A new minor software glitch at low temperatures !!

[JonnyG]

I did a long 100 mile journey up the A1 last night with outdoor temperatures around 5 degrees centigrade.

I must have had about 20 chimes with. “Possible Icy Roads” warnings at the top of the driver console during the drive. Surely one would have been enough ?. I can only imagine it was bordering on the threshold and dipping below every so often and triggering the warning ?

 

[mg4mc]

I had something similar a while back (normally the warning is at 4 °C). I think they have set the threshold at 4° and as you say if it bobbles around that you get a warning every time it hits 4° or less again. The warning should really remain triggered until the temperature rises above say 5° or 6° before it clears and can be triggered again. Another sloppy bit of programming.

 

[hharzel]

I've always had it only once after sitting down in the vehicle, never during the drive.

"Another sloppy bit of programming."
We can only hope the BMS is not programmed by the same people who made the car's firmware or the horrendous iSmart app. Otherwise it would be hard to expect long battery life.

 

[Rolfe]

I used to get that on my Golf as well, although it was just a chime, and the external temperature display on the dashboard flashing for a bit, or acquiring an asterisk or something.

It does it every time the temperature drops under 4 degrees, so if, during your drive, the temperature cycles around 4 degrees, going under then rising above it then going under again, you'll get the warning every time it goes under. I've never heard of a car where someone had programmed in a limit to the number of times it should do that in a certain time period.

 

[Anon70]

Not unique to MG happens on any car with an ice warning just depends what the above 3 deg threshold is before it resets. I think on 1 car I had it had to go above 5 deg before the drop to 3 deg would trigger the warning again

 

[SimonS]

I used to get that on my Golf as well, although it was just a chime, and the external temperature display on the dashboard flashing for a bit, or acquiring an asterisk or something.

It does it every time the temperature drops under 4 degrees, so if, during your drive, the temperature cycles around 4 degrees, going under then rising above it then going under again, you'll get the warning every time it goes under. I've never heard of a car where someone had programmed in a limit to the number of times it should do that in a certain time period.

Asterisk or Snowflake?

 

[JonnyG]

Not unique to MG happens on any car with an ice warning just depends what the above 3 deg threshold is before it resets. I think on 1 car I had it had to go above 5 deg before the drop to 3 deg would trigger the warning again

That would make more sense and prevent multiple warnings ?

 

[Rolfe]

Asterisk or Snowflake?

Given the resolution of that screen, who knows?

 

[Deleted member 14300]

Warning, outside temperature low, switching to snow mode.


Be easier.

 

[PaulD]

I used to get that on my Golf as well, although it was just a chime, and the external temperature display on the dashboard flashing for a bit, or acquiring an asterisk or something.

It does it every time the temperature drops under 4 degrees, so if, during your drive, the temperature cycles around 4 degrees, going under then rising above it then going under again, you'll get the warning every time it goes under. I've never heard of a car where someone had programmed in a limit to the number of times it should do that in a certain time period.

Well I've never had a car where you get multiple annoying chimes.

You don't program the car to limit how many times can alarm in a set time period, that would be a silly way of doing it.

What you do with any half decent alarm or control system is to program in hysteresis as already mentioned. So the alarm 'sets' at 4°C, but will not 'reset' until say 6°C for example. This avoids multiple nuisance alarms.

 

[Rolfe]

Sounds reasonable. I guess my Peugeot (which did the same thing) was a 1998 model and my Golf 2009, probably early models.

To be fair, I have not had multiple warnings as yet in the MG4, just a single warning a couple of times. But it used to annoy me a bit in the Golf.

 

[siteguru]

I remember last winter getting multiple low temp warnings in a single drive. Bet hey ho - thems the breaks.

 

[Rolfe]

I would regard it as situation normal, although I can see why some people think it's odd.

Just thinking, in a road that goes into hollows and dips, then comes up again, you could easily fluctuate more than a degree, again and again.

 

[securespark]

But it used to annoy me a bit in the Golf.

Same in my 2002 Octavia. Bong city. But I didn't mind. Happy to be reminded it's brass monkey weather outside and to take extra care.

 

[Rolfe]

I don't really consider 4C to be brass monkeys to be honest. That's one reason why I don't want to lose the temperature display. I'm acutely aware of the difference between the temperature when the bong goes off, and numbers with a minus sign in front of them.

 

[Intrepid]

Well I've never had a car where you get multiple annoying chimes.

You don't program the car to limit how many times can alarm in a set time period, that would be a silly way of doing it.

What you do with any half decent alarm or control system is to program in hysteresis as already mentioned. So the alarm 'sets' at 4°C, but will not 'reset' until say 6°C for example. This avoids multiple nuisance alarms.

I currently have a Kia Picanto "19. It chimes each time the temp drop below 4 degrees. For example, if I start the car at 3 degree, it will chime, if I move to a slightly warmer area and the temp move above 4 degrees, nothing will happen. But if it drops again, it will chime and flash.

So, I think it's not unique, just a gentle warning. Remember, some countries experience snow already around 1-2 degrees.