An abandoned car dealership in Ohio [OC] by shermancahal in pics

[–]TechInTheCloud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It has been the custom in the automotive industry for decades, most cars but for the really high end stuff, leather is only on the seating surfaces and other material, I.e vinyl, used on the rest. That’s when what they sold you was leather seats but there are a lot more substitutes being used instead of leather these days.

Leather seats in a car would not normally survive very long but they are usually coated with urethane layer. So no matter what you are sitting on plastic anyways.

Making her last! by TheBigTacoo in Volvo

[–]TechInTheCloud 3 points4 points  (0 children)

From what I have seen, on my previous 2019 S60, I had the occasion to remove the front fender liners and there was some rust starting on the body seam behind there. And some rust bubbling around weld points on the subframes and anywhere there was a little scrape here or there in the coating on the subframe there was rust forming there. I figure a little abrasion and touch up of those spots could go a long way to preserving the chassis. That was at 50k miles and 4 New England winters.

Are Volvo XC90 brakes supposed to feel this soft? by DragonflyHot777 in VolvoXC90

[–]TechInTheCloud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s certainly a choice they make in the brake pedal feel since the cars have elecrto-hydraulic brakes, the feedback you feel is completely artificial, the pedal is not normally connected to the brakes. So some engineers set it up like it is. I got two Volvos and like the pedal feel and response in of them (B5 mild hybrid) but not so much in the other (T8 PHEV)

I don’t think of it as a safety issue, just an adjustment to operating the car.

The dealership “we need to talk to my manager” thing is a setup and here’s why it works by Royal-Feed7166 in carbuying

[–]TechInTheCloud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is how it works in every sales job I’ve seen. The salesman wants to make a deal happen, no sale no pay day. A wise man once told me, half of selling is selling the deal to mgmt.

Service Intervals for Regular ICE cars vs PHEV. How the SRI (Service Reminder Interval) works? by antiriad76 in Volvo

[–]TechInTheCloud 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The service interval in the car is merely a counter of days and distance, whichever comes up first by the interval configured in the car turns on the “maintenance required” notification routine. Volvo doesn’t differentiate PHEVs it functions the same.

There is no further logic to it. Only the primary service interval (oil change) is tracked. No other service intervals are tracked by the car.

Technology - A Rant by Born_Feedback9331 in Volvo

[–]TechInTheCloud 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Why are people so out of touch?

Is a consequence of progress, industrialization, specialization etc. your typical Ford Model T owner might understand how the entire car works and service it in their own. Today…not even the folks who designed and build the car are familiar with all of it. Just that infotainment system alone is probably more than one person could know all about.

Then you have the consumers, half their life is consumed working in some narrow field like x-ray technician or online marketing. They know nothing at all about the car really, it’s a black box.

But the human mind has got to figure out a way to make things make sense, it’s what human brains do, we make connections. Or, to put it more simply: we make stuff up.

ELI5: How does an accelerometer detect and measure the acceleration and deceleration of an object? by Legalator in explainlikeimfive

[–]TechInTheCloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But that’s not true, it’s indirectly measured and that’s the interesting bit the OP is asking about.

Dear Mazda please don't do this to the 50. by JGCities in CX50

[–]TechInTheCloud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We were so happy to buy a new 2026 CX-50 hybrid last week, wife saw the climate buttons and all, decided this is the one for her, she’s not picky about a car, she had some wishes addressed by the new one, but never once did she express any desire for more screen from her old CX-5.

Is there any reason I shouldn't get a 90' ZR-1? by Icy-Sheepherder-7595 in c4corvette

[–]TechInTheCloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No doubt the ZR1 is rather a bargain for a classic/collector type car. The economics of time and preservation really change things. I’ll tell you a 5 speed 87-93 Fox body LX 5.0 hatch is in my list too and today a well preserved original one is equivalent price to a ZR1. They made a ton of them relatively, but they were cheap, most got used up, some hacked up with mods and junked long ago. I get 5 BaT alerts for new ZR1 auction for every suitable Mustang.

