2.1 update confirmed

[ID3_Nutter]

I have a family pro edition, build date Nov and it had the older software on it (pre 2.0, so no CarPlay) got the car back from Lookers Volkswagen Walton
Esher Road, Hersham on Friday (they had it for two days) with the latest 2.1 software. The software seems to be working very we, CarPlay works perfectly and I’ve not had any spurious motor / airbag / steering failure message after driving 100 miles since yesterday which is a first !

This particular dealer has been very good, they’re responsive and solved the problems highlighted to them so I can’t fault them.

The only thing that’s not great is the scrolling speed of the menu both in and out of CarPlay - it’s extremely slow like on a very old tablet, I’d expect it to be smooth like an iPad or Tesla on such a new car, I hope they can improve that with future updates.

Overall the car is 95% where it should be which is promising.

VW should do everything they can to get this right, I’ve had so many people come up to me asking me what’s the car like and they’re thinking of buying one..... I’ve always said mechanically it’s fine, however the software is rubbish, I can now be a better advert for VW.

[hwhbev]

Unfortunately I join the list of people whose ID.3 has failed the 2.1 update because the "gateway control unit is faulty" and needs to be replaced. I will update this post when I find out how long I'm going to have to wait for one to be delivered to my dealer.

If we, the owners of these cars, are annoyed at the frailty of this car, just imagine what the dealers must be going through.....

I’ve just been told by my dealer that they’ve been given an estimated date for receiving a new gateway control unit of 23rd March. Fingers crossed.

I reckon that the control unit is not failing per se. I suspect the hardware version installed in the early 1st Editions is too old for the new software. Unfortunately we’re dealing with motor mechanics and not IT professionals so they don’t think to check version numbers before they start the upgrade. It’s more of a suck it and see approach........ IMHO.

scott28tt - when they told me that my update had failed they said that it was half way through so I am guessing that my ID.3 is unusable until they can complete the update. You are lucky that yours failed at the start. Or maybe they checked the hardware version before they started.

Well the 23rd came and went. I was told the control unit should arrive on the 24th. Then on the 24th I was told it will be the 1st April, which means no car until after Easter - over three weeks. So I've reconnected with the VW Executive Office to let them know how unhappy I am. My Polo "courtesy car" (that's a joke - a replacement should be my right when a new car is off the road due to a manufacturing fault) that I've had for nearly two weeks will be returned in exchange for the dealer's ID.3. At least I'll have an EV for however long it takes to get my car upgraded.....

Having been told the 1st April then the 7th, I have been told today that they expect the part to arrive on 30th March. Let's see. At least I'm now driving a loaner ID.3 Life.

@Jono and @id73 – I've not had any issues with a lack of communication from VW. My issue is the message they have been conveying, i.e. delays with the replacement control unit. Vertu Motors (Hereford) have been good at keeping me informed. The person assigned to my case at VW UK (Executive Office) has also been very helpful – she phones me regularly, keeps me updated with progress, and communicates with her contacts at the dealership and in the parts supply chain. I initially started this dialogue by emailing executive.office@volkswagen.co.uk (replies come from customerservices@volkswagen.co.uk) and was given a case reference and assigned a person to liaise with me. At least they try even though their hands are tied with spare parts supply chain issues.

[simonrg]

@Jono and @id73 – I've not had any issues with a lack of communication from VW. My issue is the message they have been conveying, i.e. delays with the replacement control unit. Vertu Motors (Hereford) have been good at keeping me informed. The person assigned to my case at VW UK (Executive Office) has also been very helpful – she phones me regularly, keeps me updated with progress, and communicates with her contacts at the dealership and in the parts supply chain. I initially started this dialogue by emailing executive.office@volkswagen.co.uk (replies come from customerservices@volkswagen.co.uk) and was given a case reference and assigned a person to liaise with me. At least they try even though their hands are tied with spare parts supply chain issues.

