Economically I'm kind of stuck with my ID for a few more years, but if they would do something like this then it wouldn't be so painful...

I'm with you Eric! It could shift my view of my otherwise fine ID.4.

 

I suppose somebody could figure out how to retrofit the new computers from the 2024 and later cars into the older cars… but it would probably cost as much as getting a new car!

 

Yeah mine has randomly decided to flip my interior lights from red to eye hurting blue.

 

Did you change drive modes? The color can change with different modes.

 

I think that by most accounts I've read, the Volvo system simply doesn't work. It's not a matter of slowness or bugginess; it's not delivering.

Our early production ID.4s, by comparison, yeah they've got some bugs, they could be faster, but in general with 3.x software installed they are pretty stable for most owners.

It's plainly evident to me that there are ID.4s that have problems above and beyond what the average owner experiences, and I believe those have faulty hardware or possibly a bad software load, and require VW to acknowledge this and get to the root cause (presumably resolved with an ICAS swap, but who knows, maybe it's a bad / buggy module downstream).

Yet I also feel those are exceptional cases, not what most of us experience, and certainly worlds better than what Volvo owners are going through.

On the other hand, of VW offered a hardware upgrade, I sure wouldn't say no!

 

Unfortunately, what those Volvo buyers and early ID.4 buyers experienced is not that uncommon when it comes to a a new model with very different features comes out.

But, yes, the severity varies. If anyone wants to minimize such problems it is generally best to wait a few years before jumping in.

All of these companies could do a better job but there is always pressure to get to production with minimal delay as the development stage is expensive and can be "never ending" to make things perfect.

Tesla, considered the gold standard for EVs (why, I don't know), continues to have significant software issues despite their numerous OTAs or perhaps because of them.

I have a degree in engineering. Perhaps that's why I am often sceptical of some new developments and not as impressed as some folks with some technologies as some "improvements" are done simply to do it differently.
At least my 2024 is operating and behaving as designed and expected ( knocking on wood) so far.

It would be great if VW could update/upgrade UI software and hardware but I am sure it would be difficult and/or expensive.

 

All of these companies could do a better job but there is always pressure to get to production with minimal delay as the development stage is expensive and can be "never ending" to make things perfect.

A major part of this problem is, unlike hardware that needs to be locked down at some fixed date prior to production, software can be worked on continuously up to launch.

With OTA, that work is planned to continue indefinitely, so software never truly "goes gold" like the olden days of CDs and cartridges (or tapes & floppies, bleach).

And it stands to reason that if there is a deal breaking bug in the hardware, it may never be noticed in time because the software is constantly in some form of beta for the foreseeable future.

I mean shoot the ID.3 launched with 1.9 which was not ready for prime time, and basically a beta of 2.0. But even 2.0 and its variants I will argue were just betas for 3.1, which was finally an acceptable release candidate.

 

I'd take the criticism in this article with a bucket of salt, since they are complaining about features that the EX90 does not even have. E.g. wired CarPlay support.
Perhaps they'd known if they would have read the manual instead of complaining.
Should VW do the same for the ID.4? As owner of one I'd say hell yes!

 

@Nai3t is right… our cars work fine. They may be a bit slow to “boot up” when you get in, but the backup camera work fine, the instruments work fine, the infotainment works fine once it’s done booting up. They’re just Volkswagens…

I’m active on the Polestar forum due to my 2, and the 3’s have a ton of issues that they share with their EX90 platform mates… a high percentage of bad AC chargers, bad HVAC dampers, wiring harnesses prone to water infiltration, a daily 1-2% battery drain to keep the computer running, not to mention all the software bugs … some of which cause the car to go into turtle mode, not unlock the doors, etc. Even replacing the central computer, assuming they get all the software fixed, will leave you with a car that needs several major upgrades or repairs at a dealer to get to 100%. Plus, they have a 2026 EX90 already announced and coming soon with all the new parts from the factory, plus 800v charging…