2018 XC90 D5 - Polestar Optimisation
Discussion
Bogsye said:
Despite this being a manufacturer approved upgrade/option of less than 10% peak power, in fact 8% to be more exact, some insurers won't touch it. The insurer with the big red telephone point blank won't touch any form of remap. In some respects I understand that's their policy/risk profile, however it shows a disconnect between what Volvo is supplying and the way it's portrayed to the insurance industry. No amount of referring it back to underwriting had an effect. As a result I had to move it out of a relatively new policy onto an aletrnative. Granted there were no cancelaltion fees, but it was a bit of admin that needed to be done.
That's really silly, considering that the "remap" could also be considered a bug fix. For all we know, manufacturers tweak their ECU and TCU maps all the time to change behaviour. Consider Jaguar dealers applying software updates that delete snap, crackle and pop exhaust sounds without customer consent. Or dealers reprogramming VW cars after the dieselgate scandal. Does big red telephone company refuse to touch those too? Or only ones which increase performance? What if you'd bought the car used and had no idea what Polestar Optimisation is, had assumed it was one of the standard driving modes and had insured the car as unmodified?What if the software update is to remove some hesitancy which makes the car more responsive and therefore safer when pulling away from junctions and roundabouts?
I think the insurance companies should be making a distinction between 3rd party remaps used to significantly increase the performance of a vehicle, and a manufacturer-approved update which improves driveability without changing the performance class of the vehicle.
We have multi cover with them. The wife’s new Mini Cooper S is under £200 and she’s 31.
They were excellent when she was involved in an accident. None fault after we provided evidence of the girl boasting about how she caused the crash on Facebook. LOL.
Her then Mini went to Chartwell for repair. Some lovely metal in there. Did Shmeeeeeees Senna repair. The invoice was scary. We though it would be written off but it went through.
They were excellent when she was involved in an accident. None fault after we provided evidence of the girl boasting about how she caused the crash on Facebook. LOL.
Her then Mini went to Chartwell for repair. Some lovely metal in there. Did Shmeeeeeees Senna repair. The invoice was scary. We though it would be written off but it went through.
LunarOne said:
That's really silly, considering that the "remap" could also be considered a bug fix. For all we know, manufacturers tweak their ECU and TCU maps all the time to change behaviour. Consider Jaguar dealers applying software updates that delete snap, crackle and pop exhaust sounds without customer consent. Or dealers reprogramming VW cars after the dieselgate scandal. Does big red telephone company refuse to touch those too? Or only ones which increase performance? What if you'd bought the car used and had no idea what Polestar Optimisation is, had assumed it was one of the standard driving modes and had insured the car as unmodified?
What if the software update is to remove some hesitancy which makes the car more responsive and therefore safer when pulling away from junctions and roundabouts?
I think the insurance companies should be making a distinction between 3rd party remaps used to significantly increase the performance of a vehicle, and a manufacturer-approved update which improves driveability without changing the performance class of the vehicle.
As I understand some insurance companies do banding of the peakpower increase. 0-10%, 11-20% etc.. That's useful as an appraoch. What if the software update is to remove some hesitancy which makes the car more responsive and therefore safer when pulling away from junctions and roundabouts?
I think the insurance companies should be making a distinction between 3rd party remaps used to significantly increase the performance of a vehicle, and a manufacturer-approved update which improves driveability without changing the performance class of the vehicle.
Indeed the separation of 3rd party remaps and remaps that those supported by the manufacturer would be great. It claims to not harm the mpg. I wonder if the car had to be type approved all over again, and face it's emmissions testing would it be the same, better or worse?
Also, you're right, the hesitancy has been ironed out. I've often thought that hesitancy is exactly the type of thing that increases the chance of being rear ended, so it's a win, for the insuarance company, albeit it could never be statistically defined as such.
I'm not to bothered about an increase in bhp, but the better torque spread and gearbox characteristic seem a bit marginal as a 'modification' as such.. It's a pity, and also surprising. Sabb had been at this game for years with Hirsch remaps offered by the dealers. It made me think of what other manufacturers offer upgrades like these? Only Saab sprang to mind. Alpina is a bit of an extreme, and that's in essence a different model they are producing. Can't think of any others.
PT1984 said:
We have multi cover with them. The wife’s new Mini Cooper S is under £200 and she’s 31.