A couple of questions / comments:

• My VW customer service person contacts me by phone regularly, however I send detailed emails of issues and get back single word or single sentence replies. So on a couple of occasions we have heard different things during telephone calls i.e. it will be fixed by 26th February versus we will tell you when it might be fixed by 26th February.
• Do you get substantive email replies or do all the substantive replies come in the phone calls?
• I feel are being generous to VW to say that the spare parts supply chain issues are not in their hands. VW choose the suppliers, VW are I assume still producing ID.3s/ID.4s in Germany so the maximum time it should take for you to get the spare parts is the time from Germany to UK as the factory will have stock, not the time for it takes for the original supplier to supply. Otherwise isn't this is similar to VW prioritising avoiding EU grants over customers getting market ready vehicles.
• In both cases VW should be open, and share the pain or give the customer some of the gain, which I don't feel they are doing.
• Am I missing something?

Anyway I hope your gateway controller arrives tomorrow and all is fixed rapidly.
My ID.3 went into today for the second attempt, as they spotted the windscreen was broken and so couldn't proceed until I got the windscreen replaced.

[Jono]

It’s nice that some people are getting reasonable service from VW UK support, sadly that wasn’t my experience.

I also logged a call, was provided a case reference and advised I would be called by my assigned handler within 48 hours - I wasn’t

After waiting a full 4 days, I called to progress and was told my case handler was off. I politely asked if someone else could pick it up - I was told they’d call back - they didn’t

A further 2 days with no contact came and went. Another call - I was told I’d a new case handler who would call.

8 days after initial call was logged - I finally spoke to the case handler. He told me quite bluntly that they had no update and said they were not aware of any other ID3 failing to update to 2.1.

I tried to discuss but gave up, he had no interest in trying to help

I must however say, my dealer has been good - just a pity the manufacturer, in my case, has been useless.

[hwhbev]

A couple of questions / comments:

1. My VW customer service person contacts me by phone regularly, however I send detailed emails of issues and get back single word or single sentence replies. So on a couple of occasions we have heard different things during telephone calls i.e. it will be fixed by 26th February versus we will tell you when it might be fixed by 26th February.
2. Do you get substantive email replies or do all the substantive replies come in the phone calls?
3. I feel are being generous to VW to say that the spare parts supply chain issues are not in their hands. VW choose the suppliers, VW are I assume still producing ID.3s/ID.4s in Germany so the maximum time it should take for you to get the spare parts is the time from Germany to UK as the factory will have stock, not the time for it takes for the original supplier to supply. Otherwise isn't this is similar to VW prioritising avoiding EU grants over customers getting market ready vehicles.
4. In both cases VW should be open, and share the pain or give the customer some of the gain, which I don't feel they are doing.
5. Am I missing something?

In answer to your points/questions:

1. I've had moving dates too. It doesn't fill you with much confidence when they keep changing. I've now had 5 dates for when the control unit is due at the dealer.
2. Phone calls. Nothing is written down. I wonder why....
3. I agree that corporately VW is setting the priorities. I was only being "generous" to the customer support person assigned to my case in that she is probably doing her best within the huge organisation. I fully agree with you that VW must be prioritising parts for new vehicles over spares for existing vehicles. That's not going to change until VW start getting some bad press over this. I did suggest to my dealer today that VW stop production of new vehicles until they have fulfilled the backlog of spares for faults on existing cars. I might as well have been shouting into the wind.
4. Agree 100%.
5. No you haven't missed anything. Except we are dealing with a company where evidently customer satisfaction is not their number 1 priority. They've said that by 2023 they will have invested $30 billion into EVs. Their priority will be to recoup that investment ASAP. A few unhappy customers waiting a few weeks longer for spare parts is not going to change anything. A regrettable but sad truth.

I didn't mean to come across as being full of praise for VW. I've given both my dealer and my customer service person a piece of my mind today. But they are at least communicating with me which it seems, unfortunately, not everyone in this forum is having the same experience. I genuinely feel sorry for you.

[simonrg]

I didn't mean to come across as being full of praise for VW. I've given both my dealer and my customer service person a piece of my mind today. But they are at least communicating with me which it seems, unfortunately, not everyone in this forum is having the same experience. I genuinely feel sorry for you.

