[knitbunnie]

Your phone should use data and GPS for navigation, not internet. As for Volvo's navigation system...if you don't like it now, you never will, it has some very irritating features, but some love it, go figure. Other than that, enjoy your Volvo, they are nice cars.

A few weeks in, I still despise the car. My car doesn't have Navigation. It has some sort of dreadful, silent maps, and I drive a lot in rural areas where there's no internet connection to even use my iPhone. Short of trading in this bathtub on wheels, I'm going to have to resort to a TomTom. Also, I've come to discover that If I try to charge my iPhone with the car and a cord, my phone doesn't speak to me, doesn't speak through the radio, nothing. So, on a long drive (I drive between Texas and California pretty regularly), my phone won't stay charged unless it's plugged in because using google maps sucks the life out of iPhones, and my phone won't stay charged for a 600-800 mile day of driving. Am I doing something wrong that my phone is silent when it's plugged into the car. I feel like I've tried every single possibility of bluetooth on, bluetooth off, all the options on the phone and the stupid car, and there is no voice when my iPhone is plugged into the car. I am so disgusted by this crappy vehicle. I cannot believe I'm considering trading in a car I've had for just a few weeks.

 

[knitbunnie]

Call a few local dealers to find out how much to upgrade to full Sensus Navigation System; they are the only ones that can upgrade the vehicle to Sensus Navigation.

I called.. I asked - over $1,000. Not going to happen. If I loved the car, I'd consider it, but it's a piece of crap car as far as I'm concerned. I had a ****ty little Ford, and even that had a remote-opening cargo hatch and excellent, free navigation, including rerouting if there were traffic jams ahead. It's absolutely unconscionable that this is such a piece of junk car. I'm still furious with my husband.

 

[meade18]

A few weeks in, I still despise the car. My car doesn't have Navigation. It has some sort of dreadful, silent maps, and I drive a lot in rural areas where there's no internet connection to even use my iPhone. Short of trading in this bathtub on wheels, I'm going to have to resort to a TomTom. Also, I've come to discover that If I try to charge my iPhone with the car and a cord, my phone doesn't speak to me, doesn't speak through the radio, nothing. So, on a long drive (I drive between Texas and California pretty regularly), my phone won't stay charged unless it's plugged in because using google maps sucks the life out of iPhones, and my phone won't stay charged for a 600-800 mile day of driving. Am I doing something wrong that my phone is silent when it's plugged into the car. I feel like I've tried every single possibility of bluetooth on, bluetooth off, all the options on the phone and the stupid car, and there is no voice when my iPhone is plugged into the car. I am so disgusted by this crappy vehicle. I cannot believe I'm considering trading in a car I've had for just a few weeks.

When you say this is happening when your phone is plugged in, are you plugged in to the USB port inside the center console? If so, that's the problem. I would get a cigarette lighter charger to charge your phone instead of using the USB port and see if that fixes your issue. If that isn't the issue, then you need to talk to someone familiar with iPhones because I can't tell what is happening.

Sadly, if you need navigation for frequent long drives and don't have a unlimited data or a good cell signal where you drive, a Garmin or TomTom is your best bet. Forgive your husband. He saw the NAV button on the car and assumed the car had navigation. We all know these cars pretty well and a lot of us would have assumed the same thing. It was an easy mistake to make.

 

[budleach]

I get that you're pissed, and rightly so, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a "crappy piece of junk." That tends to imply poor build quality. It is a decent vehicle, it is just a base model that is poorly optioned. The turn by turn navigation is a factory option that many of these cars DO have and it works well enough. Hence why so many people commenting above seem to be completely unaware that these cars even exist without Sensus Navigation.

Granted, you do have to pay extra for live traffic information, but from what I see in a quick google search the C-Max nav isn't exactly free either...

"With a subscription to their SYNC service, the navigation system offers turn-by-turn directions." source - https://www.motortrend.com/cars/ford/c-max/2013/

Now maybe sync service was included for free for the first few years in your case, i don't know. The irony of this whole situation is you probably have Volvo to thank for a lot of your previous Ford's safety technology, and Ford to blame for your Volvo's high price to value ratio.

https://www.autonews.com/article/20170501/OEM/305019981/ford-was-a-poor-caretaker-for-volvo

The iPhone thing is an iPhone thing, not necessarily a Volvo thing. It probably has something to do with it trying to establish a data connection or something. You could always just get a 12v power outlet to 5v USB adapter and charge your phone with that. It should prevent your iPhone from attempting to establish a data connection and it would probably do a better job of charging your phone as long as you get one with decent output amps.

Maybe you should be venting your frustrations at your husband instead of an online community of Volvo owners/enthusiasts who are just here volunteering their time to try and help one another.

 

[zn14]

My wife and I have both our names on the vehicle titles, neither of us can trade a car without the others signature........
It would have solved your problem.....

 

[wertzius]

Simply by a cigarette plug charger and the TomTom App with offline Maps for your phone and you are good to go.

