They are NOT related. IF they were, Japan’s birth rate would be INCREASING, as opposed to decreasing, since the MAJOR cause for rhino poaching is the STUPID belief by some Asians that rhino horns are aphrodisiacs. Haven’t they heard of ‘Viagra‘. Much less expensive & save the poor rhinos.
I happened to hear these two stories, back-to-back, on the ‘BBC‘ this morning. I try to listen to ‘BBC News‘, on ‘Sirius XM‘, at least once a day, because I like to know what is happening in the world — that doesn’t get covered in the U.S. news.
I knew about Japan’s natality woes. I can’t say it bothers me much. SORRY. I have enough other things to worry about — like poor rhinos getting killed. I am disappointed that this is happening in South Africa — but I appreciate that there are HUGE amounts of money at play.
Well, I wanted to bring these two stories to your attention since I wasn’t sure whether you listen to world news on the BBC. You really should. It is eye opening.
Mazda CX-30 Premium with ‘Jay Meyer’ the salesman.
Alas & alack, this was NOT to replace my accursed 2022 ‘Volvo XC60 B5 AWD (Polestar)’. I am still stuck with that though I will, soon, make another attempt to divest myself of that car that I hate so much.
No, this 2022 Mazda CX-30 Premium is to replace my beloved 2002 Jaguar XJ8 that I reluctantly got rid of last month & the 2012 Ford Taurus that I will be taking to a junkyard by month end. So, yes, it is to replace 2 cars. Basically my spare car though its main purpose will be to be my ‘dog car‘ & ‘trips to the dump car‘. I, however, will NOT be putting any trash for the dump in this new car. I got a hitch mounted carrier so I can keep the trash away from the car. Just need ‘U-Haul’ to install a hitch mount.
All things considered this CX-30 wasn’t a bad deal. They, i.e., Seacoast Mazda, did NOT cut me any slack. But, I didn’t have the time or patience to argue or shop around. The car was within my budget, it was available & it was an acceptable color. I only talked to a couple of other dealers and Seacoast Mazda was the most civil! They are NOT a bad bunch — though they have the MOST ATROCIOUS phone system ever! Talk about BAD. They don’t even have voice-mail. That is my only real gripe about them. As some of you know I hate using the phone to begin with because it is such a waste of my time. And then I have to deal with this 1950s phone system with people yelling across the trailer. I was NOT amused; not impressed. They keep on saying that they will get a new phone system & a receptionist BUT that is but promises. OK. But, that was really the only negative.
Image from ‘Wikipedia Commons’
AFTER I bought the car & was sitting on it, WE discovered that the car, THOUGH A PREMIUM, had no Sirius XM. Jesus wept. Well, NOT really the deal breaker since I will not be using this car for my long trips. But, talk about clowns. When I got the Volvo having Sirius XM was a MUST. That is all I listen to. But, I do not plan to spend much time in this CX-30. So, I think I can manage.
I am mildly impressed with the CX-30. It is cute in someways. It has some pep, but every once in awhile I miss the power I get with my Polestar boost in the XC60. Kind of like the paddle shifters BUT never realized what a pain they can be when you are taking corners — which is when you need to shift down/up. Hhhmmmm.
Small fuel tank. Max range around 240 miles! That won’t even get me to Acadia! Also I need to keep an eye on the miles-per-gallon. Even with my NOTORIUS heavy foot I can get around 30 mpg on the Volvo. Right now I appear to be getting around 18 mpg on the CX 30! Wow.
But, unlike my Volvo I don’t hate it — as yet. SMILE. That can change.
Click to ENLARGE. Yes, I had 2.00 installed by 11am yesterday, April 5, 2022.
The Station & Album Cover display screen you used to get on Sirius XM.
No longer there. Or at least I can get it.
Hit the station. Color on Sirius XM menu changes to BLUE (which is new, & much needed). That is it.
I have done a long post with more pictures & even a YouTube video on what was the 2022 XC60 screen freeze problem. So you can see the old screens there. OK?
Click to ENLARGE. From my post from 2 days ago.
So, as you can see from the image directly above Volvo did promise that Version 2.0 will improve radio stability.
As many of us know, to our chagrin & cost, one of the BIGGEST radio issues was the screen freeze.
Well, they have sure fixed that. We (or at least I) don’t get those screens anymore! So they can’t freeze. Amaing.
I just spoke with the amazingly & always HELPFUL Service Manager at my ‘local’ dealership. She has asked me to contact ‘Volvo Care’ & ask them to open a ticket on this. I will do that this afternoon.
