Preconditioning

[V60 probably]

I appreciate how complex the preconditoning is, with various configurations of no aux heater, fuel-fired or electric, and my memory doesn't help either, but...

A couple of times recently, the preconditioning has failed, with the error message 'Parking climate not available as car not connected to mains' (or words to that effect). The preconditoning is set as a timer using the app.

It's a 2021 V60 T6 recharge with a fuel-fired aux heater. It works 90% of the time, but I've had a couple of errors as above. I'm not sure whether both were on warmer days, when the car sat in the sun and may have needed to cool rather than heat. Now, I'm sure last summer, the car cooled even when it wasn't plugged in, using the hybrid battery to run the air-con.

Could it be a recent software update has caused this (it was serviced at the end of January and presumably brought up to date)? Or is this how it should operate and I've just forgotten?

[rhd443]

Inside the sensus menu, under car settings, have you still got the tick box checked for the auxiliary heater?

I have a T8 and never seen this error, how is your fuel level doing, as they are quite picky needing more than at least 70 miles range to keep running.

[V60 probably]

Originally Posted by rhd443

Inside the sensus menu, under car settings, have you still got the tick box checked for the auxiliary heater?

I have a T8 and never seen this error, how is your fuel level doing, as they are quite picky needing more than at least 70 miles range to keep running.

Yep, Additonal heater is ticked (I've just been and checked) and theres 3/4 of a tank of fuel, filled up only three weeks ago, so not an issue with old fuel.

As I say, it generally works perfectly, but just on two occasions it didn't. I think it's to do with cooling rather than heating (maybe!), but the battery is at 100% too.

I feel sure I didn't need to plug it in for cooling to work last summer, but my memory isn't very good.

[MrM83]

I have experienced pre conditioning errors on the odd occasion. Not looked into them in detail. I’ve experienced issues that turned out to be down to software (post update at service) and other issues that I suspect are software related but I am unable to prove. If you asked me do I think software could be responsible when it worked previously, my answer would be an unequivocal yes.

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by V60 probably

Yep, Additonal heater is ticked (I've just been and checked) and theres 3/4 of a tank of fuel, filled up only three weeks ago, so not an issue with old fuel.

As I say, it generally works perfectly, but just on two occasions it didn't. I think it's to do with cooling rather than heating (maybe!), but the battery is at 100% too.

I feel sure I didn't need to plug it in for cooling to work last summer, but my memory isn't very good.

I too have a fuel fired heater on a plug in hybrid.

I can confirm that on hot days it does (or at least did last summer) run the a/c when not plugged in to the mains.

[V60 probably]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

I too have a fuel fired heater on a plug in hybrid.

I can confirm that on hot days it does (or at least did last summer) run the a/c when not plugged in to the mains.

Bloody software updates!

[V60 probably]

I'm pretty sure it's just cooling now, which makes me think it's a software update. Yesterday leaving work, it had failed and when I started the car, the vents were blowing cold air as the cabin was warm from sitting in the sun. This morning, it's cold again and it's worked perfectly.

A call to the servicing dealer looks in order...

[sandys]

When you run precondition the little Volvo image in the app will show if it is cooling or not, white air for cool and red air for heating, so it should be obvious which it is trying to do.

If it is showing red but blowing cold then you have an issue, otherwise I guess it thinks comfortable temp is the other way

[V60 probably]

Originally Posted by sandys

When you run precondition the little Volvo image in the app will show if it is cooling or not, white air for cool and red air for heating, so it should be obvious which it is trying to do.

If it is showing red but blowing cold then you have an issue, otherwise I guess it thinks comfortable temp is the other way

The problem is that it doesn't start at all, so there's no colour. When I get in the car, there's a message saying 'Parking Climate temporarily unavailable as car not connected to mains'. I may be wrong about the cooling, but the only times it has failed is when it's been warmer and when I start the car, the vents blow cold air. When it's cold, the pre-conditioning works every time.

If no-one else is getting the problem, either it's been warm only in Leeds so far this year, or it's not a software update and it's something peculiar to my car.

[V60 probably]

Just by way of an update. It's pretty clear now that the preconditioning works perfectly when the car needs to be heated, whether it's plugged in or not (as it should be). But if the car needs cooling, it fails whether it's plugged in or not (it worked last summer in both scenarios). Although the Climate seems to cool perfectly well when I'm driving.

I've booked it into dealership for early next month.