[realtorrichard]

Rain has come to California at last, and I am discovering how to use the wipers. In the process of manipulating the right hand stalk, somehow the rear wiper sprang to life, and I could not turn it off. I checked the onboard manual, but found only notes about the toggle button on the end of the right hand stalk that controls the rear wiper: up for intermittent, down for on all the time. How to turn off, though? I sent an email to Volvo and--not mentioned in the manual--is the MIDDLE position that is the OFF position.

Also, somewhere in here I read that the high beam auto function has to be turned on on every restart. According to Volvo, this is no so. The auto high beam and the rain sensor wiper functions may be left ON all the time.

 

[whiteyjfm]

How do you turn the auto headlights on all the time??? I could not figure that out yet and the dealer say it has to be turned on after every re-start.

 

[realtorrichard]

This is what the Volvo USA rep wrote me:

P.S., you can leave the high bean selector and rain detection on all the time. It just may not show in your dashboard that both are on.

I have yet to verify the hi-beam function.

 

[whiteyjfm]

That is what he say about the high beam, but how do you set that????

 

[Jezza]

For the rain sensor, from the top menu bar in the center display, select Settings, then My Car, Wipers, and then activate rain sensor memory. I am not aware that the Active High Beam function can be retained after the car is shut off.

 

[realtorrichard]

I am double checking with Volvo on the auto-dim.

 

[realtorrichard]

I am double checking with Volvo on the auto-dim.

Info corrected by Volvo:

The Auto-High Beam or AHB cannot be selected to automatically be active. AHB would need to be manually activated every time.

My reply to Volvo of 11-26-2019:

I know that this car is complex, but I am amazed that basic instructions on the operation of the vehicle, e.g., lights and wipers, are so vague and incomplete. The Range Rover I traded in was better organized in this respect.

One of the coat hooks just went missing—I found it under the front seat. This is the second small plastic part that has disengaged from the rest.

The Apple Car Play is a disaster. At first, I was able to use it without a problem, but for the last month the maps and Amazon Music will not load most of the time, and these functions will just quit spontaneously if by chance you can get the features to work. I have had to pull over to spend 15-25 mins trying to get the maps system to work again so that I could get home from San Diego without killing myself trying to do this while driving on the freeway.

The audio has no low end, so I am getting a subwoofer that will take up some of the cargo area. The Range Rover stereo was MUCH better—and I’m not the kind of driver who plays the stereo over 100 Db either.

So far, I’m mildly disappointed with the car, which has little personality.

 

[Jezza]

I wonder if it’s an issue with your phone as I’ve never had those problems. Be sure your phone’s operating system is updated to the latest version and restart it.

Have you spent some time with the online owners’ manual or the manual that’s visible through the touch screen? I found the answers to your questions in just a couple quick minutes by opening the online manual and doing a search for “high beam” and “rain sensor.” I agree tho, generally manufacturers are assuming people know more than they do or will just figure it out.

I also was disappointed when the coat hook fell out, until I realized that the port it attaches to also doubles as a spot to attach a luggage / pet barrier. I actually appreciate that it’s hidden in that way instead of having a separate spot with a plastic cover that for most owners goes unused 100% of the time. They could make it a little harder to accidentally remove the coat hook tho.

I personally disagree that the car lacks personality. I have considered trading it in for a new Range Rover Evoque when my subscription is up next summer, but there’s one that parks near me in my building and it looks so boring compared to my XC40. Like a pretty handbag that looks nice but you won’t think about it after you see it. I even got a brand new $65k Velar as a service loaner and the interior seemed so boring.. it was like a slightly more refined Cadillac and that’s not really a compliment. I was so glad to get my XC40 back.

I’ll say this, though, Volvos just aren’t as thoughtful on the details like a Mercedes, for example. Volvo has always sacrificed some of that refinement for things like safety, quality, comfort, and uniqueness of their visual design. I do notice those missing details and at first they aggravated me, but the car overall is great. I hope Volvo will not shortcut overall quality as they seek to aggressively expand their footprint in the auto market. For now I personally am happy with the balance.

I hope you come to appreciate and like your car more with time..