Ecosse
Member Since: 07 Jan 2005
Location: Grampian, Scotland
Posts: 889
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| HSE already has Phone Voice Control installed! |
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Was running through the various voice control features, CD radio, sat nav, notepad , when would you believe it I have found that the phone voice control is ready fitted! It works with logical voice tags as per the rest of the system just using the instruction "phone" - I have got it to enter numbers into its Directory ie stored memory & allseems to work well (am still trying to establish what the command is for answering calls but dialing are by directory or just talking the number out! However one I ask it to dial a directory number it just says sorry no phone fitted!!!!
What it does establish is that the HSE (or any with the voice control) surely do not need the accessory Voice Control Unit (which is £150) but just the Bluetooth Handsfree Telephone system installation kit (£190), (+ fitting) which is not bad for a car kit where the microphoen quality judging from the payback is quite good. What I still have to find out (& LR are delaying in giving me an operation manual/spec sheet for the phone) is whether the "phone" button, display and keypad on the infotainment system in any way work with the kit. I know the current view is "no" but as the existing voice control is on the same BUS as the radio, & satnav & assuming it will indeed be used for the phone, there woudl seem to be some degree of integration.
Has anyone had a LR car kit installed or een one yet?
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 16th Jan 2005 5:55 pm |
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Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
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My dealer has had a chap from LR down to do some training and has told them that an intergrated kit will be available, but no date as yet.
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| 17th Jan 2005 8:28 am |
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Ecosse
Member Since: 07 Jan 2005
Location: Grampian, Scotland
Posts: 889
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Hi Pelyma - if you can press your dealer to get any details at all about the functionality of that kit (I am assumingit is an accessory dealer fit kit?) could you let us know as it is a source of considerable mystery!!
In particular what many owners are trying to find out is what controls on the radio will integrate with it (eg the keypad, display, phone button), or whether the display in the dashboard is used, whether Caller ID is displayed anywhere and how to actually answer an incoming call. Also, what phones it is compatible with & whether a phone docking/charging bay & an external pod aerial (where the sat nav mini-dome is on the rear roof) is also available (as per Range Rover) or if it is just bluetooth.
Well done in getting the info!! - hopefully your dealer will know the above (mine doesn't & LR won't tell!)
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| 17th Jan 2005 8:49 am |
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simon
Member Since: 11 Jan 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 18296
  
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Maybe we should let all our 'kept in the dark' dealers know once we get the info ?
This feels like being on the computer industry with all this user pressure and need for info... not the car industry where we expect things to just work as per the manual and marketing blurb 
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| 17th Jan 2005 12:54 pm |
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Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
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Hi Ecosse, I have spoken to him today and I was told there will be 2 systems a Bluetooth one (which he didn't rate due to a lack of functionality) it will be out in a month or so and then in 3-4 months a cradel version that will use the radio key pad for definate and believed to use the radio display and voice control, but the price may be as much as £600  He felt it will use Nokia phones, but will let me know when he knows for certain. Unusually he is a salesman that isn't full of you know what and doesn't make things up like most when they don't know.
On a different note he had heard the pre heater programmer is to be removed on a software update  Some update!
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| 17th Jan 2005 3:22 pm |
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Neil R
Member Since: 09 Dec 2004
Location: wakefield/West Yorkshire
Posts: 179
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Hi
I want my preheated as it was one of the reasons I ordered the car
If the preheater is to be taken away from us when it was a listed feature where will we stand as they will have not supplied the car as advertised.
Neil
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| 17th Jan 2005 4:47 pm |
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Ecosse
Member Since: 07 Jan 2005
Location: Grampian, Scotland
Posts: 889
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Pelyma - thanks - sounds as if it might be worth waiting & seeing the 2 versions installed (bearing in mind LR's track record of delivered features being different from those promised!)