I just had an e-mail from a ‘Volvo Forums‘ member saying that album covers are now being displayed for Bluetooth Media. I have NOT tried that. I don’t listen to music via Bluetooth. I am 100% Sirius XM.
During my 4-day trip to the ‘Bold Coast‘ last week, with ‘Sirius XM’ on the radio, most of the time, I heard a number of plugs for ‘Steeleye Span‘. I was chuffed.
I first saw them, serendipitously, in 1970 or 1971, at the ‘Queen Elizabeth Hall’, in London. I, a teenager at the time, happened to be walking by and they were selling tickets to a concert that was just about to start. I had never heard of them but took a chance. Transformed my life.
I loved their music & Maddy Prior entranced me. She was 6 years older than I, but I was smitten. For the next 15 years I was an unashamed Steeleye Span/Maddy Prior groupie.
They played at Swansea at least once during my three years there as a student. I remember that well. I took so many pictures of Maddy Prior to the amusement of my girlfriend.
Later on, once employed, I was able to follow them around the country. I know that I saw them perform at Southampton & Portsmouth. In total, I am sure, I have seen them perform, live, at least a dozen times, if not more.
I still have most of their LPs in vinyl.
So, I can truly claim to be a fan.
I am delighted that Sirius XM have discovered them. They, i.e., Steeleye Span, are magic. Transcends time.
Another new & infuriating problem on this frigging, bloody, accursed piece of $60K junk that was sold to me by ‘Volvo Cars of Exeter‘ in November 2021. Worst, worst, worst mistake in my 68 year old life — & that has to be saying something. I hate this diabolical XC60, I hate Volvo.
Yesterday, Friday, February 4, 2022. I was scheduled for my 1-year post cataract surgery checkup with my amazing surgeon at OCB in Boston. Despite the storm we decided that we would try to make the appointment because getting appointments is not easy. We set out 3.75 hours ahead of the appointment on what is usually, at most, a 2-hour trip.
Driving along in the snow & sleet. Temp. hovering around 25F. Had Sirius XM on. Windscreen started to freeze. Went to the temp. control & set MAX. defrost etc. Suddenly the sound stopped. Nothing. Thought it was Sirius XM. So, switched to radio. Nothing.
Luckily my 15-year old daughter was with me. So, she could check & try things while I drove. She checked all the sound settings. All good. Nothing muted. So, we kept on trying different channels. Nothing.
Was coming up to a Rest Stop. Pulled over. Restarted the car. That did NOTHING. No sound. No audio.
Tried to call the salesman who sold me this bloody, accursed, diabolical car. Got through to him. But, no sound! Phone connected to car’s audio system.
Got my daughter to call him on HER phone. She had not connected that to the car. She has sense. She no longer likes this car, though it was she, initially, that wanted a XC60. She says, quite rightly, that it is too buggy. She, like I, wants a car that you can just get in and go without continually running into problems. No chance with this car. Piece of junk.
Well, he knew exactly what to do. They know the issues with the XC60.
I had to reset the ‘unit’ by holding down the ‘HOME’ button. Said I could do it while I am driving. This is f***ing SCARY. Resetting your car while you are driving in a bloody storm.
My daughter did it. I was focused on driving.
She held down the HOME button beyond the ‘Safe for Cleaning’ message. Maybe for 1 minute. Maybe longer. Then a ‘Volvo’ message comes back on.
The audio came back. AMAZING.
I did some Googling today. Seems to be a common problem & folks know that you have to reset the unit by holding down the HOME button.
I am NOT amused. I am NOT happy. I hate this bloody car. I hate Volvo. I won’t even mention what I think of the folks who sold me this car knowing that it had issues.
Click image to access the YouTube video … or see below.
The frozen screen sequence this 2nd time. This time it is (& still is) frozen on Sirius XM channel 3, i.e., ‘xL Pandora Now‘. So, as with the first time, it will rotate through 5 other channels … but the screen is frozen. It will go BEYOND those 5 screens, but the screens just rotate. So, this is the new sequence:
This was what happened the 1st time. It froze on channel 17, i.e., ‘The Bridge’.
Click to ENLARGE. It can FREEZE on any channel. Another had it FREEZE on Channel 75.
Click to ENLARGE. The ‘LP cover display’ also goes haywire. Rotates through 4, & only 4!
What I said in the description of the YouTube video.
Please click to ENLARGE & read.
