I enjoyed watching the trains, albeit a bit at a distance, in April.
I was back at the dealership today for my 2-year/20k mile service.
This time I was prepared. Though we had had some snow earlier, the weather cooperated. I walked way down (like 2-miles) to the top of the yard itself.
Well you can see the pictures. Not much actions. LOTS of engines — over a dozen. But, they were not doing anything productive! I see that a LOT up here. SMILE.
Click to ENLARGE. First part of service record.Click to ENLARGE. 2nd part.Click to image to access my April 15, 2023 post.
NOT FUNNY. NOT HAPPY.
But, that was the CASE, alas.
At least the dealership (which will remain nameless for now) was honest enough to immediately, upfront admit that it was all due to an inexperienced, rookie technician.
I guess they thought that a simple software update should be within his training. Well, it appears not.
So, a week Friday they had to give me a LOANER (which to be fair was pretty nice (& a tad better featured than mine)) so I could go to ‘Lake George‘, New York as planned. That trip was a success & the loaner did OK.
I called the dealership Thursday once I got home. They told me the facts & that my car was ready. But, they had also promised to clean a bit before giving it back.
I couldn’t get up there till late Friday afternoon. My car was ready & it was cleaner than it has been in a very long time. That at least was a consolation.
Drove it back. Seems OK. Much to my relief & DELIGHT none of the SETTINGS had been lost. The Sirius XM favorites, the garage door opener etc. etc. all worked. So, that was good. Not sure about any of the stuff they did … like VGM Reload, ECM Reload, TCAM battery recharge etc. Just hope they knew what they were doing.
Click to ENLARGE. E-mail I got from Volvo March 6, 2023.Click to ENLARGE & read here. Link to ‘Volvo Support’.
So, so, so frigging GLAD that this was NOT ‘OTA’ (Over the Air). I would have been totally dead in the frigging water.
This was a DEALER — a very big & super-good DEALER at that — doing it.
Totally KILLED the car. Couldn’t even open the tailgate! I had my hiking gear bag in the back (as always, packed & ready for action). LUCKILY we were able to pull it out by folding the backseat.
This is BEYOND STUPID. Car totally dead. They don’t know what is wrong with it!
They, at the dealership, can do OTA. Appears they tried doing it OTA 3 times. Failed each time. So, they plugged the car into the computer. That is when they FRIED the car!
I took the car (i.e., XC60) in at 12:30 (as agreed). They said about two hours. That is fair enough. It was 80F. I went ambling. {See the pictures}
At 3:30pm they sheepishly broke the news. WE HAD A PROBLEM. I am going ambling in upstate New York on Monday. I told them, forget the update, just get the car to the state it was when I brought it in. They admitted they couldn’t. Told me that they can’t even open the tailgate. I was NOT amused.
They, of course, immediately offered me a loaner. They had to.
My XC60 is my HIKING car. The Mazda CX-30 is my local car. The XC60 is PRECISELY packed with all my hiking gear. Spare boots, sticks, clothing, straps, picnic stuff, hotel/motel stuff (e.g., extension cords, nighlights {SMILE}), maps.
I had to transfer 90% of the stuff from my DEAD car to the loaner — which was a XC60. I was nearly done when I remembered SIRIUS XM. I can’t drive without Sirius {& I am NOT kidding} & there was no way I was going on a hiking trip WITHOUT Sirius. I need to listen to CNBC. SMILE. That loaner didn’t have Sirius. I am so RELIEVED that I had asked.
They scrambled around & got me another loaner that had Sirius. This was FANCY. Fancier than mine! It was a 2023 whereas mine is a 2022. It also has Premium Sound & is a B6 (whereas mine is a B5 with POLESTAR). So, at least, I don’t have to slum it. It is pretty nice car — with only 3,000 on the clock (whereas mine (after 16 months) has 12,900 miles). Plus, I will save myself around 800 miles on the lease. SMILE. They still owe me.
Click to ENLARGE. The CSX yard relative to where I took these pictures.