 

[mamba42]

Simply by a cigarette plug charger and the TomTom App with offline Maps for your phone and you are good to go.

This. You can even download offline Google maps for your phone too if that is your app of choice.

 

[zenmervolt]

A cigarette lighter adapter will charge the phone faster too since the car's USB port follows the computer data standard and is therefore limited to a charge rate of 0.5 amp instead of the 2.4 amp or higher charge rates of newer cigarette lighter chargers.

The fact that it's a data USB port is also why the iPhone behaves oddly with it; the iPhone sees it as a computer and tries to connect with it like that.

I use one of these in the cupholder cigarette lighter port for charging: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PGT7LSR

It's small enough that you can still close the cover if nothing is plugged into it.

 

[Okidiver]

Things were so much simpler back in the day when folks didn't expect their cars to be options for their phones...

 

[knitbunnie]

When you say this is happening when your phone is plugged in, are you plugged in to the USB port inside the center console? If so, that's the problem. I would get a cigarette lighter charger to charge your phone instead of using the USB port and see if that fixes your issue. If that isn't the issue, then you need to talk to someone familiar with iPhones because I can't tell what is happening.

Sadly, if you need navigation for frequent long drives and don't have a unlimited data or a good cell signal where you drive, a Garmin or TomTom is your best bet. Forgive your husband. He saw the NAV button on the car and assumed the car had navigation. We all know these cars pretty well and a lot of us would have assumed the same thing. It was an easy mistake to make.

I doubt that he even saw the Nav button. All my 6'4" husband saw was those ridiculous bucket seats. He didn't bother to really try out all the things a woman would look for. The tailgate doesn't go up with a click of the button - very handy for the grocery shopper (me!). The seats - I'm 5'6", and with the seats jacked all the way up, I can barely see the hood of the car. The low-slung car - it's like climbing in and out of a bathtub. Try that wearing a skirt! And the gutless non-navigation - I am not going to be stopping and asking directions at every corner. I want navigation that speaks to me, and if I plug my phone into the USB to charge it up, my phone becomes silent.

Two weeks in, and despite paying for the extended warranty beyond the Certified Used Warranty, I've told him it's either me or the car. And it's my car. He drives a big Mercedes SUV, If it wasn't so big, I'd tell him to keep this crappy Volvo, and I'll drive the Mercedes.

Until this thing no longer darkens my doorstep, I've sent for a gizmo for the cigarette lighter. I hope my phone will speak to me with that. I called Volvo OnCall, and also Apple, and no one had a fix. What a ridiculous car!

Current - 2018 Certified Used V60. I hate this car. I despise this car. My idiot husband traded in my car without so much as showing me this piece of crap. He's going to be in the naughty seat until I'm rid of this horrible thing.

 

[knitbunnie]

I get that you're pissed, and rightly so, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a "crappy piece of junk." That tends to imply poor build quality. It is a decent vehicle, it is just a base model that is poorly optioned. The turn by turn navigation is a factory option that many of these cars DO have and it works well enough. Hence why so many people commenting above seem to be completely unaware that these cars even exist without Sensus Navigation.

Granted, you do have to pay extra for live traffic information, but from what I see in a quick google search the C-Max nav isn't exactly free either...

"With a subscription to their SYNC service, the navigation system offers turn-by-turn directions." source - https://www.motortrend.com/cars/ford/c-max/2013/

Now maybe sync service was included for free for the first few years in your case, i don't know. The irony of this whole situation is you probably have Volvo to thank for a lot of your previous Ford's safety technology, and Ford to blame for your Volvo's high price to value ratio.

https://www.autonews.com/article/20170501/OEM/305019981/ford-was-a-poor-caretaker-for-volvo

The iPhone thing is an iPhone thing, not necessarily a Volvo thing. It probably has something to do with it trying to establish a data connection or something. You could always just get a 12v power outlet to 5v USB adapter and charge your phone with that. It should prevent your iPhone from attempting to establish a data connection and it would probably do a better job of charging your phone as long as you get one with decent output amps.

Maybe you should be venting your frustrations at your husband instead of an online community of Volvo owners/enthusiasts who are just here volunteering their time to try and help one another.

My CMax was 7 years old, and I have never paid for any subscription to anything. I pay the bills, so I'd know if I'd have paid for it. I'm handing my idiot husband the checkbook, and he can deal with the payments on this bathtub on wheels.

And yes, I'm venting here. It's better than hitting him with a frying pan.

Eldest son (Stanford grad with a PhD in Physics) works in R & D at Apple. Even he is perplexed by the ridiculousness of the whole thing.

 

[knitbunnie]

My wife and I have both our names on the vehicle titles, neither of us can trade a car without the others signature........
It would have solved your problem.....

We had a California title - it said "or", not "and". I'm doubly furious because since he did the dirty deed, just his name is on the Volvo's title. On a brighter note, his car, a big Mercedes SUV, is also in both our names with "or" in between. I am so tempted!

 

[knitbunnie]

Things were so much simpler back in the day when folks didn't expect their cars to be options for their phones...

They certainly were, but now that we have all this technology, an iPhone should work with a Volvo. It's completely ridiculous that it doesn't. I've contacted both Volvo and Apple. Apple thinks it's ridiculous, and Volvo is clueless.

 

[zenmervolt]

Eldest son (Stanford grad with a PhD in Physics) works in R & D at Apple. Even he is perplexed by the ridiculousness of the whole thing.

I explained the issue earlier.

The USB port is set up to initiate a data connection to the phone, not a controlling connection. Essentially, the car is set to "see" the phone as a USB storage device instead of recognizing it as an iPhone. This is clearly described in the owner's manual, which describes only controlling an iPod, not an iPhone.

It's not something that takes a PhD to understand.

I think that, at this point, you're simply making the car the recipient of your anger with your husband for making a unilateral decision about the car you drive and that your frustrations are such that you would find similar issues with any car that was brought home without your involvement. Very frankly, I think you'd be better served by going to a marriage counseling forum than by continuing to post here.

 

[budleach]

One good thing that has come out of this thread is I have learned that I can update my Sensus Navigation maps with a free download and a thumb drive... so there's that. Thanks for posting the links gobluetwo! I guess I also have knitbunnie to thank for setting this all in motion.

Knit,

I think the course of action here is clear, only one vehicle lists you as part owner, so that is obviously the vehicle you should be driving! Take the Benz!

 

[DFrantz]

It's unfair to hate a car for not coming with options that were in fact optional.... Just like on your C max. Not all Fords have "free" navigation. Someone paid for it at one point or another. You simply have the option to add it for the same cost it would have been new. Not really a horrible position to be in. The power truck lid, okay, that is a 1st world problem, but it is an older generation vehicle and Volvo never saw cause to retrofit that as a option.

As for the charging issue, the car is looking to your phone as a USB device. I believe that's an Apple setting you can change with it's permissions. There should be a setting to turn your phones USB off for data and just be used for charging. What's happening is the car is treating your phone like a USB device and looking for music data to play. This is different than bluetooth so it won't take phone calls as you would otherwise expect. If that's hard to figure out or you want to use the USB mode for other devices then the other posts suggestion to just get a 12v converter to USB would be a very simple fix as well, and leave the USBs open for data should you want some of your own music on those long drives.

Having sold both models in my career, the V60 is worlds ahead of the C-Max. Though I've found generally women are less in love with wagons than men for whatever reason. I think both vehicles were underrated in the US market.

 

[gobluetwo]

Current - 2018 Certified Used V60. I hate this car. I despise this car. My idiot husband traded in my car without so much as showing me this piece of crap. He's going to be in the naughty seat until I'm rid of this horrible thing.

One thing I'll agree with you on is that the tech in this car is outdated. The fact is that this is 2009 infotainment tech in a 2018 model year car. The original iteration of this car was released in May 2010. This means no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, a small display, outmoded button-heavy interface, various buttons on the stalk or center console to do certain things, menu structures, missing intuitive features (like dedicated pick-up and hang-up buttons), etc.

As for gripes with this vehicle, that's probably my biggest. I really wish I had a more modern infotainment system. Fortunately, my wife doesn't care for such things and it's a great "driver's" car (read: it's fun to drive).

If those things aren't important to you, I can completely understand why you don't like this car. It's not for everyone. Your husband was probably thinking it's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. Maybe in this case, not THAT much easier...

Go steal your husband's MB and be happy

 

[MidnightSnooze]

Hilarious thread.

I have the Nav with turn by turn, paid for as an option when i bought the car. I dont use it though, I use google maps on my mounted phone. We have some pretty expensive data plans in Aus, so i just download city maps and use Google Maps offline and data free.
I also use the Android Auto app that opens an Android Auto interface on my phone when it connects to my cars bluetooth. This gives me quick access to spotify, maps and phone.

I still use Sensus for radio and music from the built in HDD or USB, but anything i need from the phone can be handled with the AA app and bluetooth. Does Apple have a CarPlay app that operates in the same way?

 

[GTWaggin']

I thinks it's ok to vent to a bunch of Volvo nuts. Maybe the best place! But, I feel a bit stupid for considering traveling 500 miles for a 2016 V60 R Design for sale. I could buy another new Outback (like my wife), with all the modern stuff, but I'm a car guy, and the V60 has been the best alternative to my old Legacy GT wagon (Volvo is better in every way). No Polestar needed for me! I will say, I have always liked the C-Max design, although have not driven one. I'll just use our Garmin I guess.

 

[meade18]

I still use Sensus for radio and music from the built in HDD

Built in hard drive? Was that a thing on models outside the USA, or did we get it too and I've just never seen it as an option on any S60/V60 yet?