V40 Sensus upgrade/map unlocking (2013MY)

[jonmorris]

I know there have been various discussions about unlocking the original Sensus, but it has been a while and I've got an enquiry about what people are expected to pay today, and what dealers know about it.

Reason being, I have purchased my dads V40 (2012 registered 13MY) that has the original Sensus (2011/12?) system with SatNav.

He never registered for the free 2 or 3 year of updates, so it has the original maps from when the car was picked up.

Roll forward to 2020 and I want to get the software updated and the map updating unlocked. According to the Volvo website, it's around a 40 minute job but it doesn't say what is involved.

So I call Marshall Volvo, which is where the car was purchased and nearest to me, and they check and say the car hasn't been serviced with them since 2015. True, it hasn't. I am asked if it has had a service since then? It has, just not with a Volvo dealership.

As a result, I'm told the software on the car is now out of date and I will need to book the car in for a full service which includes a software update. Software updates cannot not be down with a service.

I queried that and said I could do without a software upgrade and just get the map update unlock instead. How much and how long?

I'm quoted £134.40 (can't remember if that was with VAT or not) which seemed steep, but apparently they have no idea how long it might take and they also need to pay for the software and pass on the cost. He said it could take many hours to install.

It sounded rather steep and he was still saying I need to get the car serviced to make sure the software is up to date.

So a few Q's:

1) Can you get the software updated without a service? I am sure there are various patches and updates over the last 5 years.

2) Is £135 a fair price to unlock the system to allow USB map updates from home? I don't want them to update the maps; I can do that on my own time (and pay!).

3) I have never got on with this dealership for a multitude of reasons, so I'd really rather give my money to someone else. Any recommendations (I'm in Hertfordshire, not too far from London).

Thanks in advance.