Want to preheat your Spark? Lock the doors first...

[iletric]

The trippy-est of discoveries yet. This must be Chevy mental process thing I will never be able to crack or penetrate...or care to.

Since our heater got fixed we have actually never tried the preheat feature. So we're pushing that remote button for 4 seconds to start it up, and nothing. Quiet. Not a sound disturbing the neighborhood.

Then we opened the big book. And there it was: The remote preheat will work only if you lock the car. To Chevys credit -- it did.

Okay defenders, give me your side of THIS story. (Just so glad I leased!)

 

[fengshui]

The trippy-est of discoveries yet. This must be Chevy mental process thing I will never be able to crack or penetrate...or care to.

Since our heater got fixed we have actually never tried the preheat feature. So we're pushing that remote button for 4 seconds to start it up, and nothing. Quiet. Not a sound disturbing the neighborhood.

Then we opened the big book. And there it was: The remote preheat will work only if you lock the car. To Chevys credit -- it did.

Okay defenders, give me your side of THIS story. (Just so glad I leased!)

My guess is that it's an additional protection against accidental activation. Two unintentional sequential button presses is a lot less likely than having something heavy in your pocket depress the remote pre-heat button for 4 seconds.

 

[iletric]

Okay then. What happens if the door is locked and you accidentally trip the button?

Seriously folks, what if anything locked or unlocked doors should have to do with the preheat? Let me answer that: nothing. I think it just might be yet another software boo-boo.

 

[Electricbowtie]

My 2012 Volt also requires the lock button twice to honk and then remote start button

 

[Pegasus]

Okay defenders, give me your side of THIS story. (Just so glad I leased!)

I think it's to ensure nobody can hop in the car like would-be thieves or kids without you knowing. I imagine it's a holdover from gas-powered remote starts where a thief could possibly defeat the wheel lock and drive away.

 

[fengshui]

Okay then. What happens if the door is locked and you accidentally trip the button?

Seriously folks, what if anything locked or unlocked doors should have to do with the preheat? Let me answer that: nothing. I think it just might be yet another software boo-boo.

I think you're mis-reading the instructions for remote start. Remote start requires pressing both the lock button, then the remote-start button. If you just hold the remote start button when the car has been locked for some time, without pressing lock first, remote start will not occur. It's a two button combo, not just a long-press of a single button when the car happens to be locked.

 

[iletric]

What is remote start and what purpose does it serve?

I am perfectly happy to hop in my Spark, hit the brake and the power button. What does remote start do that is more than that?

It still does not address the fact that would justify locking the car before heating it up. Is it that Chevy is afraid a homeless man will jump in for a quick warm up if it had been allowed to preheat unlocked? Car is not drive-able without the remote.

In other words: what has locking the car got to do with preheating the car? Nothing. It's yet another stupid quirk one has to take into account, like that "AC" ON business for heat. Now that was a real mind-bender for me. Thank heavens that's behind us...

 

[Nashco]

You really should read the owner's manual. This isn't the first time you've publicly complained about features which are clearly described in there. Also, my car doesn't have an AC on button, not sure what you're talking about.

Bryce

 

[iletric]

You really should read the owner's manual.

That's exactly what I did to figure out why the button would not work...

As far as the "AC" button, here is the link:

http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3528

I warn yee, it's a long, sordid story.

Bottomline for me? Should it really be so complicated that you cannot figure it out intuitively? I mean, how to run heat? Both in cabin or via remote? Both turned out to require mandatory manual reading! Say what? It should be a true no-brainer. It should not be counter-intuitive. It should not go against accepted industry standards. Industry minus Chevy that is.

In fact, Chevy does a lot of things backwards. It has been written up all over this site. I drove Hondas and Japanese cars in general for the last 30+ years. I had no problem transitioning to Leaf. On the other hand, I've had many quirks to smart over while transitioning to Spark. It is practical, and easy on money, and we needed an extra car for my college kid. But I don't think I'd be inerested in Chevy in the future after the lease is over, especially if there is more EV competition in 2016. Which I'm hoping for. Plus new battery from Nisan.

Incidentally, wife loves the Spark. She does not fiddle with anything and asks me if she doesn't know how to do something. So it becomes my headache to solve. Like how to run stupid heat. Whew! That was a weird one! For her and me. But mostly she loves Spark because of one thing: Range.

 

[Nashco]

There is a "TEMP" button but no "AC" button. If you think it's counter intuitive, I dare you to turn the heater off on an early Leaf while still using the fan with low ambient temps. Hint: it's impossible. The Leaf is no miracle machine, it also has goofy HVAC.

Bryce

 

[iletric]

I know. Vampire heat. They fixed it in 2013, I believe.

I guess, it was too late for the Sparkers to add the "red" button next to the "blue" button for AC.

I drive Leaf with all off anyway in winter. I like the cold. And when it gets hot it's AC, which is no big energy issue TG, and it puts vampire heat to rest for the rest of the year.

 

[fengshui]

It still does not address the fact that would justify locking the car before heating it up. Is it that Chevy is afraid a homeless man will jump in for a quick warm up if it had been allowed to preheat unlocked? Car is not drive-able without the remote.

In other words: what has locking the car got to do with preheating the car? Nothing. It's yet another stupid quirk one has to take into account, like that "AC" ON business for heat. Now that was a real mind-bender for me. Thank heavens that's behind us...

You're missing my point. I'm not saying that locking the car has anything to do with pre-starting the climate control. It's all about creating a two-button requirement for this function. My theory is that Chevy wanted to prevent any accidental activation of the climate control, so they require the user to press two buttons to activate it from the remote. So, given that they have one button dedicated to this function, the lock button is the best choice for a second button. Does that make sense? It has nothing to do with locking. That's just an acceptable side-effect.

