R38 with Updated HVAC: Finally a Comfortable Cabin!

[Geekice]

Hi everyone,

A few days ago, I received my VDI to perform some updates via SIPS, if interested see thread:

Diagnostic VDI, VNCI, MDI with MG4
Diagnostic VDI, VNCI, MDI with MG4

The first thing I did was update the FICM configuration file and the HVAC unit. Right after that, I took the car for a drive, and I still had my previous settings to keep the cabin warm: 25°C without Eco mode enabled. However, unlike before, the car was getting noticeably hotter, to the point where I had to lower the temperature to 20ºC.

After this update, with an outside temperature between 5°C and 9°C, I found that now the best setting for a comfortable cabin is 20°C with Eco mode enabled. So far, I feel like they’ve done a good job improving the HVAC with this update. I had already been on R38 for a while, so I’m fairly confident that the real improvement came from the SIPS update.

 

[siteguru]

I was probably the first to report this improvement when I got R38 and the HVAC update back in November. In my case I keep the target at 22°C and Normal, but then again things are probably generally colder here than in Italy - unless you're up in the mountains. (I've never bothered linking Eco HVAC with Eco drive mode).

 

[Swampy]

I was probably the first to report this improvement when I got R38 and the HVAC update back in November. In my case I keep the target at 22°C and Normal, but then again things are probably generally colder here than in Italy - unless you're up in the mountains. (I've never bothered linking Eco HVAC with Eco drive mode).

Hi @siteguru. Did R38 include the HVAC update or was there a separate SC for the HVAC? Wanting to see if I can get this sorted at my local dealership. Still having to set it to 25 to get any kind of heat.

 

[Geekice]

Hi, R38 does improve heating to some extent, but the real fix comes with the HVAC update via SIPS. To get your dealership to apply it, try to complain as much as possible, mention that sometimes the heating doesn’t even turn on. That should help push them to sort it out for you.

 

[siteguru]

Hi @siteguru. Did R38 include the HVAC update or was there a separate SC for the HVAC? Wanting to see if I can get this sorted at my local dealership. Still having to set it to 25 to get any kind of heat.

As @Geekice says, you need to get both updates. R38 changes the visual scale, but the core functionality improvement comes from the HVAC module software update. How they are referenced I have no idea - my dealer just applied them at the last service.

 

[Swampy]

Ok thanks for the info. See what they say.

 

[Swampy]

I had the car booked in for today to look at the HVAC and also do the SC077 Recall. They did say if the HVAC issue wasn’t a warranty job I would have to pay hence the questions above.
Anyway, they have done the SC077 for the LKA and also updated the software from R13 to R38 and reprogrammed the HVAC and FICM modules to the latest level. So far so good.
Set the HVAC to 20 degrees and warm enough. Also the steering wheel star buttons now have different functions. Driver mode and Regen. Happy days.

 

[siteguru]

Drive mode and Regen were added in the 1100R33 update.

 

[Swampy]

I was a bit behind on updates, so went from R13 to R38. Missed out R33. .
Thanks for the info.

 

[Geekice]

Drive mode and Regen were added in the 1100R33 update.

I have that since R21.

 

[siteguru]

Similar to @Swampy, I went from R13 to R33 then to R38, so I'd no idea what changes were evident in R16 or R21 (apart from the missing external temperature).

 

[Geekice]

Similar to @Swampy, I went from R13 to R33 then to R38, so I'd no idea what changes were evident in R16 or R21 (apart from the missing external temperature).

okok, i’m sorry. I went from R21 to R38 so I had the new graphics in energy management, i think that the previous was better because showed the total KWH consumption and how much kwh the motor and HVAC used, and also the external temperature that was missing in R21

 

[gazza487]

Battled through sips updates etc and r38 (from r33). Anybody noticed the door open bongs have gone ?