r/XC40_Recharge

I got a 2023 XC40 Twin Ultimate a few months ago. It’s my 4th Volvo, and my first EV. I don’t think I could go back to a gas car, but I also think this will be my last Volvo because of one factor: Volvo is absolute dogshit at software. I’m so tired of their cramped and laggy interface, constant crashes and glitches, lack of options or explanations of things, etc. Just scroll through this subreddit, at least half the posts are about weird software issues.

It’s 2026, if you can’t write great software, you can’t make a great car.

Who is using an OBD II reader and diagnostic tool with their Recharge EV?

which reader / software combination are you using, or are you using a tablet with a built in screen?

what sorts of data and/or performance tweaks can you make using your system?

specifically interested in traction battery SoH reports and 12V battery monitoring.

About to pay off my lease buyout on a 23 xc40 Recharge. 33K miles, purchased May 2023. I'm the first owner, and know how solid these cars are mechanically. I Drive about 11k/yr, and this will become my 2nd car in about 3-4 yrs.

I'm debating a platinum warranty to bring total coverage to 10 yrs / 100K miles. Main concerns are HVAC and infotainment failures out in the yr 8-10 timeframe.

I got quoted $4750 including swedespeed discount from steingold. Haven't cross shopped my local dealer but I'm on the fence with that price point vs. investing that 4750 and paying as I go, especially with the power train warranty lasting through May 2031.

What would you do? If both the HVAC and infotainment systems fail then the warranty will pay for itself. Classic insurance dilemma, I know, but what would you do in my situation?

I don’t think this is available, but I would LOVE the ability to set a cabin threshold when exceeding a certain temperature the A/C will turn on (or heat).

Would also require setting a battery % threshold in the event you didn’t want to go below X% SOC.

what does it even do, and does it really save me time?

so if i'm on a road trip and the google recommends a charging stop to me because my SoC won't get to to the end, does that precondition the battery before i arrive?

if i program in my own charging destination by clicking on the screen icon for the stations it shows, does that precondition the battery before i arrive?

if i search the google for a charging station by location or name, even tho is it not showing up as one of the icons for charging, does that precondition the battery before i arrive?

if i use the APP to find a charging location and drill down thru the black circles to where it presents me with a list of charging stations by ID#, does that precondition the battery before i arrive?

should i even bother worrying about any of this?

Are yall tinting your moon roofs? I’m in Texas it’s not necessarily hot in the car it’s just too much light for me. How are most of yall handling this? How much was your tint job?

installed the latest update only to find it VERY insistent that i st-up gemini. not gonna do it. now or ever. turned off my notifications but, guess what, I'm still getting the gemini set-up notifications. help me make it go away?

Updated to 5.1.17 UK about a week ago. All seemed working well. MY23 FWD. Tusker lease

Three days later- lost all audio. Reading through these subs, did the IHU reset. Did a TCAM front defrost reset. It worked (SOS light blink etc)

Yesterday cleared the Google Maps cache and storage and did a force stop

The network connection (through the car) is now lost! Tried the front defroster reset and it doesn’t respond.

Did the voodoo ritual I read somewhere about unlocking and locking the car three times with remote key, and then going in after 15 minutes! No effect!!

Any tips on how to do the connection reset right (maybe I’m missing some steps) or make it work? ? Please help. Thanks!

First road trip in a new (to me) 2024 xc40 recharge, or any EV really.

ignored pending update notifications in the car and on the app because we were headed out that morning and didn't have time for the 90mins required for the update.

unfortunately, at our first stop the car would not accept a DCFS and we tried several different charges on several different networks, none of them would work.

pluged in the cord and the the process looks like it was starting (heard the latch), but then a red light at the charge port and red ERROR warning on the instrument panel.

eventually had to call for volvo roadside assistance to come and tow the vehicle back to a dealer (that was a whole other ordeal i won't go into here).

when back at the dealer, they managed to update the software and since then the vehicle seems to be charging fine.

my question is, is this normal?

do pending software updates prevent the car from charging?

not good.

the car would not take a charge and they were unable to do any troubleshooting over the phone... it seems the only purpose for these operators is to assign a tow truck work order.

what's worse is they apparently pay towing companies so little they will not take the job, or when they do, they try to scam another towing company into taking part of the job... the whole thing just seemed a debacle from the outset and 3rd world in character.

first we waited hours for nothing to happen, and eventually decided to get a room in a nearby motel for the nite, and was assured via text message that a driver would be there the next morning at 9am.

got a call from an earnest sounding guy said he was on his way from city about 60miles away and that he would be there by 11am... (sure sure, at this point).

finally a truck arrives at around 12pm but the driver says he can't pick up the car without the person who called in the tow to be present... the name he had on his ticket was not my name.

lots of furious calling and texting later and it turns out the towing company from 60mi away tried to get this guy to bring the car to them, so they could complete the tow, but since he won't do that (for free?) they will NOW send their guy to pick up the car and it will be another 2hrs with traffic.

i asked the driver who was present how much he would charge me to tow the car to the dealer (130mi away) and he quoted me $1600 cash/credit (red flags everywhere).

at this point an angel descended and offered to put the tow on their AAA Premium card because he overheard our frustration and how we had pets at home that needed us to get back.

that person has my undying gratitude and the first thing i did when we got back was upgrade my AAA membership to Premium because Volvo's roadside assistance is for shit (the 2nd thing i did was send him some money).

do not put your life in the hands of Volvo roadside assistance, they don't care.

I have a 2021 recharge and my lift gate makes a scratching sound when opening and closing. Did it for a while, dealership said they can’t do anything about it(??). Today when I try to close the truck it stops about 3/4 of the way and reopens.

Anyone experienced this?

The infotainment system on our 2022 xc40 recharge regularly restarts itself without warning. Both the dash display and center console simultaneously hard reboot. They go black for about a minute, then come back online slowly. It affects everything - maps, music, A/C, backup cameras, etc. Sometimes it's when the system seems to overheat, like hours into a road trip. Other times it happens within minutes of the car starting. Yesterday it happened twice in a 45 minute trip. Does anyone have experience with this? Any Intel or solutions appreciated.

Hey I can get decision getting my first car, wanted to have Volvo for long time,.but was checking the used market, and found vwid4 same milage, and nearly the same price,

On the paper the ID4 is the winning, has better trunk, interior space, better range .. the only thing is worse is the infotainment system.

So my brain telling me that's the best option.

But my heart still telling me get the Volvo

What I will lose if I get the ID4.

Or what do you guys recommend