Thanks for your detailed reply, you didn't come across as being full of praise, just slightly too forgiving. However there was a wise man who said change the things you can change and don't worry about the things you can't, I am being a bit naive to hope I can change VW.
My situation is currently frustrating / disappointing as I can still drive the car (may be speaking too soon as only 1st day of upgrade), when compared to a spare part taking weeks which leaves cars at dealers.

[RDR]

After jinxing things with my post last week our Id3 is going back to the dealers tomorrow for an unspecified amount of time. They have a brand new ID3 loaner waiting for us and say they will need it for “some time”.

Main problems

Random telemetry failures
Warning light failures
Rear indicator bulb warning with fast flashing
New Squeaks and rattles
One key faulty, the other key unreliable

2.1 for me clearly has issues.

There are numerous little glitches in the UX too which I would look past but with the telemetry issue it’s unroadworthy at the moment.

[G43FAN]

[*]I feel are being generous to VW to say that the spare parts supply chain issues are not in their hands. VW choose the suppliers, VW are I assume still producing ID.3s/ID.4s in Germany so the maximum time it should take for you to get the spare parts is the time from Germany to UK as the factory will have stock, not the time for it takes for the original supplier to supply. Otherwise isn't this is similar to VW prioritising avoiding EU grants over customers getting market ready vehicles.
[*]In both cases VW should be open, and share the pain or give the customer some of the gain, which I don't feel they are doing.
[*]Am I missing something?
[/list]
Anyway I hope your gateway controller arrives tomorrow and all is fixed rapidly.
My ID.3 went into today for the second attempt, as they spotted the windscreen was broken and so couldn't proceed until I got the windscreen replaced.

I can see your point of view here, but that is unfortunately not how supply chain works. Your spares don't come off a factory production line the factory are just a customer as we are for spares. The Supplier will have supply demands from the factory in order to ensure that production doesn't cease, modern factory production involves to the minute delivery not warehouses full of stockpiled parts, the supplier will be prioritising factory supply because that is what they're contract states.
Assuming VW didn't have any indicators that this would be an issue then I cannot see why they would have built into their supply contract the release of hundreds of extra units. (assuming this is a Global issue and not just UK based).
I'm not suggesting VW are not at fault, more highlighting that there will be some poor manufacturer here who has a monthly unit deadline, they'll have been asked to increase production probably with no further funding on a product that VW probably beat them down to a price that's less than 50% of whatever it was to start with.

[Deleted User 314]

No update of value today - Aircon not working, update failed, will explain “tomorrow”.

Free loan car documents were resent updated today with a return day of Wednesday, so obviously something is up.

Dealer is a bit pants on communication.

They have now had it for 7 days and extended the loan car for another 5 days, hardly reassuring.

Garage is not returning calls or providing updates, the only communication we have is with the rental department.

I suspect all is not well!

Update today, finally.

1. Replacement Valves for aircon on order, delivery time TBD
2. Replacement front camera for driver assist ordered as (and I quote) the 2.1 update requires a new model of the camera.

I’ve not read that anywhere, anyone else heard that?

No ETA for either, but the free rental is ours until all solved!

Went to the dealer today and waited patiently to speak to someone about the plan.

Apparently the replacement front camera, essential part of the 2.1 update, will not arrive until 15th April earliest, assuming 2 days of testing etc they will have had it for a month.

They communicated proactively with an update exactly zero times and my patience is now spent.

All I want is our car back.

Has anyone else heard this requirement to replace the front camera for the 2.1 update, OR is this a different failed firmware update but they just don’t to tell me that (they know I’m an Electrical Engineer and have seen my eyebrows when they spin some of their yarns.

[Id3 frustration]

Re MPA10 sos hardware fault, I've had the same issue. Took it in to Nottingham VW South for both the SOS system fault and latest software upgrade, I was told to bring my car back home because the SOS system was a hardware fault and had to be replaced. Given date of 28th April to return.

[Deleted User 314]

My replacement SOS module arrives 15th, hopefully a few days of testing then back with us at home on the 19th. Dealer insists it is a part of the upgrade to 2.1, so for my personal amusement I asked them to share the documentation and internal comms proving that fact, suddenly it became a hardware fault with the SOS module. I really would prefer the truth, early adopters tolerate issues such as these if we know there’s a plan and when communication is transparent.