They were excellent when she was involved in an accident. None fault after we provided evidence of the girl boasting about how she caused the crash on Facebook. LOL.
Her then Mini went to Chartwell for repair. Some lovely metal in there. Did Shmeeeeeees Senna repair. The invoice was scary. We though it would be written off but it went through.
I'm with you there - Simillar experience on a claim. They were great to deal with. 20 years ago I had someone make a right turn across my path and I barrelled into their side. My little 206Gti was 3 days off being a year old. The claim process was excellent. They didn't even make me pay my excess. Car was promptly repaired, and that was that. They were excellent when she was involved in an accident. None fault after we provided evidence of the girl boasting about how she caused the crash on Facebook. LOL.
Her then Mini went to Chartwell for repair. Some lovely metal in there. Did Shmeeeeeees Senna repair. The invoice was scary. We though it would be written off but it went through.
Admiral asked for power increase and they do it in bands. So I quoted the under 10% figure. That’s peak, but the believe the mid range increase is more....
I pushed that it was Volvo installed software. And you can buy i new car with it installed from factory. She did delve quite deep into why I wanted such a modification. I went with better economy, which in fairness is improved!
I pushed that it was Volvo installed software. And you can buy i new car with it installed from factory. She did delve quite deep into why I wanted such a modification. I went with better economy, which in fairness is improved!
Volvo have a poor record with auto transmissions from both a performance and longevity point of view, the fundamental problem is that they are using a transverse engine layout and the end-on automatic gearboxes that fit are half the size of an automatic box designed for a longitudinal engine. I've never used an autobox for transverse use that is anywhere near as good as a contemporary longitudinal auto.
If you drive something with a ZF8 it really shows up how poor the 8 speed AWF8 / TG-81SC gearbox Volvo are using is. I think the XC90 is probably the most expensive car it's fitted to by some considerable margin (2nd place would be the Disco Sport).
If you drive something with a ZF8 it really shows up how poor the 8 speed AWF8 / TG-81SC gearbox Volvo are using is. I think the XC90 is probably the most expensive car it's fitted to by some considerable margin (2nd place would be the Disco Sport).
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 2nd September 21:33
Thanks for those thoughts, I'll be paying more attention to the physical layouts and transmissions in the future.
In other news, I dropped by the dealership to collect the documents, and the Polestar Badge. Looks like it's a bit downgraded from the previous packages. From what I saw they used to provide placement instructions , a template to locate the badge, and an alcohol wipe to clean the area before applying the badge. . there may even have been a key ring in days gone by.
Now they provide this
The badge - great, albeit not in the fetching blue colour it once was.
The certificate, not filled in - hmmh. This is the level of service that seems to come hand in hand.
A piece of aluminium plate - Yes, really (1.65mm thick it proudly boasts), with an image of an S60 'laser etched' onto it, as a 'proof of purchase' - now I'm lost. I've got an XC90, and to be honest it just seems a pointless item. If I was 10 years old, it might be great, but...In all honesty it looks like tat.
The lack of instructions is a pain. Not entirely sure if the badge is in addition to what's there, or the expectation is to remove one? This has got OCD overload written all over it.
Here's a photo - same colour and trim
My thought is to place the new Polestar badge to the left of the D5 badge. Anywhere else just seems out of place or create a lack of symetry.
In other news, I dropped by the dealership to collect the documents, and the Polestar Badge. Looks like it's a bit downgraded from the previous packages. From what I saw they used to provide placement instructions , a template to locate the badge, and an alcohol wipe to clean the area before applying the badge. . there may even have been a key ring in days gone by.
Now they provide this
The badge - great, albeit not in the fetching blue colour it once was.
The certificate, not filled in - hmmh. This is the level of service that seems to come hand in hand.
A piece of aluminium plate - Yes, really (1.65mm thick it proudly boasts), with an image of an S60 'laser etched' onto it, as a 'proof of purchase' - now I'm lost. I've got an XC90, and to be honest it just seems a pointless item. If I was 10 years old, it might be great, but...In all honesty it looks like tat.
The lack of instructions is a pain. Not entirely sure if the badge is in addition to what's there, or the expectation is to remove one? This has got OCD overload written all over it.
Here's a photo - same colour and trim
My thought is to place the new Polestar badge to the left of the D5 badge. Anywhere else just seems out of place or create a lack of symetry.