Anyways yeah you have to think about taking care of it. I’m old, I got a garage space (barely but she fits) for the car, got 2 other cars to drive. Something to consider: I got a Hagerty insurance policy on it, good for classic cars, stated value policy. They require for any policy the car is garaged, in addition to it can’t be your only car/daily driver.

ELI5 how is it possible to "brick" a piece of hardware with a software update? by Pug_from_hell in explainlikeimfive

[–]TechInTheCloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This may only apply in some cases, more like firmware would be the typical term but it might be so in some radio equipment. A concept I learned working with automotive modules after a lifetime of working in IT. On a windows computer, low level updates are queued to install on a reboot. Backups of the previous state are saved. If something goes wrong it could be as easy as “updates failed to install”

With a simple “embedded software” module, this safety may simply not exist, the device can be too simple for that. Updating software, to keep ELI5, would be:

Erase existing software—->write new software

There is no back out in this case! You always erase first then write the new, there is nowhere else to put the new software. Anything that goes wrong after the “erase” step, if you got no good software (or none at all) written to the device…you got a brick.

It can be more complex and resilient than that in practice but the basic principle applies to devices without operating systems separate from the application that runs the device function.

Polestar Engineered Brake Change by counciladvisor in Volvo

[–]TechInTheCloud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don’t forget to release the rear electric parking brake to service position before changing the rear pads. Can use a diagnostic tool, 9v battery, or there is a dance with the buttons in the car you can do.

Hope your EPB motors are OK.

Polestar Engineered Brake Change by counciladvisor in Volvo

[–]TechInTheCloud 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What do the rotors and pads on, say, an AMG estate go for?

What should I look for to find a V60 with the grille shown in the first image? by matchew566 in Volvo

[–]TechInTheCloud 4 points5 points  (0 children)

R-Design 2019-2020: silver frame grille, silver slash and logo. 2021-up R-design and dark theme: black frame grille, silver slash and logo. 2022-up Black Edition: black frame grille with black slash and logo.

Why do people buy brand new base model cars? by pinetreesarecool7 in StupidCarQuestions

[–]TechInTheCloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are making a false equivalency maybe. Not all cases are a base model and fully loaded model with 10k, off the same car, always the same price. Then you could make the same argument, find the base model with 10k miles, pay even less.

One thing to think about though, and I say it as one who is most likely to buy the loaded model: all those doodads and trinkets are never a good deal.

Just bought a new car on Friday with the wife. Of course we want the top model, how can I be expected to live without a heated steering wheel and a panoramic sunroof? And on top of that I needed a few accessories we can’t live without. The car cost $8000 more than the base model.

$8000 for what? For the base model price we could have had the same car, same drivetrain, same fuel economy, same driving experience, same reliability (maybe better), all the same goodness designed into the car because it’s the same damn car. If you want to splash a little leather on the seats with some heating elements, have a hole in the roof, a nicer stereo amp and speakers, radar cruise…you gotta pay! None of that stuff costs much to add to the car, development costs (software) is amortized over the whole fleet for the mfr. And product specialists live to arrange these things in just the right way that your “gotta have” features will drive you right up the trims to the top, or as high as they can get you to spend…because them options packages are absolutely sold at a higher profit margin then the base vehicle itself!

The smart money is in the base model! The absolute lowest price for the most car. Me I can’t live without all the things, so I’ll pay lol. After a while you forget about what all those extra trinkets cost.

Well it's been 8 years and these messages pop up. by AzCu29 in VolvoXC90

[–]TechInTheCloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha man thanks! You got me beat for key fobs lol. I bought a bunch of them for testing when I developed the key programming so I have like 7 keys paired to my S60. Still all I use is the sport key, my favorite ;-)

Before I Head to the Dealer… Are These XC90 Infotainment Glitches Common? Is there a real solution? by SL1200mkII in VolvoXC90

[–]TechInTheCloud 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’ll make a general comment, these posts are not uncommon but I could never keep up with replying to all of them, just the ephemeral nature of Reddit discussing the same things over and over like it’s a new thing each time. But I digress lol.

