Pre-conditioning, Parking Climate, Remote Start - Confused!

[Lexman8]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

It took me a long time to realise, but the fuel burning heater is also used to heat the cabin when driving (ie it is not just for prefonditioning).

This is an optional setting on my car. There's a tick-box in Sensus to say if you want the aux fuel heater to come on automatically with the engine when cabin heat is required (and you haven't pre-conditioned).

I leave it un-ticked in summer but on during the winter months.

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by Lexman8

Note that Parking Climate and Pre-conditioning are not the same thing.

So what's the difference then?

[Lexman8]

Having looked at the manual, I see that Volvo are using these terms differently to how I've been . I thought of the two separate climate functions as 'Pre-conditioning' (warming or cooling before you get in the car) and 'Parking Climate' (maintaining a temperature when parked and sitting in the car). That seemed logical to me.

However, Volvo use the terms Pre-conditioning and Climate Comfort Retention for the above and both are aspects of Parking Climate.

Mea culpa.

[MaDProFF]

and I still don't get it lol

[GTA SOL]

I don’t understand it either.

I get the ‘Parking climate temporarily unavailable’ message when I try to select it in the climate section of the Sensus. I queried it with the dealer and asked if I have ‘parking climate’. They said yes I have it and did a software update / patch on Friday. Surprise surprise I still get the same message. I still think I don’t have ‘parking climate’.

Do you need to have an aux heater fitted for parking climate to work? I don’t have this so maybe that’s the issue. If you don’t need the heater fitted, do you need to set up timers before parking climate will work (maybe that’s where I’m going wrong)?

[Lexman8]

Originally Posted by GTA SOL

Do you need to have an aux heater fitted for parking climate to work?

You definitely need to have the aux heater fitted for pre-conditioning to work. My understanding is that Climate Comfort Retention (a phrase that just rolls off the tongue ) also won't work unless the aux heater is fitted. There used to be a (chargeable?) dealer-applied software upgrade that allowed Climate Comfort Retention to operate using just residual engine heat but i don't think that's available any longer (or maybe it's standard now?).

[Philip Fisher]

Having used climate comfort retention I will say that it does not run the aux heater. It just blows a bit of residual heat out of the vents then fizzles out. If I am sat in the car for a long time and getting cold I just manually trigger parking climate from either the app or the sensus screen. This runs the aux heater.

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by MaDProFF

and I still don't get it lol

What dont you get?

[EYEBALL119]

Still confused.

I've resigned myself to the fact that i don't have Parking Climate, that's fine.
So this morning I decided to use Remote Start. That worked fine but when i get in the car all the climate systems are OFF (it was 4 degrees C) and only come to life when i press the break and turn the ignition...

I realise these are very much first world problems but how do i get the car to defrost or at least warm up slightly (steering wheel and seats?). The volvo website indicates that ERS warms and cools the cabin, stating that XC60 models post 2017 have this function.

[MaDProFF]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

What dont you get?

The whole combination I have, seems confusing, and part rather pointless on a T8, and why there is not an electric heater.

The fact the manual does not really tell what you can do on your specific car.

Though I do think I have a problem with the aux heater fuel sensor, I am sure it should not come up with a message too low fuel, when fuel tank is half full, on level ground. then start it again and it works.

Although when it does work even after a few minutes the car is very warm in side, I have not tried so see if the heated seats, and steering wheel heat up yet on parking climate.