Thanks Tim - that’s interesting. I ended up with mine to the left of the D5.
Time for my thoughts on it.
It’s been a while since I got the upgrade and we had a run from Glasgow up to Aviemore for half term.
In terms of mpg I’d say it’s every so slightly better. Instead of 35mpg it achieved 36mpg on Comfort. In general, on a steady run the mpg is very stable and rarely changes.
On the way back I tried Eco which I used to loathe. It was actually okay. Consumption peaked at 42mpg through the roadworks but settled out onto an average of 37mpg for the journey.
The upgrade certainly hasn’t harmed the fuel consumption.
In relation to how it drives day to day Id say I am still really happy with it. I’d probably go as far to say it has improved the enjoyment of general driving. Previously it felt very cumbersome when approaching corners and exiting them. It simply feels more competent.
On the power side of things the extra torque is useful. It’s not earth shattering, but it has a sense of urgency and capability that suits the nature and value of the car.
Gear changes are still better as it the reduction it hesitancy when doing rolling starts. Still not perfect, but within the limits of what an auto box and smallish capacity engine can do in such a heavy car.
As mentioned before it’s remarkable that Volvo did such a poor job on the software. I guess the sales figures probably do the talking, and target market perhaps doesn’t value this.
In conclusion I’m glad I did have the upgrade and I’d probably have regretted getting rid of it.
Time for my thoughts on it.
It’s been a while since I got the upgrade and we had a run from Glasgow up to Aviemore for half term.
In terms of mpg I’d say it’s every so slightly better. Instead of 35mpg it achieved 36mpg on Comfort. In general, on a steady run the mpg is very stable and rarely changes.
On the way back I tried Eco which I used to loathe. It was actually okay. Consumption peaked at 42mpg through the roadworks but settled out onto an average of 37mpg for the journey.
The upgrade certainly hasn’t harmed the fuel consumption.
In relation to how it drives day to day Id say I am still really happy with it. I’d probably go as far to say it has improved the enjoyment of general driving. Previously it felt very cumbersome when approaching corners and exiting them. It simply feels more competent.
On the power side of things the extra torque is useful. It’s not earth shattering, but it has a sense of urgency and capability that suits the nature and value of the car.
Gear changes are still better as it the reduction it hesitancy when doing rolling starts. Still not perfect, but within the limits of what an auto box and smallish capacity engine can do in such a heavy car.
As mentioned before it’s remarkable that Volvo did such a poor job on the software. I guess the sales figures probably do the talking, and target market perhaps doesn’t value this.
In conclusion I’m glad I did have the upgrade and I’d probably have regretted getting rid of it.
MInor update on this.
The insurance side of this has become an absolute pain in the chops.
Last year's premium was £459.00 and this year became an alarming £1700.00. This was via a specilaist broker. I managed to get that down to £1224.00 with the Polestar Optimisation, but that's quite a lot for what it is.
Getting quotes without the remap it's £671.00 which acknowledges the expected market rise of insurance premiums. The big problem is that as soon as you indicate a modifiaction the main highstreet insurers decline. Despite trying to discuss it, and justify it as a genuine Volvo Accessory that does not impact warranty, and only increases peak power by 2%, they simply won't wear it - call centre mentality I guess.
There's not a chance I'll be paying high premiums for a car of this nature, that let's be honest, the Polestar Optimisation is how Volvo should have supplied it in the first place.
It's a case of have it returned to standard and chuck away the cost of the remap or sell it on.
The insurance side of this has become an absolute pain in the chops.
Last year's premium was £459.00 and this year became an alarming £1700.00. This was via a specilaist broker. I managed to get that down to £1224.00 with the Polestar Optimisation, but that's quite a lot for what it is.
Getting quotes without the remap it's £671.00 which acknowledges the expected market rise of insurance premiums. The big problem is that as soon as you indicate a modifiaction the main highstreet insurers decline. Despite trying to discuss it, and justify it as a genuine Volvo Accessory that does not impact warranty, and only increases peak power by 2%, they simply won't wear it - call centre mentality I guess.
There's not a chance I'll be paying high premiums for a car of this nature, that let's be honest, the Polestar Optimisation is how Volvo should have supplied it in the first place.
It's a case of have it returned to standard and chuck away the cost of the remap or sell it on.
Gassing Station | Volvo & Polestar | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff