[Ichinisan]

I mostly love the car, but there are some super annoying caveats. Please let me know if there are any work-arounds to these annoyances.

The door locks pinch the $#!& out of my arm every time they suck-in while my arm is resting there. I eat fast food a LOT and I'm fairly tall. It's natural for my arm to rest there when the window is rolled-down and I'm waiting for my card to be returned to me. I usually put the car in "Park" when I'm at the payment window because there's a risk of accidentally stomping the accelerator while I'm awkwardly retrieving my wallet from my back pocket or putting it back. That always causes the doors to unlock, but my arm is there and it immediately retracts again -- so it pinches the $#!& out of my arm again and the person at the window has no idea why I'm swearing.

There's no good place to put a mobile phone or a phone mount.

Disengaging the parking brake is tedious. It really seems like the car is never ready to respond when I am trying to disengage. I'll let go and push the release a dozen times during my attempts to get going, but it seems I don't know exactly which moment is the right moment for the car to be ready for me to disengage the brake. Even worse, the DIC display pretends to test lamps by displaying all of the warning indicators for several seconds when the car is turning on. I have to wait several seconds to be sure that the car has actually disengaged the brake. This one makes me want to find the engineer responsible for this behavior and have a very loud conversation. Sometimes I hear the parking brake begin to disengage, but something during the startup process interrupts it and the brake does not fully disengage until I let off the button and press it again when the time is right. If you use the parking brake the way you are supposed to, it really is a tedious affair to get the car moving each time. Maybe I just need to figure out the correct sequence, but I really wish it was an entirely mechanical parking brake like my brother's cheap Corolla.

Speaking of developing a startup routine...

I still get confused when I thought the car was turned-on but it was actually that fake-out bootup thing and the car is still waiting for me to press the blue Start button.

The first day I bought the used car, I needed to leave a Macbook in the car for a few minutes. Apparently there is no place in the car where a laptop/notebook computer can be completely concealed. I actually had to put it under one of the floor mats!

I keep finding my doors unlocked. I keep finding all of my windows rolled-down. I keep finding the charge port door open. I suppose I'll need to find out if these issues are with the car or with one of my keyfobs. I'll try taking the battery out of the keyfob I have been using and I'll use the other keyfob for a while.

My biggest annoyance is the infotainment system. I never EVER want to hear AM/FM or Sirius ads. I wish there was a way to delete those bands / sources so it wouldn't be possible for it to select those or revert to those. I just want to use my phone with it over Bluetooth. I stopped trying to use my iPhone with a USB connection. That seemed to cause the whole infotainment stack to lock-up occasionally. My library is huge and it's synched through iCloud Music Library (AKA "iTunes Match"), so that probably has something to do with the compatibility issue. I don't want the car to hang for minutes trying to index info for my entire music library, and possibly freeze the whole center stack again -- so I use Bluetooth, but even that malfunctions in every way you could possibly imagine. I often spend several minutes trying to get things going and I often have to give up and start driving with no phone / music connection.

By the way, is there anything I can do with the myChevrolet iOS app while I don't have OnStar service?

 

[ddm2k]

I mostly love the car, but there are some super annoying caveats. Please let me know if there are any work-arounds to these annoyances.

The door locks pinch the $#!& out of my arm every time they suck-in while my arm is resting there. I eat fast food a LOT and I'm fairly tall. It's natural for my arm to rest there when the window is rolled-down and I'm waiting for my card to be returned to me. I usually put the car in "Park" when I'm at the payment window because there's a risk of accidentally stomping the gas while I'm awkwardly retrieving my wallet from my back pocket or putting it back. That always causes the doors to unlock, but my arm is there and it immediately retracts again -- so it pinches the $#!& out of my arm again and the person at the window has no idea why I'm swearing.

There's no good place to put a mobile phone or a phone mount.

Disengaging the parking brake is tedious. It really seems like the car is never ready to respond when I am trying to disengage. I'll let go and push the release a dozen times during my attempts to get going, but it seems I don't know exactly which moment is the right moment for the car to be ready for me to disengage the brake. Even worse, the DIC display pretends to test lamps by displaying all of the warning indicators for several seconds when the car is turning on. I have to wait several seconds to be sure that the car has actually disengaged the brake. This one makes me want to find the engineer responsible for this behavior and have a very loud conversation. Sometimes I hear the parking brake begin to disengage, but something during the startup process interrupts it and the brake does not fully disengage until I let off the button and press it again when the time is right. If you use the parking brake the way you are supposed to, it really is a tedious affair to get the car moving each time. Maybe I just need to figure out the correct sequence, but I really wish it was an entirely mechanical parking brake like my brother's cheap Corolla.