It would appear that railroad cargo activity in Southern Maine has increased quite a bit of late. I did a quick Google & found that this is indeed the case & that ‘CSX’, who are now the operators of ‘Central Maine Railroad‘, has kicked operations up quite a bit.
I often bemoan that living in New Hampshire I don’t get to see too many trains. That is a fact. But yesterday, in Southern Maine, south of Portland, I, to my surprise & DELIGHT, got to see some REAL, long & heavy, freight trains. Wow. Unexpected.
The ‘Volvo’ dealership that I take my (accursed) XC60 is pretty close to the yard.
I take an amble while they do whatever needs to be done to the (bloody) Volvo. I used to amble down Rte 1 but on my last visit & discovered this golf driving range on a pond. It is a RIOT. They drive the golf balls into water. I like that. Gives me a kick. So, yesterday I made a point of ambling to the pond. On the way I heard the UNMISTAKABLE sound of diesel train engines in action. I clamoured down the embankment. It was worth it.
Busy. I was surprised. I have to go back next week. Bloody Volvo. But, they gave me a real fancy LOANER. Even fancier than my XC60 & mine is pretty fancy. So, when I am there next week I am going to go to the yard itself. Wow.
Here are some pictures of the driving range. Check the pictures out. You can see the balls bobbing in the water in one of them. Enjoy.
Got an e-mail from ‘Volvo‘ saying that these updates are now available. Since I (alas) have a ‘B5’ I will NOT get it ‘OTA’ (Over the Air).
As luck would have it I have an upcoming service appointment, for my 1-year service, this coming Monday. I called them today & asked them to kindly add this update. While none of the listed fixes seem applicable, I have learnt from the past updates that each version is more STABLE. That is what I am looking for. Some stable software.
I have been on Version 2.2 since August 2022. Suffice to say that is the best software I have had on this accursed car since I leased it 13-months ago.
I will let you know, of course, what I discover when they install Version 2.5.
Click to ENLARGE. Story on left is from ‘CNBC.com‘. For my May 2022 post re. my accursed Volvo XC60.
The Google software on 2022 Volvos, e.g., the XC60, has been an unmitigated disaster. It has been painfully chronicled on the Internet. The entire automotive industry knows about what happened. Google had no idea how to make RELIABLE, RESILIENT software. Their software is OK on a PC or phone where you can afford to have some hiccups. But, that is NOT the case with a car. Software problems on cars can KILL. I am sure Google’s software on Volvos must have, by now, contributed to multiple accidents. Of course, Volvo nor Google, is going to make it easy for us to find out.
It is true that Renault is totally irrelevant in the U.S. It fled the U.S. in 1987 — its tail between its legs. No great loss now — & they will be even worse after this ill-fated relationship with Google. My adoptive parents lived in France for over 17-years in the late 1970s. I was living in the U.K. Between us we owned a number of Renaults, I a Renault 17 & my parents a couple of 25s. They were good cars. But this was over 35 years ago. Renault is now a non-entity. A no-op.
So, maybe they were really, really desperate. You would have to be to partner with Google knowing that Google essentially sabotaged Volvo.
Click to ENLARGE. Just an example.Click to ENLARGE. An actual lease proposal, albeit for a ‘Subaru’.
There was a time, 12-years ago (or so), when Hyundai & Kia (which are sister companies) did NOT offer leases. There was a good reason for that. Hyundai & Kia knew that the leases wouldn’t make economic sense. WHY? Because their cars depreciate more than other cars. Yes, it has all to do with depreciation. To put it another way a 3-year old Hyundai or Kia would be worth less than say a Toyota, Nissan or Subaru. I think most people know this. Hyundai & Kia do NOT hold their value.
That is why leasing a Hyundai & Kia does NOT make sense.
When you are leasing there are TWO (& only two) key numbers. The total purchase price (inc. handling, paperwork etc.) & THE RESIDUAL VALUE. The residual price is what the car is worth after x-years, say 3-years. It is the car’s value on the used car market.
