but people ARE loving it and the fact that it has sensible controls. I guess its larger than the EX30 because it also has a workable rear cabin and boot!

[gloucester]

...
Why on earth does the Volvo have an AUTO setting yet you can also choose the fan speed? It is completely illogical. The EX30 seems content to reach the desired temperature anytime within about a fortnight unless you intervene to turn up the fan speed - something that I believe should be possible with voice activation but doesn't work, of course.
...

I agree - perplexing.

...
Why do I need my map partially and unhelpfully occluded at traffic lights by an non-removable image of the vehicle 31 inches behind me?
...

I've only seen that come up once in my car. It's easy to remove - swipe left!

[OrganMorgan]

...
Why on earth does the Volvo have an AUTO setting yet you can also choose the fan speed? It is completely illogical. The EX30 seems content to reach the desired temperature anytime within about a fortnight unless you intervene to turn up the fan speed - something that I believe should be possible with voice activation but doesn't work, of course.
...

I agree - perplexing.

...
Why do I need my map partially and unhelpfully occluded at traffic lights by an non-removable image of the vehicle 31 inches behind me?
...

I've only seen that come up once in my car. It's easy to remove - swipe left!

Ok, gloucester, that's very helpful. Gosh - we learn a lot from this forum, don't we?!

[andrewollason]

I’m not sure if previous ownership of an ev is such a big factor. Individuals react very differently to the same sort of issues. From indifference right through to such dissatisfaction that they have rejected the car. Why this is will be due to quite a complex mix of circumstances which experience of ev,s will only be a part of. I’m sure that some owners are just not enjoying the ev style of driving and wish they had stuck with an ic car. It is easy to find fault with the choice you have made in this circumstance. Likewise if you really fancy a BMW and bought a Volvo for some reason. I look at it in the round. I drive both our ic car and our ev. They are both good in different ways and neither are perfect. The main advantage the Volvo has is it is brand new and has a host of new technologies installed. That of course is also its main weakness. I chose to be a ‘early adopter’ so accept that there will be some foibles. That’s just me though.

[SP1959]

Hi Bigloaf,

I know it's a few days since you posted, but I thought that I would give you my take on your post.

It really looks like your dealer is not up to scratch.

My dealer was able to tell me about the charging software reset problem when I got my car in April. The problem was resolved with software version 1.3.1 - which I received by an OTA update on 21 May (so it must have been released about the start of May). Your car must have bern supplied in June still been running the obsolete 1.2.1 software, when the updated 1.3.1 had been available to dealers for over a month. That does indicate a total lack of customer care.

The fact that your dealer consistently fails to answer emails is another indication of that. Even if they don't know the answer, they should still answer the email.

Volvo help is definately not up to scratch.

I have had 2 our 3 email conversations with the staff at Volvo help. They appear to be overworked and understaffed. I have found them to be willing and helpful, but not equipped for the job. Clearly they don't know much more about the EX30 than we the owners do. They seem to be working from the same useless'manual' and website that we are, and may have access to crib sheets for common problems, but not new ones that crop up. They don't appear to have access to a real live car that they can sit in, look at, touch the controls, explorer the menus, experience the problems etc.

I have no idea why Volvo would think a dealer would have all the answers to your queries. Dealers are not Volvo employees and have other work to do, and cannot spend all their time learning about all the foibles of each car in the Volvo range (and they are new to the EX30 too).

In relation to your original query, my wife and I share the car with different profiles. It appears to me that the only thing the profiles change is the seat and mirror positions (always in our case, but I know some other owners have had the issue of "sometimes"). Maybe phone settings too?

All other setting seem to be remembered by the car as the last one used (like OPD, climate settings), or else default to the settings required at start-up by EU regulations (speeding alerts, lane assist, driver wakefulness, obstacle detection, emergency braking etc), or else to the default that Volvo considers best for safety, even though not required by regulations (auto headlights, auto wipers, long-distance to the vehicle in front in ACC etc).

It would be helpful if Volvo had put (or allowed us to put) shortcuts for commonly used settings in an easily accessible location (I prefer the speed limiter to ACC, and it is a bit of a nightmare to change every trip (especially as it defaults back to ACC every time you open the drivers door). There should be more options on the programmable steering wheel button.


The software is improving with each update, but it is a slow process.

We always use OPD, so we don't have to change it. It should be easy to change now as it is on the quick selection screen hidden with an invisible button accessed by pressing beside the LTE/ phone signal strength section of the screen. When you get updated to 1.4.2, it is on the welcome screen before you start to drive. I don't think you can change it while driving for safety reasons, only while parked (I could be wrong.)