Speaking of developing a startup routine...

I still get confused when I thought the car was turned-on but it was actually that fake-out bootup thing and the car is still waiting for me to press the blue Start button.

The first day I bought the used car, I needed to leave a Macbook in the car for a few minutes. Apparently there is no place in the car where a laptop/notebook computer can be completely concealed. I actually had to put it under one of the floor mats!

I keep finding my doors unlocked. I keep finding all of my windows rolled-down. I keep finding the charge port door open. I suppose I'll need to find out if these issues are with the car or with one of my keyfobs. I'll try taking the battery out of the keyfob I have been using and I'll use the other keyfob for a while.

My biggest annoyance is the infotainment system. I never EVER want to hear AM/FM or Sirius ads. I wish there was a way to delete those bands / sources so it wouldn't be possible for it to select those or revert to those. I just want to use my phone with it over Bluetooth. I stopped trying to use my iPhone with a USB connection. That seemed to cause the whole infotainment stack to lock-up occasionally. My library is huge and it's synched through iCloud Music Library (AKA "iTunes Match"), so that probably has something to do with the compatibility issue. I don't want the car to hang for minutes trying to download info for my entire music library, and possibly freeze the whole center stack again -- so I use Bluetooth, but even that malfunctions in every way you could possibly imagine. I often spend several minutes trying to get things going and I often have to give up and start driving with no phone / music connection.

By the way, is there anything I can do with the myChevrolet iOS app while I don't have OnStar service?

Door locks: Rather vaguely named “Auto Unlock” must be disabled in the infotainment stack on-screen menu.

Windows down / unsolicited unlock: Stand by your car, press and hold the unlock key. Not only will the vehicle unlock, all windows will roll down. This is probably occurring in your pocket. Only you will be able to tell if it’s a sticking button or a rogue key that’s causing the unlock button to be held. I’d imagine the latter, since you’d more than likely be holding the LOCK button instead.

Parking brake: it’s an electronic parking brake, that, when functioning normally, will give an audible whine both engaging and disengaging. The ((P)) light should react swiftly. This transition should last little longer than 1 second, and work predictably with each command. Not last 3 or more seconds and not only work intermittently. Something’s wrong. No trick or setting to help you here.

False start: Forget the main attraction with the fancy graphics, your eyes need to snap to the lower right corner of your instrument cluster display and look for READY . If you do not see this, it most certainly is not ready for any kind of gear change or movement.

Infotainment / radio is useless: Not sure about 2013 with streaming audio but my 2012 won’t show me the radio unless I press the AM/FM button. My USB/Aux/whatever is on a neighboring HDD/DVD button. My source is persistent across restarts unless I remove a USB or AUX cable I was playing from. Fortunately, once connected, sound is sound is sound. Whether a ringtone or iTunes or YouTube or an embedded video in a mobile webpage, it will play. Source or size of your library have precisely 0 affect on reliability or ability to play your choice of music from your phone. Steering wheel controls work on both iPod USB and streaming Bluetooth audio.

MyChevrolet, no and maybe. Not automatically but I called at a particularly lucky time and was extended OnStar Basic (pretty much only remote key fob stuff) for a period of 3 years without so much as a credit card number. It’s worth a shot and most certainly worth the call. You do not have the 4G LTE so understand that the commands will be severely delayed on the 1X network it uses. It takes about 60 seconds to send a command, the command to actually reach the car, and a success message to be returned to your phone. This does not change whether or not you are in a free trial or paying for it.


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[srmarti]

Did you test drive or even look at the car before buying? Where are you keeping the key fob and what else is in that pocket? Sounds like you are "accidently" pushing the buttons. Didn't take me a couple of months to get used to how the car starts and get the routine down. Didn't take that long with any car I've ever driven.

The lock buttons aren't going to move, so I guess you're going have to put your arm elsewhere.

