Originally Posted by Walter Eagle
Just a little something to be aware of - the On Call app appears to allow you to lock the car, even with the keys inside it.
I was sitting stationary, engine off, in a public car-park with my wife. She hadn't seen the app in detail and I was just showing her some of the options. The locked/unlocked control was showing status "unlocked" and, like a complete fool, I said "And you can lock or unlock the car remotely", and brushed the "Lock" command every so delicately. Honestly, I barely made contact with it.
Immediately the door locks clicked, the driver's and central displays shut off, the mirrors folded in and the indicators gave their flash. We looked at each other. "5h1t!", I said, "Don't move. We're now inside a locked car. If it detects us moving, the alarm will go off." At which point, the alarm did indeed go off. Passers-by turned to look at this pathetic little scenario of two panic-stricken adults in a trap of their own making (all right, his own making.) Within seconds I got a text message from Volvo On Call, saying "Your car alarm has just gone off. Please ring XXXXXXX if you require assistance." (So it's good to know that that bit works.)
Meanwhile I'm thinking "How do I stop this alarm and lights flashing?!!!" The idea of simply pressing 'unlock' on the app had completely escaped my alarm-raddled brain. I've no idea whether that would have worked. I fumbled around to the back seat, reaching for my jacket with the key in it. The back seat was never usually so far away, was it? I could hardly reach it. And all the time the alarm's going and the lights are flashing. Crikey, why did I get an XC90? The inside seems to be growing and getting more distant while I struggle against my seat-belt. "Switch it off, you fool!", my wife offers, helpfully. If only I could reach just...a...little...bit...further... And still the alarm's going and people are watching and the lights are flashing.
Eventually I got the key, and used it to kill the alarm. It probably only took 20 seconds in total, but it seemed like several lifetimes. I've not tried again with combinations of me inside+keys inside; me outside+keys inside; or (possibly the worst) me inside+keys outside.
Anyone else care to test and post their results...?
Walter (who now knows better than to tinker with things like that)
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