Polestar Optimisation

[Lexman8]

Originally Posted by dghdgh

I don't disagree if its software the cost should be minimal, but R&D costs over and above from standard production costs will need to be met.

This assumes that the gearbox that works properly was a further development of the original. It could just as easily be that the working gearbox came first and that it was then deliberately crippled to create a sales opportunity for Polestar. (Me, a cynic?)

However on top of the price to Volvo has this brought additional insurance costs?

Some insurers charge more, some don't.

[steadvex]

I'm gutted my insurance wouldn't cover it, I probably would of bought it on offer before Christmas otherwise, £900 is way too much, well £600 ish now but now its £900 it seems cheap!

[gaby]

Originally Posted by Lexman8

...It could just as easily be that the working gearbox came first and that it was then deliberately crippled to create a sales opportunity for Polestar. (Me, a cynic?).

Definitely a cynic, but cynics are not seldom right...

[simonjedrake]

Originally Posted by Lexman8

Some insurers charge more, some don't.

A lot of Insurers will accept Polestar either FOC or a notional small increase when you specify Polestar at the time of placing the original order as they consider it just an optional extra rather than an upgrade.
My Insurer LV= charge me approx an extra £24/annum extra.

[steadvex]

Originally Posted by simonjedrake

A lot of Insurers will accept Polestar either FOC or a notional small increase when you specify Polestar at the time of placing the original order as they consider it just an optional extra rather than an upgrade.
My Insurer LV= charge me approx an extra £24/annum extra.

I'm with AXA, I was told they would cancel my policy as they have a zero policy of any performance enhancements

[Jcbrown]

I am getting rather tired of the whole "why didn't Volvo deliver the car like this" discussion in respect of the Polestar upgrade.

Accept it, your car (just like mine) was delivered as a compromise. It has to be useable by a range of drivers, terrains, roads, requirements, likes/dislikes, conditions, etc. It has to do this whilst also meeting ever increasing economy and emissions guidelines/regulation, and cope with a range of quality of fuel.

Software based modifications ("Chipping") are available for pretty much every make and model of car out there, and have been available for 40+ years. Such after market solutions promise better performance, better fuel economy, smoother gears, and so on.

But one of the major drawbacks of these after-market chips is that they invalidate your warrantee. Do you really want to spend 40K/50K/60K/70K/... on a complex mechanical machine, and then deliberately loose all rights if things go wrong?

I'm not sure how many other manufacturers offer "official" tuning options. Talking to friends/colleagues with BMs, Mercs, Jags, ... I do not believe those marques do. But all have after market chips available to supposedly iron out various flaws in them as delivered by the factory.

So Volvo offer us the option to get our cars "chipped" and still retain the manufactures warrantee. Yes, they charge a premium for this service compared to many 3rd party chipping company's, but so they should be allowed to for the added reassurance you have.

Personally I have never had a new car "chipped" before, as I do not want the potential hassle of any problems should things go wrong. I have friends and acquaintances who have had new cars chipped and had no issues. I have others who have faced (and had to pay) thousands in repair bills as the manufacturer refuses to repair failures they say were caused by the unapproved engine modifications.

If you are not happy with your car, Then I think you might want to ask yourself why did you buy it? The inferior gear-changes, poor performance, or less than expected/claimed MPG you are unhappy with are things you should have found during your purchase process: Multiple test drives, extended test drives, reviews, word-of-mouth, Forums such as this, etc. will all have helped you understand your cars good and bad points.

I thought long and hard before getting my D4 S90 Polestar-ed. Was I unhappy with the performance, they gear-changes, the economy before I had it done? No, I was not!

Did I notice the difference after it was done. Yes, and I was very happy with it thank you.

To all those who have had your car Polestar-ed, and are happy. I applaud you.

To all those who have had your car Polestar-ed, and then had it removed because you were not happy for whatever reason. I applaud you too

Volvo offer us a money back guarantee (minus a small fee I believe) if we are not happy. Unsure if Polestar is for you? Unsure if it is worth the cost, which I agree is high? Unsure if you will like it, notice it, ...? Then here is the perfect opportunity to try it pretty much risk free. if you took that option and weren't happy, then good on you. How prudent and wise you were.

We each have the choice on this, no one is forcing us to pay for this option. If you want your compromised car "fettling" in few areas, then consider Polestar. But consider the cost (it is not cheap), and your back out options. Do it with your eyes and mind open and you should not be disappointed, whatever the end result (you keep it, or have it removed).

One final applause for all those who think Polestar is not for them. There is nothing wrong with their car for what they want/use it for. The gearing is fine. The power is acceptable. the economy is around what you expected. Congratulations on your excellent choice.

To those who bang the "it should have been delivered like this" drum when someone posts that they love (or not) their Polestar upgrade. I do not understand what you are trying to say. No it should not!

If you do not like your car, then do something about it. If you do like it, then what is the problem?