 

[FI Spyder]

As mentioned, something wrong with the parking brake. I use mine all the time and they activate and deactivate as quickly as the electric motor can pull or release the cable (a second?). If you accidentally drive off with them engaged they will automatically deactivate. Nothing ever interupted the process.

Only use Sirius radio (still on the free offer that was mailed to me). Never used the USB or CD player yet. Keep my phone in my pocket as I don't drive and play with the phone. Not only can you get a serious fine here but you can also get dead.

Never eat in my car. That's why after 20 or 30 years may cars have always looked brand new inside (spring cleaning helps too).

Straight Eight Youtubers had problems with iPhone (mostly GPS stuff) until they (he) upgraded to newer operating system but it made his phone slow.

Will the computer fit under the seats? I keep a lithium booster battery under driver's.

Never had a problem with charge port door, windows down, unlocked etc. As suggested sticky key fob buttons? I always carry it in my pocket so no problems of accidentally leaving it in car and never had it accidentally activate a button.

 

[Total_Idiot]

Don't own a cell phone .. so can't speak to much on that point. I just use the radio FM/AM .. if I have it on at all. I usually don't listen to music at all...just drive around w/o music. Why not get a MP3 player and hook it up vs. your phone?

As far as computers go .. never leave anything in a car you are not willing to lose. But yeah, there is no place to hide it well. Maybe a large envelope or cloth over it to at least hide that the item is a computer.

 

[JuneBug]

I mostly love the car, but there are some super annoying caveats. Please let me know if there are any work-arounds to these annoyances.

The door lock buttons! Been there, done that. Usually pulling into the drive through at the bank. Shift into Park, and the door unlock. Here I am dealing with cash and all the doors are unlocked? I use my arm to push the button down and it bites me! Hate that.

I keep my iPhone in a holster on my belt. I've seen too many family members with cracked screens from keeping the phone in their pockets. Somebody gave me a fancy phone mount thingy for Christmas last year. It's still in the package. Siri via BlueTooth does everything I need without looking at the phone.

The parking brake works very well for me. Engages and disengages in 1 second. And you don't even have to disengage it--just start driving, and it disengages automatically.

Last week, I got into the Volt, and tried to shift into reverse, and the shift lever was locked. I pushed harder on the brake pedal to no avail. My heart sunk until I realized that I had never pushed the blue power button! I was in pre-conditioning mode, and the A/C was blowing, so that faked me out!

I used to store my laptop (in a black case) behind the driver's seat. With the all-black interior, it was nearly invisible.

The reason you found the windows rolled down is because someone or something held down the unlock button on the fob. Same with the charge port door. Never had a problem with this on my 2015.

I mostly listen to XM radio, unless the signal is blocked in a parking garage or underpass--then I go to CD or USB. BlueTooth works well for me, but I never use it for music streaming, just phone calls and texts.

Your 2013 came with a free 5-year subscription to the OnStar remote fob commands. When I bought my 2015, I pushed the blue button and OnStar gave me a free 90-day subscription to everything. When that expired, I had to call and remind them about the 5-year remote fob thing that is outlined in the owner's manual. So they reactivated that. I love being able to precondition from my phone. I also still get a monthly diagnostic report from OnStar via email, as well as charging notices via text message.

 

[Barry]

Parking brake: I've never had that trouble with mine. Maybe make that your last item before shifting into gear and driving away. The first thing upon entering should be to turn the car on, then get your seat belt fastened and anything else you need to get settled.
If you can't release the brake conveniently or you forget, it will release automatically when you shift into gear and press the accelerator. Or you can park without setting it if you want (may be against the owner's manual, but many people park that way).

Hiding a computer: The car comes with a fabric privacy screen that covers the cargo compartment and hides the contents. Or you can get an aftermarket cover for that area called a "Volt Shelf."

Phone: You can conveniently store your phone in the small compartment immediately behind the gear shifter. If you want a way to mount it visibly, there are a number of aftermarket mounts that work with the Volt. You just have to decide what style you want.
There are even some made specifically for the Volt and sold be the same person selling the Volt Shelf.

Windows opening, etc: I suspect you have a bad fob. Your plan to switch them and remove the battery from the suspected fob is a good idea. Same thing happened to me and that fixed it.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the headlight beams. The OEM ones are pretty weak. Maybe you just haven't needed them much yet. There are ways to upgrade, such as switching to an HID system.

