General Software mods?

[Neb1]

Loving the panda still, but found a couple of minor annoying things.

• Big difference in relative volume between Bluetooth and radio. - worried I'll blow eardrums and speakers!
• Eco mode always on at ignition
• Aircon switched to Lo = full fan speed
• Unable wind down windows remotely using key fob (holding unlock button) - handy on the few days a year it's hot!

Can any of these minor issues be fixed through software modifications? Happy to invest in the software and cables if they can.

Cheers

 

[chris3234]

No nothing you can do about any of these things
Unlike vag group products there's no after market coding type software around that can change things like this
They FCA don't really sell enough cars for anyone to make the effort In to trying to do things like this

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

@Neb1 chris3234 There are in fact two you can fix easily (and without software mods):

The aircon - if you set it to 'Lo' you are telling the car to get as cold as possible, so the fan will be on full as it never knows when to stop trying to cool the interior. If instead you set it to (say) '16', it will get there and then slow the fan right down. (To feel cool, you only need to be 3 degrees cooler than the temperature outside... setting to 'Lo' will not cool the car any faster.)

Bluetooth volume: (Assuming you are having to turn up the car volume when using Bluetooth) While listening to music from Bluetooth, press the volume buttons on your phone to set its Bluetooth output to its maximum level, and turn the car volume down to compensate (note: this will only affect Bluetooth output - if you disconnect from Bluetooth, the phone volume will then revert to the last-saved - and rather lower - setting. It will remember the Bluetooth setting for next time). By doing this with my iPhone (which was initially very quiet), both radio and Bluetooth audio are about right with the car volume showing '20'.

Windows: just open the boot and drivers door for a short time - this lets a lot of heat out very quickly
Eco mode: this may be something that a dealer can alter in software. Older models, it would remember the last setting (so stay 'off' if you turned it off). Cars sold after WLTP testing kicked in - the eco setting is always on at start up)

 

[chris3234]

@Neb1 chris3234 There are in fact two you can fix easily (and without software mods):

The aircon - if you set it to 'Lo' you are telling the car to get as cold as possible, so the fan will be on full as it never knows when to stop trying to cool the interior. If instead you set it to (say) '16', it will get there and then slow the fan right down. (To feel cool, you only need to be 3 degrees cooler than the temperature outside... setting to 'Lo' will not cool the car any faster.)

Bluetooth volume: (Assuming you are having to turn up the car volume when using Bluetooth) While listening to music from Bluetooth, press the volume buttons on your phone to set its Bluetooth output to its maximum level, and turn the car volume down to compensate (note: this will only affect Bluetooth output - if you disconnect from Bluetooth, the phone volume will then revert to the last-saved - and rather lower - setting. It will remember the Bluetooth setting for next time). By doing this with my iPhone (which was initially very quiet), both radio and Bluetooth audio are about right with the car volume showing '20'.

Windows: just open the boot and drivers door for a short time - this lets a lot of heat out very quickly
Eco mode: this may be something that a dealer can alter in software. Older models, it would remember the last setting (so stay 'off' if you turned it off). Cars sold after WLTP testing kicked in - the eco setting is always on at start up)

Not really a solution to the first one more of a way around it
And personally I never use the full auto more on my climate control anyway I allways use it manually

 

[Neb1]

@Neb1 chris3234 There are in fact two you can fix easily (and without software mods):

The aircon - if you set it to 'Lo' you are telling the car to get as cold as possible, so the fan will be on full as it never knows when to stop trying to cool the interior. If instead you set it to (say) '16', it will get there and then slow the fan right down. (To feel cool, you only need to be 3 degrees cooler than the temperature outside... setting to 'Lo' will not cool the car any faster.)