Neil - looking at the literature I think it was described as a "fuel burning heater" - can't find any mention of timer facility anywhere!, but it is a much demanded feature, especially in the States/Canada I do however support your views as I found a lot of the earlier marketing, especially the website, to be misleading. I raised this with LR Customer Services & their attitude was very much that they would put whatever they wanted on the website but didn't have to actually deliver it as they had a small disclaimer (effectively saying the contents mightn't be correct!!). My view is that contractually this may work but that it would still fall foul of the Advertising Standards rules - best bet (provided you have a copy of the relevant details) is to complain to ASA & also to Trading Standards who have power to fine them. If you feel you have been mis-sold through effectively a misrepresentation, then why not look at the cost of getting the Webasto (?) add on controller & take LR to Small Claims Court for a misrepresentation???!! (My own gripe is over the way the car was portrayed to be Bluetooth enabled which turns out not to be the case - I've got copies of the website etc so I'm thinking of getting the Bluetooth kit installed & then pursuing them for reimbursement in the courts here in Scotland which should give them a logistical headache!) Unfortunately what we are dealing with is a large American company that may think it can do as it likes!
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| 17th Jan 2005 8:11 pm |
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Gareth
Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26767
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Hmm typical. Fix the symptom, not the cause. I suppose it is cheaper to remove the feature than to actually fix it. If they can't make it come on at a preset time, then why is it called a pre-heater? I may ask the dealer to disable it if they can't make it pre-heat. IMO it is a waste of fuel having it to just help the engine warm up a bit quicker. I drive lots of long distance on fast roads most of the time. So a slightly slower warm up would not be a problem.
I will not be happy if this rumour is true.
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| 17th Jan 2005 11:09 pm |
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DiscoMad
Member Since: 11 Jan 2005
Location: Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Posts: 190
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Quote:IMO it is a waste of fuel having it to just help the engine warm up a bit quicker. I drive lots of long distance on fast roads most of the time. So a slightly slower warm up would not be a problem
Maybe you havnt used the pre-heater yet ?? If you did it might change your view.
On an icy morning with frosted windows and cold interior, having a 5KW heater pump warm water through the interior heating system and the engine is not only less wear than running the engine, but I would suspect cost much less fuel than running the cold engine whilst you battle with the ice on the windows. Plus there is the benefit of a fully de-iced car windows and warm interior. Try it !
In my opinion, It is not acceptable to remove a feature from your vehicle after it has been bought. What will they do next ? take away Terrain Response because it doesnt have a programme for the wrong kind of mud ?
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| 18th Jan 2005 7:37 am |
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Ecosse
Member Since: 07 Jan 2005
Location: Grampian, Scotland
Posts: 889
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DiscoMad - yes I agree that it is unacceptable to have features taken away!! This is however a common problem with software packages & I suppose we should have forseen that with the Disco3 being so computerised there was a similar risk here.
I think LR will point out that it has always been described as an auxiliary fuel heater & that there was no intention to have a timer facility (but having seen the timer we are surely entitled to expect it to work) - its real purpose is the engine heat up time & certainly in the UK there would only be a few days a year that I would want to run the heater in advance of getting into the car. Suggest a lot of pressure on LR, threat of legal action for cost of fitting a timer & complain to Trading Standards!!
The system apparently only comes on if the outside temperature is below x degrees (6 I think) & the engine is also below a preset temperature - but it does use extra fuel on my testing & there is no way of manually overriding it (other than perhaps disconnecting it!!)
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| 18th Jan 2005 8:12 am |
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Gareth
Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26767
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Correct, I would dearly love to be able to climb into an already warm car! Like this morning! more snow again. That would be worth the extra fuel.
What I meant was IF Land Rover don't make it work as a pre-heater, then they should at least put something into the system to allow us to switch it off. The manual does tell you to switch it off before refuelling, but does not tell (and I can't find) a way of doing this.
Anyway, it will be spring soon, and we will (and probably Land Rover if we let them) forget about it until next winter!
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| 18th Jan 2005 8:40 am |
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Ecosse
Member Since: 07 Jan 2005
Location: Grampian, Scotland
Posts: 889
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Gareth wrote:
What I meant was IF Land Rover don't make it work as a pre-heater, then they should at least put something into the system to allow us to switch it off. The manual does tell you to switch it off before refuelling, but does not tell (and I can't find) a way of doing this.
Gareth - I have already raised this with the dealer & they say there is no way to manually turn it off!!! - another software flaw?
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| 18th Jan 2005 8:51 am |
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Gareth
Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26767
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I eagerly await the update! It would be really good if Land Rover would actually tell me when one is available, but somehow I doubt they will.
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| 18th Jan 2005 8:44 pm |
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