General: Ownership Thread - 2012 XC90 Executive

[SwissXC90]

Originally Posted by XCF

Just a side note.

With the tonneau cover in place, it used to be the case that there was not room to stow the tonneau in the car with the 3rd row seats up (tonneau is wider than the space behind the rear set of seats).

That's why so many have the tonneau removed from the car on day 1 and then its whereabouts forgotten about come sale time. I guess it also helps if the car in question has tinted rear windows to hide what might be otherwise visible in the boot. From new they also came with some trim clips to cover the slot in the car so if the owner decided not to keep the tonneau in the car you didn't see the holes in the trim.


I see you have the later model tonneau (with strap) so it might be they changed the car / tonneau to allow it to fit. If you do plan to use the 3rd row seats it would be worth checking if you can fit it behind the 3rd row seats in case you ever need the 3rd row at short notice when away from home, as otherwise the 2nd row has to sit with the tonneau cover across their laps (ask me how I know !)

The tonneau cover fits behind the 3rd row in all cars. I’ve done it and documented it.

[gmonag]

The tonneau will fit behind the rear seats if you remove the corner trim pieces - they just pull out.

[Odysseus]

Originally Posted by gmonag

The tonneau will fit behind the rear seats if you remove the corner trim pieces - they just pull out.

Thanks gmonag, that will be useful when we start regularly using the third row seats in anger.

[Odysseus]

With regards to the problem updating the navigation I thought I'd be charitable and give the eBay guy the benefit of the doubt and try and clean the navigation DVD drive.



Unfortunately, no change. Still says disc cannot be read. Most frustrating.

I'll get my money back from the navigation disc seller all being well, but does anyone have a link for discs from eBay or wherever where they were able to successfully update their navigation?

Thanks in advance.

[SwissXC90]

Originally Posted by Odysseus

I'll get my money back from the navigation disc seller all being well, but does anyone have a link for discs from eBay or wherever where they were able to successfully update their navigation?

Navigation units are in continuous operation.
The lasers get old and weak and tired.
They can struggle to read copied discs due to the lower amount of light reflected from them compare to a pressed disc.

Thus an original pressed disc may be the answer for you.
I bought this map:
https://www.kolumbus24.com/en/Naviga...or-VOLVO.html#
This seller sells original new OEM discs, not copies.

Alternatively, opening the DVD drive and using a cotton but with isopropyl alcohol on the laser lens may also work - the DVD cleaner discs do not always reach the lasers.

If all of the above fails, then a new laser may be required.

[Odysseus]

Thanks Swiss. I'm thinking original discs are what I'm likely to need and I appreciate you sending the link.

Downside is those discs are quite pricey, and also four years out of date.

I'm thinking I'm probably going to need to end up buying a new key from Volvo so may price up a set of update discs from them at the same time.

As an aside I live close to where the A14 is being rerouted. As a result the local road system is changing quite considerably in terms of A14 junctions and side roads and whatnot. It would be especially galling to pay through the nose to bring the maps up to date only to find they are immediately wrong.

I appreciate this is the case with maps regardless of when you buy them, but it isn't normally the case a heap of new roads are on your doorstep!

Thanks again for the tip.

[SwissXC90]

Originally Posted by Odysseus

Downside is those discs are quite pricey, and also four years out of date.

I'm thinking I'm probably going to need to end up buying a new key from Volvo so may price up a set of update discs from them at the same time.

As an aside I live close to where the A14 is being rerouted. As a result the local road system is changing quite considerably in terms of A14 junctions and side roads and whatnot. It would be especially galling to pay through the nose to bring the maps up to date only to find they are immediately wrong.

I appreciate this is the case with maps regardless of when you buy them, but it isn't normally the case a heap of new roads are on your doorstep!

Thanks again for the tip.

Report back what Volvo charge for brand new discs.... I'm curious....

Bear in mind that the map data used at the map release date is often 6 months out of date (read the files on the disc, you can see the map date)

And as the map covers all of Europe, and as roads constantly change, and as you have no visibility as to whether the changes have flowed through Volvo's data production facilities, it is always a gamble as to when your local area changes appear on the new map disc.

The new maps have been released historically on a 2-year cycle, and the latest was release early 2018, using data from Autumn 2017.

This means we can hopefully expect the next release to be early 2020, with data from Autumn 2019.
Hopefully.

At some stage, Volvo declares the nav systems as "end of support" and stop making new map discs. I'm not sure when that will be.
With BMW, it was something like 10 years after the last vehicle was produced.
I hope Volvo will be the same: the last P2 XC90 was produced in 2013 or 2014, so I hope we keep getting new maps to around 2024.... fingers crossed....

[mcox42]

Originally Posted by Odysseus

Thanks Swiss. I'm thinking original discs are what I'm likely to need and I appreciate you sending the link.

Downside is those discs are quite pricey, and also four years out of date.

I'm thinking I'm probably going to need to end up buying a new key from Volvo so may price up a set of update discs from them at the same time.

As an aside I live close to where the A14 is being rerouted. As a result the local road system is changing quite considerably in terms of A14 junctions and side roads and whatnot. It would be especially galling to pay through the nose to bring the maps up to date only to find they are immediately wrong.

I appreciate this is the case with maps regardless of when you buy them, but it isn't normally the case a heap of new roads are on your doorstep!

Thanks again for the tip.

I think I was quoted £110 for a set from my local Volvo dealer last year. I thought this was quite reasonable as Audi had just charged me £300 and something for a set of disks.

Cheers

Martin

[Odysseus]

A bit of tinkering this weekend just gone. I used the XC90 for kid duties (various clubs on Saturday and Sunday mornings) and my boys are now requesting the Volvo rather than the Lexus. Maybe they like sitting up higher?

Anyway, they helped me clean the thing which is always good fun.



I cleaned under the bonnet, the first time I've done so with this car.

Before:


After:


Not quite perfect but definitely an improvement.

I also went round and treated all the window rubbers with GummiPflege to keep them supple. That was easy peasy and I can see the small bottle lasting ages.

As an aside it was the first time I've driven the Volvo for a few weeks and in that time it had been driven about 600 miles by my wife in her usual style (flat out, everywhere, all the time). The car felt appreciably more spritely and gutsy compared to when I last drove it, so maybe she's "cleared out a few cobwebs" in some sense. Any rational explanation for this or am I likely imagining it?

Anyway, I'm nearly a month into ownership and no spare key has appeared from Sir Robert McAlpine and the nav still needs updating, so a trip to Volvo is likely at some point in the future.

Thanks for looking.

[SwissXC90]

Originally Posted by Odysseus

As an aside it was the first time I've driven the Volvo for a few weeks and in that time it had been driven about 600 miles by my wife in her usual style (flat out, everywhere, all the time). The car felt appreciably more spritely and gutsy compared to when I last drove it, so maybe she's "cleared out a few cobwebs" in some sense. Any rational explanation for this or am I likely imagining it?

The gearbox is an adaptive gearbox and the shift positions and shift speed depend on your driving style.

A sporty driver will cause sportier shift positions (at higher RPM).
A more relaxed and gentile driver will cause more relaxed shift positions (at lower RPM)

If Mrs Sporty hands over the care to Mr Relaxed, the car is still in growling sporty shift mode. It stops growling after some relaxed driving, and starts to purr again.

You can make it growl again any time by slamming that right foot down to the floor...

BTW: the "growl" mode can be called such because that's what you start doing as you stop at the fuel station more and more often....