With a lease you are PAYING for the difference between these two numbers, i.e., total purchase price less residual value. You are paying for the DIFFERENCE. So, with a lease you have to worry about BOTH numbers.
Here is an example. Let’s say a Toyota costs $27,000. After 3-years (with 36K miles) its value as a used car (i.e., RESIDUAL value) is calculated to be $17,000. So, the difference is $10,000. That is what you are leasing, $10,000. You are paying for $10,000 + INTEREST over 3-years.
Now, let’s say a similar (e.g., compact SUV) Kia costs $25,000. That sounds like a better deal, already, than the Toyota. And it could be IF you do NOT LEASE! But, let’s say the Kia’s residual value after 3-years (& 36K miles) is going to be $13,000. Now the difference is $12,000. Your leasing $12,000 rather than $10,000 in the case of the Toyota. So, the lease will cost you $2,000 more than the Toyota DESPITE the Kia being cheaper!
Hyundai or Kia dealers are UNLIKELY to tell you the residual values. But, when you look at their lease prices you can work them out. Their residual prices are LOWER. Hence, the problem. Hope this helps.
Yes, I am in the process of trying to lease another SUV — in addition to my 2022 Volvo XC60. It is while doing the sums I worked out this Hyundai/Kia drawback. I wanted to share that with YOU.
Notice COMPASS on right (2nd circle) with the RED arrow pointing North (correctly).
Yes, yes, I know. 2.2 has been available for over a month now, but yesterday was the first day that I had the time to take it to a dealership to have it downloaded. You cannot get it ‘Over the Air’ (OTA) for XC60 B5 models! {Yes, so much for Volvo’s prior promises about OTA updates.} Please also note that 2.2 has a LONG & disturbing list of KNOWN (possible) PROBLEMS — including this gem: ‘System performance might be slow‘! Today’s Volvo is but a sad joke — but the joke is on us the stupid suckers that bought 2022 Volvos.
I did NOT know that satellite view was finally there. Happen to see it, under settings, when I invoked maps. It looked updated, so I hit settings & BINGO, a on/off slider for satellite view. That is cool.
You also get this TEMPORARY display (mode) with the compass IF you tap on the screen. I have NOT worked out how to keep that mode on permanently. It reverts back to the non-compass mode after a ‘few seconds’. DAMN. The compass works.
I haven’t had time time to discover what else has changed. I did notice the “a stored pressure-message after the update” per the notes for software version 2.1 (which was also installed).
6 hours AFTER the update I was driving back home on I-95. It was 6:30. I-95 was busy. I was in the middle lane. I had traffic on both lanes on either side. That is when I noticed that my passenger side Blind Spot Detection WAS NOT WORKING. Driver side working like a champ. Could be just a coincidence.
I thought you were supposed to get a WARNING message if the sensors died. No warning message. I spoke with the dealership today. They are going to look into it. I will take it in — a FEW WEEKS from now! I don’t have time to take this car back & forth to the dealership which is 90-minutes away.
OK. More later if I see additional stuff. Hope this helps.
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.
Click to ENLARGE. Annotated from an e-mail I received.
Click to ENLARGE. This was what I am at, as of Feb. 26, 2022, after having the update installed by a dealer.
WOW. WOW. WOW. It just looks too good to be true. Can it really be so?
Volvo actually going to release a MUCH-NEEDED Android update to fix all the myriad of bugs. Nah. Can’t be true. Volvo has lied, cheated & deceived us for too long — like 9-months, when it comes to the XC60, Google & Android.
With the last OTA update, i.e., 1.8, I had to wait 18 days between the e-mail & the update. I expect that it will take as long as that, if not longer, for this update to come OTA.
I am going to call a dealer later this week to see if I can take the car in next week to get the update installed by them rather than wait, forever, for the OTA.
I will, of course, keep you updated of my progress & woes. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. I need it. This bloody Volvo XC60 is the BANE of my life.