No one else has reported problems changing OPD. Have you tried a screen reboot, it sometimes fixes problems? Are you aware that OPD does not work if you don't wear your seat belt?

In relation to the A/C. In cars that I have driven, 'auto' means auto, where the car selects the most suitable setting for the current circumstances (not always very well). In those cars, when you changed the settings to something other than the settings selected by auto, you were cancelling auto and reverting to manual.

Why isn't the EX30 the same? When you select auto it sets the A/C where it thinks it should be - nice and quiet at minimum - but let's you increase it is you don't mind the extra noise, without taking full control from auto.

Why does the car unlock and re-lock with the fob before my wife can get the door handle pulled ? --- I don't know. Is she maybe accidently touching the ''lock" section of the door handle as she reached to put her fingers behind the door handle to pull it open, thereby locking the car again? (Only an idea.)

Why does the heated steering wheel come on even when set to off? --- Maybe it's in 'auto' mode and needs to be off in settings.

How do you stop the wipers? --- Rotate the end of the left hand stalk.

Is there a list of emergency brake situations where the car just takes over? --- I have only had this happen once. It was on a bend and the car clearly saw another vehicle in front (directly in front, but in a different lane because of the bend) and the car didn't know that I was not going to drive into what was directly in front of me. All new cars have similar technology now, and they all seem to get various false positives, some new than others.

Why does the EX30 app on my Android phone ALWAYS need loading twice before it displays any data? --- I don't know. Mine is the same, but at least it always works in the second attempt. Is it because the car and the phone are on different networks and there is too much of a delay in the car waking up on the first attempt, but it has woken up for the second? Who knows?

An irritating quirk is that the speed control + and - are backwards - a short press for 5mph and and a long one for 1mph. ---This is actually the correct way round. It is standard practise everywhere to make coarse adjustment first, then do a fine tune (a pilot trimming an aircraft in flight, a military gunner aiming artillery, a photographer framing their photograph before taking it, a driver accelerating to the national speed limit when leaving a village). When leaving a village and changing from 30 mph to 62 mph, the EX30 needs only 6 short presses to get to the important 60mph, then when you get the time, 2 long presses to finalise on the less important 62mph. The other way round would require 6 more difficult long presses (more time, more concentration) to get to the more important 60mph, followed by 2 easy short presses for the less important final adjustment to 62mph.

An irritating quirk is that the headlights and A/C seem to come on by default each time the car is switched on. --- Again this is good. You unlock the car and it starts to bring the car to a comfortable temperature before you even get in. In a car park the car lets you see the lights to find it, they go out soon anyway if not needed.

We find the user manual particularly poor on searching for a specific setting, it doesn't even find some obvious single search words. --- The worst I have ever seen. Even if you find what you want, it just says you can set in settings, no explanation, no diagram, nothing. Worse than useless.

My wife complains that the display is 'dark' ie grey not white --- I think of it as off-white, presumably so as not to be too stark, or too bright in slightly dull conditions not requiring the dark mode.

A lot of changes to what we are used to. But without change we dont get improvement.

[bigloaf]

Hello SP1959

I appreciate your comments.

We are still swopping emails with the dealer who thinks his demo of the software will help - in my experience they know less than I have learned.

The most worrying thing as a programmer is that even in this thread there are statements that suggest not all EX30 are the same even if at the the same rev level.

I have sort of decided that only the seat and door mirrors are supposed to be profile dependent

As for OPD, my wife hates it and I love it (just did130 miles with the brakes used less than 5 times) getting it on and off with the profile is definitely a waste of time.

I am going to try and load 1.4.2 this weekend - if it helps I will post here, I certainly don't care about Car Play - I am deaf !

cheers

[SP1959]

We love OPD, others hate it.

At the start I thought it was perfect. Now, 5 months later, I wish it had stronger retardation/regen so I could use the brakes even less.

1 did 147 miles today and touched the brakes 3 times.

You have to look further in front, plan to gently decelerate, slow down earlier by easing the pressure on the accelerator (and never lift your foot off the accelerator unless you intend to brake), and you get the smoothest drive with chauffeur-style comfort for your passengers.

If you drive ICE style, lifting your foot off the accelerator suddenly or sharply every time you want to slow down, you get a jerky, passenger-annoying yo-yo effect.

Some people find it easy to change a lifetime's driving style, some just can't.

However, it's up to each driver to do what they feel confortable with. There is no right and wrong. And I agree, if you don't like it, don't use it. No one's Judging (I hope).