Click to ENLARGE & read. Got this via e-mail. They were responding to a TWEET.
Don’t let Volvo or Volvo dealerships claim that this is a new problem. They have known about it for at least 4 weeks by now, i.e., as of last week in October 2021.
Click to ENLARGE & read. From an online Volvo XC40 Forum.
I don’t have the time or energy to elaborate MORE. Please read what I wrote in the YouTube video description.
I do NOT feel safe in this car. IRONY. Irony of ironies. I bought a Volvo because I wanted a SAFE car in my old age. This car is hazardous to my health! My blood pressure SHOOTS UP as soon as I start driving it. I am SCARED. There is not much that scares I. I don’t mind dying. But, I don’t want to be maimed for life or WORSE STILL cause an accident that harm others. I could NOT live with that. I am scared that this damn, bloody Volvo is going to take off … uncontrolled acceleration … or stop braking … or swerve because the damn software is untested, unproven & garbage. Given my year round tan it is often hard to see, BUT I have white knuckles when I drive this death-trap! I am on edge. Constantly looking around to see what can go wrong. Will it take off? Will I have to slam on the brakes? Will it swerve? Will the brakes work? Is it going to kill me?
Click to ENLARGE. Only way to check the odometer is to display trip computer on top of map.
I think (I could (as ever) be wrong) that most mature drivers like to see the odometer, every once in awhile, to see where they are in terms of the age of their car.
So, yesterday, during which I spent about 7 hours in the car, I kept on trying to get it to display the odometer alongside the trip meter. I had no luck. As ALWAYS, I thought it was just I being my usual inept self. Never occured to me that the folks at Volvo could be even more inept than I. In the 1970s, at IBM, we were taught: “You can’t make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenuous“. Well, all I can think is that Volvo must have turned that adage on its head & hired a motherlode of …
Appears that (for a pleasant change) it is not my ineptness.
Volvo really does NOT have an option for displaying the odometer — outside of the trip computer.
You can just see the Volvo folks telling you: “OK, power off, roll down all the Windows, now wait 3 minutes, roll up all the Windows, sit sideways, stick your finger in the cigarette holder … now recycle power, keeping your finger in the lighter …” Caveat emptor.
I have an update, November 20, 2021, with a SECOND screen freeze. I have a YouTube video for this one. So, you might want to check that too.
Click to ENLARGE. It can FREEZE on any channel. Another had it FREEZE on Channel 75.
Click to ENLARGE. The ‘LP cover display’ also goes haywire. Rotates through 4, & only 4!
Click to ENLARGE. This, for now, is the only way to see what is playing! NOT GOOD.
Yes, it appears that I am NOT the only one that has encountered this infuriating Sirius XM screen FREEZE problem on new 2022 Volvos with the new Google Infotainment system. Remember that Sirius XM support was only added a few weeks ago. So, this software is new.
I drove my XC60 for 230 miles yesterday. Sirius XM worked fine. Favorite ‘selection’ is different to what it was in 2021 BUT it worked & you could live with it. I finished the day with Sirius XM on Channel 17 ‘The Bridge’.
This morning the DISPLAY was STUCK on it.
You can change channels BUT the display is FROZEN.
Clearing the screen, switching to radio, or other APPs, doesn’t clear it.
I also, later in the day (like at 6:30pm), did a hard/soft RESET of the display, i.e., holding the HOME key down for about 2 minutes. You first go through the ‘screen cleaning’ mode & then the display goes black, displays ‘Volvo’ & eventually the whole display (& the center console map) are ‘refreshed’.
In my case, this hard/soft RESET did NOT clear the FREEZE.
I am now told to do it again. I will tomorrow.
I think I am going to need a software update to fix this.
Click to ENLARGE. Photo on my 2022 Volvo XC60 B5 AWD (Polestar).
Sirius XM is there for sure. I have it. I used it. It works well. I listened to it, non stop, for just over an hour yesterday — driving home in my new 2022 Volvo XC60 B5 AWD (Polestar).
The Over-the-Air (OTA) update to include it might not work. You might have to take your 2022 Volvo to a dealership & ask them to update the software.
As I had pointed out in this post, on October 29, 2021, Volvo had said it was sending out an OTA update to include support for Sirius XM. Appears the OTA might not have worked or it has rolled across that many customers as yet.
But, it appears that Volvo dealers got a new update around October 28, 2021. That had Sirius XM.
So, any dealer installed updates as of around October 28, 2021 will have Sirius XM.