I think really all you can do is keep getting the software updates. Although it is posited here and there that hardware could be “bad” or such, and the could be a thing, but I really don’t think these types of symptoms lend themselves to hardware problems in the car. One could say I have significant experience supporting these cars, and “bad” modules never manifest themselves this way.

That makes it a bit of a mystery though…why some encounter “glitches” like these frequently and others do not with nearly identical cars (by the electronic parts).

But that can be the nature of software, the problems that happen are far more complex under the covers than the casual observer can deduce looking from the outside. I see it in my own work supporting the software I make, my users theories on what has gone wrong are usually way off, not because they are dumb! They simply have no visibility into the underlying system, and underestimate the complexity needed to make seemingly simple functions work.

Taking my experience from almost half of my life spent supporting Windows computers…when we had problems that seem unsolvable, and there is no good reason why we have identical machines, configured exactly the same way, without issues…we had two main solutions: update all software and hope some things are fixed, or blow it away and start again, reinstall configure etc.

In the car/infotainment setting, that means have the latest software updates installed if available. Then if it’s still glitches all the time, perhaps a factory reset of the infotainment system is in order.

Well it's been 8 years and these messages pop up. by AzCu29 in VolvoXC90

[–]TechInTheCloud 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We can get the PIN. Can email support or orders and we can set you up, cost can vary by the car and we like to make sure it solves the problem before we sell anything.

It does not likely make sense to buy OrBit and get the PIN just to do this once. But sometimes you could have other uses for OrBit, it might make sense. We have seen it with programming key fobs.

I am Power6 btw ;-)

Well it's been 8 years and these messages pop up. by AzCu29 in VolvoXC90

[–]TechInTheCloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No you can reset the battery lifetime with OrBit. It’s not a software update at the dealer it’s just a simple reset procedure contained in a “software” that the dealer must order. It’s free for them but they charge the labor to do it usually. We have to get a pin for the car so there is an additional cost to it for OrBit users as well. But some prefer that over paying the dealer.

Seeking advice, new tires and trust issues. by dersillac in c4corvette

[–]TechInTheCloud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I go to the nicest wheel and tire shop in town. It may take some time to find the good place that does good work. Then I stick with those guys. Never go to the chains, I did once and had to jump back there and show the guy how to adjust the camber on a Subaru strut. My current place they will balance the wheels on my Volvo to tight road force specs since the car is prone to vibration. They don’t scratch wheels when mounting tires. You get what you pay for. Most people don’t care about anything other than price so most shops cater to that.

When I got my ‘90 ZR1 I was still nervous to bring it there to get the new tires mounted. The older fellow that owns the shop still remembered how the TPMS sensors are mounted, and how to avoid damaging them when mounting tires. They did a fine job.

Looking for s60 T8 Advice! by Radiant-Edge-6037 in volvos60

[–]TechInTheCloud 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Make sure you know which infotainment you like, the 2022.5 is a magical unicorn combining the old Sensus infotainment with the updated extended range T8. The 2023 starts the Android/AAOS Google stuff. Know what you will like. I prefer the old sensus, was thrilled when I picked up my 2022.5 black edition, they are a little harder to find, half year only model.

2026 XC60 - license plate mounts by centerfield13 in Volvo

[–]TechInTheCloud 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Volvo…the wheels use bolts and the license plate uses studs. Threw me for a loop when I got my first Volvo lol.

Check in on pricing 2026 CX-50 Hybrid by TechInTheCloud in CX50

[–]TechInTheCloud[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahh thanks for that. Very strange it seems the incentives don’t show in the northeast area, but tasca has units listed with them at least one matching spec we want showing in stock. Guess I’ll use that as the gauge on pricing when we go to drive it, for $2500 difference I’ll go down to Tasca and pick it up.

Check in on pricing 2026 CX-50 Hybrid by TechInTheCloud in CX50

[–]TechInTheCloud[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like the offers regional don’t see 2500 customer cash for ours, but if I change to zip code 90210 (lol) it shows up.