Had a 2023 VW ID4. They literally go out of their way to make your experience worse in many cases.
They have an app, they can read locked state, but can’t lock the car.
Their app/website makes you completely re-sign in and re-accept cookies every month or so that breaks any API usage mildly like HomeAssistant.
The key unlocks the door if you walk to it, 50% chance to re-lock the door when you walk away without interacting with it.
Can detect tire pressure, but they don’t tell you what it is, only if there is “pressure loss”
Backup camera was horrific quality, especially the field of view of a telephoto camera, especially compared to my 2015 Nissan altima
The entertainmrnt console was terible, extremely laggy, and Android auto was the worst experience. It would take between 2 and 15 minutes to connect to android auto with multiple different phones, and it would choose 1 app per phone to not display. My girlfriends’ was her maps app which is insane. Sometimes I would be at my destination before it would connect.
Also putting a trailer hitch on it would have been like 1500-2000€…
For the tire pressure thing, that’s because VW doesn’t actually use sensors in the wheels. They calculate wheel circumference as you’re driving and warn you if it changes, meaning you have a flat. On the one hand, you don’t have to worry about sensors if you have winter tires, but on the other… having it show PSI would be nice.
If you buy a new set of wheels, the pressure sensors for the valve stems also cost extra, and I think have to be paired with the car using a scan tool, depending on the manufacturer. So if you’ve got separate winter and summer tires, the sensors have to get updated each time you change. (Maybe some manufacturers have figured out how to auto-pair based on proximity? but idk)
Of course! You change the entire (en-tyre?) wheel, not just the tyre. I kind of assumed it was a twice a year thing that you would do at a tyre shop.
I imagine its a pain but it must feel good going from slippery summer ones to something that sticks - to ice!?
Many people do just have one set of rims and have a tire shop swap them out. In that case they wouldn’t have to charge the sensors, but you need to pay someone with a tire machine every time then.
I have 2 full sets of wheels so that means I can change them out myself at home, which is particularly useful if there’s ever a surprise early snowstorm or I’ve been procrastinating swapping them.
Having proper snow tires with their soft rubber and special tread pattern definitely makes a huge difference in cold-weather traction.
Even if the road is dry but below freezing, a winter tire will handle a bit better because a summer tire’s rubber is designed for higher temperatures and will go stiff in the cold.
The tread pattern is designed to have snow pack in and stick to it, since snow sliding on snow is actually higher friction than rubber on snow. With the right tires you’ll bottom out your car in the snow before you get stuck from loss of traction.
Pure ice is a bit of a different story. The only real solution for that is tires with metal studs in them, but they’re illegal to use on the public roads in the city because they tear up the asphalt.
Had a 2023 VW ID4. They literally go out of their way to make your experience worse in many cases.
They have an app, they can read locked state, but can’t lock the car.
Their app/website makes you completely re-sign in and re-accept cookies every month or so that breaks any API usage mildly like HomeAssistant.
The key unlocks the door if you walk to it, 50% chance to re-lock the door when you walk away without interacting with it.
Can detect tire pressure, but they don’t tell you what it is, only if there is “pressure loss”
Backup camera was horrific quality, especially the field of view of a telephoto camera, especially compared to my 2015 Nissan altima
The entertainmrnt console was terible, extremely laggy, and Android auto was the worst experience. It would take between 2 and 15 minutes to connect to android auto with multiple different phones, and it would choose 1 app per phone to not display. My girlfriends’ was her maps app which is insane. Sometimes I would be at my destination before it would connect.
Also putting a trailer hitch on it would have been like 1500-2000€…
For the tire pressure thing, that’s because VW doesn’t actually use sensors in the wheels. They calculate wheel circumference as you’re driving and warn you if it changes, meaning you have a flat. On the one hand, you don’t have to worry about sensors if you have winter tires, but on the other… having it show PSI would be nice.
Tell me more about the sensors & winter tyres. They arent a thing where I live.
If you buy a new set of wheels, the pressure sensors for the valve stems also cost extra, and I think have to be paired with the car using a scan tool, depending on the manufacturer. So if you’ve got separate winter and summer tires, the sensors have to get updated each time you change. (Maybe some manufacturers have figured out how to auto-pair based on proximity? but idk)
Of course! You change the entire (en-tyre?) wheel, not just the tyre. I kind of assumed it was a twice a year thing that you would do at a tyre shop.
I imagine its a pain but it must feel good going from slippery summer ones to something that sticks - to ice!?
Many people do just have one set of rims and have a tire shop swap them out. In that case they wouldn’t have to charge the sensors, but you need to pay someone with a tire machine every time then. I have 2 full sets of wheels so that means I can change them out myself at home, which is particularly useful if there’s ever a surprise early snowstorm or I’ve been procrastinating swapping them.
Having proper snow tires with their soft rubber and special tread pattern definitely makes a huge difference in cold-weather traction. Even if the road is dry but below freezing, a winter tire will handle a bit better because a summer tire’s rubber is designed for higher temperatures and will go stiff in the cold. The tread pattern is designed to have snow pack in and stick to it, since snow sliding on snow is actually higher friction than rubber on snow. With the right tires you’ll bottom out your car in the snow before you get stuck from loss of traction. Pure ice is a bit of a different story. The only real solution for that is tires with metal studs in them, but they’re illegal to use on the public roads in the city because they tear up the asphalt.