 

[flyingsherpa]

Some decent replies for most of your issues so I won't rehash them much...

All the windows down / unlocked doors / open charge port are things controlled by the fob. I'm guessing you are pressing the buttons in your pocket (tight pants or pockets crowded with multiple items).

Re: bluetooth. I don't think the car will default to bluetooth each time because it takes 10 or so seconds to re-connect. So at boot-up, the radio doesn't "see" bluetooth as active yet (the icon on the screen is greyed out) so it defaults to the previous connection, which is usually FM. I think you can address this by buying an aux bluetooth connector and plugging it into your aux port. The car will then stay on Aux all the time (maybe test this first with a different aux device before spending money). In my experience, these bluetooth adapters connect faster and are less finicky than the stock unit, but the big downside is it's not integrated into the stack, so it won't display things on the screen or handle phone calls, etc. May be worth the trade-off for you though.

Re: pinching, that seems to be a function of your height and seat position (this has never happened to me). The steering wheel telescopes, so perhaps you can adjust your seat fwd/back a tad (or maybe even up/down too) so your arm doesn't naturally rest on the lock?

 

[JuneBug]

As for the pinching door lock knobs, you could always just replace them with some of these old school knobs:

https://www.amazon.com/1968-1977-Inner-Knobs-Ribbed-Chrome/dp/B01MU6U2GQ

 

[css28]

There's no good place to put a mobile phone or a phone mount.

I have installed a suction cup mount on the fixed triangular window in front of the driver's door.

 

[turboguy327]

So I just see a list of things you don’t know how to properly use or don’t want to research so you just blame the car...

 

[evatonic]

I have installed a suction cup mount on the fixed triangular window in front of the driver's door.

In some states it is illegal to mount a device from your windshield, though I doubt many states enforce the law...

In any case I have used several Pro Clip mounts over the years. They are typically designed for your specific vehicle and your specific device. They have two mounts designed for the Gen 1 Volt that might fit your needs.

 

[ddm2k]

I have installed a suction cup mount on the fixed triangular window in front of the driver's door.

Because the first thing we want to do when we get a car is add a bunch of clip on universal accessories.


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[ddm2k]

So I just see a list of things you don’t know how to properly use or don’t want to research so you just blame the car...

I am convinced he has read too many articles on EVs and compares everything to a Tesla now. Spends $14k on a used Volt and rips it apart for “design flaws” and features that it doesn’t have when compared to a new Model 3.


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[turboguy327]

I am convinced he has read too many articles on EVs and compares everything to a Tesla now. Spends $14k on a used Volt and rips it apart for “design flaws” and features that it doesn’t have when compared to a new Model 3.


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I love the part where he doesn’t know that the parking brake disengages automatically....


And how do you get confused if the car is on? I think we know who to blame for the car automatically turning off after 45 minutes...

 

[Barry]

Because the first thing we want to do when we get a car is add a bunch of clip on universal accessories.

How many cars come from the factory with a cell phone mount?

 

[evatonic]

I have installed a suction cup mount on the fixed triangular window in front of the driver's door.

In some states it is illegal to attach a device to your windshield though the idea of attaching something to the little window behind the A-pillar is a neat approach. As such, I have been using ProClip mounts for my vehicles for many years now. There are actually two different mounts available for the Gen 1 Volt.

 

[ddm2k]

How many cars come from the factory with a cell phone mount?

I have never understood the benefit of cell phone mounts. If you need it, it’s on your leg. If you don’t, it’s in the console.

The vast majority of distracted driving accidents fail to mention the driver was fiddling with some safety holster device at the time of collision, or text while the phone was still in one


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[fredevad2]

I used to come outside occasionally to find the trunk on my Cruze was popped open. Since I keep my keys in my pocket even while at home, I blamed the dog when he would climb into my lap. Unfortunately it still happened after the dog passed, so then I blamed the other keys on my key ring, then bought my Volt.

2019 Volt LT, Pacific Blue, Power Convenience Package, LT Driver Confidence Package, Comfort Package, nicknamed "Voltemort".

 

[Tstanselgarner]

Wow, I have a 2014 Volt that I bought used. I really hate the layout of the buttons. Also no guid lines in the camera display and the head lamps and backup light are sooo dim!