Hi all I have a 2014 Volt and have a 220 in my garage. How do I go about pre-conditioning and heating it while it is plugged into the 220. Do I have to set the climate control the night before? How long do I remote start it before I’m leaving? The heat is killing my range.
Preconditioning
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Do the following before plugging up the night before:
1. Set the temp setting to HI (I think that is just above the 88 degree setting),
2. Set to COMFORT
3. Set FAN to highest setting
4. Set the fan to blow out the FACE VENTS like you would the A/C
5. Power Down and Plug in.
In the morning 30 min before you leave:
1. Using the KeyFob, Press the Door Lock button and immediately after press the Remote Start Button. The car will start.
2. Wait approx 10 min and the car will shut down.
3. Repeat 1 and 2.
4. After the car shuts down the second time wait about 5 to 10 minutes for the charge light to begin blinking again indicating a full charge.
5.Your are now ready to go.
Note: Before doing this in the garage make sure that under personalized settings you turn OFF the Engine assisted heating for remote start.
Note2: Make sure you have your personalized settings for heated seats turned ON for remote start.
1. Set the temp setting to HI (I think that is just above the 88 degree setting),
2. Set to COMFORT
3. Set FAN to highest setting
4. Set the fan to blow out the FACE VENTS like you would the A/C
5. Power Down and Plug in.
In the morning 30 min before you leave:
1. Using the KeyFob, Press the Door Lock button and immediately after press the Remote Start Button. The car will start.
2. Wait approx 10 min and the car will shut down.
3. Repeat 1 and 2.
4. After the car shuts down the second time wait about 5 to 10 minutes for the charge light to begin blinking again indicating a full charge.
5.Your are now ready to go.
Note: Before doing this in the garage make sure that under personalized settings you turn OFF the Engine assisted heating for remote start.
Note2: Make sure you have your personalized settings for heated seats turned ON for remote start.
I'm not sure if Gen 1 is like this, but on Gen 2, if you repeat the remote start button sequence >30 seconds after doing it the first time, the car will extend the duration to 20 minutes without having to shut down and re-start.
Since you are in CO and you said you have a garage be sure that you set Engine Assist Heat When Plugged In to NO (I believe this setting is available on the 2014 Volt, it is on the Gen 2 Volt). This ensures that the gas engine will never start while your Volt is plugged in, during preconditioning. You don't want the gas engine running while you Volt is parked in a closed garage.
On the Gen 2 Volt you only have to press and hold the preconditioning button on the key fob for 3 seconds. You can also use the MyChevrolet App on your phone to precondition the Volt but it takes two steps using the App. You have to first use the remote function to lock the doors, then select the remote function to precondition.
You don't need to lock the doors first in the app; it does that automatically.
Is that not required on the key fob? It seemed like you were implying you don't need to lock them first when using the fob, but I was almost sure you did. If not, I've been wasting time and remote battery...
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Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I swear there was a difference (at least in gen1) between using the key fob and using the phone app (or website). One of them would look at your current temperature setting and use either Eco or Comfort to try to get there, while the other acted like you turned the car on normally and would use your previous HVAC settings (when car was last turned off) with no changes. I keep meaning to test this or memorize which is which but I never do...
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Which is why I said he should set the temp to HI especially since he is in the garage. That way he will get all the heat he will need once he leaves the garage.
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All agree preconditioning increases range. But is it more efficient? Is your overall energy use less? Since my car is in a non-heated but warm garage, I'm just as comfortable without preconditioning.
If this reply starts another ERDTT debate, please accept my apologies!
If this reply starts another ERDTT debate, please accept my apologies!
Why do you want to get into a baking hot car?
Ten minutes with a functional climate control will get most garage-living cars to wherever you've set the thermostat. Then it'll be at the temperature you want anyway instead of "brisket-smoker". My impression is that the preconditioning takes over all the climate controls and does what it thinks is best to hit the target temp anyway. Basically, it works as though you pushed turned the car on and pushed the "auto" climate button, plus runs the rear defroster if it thinks its cold enough that it'll fog up when breathing humans get into the car.
The Volt's pretty good at keeping temperature inside anyway. Better than any car I've owned previously. I've sat in it, off, in sub-zero temps and it cooled only about ten degrees in 20 minutes.
Yours is better than mine. When I broke down in the Dells last year, I had to hang up with OnStar and call back from my cell because after about 20 minutes, the temperature in the car had almost matched the outside temperature of 20 *F and I was starting to go numb.
The 2012 manual talks about maintaining your previous climate settings, but then describes basically doing everything associated with pushing Auto plus turn on rear defrost, that isn't described elsewhere as automatically configurable (which then seems to do whatever autostuff it IS configured to as well, as it would normally on).
Edited: I tried the MyChevrolet app again today. My Volt's preconditioning cycle started with one tap of the app button. However, when I use the MyChevrolet app on my Apple Watch I definitely have to first lock the doors, then select preconditioning (two separate steps required.) I also confirmed that when I use the key fob to remote start my 2017 Volt I have to first press lock, then press and hold the remote start button (two steps.)You don't need to lock the doors first in the app; it does that automatically.
Is that not required on the key fob? It seemed like you were implying you don't need to lock them first when using the fob, but I was almost sure you did. If not, I've been wasting time and remote battery...
That is my experience too. Using the key fob will remote start the Volt and resume the last climate control settings. Preconditioning using the MyChevrolet app will bring the cabin to a comfortable temperature even if you leave all climate control buttons turned off when you turn off the Volt. If you try this with the key fob remote start button your Volt will remote start but the climate control system does not warm or cool the Volt during the 10 minutes that remote start is functioning. Now that it is turning colder I will try this again to confirm.
Another wrinkle, in the 2018 Volt Premier I recently drove for 5 days as a loaner vehicle while my 2017 Volt was being repaired by my dealer the 2018 Volt appears to automatically turn on the steering wheel heater, if the outside temperature is cold enough, if you use the key fob to remote start the 2018 Volt. I could not test the MyChevrolet app with the 2018 Volt loaner since my app was linked to my OnStar account and my 2017 Volt. I believe that on the 2018 Bolt the steering wheel heater is programmed to come on automatically as needed.
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