Bluetooth volume: (Assuming you are having to turn up the car volume when using Bluetooth) While listening to music from Bluetooth, press the volume buttons on your phone to set its Bluetooth output to its maximum level, and turn the car volume down to compensate (note: this will only affect Bluetooth output - if you disconnect from Bluetooth, the phone volume will then revert to the last-saved - and rather lower - setting. It will remember the Bluetooth setting for next time). By doing this with my iPhone (which was initially very quiet), both radio and Bluetooth audio are about right with the car volume showing '20'.

Windows: just open the boot and drivers door for a short time - this lets a lot of heat out very quickly
Eco mode: this may be something that a dealer can alter in software. Older models, it would remember the last setting (so stay 'off' if you turned it off). Cars sold after WLTP testing kicked in - the eco setting is always on at start up)

The Aircon is on manual, it just annoys us as we're often wanting the coldest air out of the vents, but at a low fan speed. As soon as you out it on low you have to manually drop the fan speed back to a sensible level. Obviously on auto I would expect the fan speed to increase automatically.

The Bluetooth volume is set on maximum on my phone and works perfectly on my BT headphones and in our campervan. In the panda it is significantly quieter than the radio volume. If the radio volume is at 10, the Bluetooth streaming needs to be on 20 for the same volume, and when switching back to radio it's deafening. (Or worse at 6am for the commute you put the ignition on and it defaults to radio = LOUD!!) Genuinely worried about damaging the speakers.

On all VAG cars, the window opening on holding the unlock button is an option through vcds/vag-com hence my question. It's handy on approach to the car to wind the windows down. It works brilliantly on our van which has a much larger volume of air to remove before getting in.

I'll have a chat with the dealer about the eco mode, again it's a minor niggle. Just sometimes wondering why the car feels so gutless and realising it's defaulted to 'boring mode'

Cheers!

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

The Aircon is on manual

I only have manual on my car anyway (the auto climate is a several hundred pound option), so have no choice. But 'auto' on our Volvo works perfectly, but like the Panda will blow hard if set to 'lo'. Setting it to 16 blows air at the same temp as setting to 'lo', if the air in the car is warmer than that set point. The temperature shown on the aircon is not the temperature of the air that will come out of the vents, but an indication of the temperature you want to car to get to (which it senses via the little grille between the aircon controls)

The Bluetooth ... is significantly quieter than the radio volume. If the radio volume is at 10, the Bluetooth streaming needs to be on 20 for the same volume

Odd, as on mine (2018 uConnect), the radio needs to be on 18-20 to be heard, and that is where it is for bluetooth too (but did need to be on nearer 35-40 to hear Bluetooth until I turned the phone up). To stop the radio being too loud on switch on, I think there's a radio menu option for 'on' volume (certainly was in my older Blue&me radio-d Panda)

...window opening on holding the unlock button is ... handy on approach to the car to wind the windows down

Agree this is a great feature - use it a lot on the Volvo. Handy too to close the windows on parking (by holding lock button). Also, in the Volvo it knows the windows are open and turns the aircon off/down until the windows are fully shut - energy saving feature I suspect (its Volvo's 'Drive' - or Eco - version of the V50.) I don't think the Panda has that level of cleverness...

 

[chris3234]

I know you. An open the windows via the key on a family members 500l so I've never got why they couldn't it isn't all most models
Surly it's just some programming or so you would think

 

[quotethepigeon]

Even the Stilo had it!

I know you. An open the windows via the key on a family members 500l so I've never got why they couldn't it isn't all most models
Surly it's just some programming or so you would think

 

[Neb1]

Odd, as on mine (2018 uConnect), the radio needs to be on 18-20 to be heard, and that is where it is for bluetooth too (but did need to be on nearer 35-40 to hear Bluetooth until I turned the phone up). To stop the radio being too loud on switch on, I think there's a radio menu option for 'on' volume (certainly was in my older Blue&me radio-d Panda)

I have the dab radio? Don't know if that makes a difference. Ideally I'd like to turn up the base radio volume so that I can match it to the Bluetooth volume. Most radios have this option built in, I kinda figured it might be doable via the diagnostic port...