2015 e-Golf Car-net Expiry after 36 months?

[f1geek]

Anyone have their 2015 e-Golf longer than 36 months and tried to use car-net? Does it still work?

I explained to a VW customer car rep that being able to charge at off-peak electricity rates is a major reason that many of us got an electric car, and making us pay for this capability completely negates the cost savings of being able to time the charging when most people are sleeping. The representative said she completely agreed with me and that I was not the first person to tell her this.

If more of us complain, I think we may increase the likelihood that car-net service remains free for 2015 e-Golf owners.

 

[miimura]

Good luck with that. The only consolation may be that whatever schedule you put into the car before CarNet expires should continue to work indefinitely. When it stops working, take it into the dealer and tell them it's broken and you have no way of changing the settings.

 

[msvphoto]

We just bought our 2015 used back in November. We were given 3 years "free" and when we signed up I was told by the CarNet rep that e-Golfs are treated differently and it was not yet determined how VA-CarNet will handle it ongoing. He did acknowledge some of the car's only user interface functions are only available through the app and that we (2015 e-Golf owners) will get some kind of exception.

 

[f1geek]

I did ask about keeping the schedule with no car-net service and the answer was that all schedules are deleted upon car-net deactivation. I guess I just have to bombard the VW customer service reps with weekly (or daily) requests for this service.

VW may get tired of hearing 2015 e-Golf owners complaining that we can't follow their instructions which say to charge the battery to 90%, especially in areas with high ambient temps, and remind them of how expensive a warranty covered battery pack replacement will be for VW.

 

[miimura]

This is a response from VW America Customer Service that was posted in the Facebook group:

9/28/17

Good Morning [Name redacted],

I sincerely appreciate your patience while we reviewed your inquiry about the Electric Vehicle service package, and I hope you are doing well today.

After corresponding with my product specialist team, they have advised me that at the conclusion of the 3 year EV service package, you may continue to get the EV services by subscribing to a Car-Net package. Additionally, there is not a stand-alone EV subscription package.

While I cannot speak for other automotive manufacturers and their delayed charging services, I have been sure to document the feedback that you have provided me for internal review. We take this information seriously as it is a key tool in understanding how we can improve the features that we offer.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reply directly to this email and let me know. I am always happy to help in any way that I can.

So, the bottom line is that you can keep the CarNet remote functions working if you subscribe to the full suite of CarNet services at a cost of approximately $18/month. There is no plan to offer a less expensive reduced function service for the EV specific functions as is offered for the initial 3 years.

 

[f1geek]

Right, I have repeatedly heard from VW that I can keep the charging management functionality if I pay for it. The problem I have with this line of reasoning is that the 2016 and 2017 e-Golf cars have an e-manager in the infotainment unit that allows charging control without car-net (and without paying). It seems fair that the VW EV early adopters shouldn't get screwed, so every time I call and I get the "pay up" answer, I suggest that there is still a problem with Volkswagen company culture and they have forgotten how to treat customers. I realize this may be a waste of time, but I'm not letting VW off the hook so easily. I will endeavor to call them at least once a week and complain about this.

 

[miimura]

IMHO, they should have a plan that extends the EV functions exactly like the 3 year free trial for $18/year. There is no way I would ever pay $18/mo for the full CarNet suite when all I want to do is set the charging schedule and maybe do remote climate once in a while.

 

[RecoverE]

I am into my 37 month of a lease -- 2015 egolf SEL. I have not subscribed to car-net beyond the free offering. There are seven sub-categories for the car-net web app -- status, remote, boundaries, speed, destinations, vehicle health, and trips. I can still access status, remote, and trips without an additional subscription. For the other categories a message states that I must subscribe. Since my utility does not offer lower off-peak rates, I have not programed charging schedules. I have used the app only to limit the charging current to 13Amps in the battery sub-category. At the 36 month anniversary, I changed the charging current to MAX since I do not know what control I will have going forward and I can still control current via my EVSE.

It is my opinion that both VW and egolf owners would benefit if car-net was extended without a subscription charge. Their dealers would benefit from service from negative vehicle health reports alone! Additionally, VW is still gathering data as the obvious and hidden status numbers are transmitted back to VW. So, owners should be compensated for their contribution to the data steam.

 

[msvphoto]

It does seem their story is ever-changing. This morning I received a "90 day free trial ending soon" email message so I called them and explained what I was told last time I spoke with CarNet. Today I was told the scheduling, departure, and other EV functions will continue for the three year term. After that expires the CarNet rep said they have not been told what comes next.

Certainly not worth the ask of $199/yr of $17.99/mo.

I reminded the rep that a portion of the car's user interface is only available via CarNet, as I do every time I speak with them.

 

[Voltron]

Did any of you get any satisfaction from VW on this? Just curious.

I would file a complaint with your state attorney general. VW has taken functionality away from you after the purchase. This might be illegal and at a minimum is a misrepresentation unless very clearly disclosed to you at purchase. Did you acknowledge terms of service?

You could also try small claims court - judges tend to be pretty sympathetic to consumers and VW will probably pay you to go away.

 

[RecoverE]

I have ignored Car-Net after the expiration. It really provided little value to me when it was active. Just prior to expiration I set charging rate to max and charging limit to 90%. I control the rate via my Siemens EVSE. Approaching 5 years with 40K miles and still enjoy the vehicle.