I await the spamming/trolling/venom/... in response with interest

[dghdgh]

I await the spamming/trolling/venom/... in response with interest [/QUOTE]

Don't disagree with anything in your post other than this. If someone disagrees with you and posts an argument that in their opinion differs from yours surely that is basis of a forum. As I ve said I agree with what you have posted but if I didn't who would be wrong? No venom spat.

[BarryUK]

Originally Posted by Jcbrown

I am getting rather tired of the whole "why didn't Volvo deliver the car like this" discussion in respect of the Polestar upgrade.

Accept it, your car (just like mine) was delivered as a compromise. It has to be useable by a range of drivers, terrains, roads, requirements, likes/dislikes, conditions, etc. It has to do this whilst also meeting ever increasing economy and emissions guidelines/regulation, and cope with a range of quality of fuel.

Software based modifications ("Chipping") are available for pretty much every make and model of car out there, and have been available for 40+ years. Such after market solutions promise better performance, better fuel economy, smoother gears, and so on.

But one of the major drawbacks of these after-market chips is that they invalidate your warrantee. Do you really want to spend 40K/50K/60K/70K/... on a complex mechanical machine, and then deliberately loose all rights if things go wrong?

I'm not sure how many other manufacturers offer "official" tuning options. Talking to friends/colleagues with BMs, Mercs, Jags, ... I do not believe those marques do. But all have after market chips available to supposedly iron out various flaws in them as delivered by the factory.

So Volvo offer us the option to get our cars "chipped" and still retain the manufactures warrantee. Yes, they charge a premium for this service compared to many 3rd party chipping company's, but so they should be allowed to for the added reassurance you have.

Personally I have never had a new car "chipped" before, as I do not want the potential hassle of any problems should things go wrong. I have friends and acquaintances who have had new cars chipped and had no issues. I have others who have faced (and had to pay) thousands in repair bills as the manufacturer refuses to repair failures they say were caused by the unapproved engine modifications.

If you are not happy with your car, Then I think you might want to ask yourself why did you buy it? The inferior gear-changes, poor performance, or less than expected/claimed MPG you are unhappy with are things you should have found during your purchase process: Multiple test drives, extended test drives, reviews, word-of-mouth, Forums such as this, etc. will all have helped you understand your cars good and bad points.

I thought long and hard before getting my D4 S90 Polestar-ed. Was I unhappy with the performance, they gear-changes, the economy before I had it done? No, I was not!

Did I notice the difference after it was done. Yes, and I was very happy with it thank you.

To all those who have had your car Polestar-ed, and are happy. I applaud you.

To all those who have had your car Polestar-ed, and then had it removed because you were not happy for whatever reason. I applaud you too

Volvo offer us a money back guarantee (minus a small fee I believe) if we are not happy. Unsure if Polestar is for you? Unsure if it is worth the cost, which I agree is high? Unsure if you will like it, notice it, ...? Then here is the perfect opportunity to try it pretty much risk free. if you took that option and weren't happy, then good on you. How prudent and wise you were.

We each have the choice on this, no one is forcing us to pay for this option. If you want your compromised car "fettling" in few areas, then consider Polestar. But consider the cost (it is not cheap), and your back out options. Do it with your eyes and mind open and you should not be disappointed, whatever the end result (you keep it, or have it removed).

One final applause for all those who think Polestar is not for them. There is nothing wrong with their car for what they want/use it for. The gearing is fine. The power is acceptable. the economy is around what you expected. Congratulations on your excellent choice.

To those who bang the "it should have been delivered like this" drum when someone posts that they love (or not) their Polestar upgrade. I do not understand what you are trying to say. No it should not!

If you do not like your car, then do something about it. If you do like it, then what is the problem?

I await the spamming/trolling/venom/... in response with interest

A very long post which doesn't stop my opinion being valid

[Considered1]

What JC Brown said.
I had the polestar upgrade done even though I knew there was a good chance I might still sell the car, did It make a difference, yes, was I happy with the original car, yes and was it worth it, yes I had to try it, prob helped me sell the car as well.

Also remains an option for buying used Volvo for the more enthusiastic driver.

Although you need to be careful, I first experienced polestar on an older XC90 D5 courtesy car,boy did that thing take off!, but at the time c20mpg with it (Trust me the novelty doesn’t wear off) wouldn’t be so palatable.

No such official upgrades for BMW and Mercedes that i’m Aware of. Imagine the call to AMG, can you enhance the performance of my standard Merc, without affecting mpgAnd make the gearbox even better, yes we did Sir, you should have spent £20k more at the time of purchase!..so keep up the good work Volvo!

[GJB]

I had Polestar on my last 4 cars and was going to have it on my latest V90 but the dealer said to give it a try without and was very pleasantly surprised and have decided not to have it done the D4 with the 8 speed box was a revelation and IMHO is great