 

[iletric]

Sorry. Makes no sense at all. How about having to press 2 buttons to activate panic alarm? So there is no accidental there... And what if the door IS locked. And you push it accidentally w/o having to push LOCK.

See, they thought of the accidentals and made it 'hold down 4 seconds' so there ARE NO accidentals. How do you explain THAT?

I'm telling you, it's an oversight, a quirk or most likely a bug that needs to be fixed.

 

[Nashco]

To clarify some misinformation in this thread, you must push both LOCK and REMOTE START buttons in order to turn on the remote start feature (even if the vehicle is already locked). This is in the owner's manual in section 2-4 and 2-7/8/9:

Link to owner's manual

Remote Start

Press and release (LOCK) and then immediately press and hold (REMOTE START) at least four seconds to start the vehicle's heating or air conditioning systems and rear window defogger from outside the vehicle using the RKE transmitter. See Remote Start on page 2-7.

Remote Start

Use remote start to heat or cool the interior when the vehicle is plugged in to maximize electric range by utilizing electricity from the electrical outlet. Normal operation of the system will return after the vehicle has been turned on.

Remote Vehicle Start: This button will be on the RKE transmitter if the vehicle has remote start.

The climate control system will use the previous settings during a remote start. The rear defog may come on during remote start based on cold ambient conditions. The rear defog indicator light does not come on during remote start.

Laws in some local communities may restrict the use of remote starters. For example, some laws require a person using remote start to have the vehicle in view. Check local regulations for any requirements.

If the vehicle is low on electricity, do not use the remote start feature. The vehicle may run out of
electricity.

The RKE transmitter range may be less while the vehicle is running.

Other conditions can affect the performance of the transmitter. See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System on page 2-3.

Activating the Remote Start

To start the vehicle using the remote start feature:

1. Aim the RKE transmitter at the vehicle.
2. Press and release (LOCK).
3. Immediately press and hold (REMOTE START) for at least four seconds or until the turn signal lamps flash.
4. The vehicle will shut off after 20 minutes unless a time extension is done or the (POWER) button is pressed.

After entering the vehicle during a remote start, press the (POWER) on the center stack with the brake
pedal applied to operate as normal.

Extending Vehicle Run Time

The vehicle run time can also be extended by another 20 minutes, if during the first 20 minutes
Steps 1–3 are repeated while the vehicle is running. This provides a total of 40 minutes.

The remote start can only be extended once.

A maximum of two remote starts, or a single start with an extension, are allowed between ignition cycles.

For additional remote starts, press the (POWER) first.

Canceling a Remote Start

To cancel a remote start, do one of the following:

- Aim the RKE transmitter at the vehicle and press and hold (REMOTE START) until the parking lamps turn off.
- Turn on the hazard warning flashers.
- Press the POWER on the center stack with the brake pedal applied, then press the (POWER) again to turn the vehicle off.

Conditions in Which Remote Start Will Not Work

The remote vehicle start feature will not operate if:

- The hood is not closed.
- The hazard warning flashers are on.
- The malfunction indicator lamp is on.
- The electric drive unit coolant temperature is too high.
- Two remote vehicle starts, or a single remote start with an extension, have already been used.
- The vehicle is not in P (Park).

Remember kids, knowledge is power!

Bryce

 

[iletric]

It always comes down to that: read the damn book!

I must have pressed and held power button right after I pressed lock. That's why it worked. I'm going to play with it some more. Good info.

 

[jayfay]

The two button approach is definitely by design. Very intentional in fact. Cabin preconditioning is a regulatory concern amongst others. In fact in the EU, cabin preconditioning is very limited due to the concern of unnecessary emissions. Preventing accidental cabin preconditioning is in the best interest of the car companies and consumers. This in part stems from accidents associated with remote start capabilities on ICE vehicles and potential carbon monoxide poisoning. While we non-ICE drivers don't have to worry about that there are other concerns. One might be if cabin preconditioning occurred accidentally as you were leaving for a trip in a taxi, car plugged in, heater on, electric meter spinning. Of course S/W could turn it off after a specified period of time but how does one determine that amount of time? A commercial for OnStar/Chevy shows a vehicle owner preconditioning his vehicle upon landing in a plane and his family arriving at a preconditioned vehicle, presumably after he and his family retrieved luggage, used restrooms, etc after deplaning. In this use case, how long should preconditioning stay on then? Its not an easy thing to deal with given the expectations of consumers. While it may be more difficult to precondition your Chevy Spark EV by pressing two buttons, it does make sense. Some people may not like it but the added complexity is simply intended to prevent accidental preconditioning conditions. I am sure we could extend this topic for many more pages coming up with use cases as to why you would want to prevent accidental or unintended cabin precondition. If we considered the negative use cases associated to pressing two buttons to precondition your vehicle, the list is likely to be very short. That makes the decision easy for engineering.

 

[jay5729]

Okay then. What happens if the door is locked and you accidentally trip the button?

Seriously folks, what if anything locked or unlocked doors should have to do with the preheat? Let me answer that: nothing. I think it just might be yet another software boo-boo.

It's not a matter of the doors being locked, it's the function of the remote, (or Onstar app). In order to initiate the auto-start/preheat you have to push the lock button first, then the auto-start within a few seconds.

In addition, the pre-heater will only run 20 minutes, then shut off. You can extend the run time an additional 20 minutes (I think it's 20 minutes) but only one time, and after that you can not preheat the car again until you start the car I believe.