Remote defrosting via iSMART app

[Rolfe]

Today I decided to try the remote car heating from the app. Outside temperature was reading 7C and the temperature inside the car was 15C. As my intention was to sit in the stationary car fiddling with the screens and the steering wheel buttons I thought I'd warm it up before I got into it.

I asked it to do its ten minutes warm-up thing from the app. After the ten minutes had passed, the interior temperature of the car was still 15C. Absolutely no effect whatsoever. I went out to the car and switched on the heating and it heated up quite normally.

Is this something else that doesn't work on the SE and is only given to the privileged Trophy owners? Or does it just think that 15C is quite warm enough and decide it doesn't need heating? Or am I doing something else stupid?

 

[Diggsy]

Did you adjust the temperature on the app? If not, it will have simply heated to whatever was set.

Pretty sure you need to turn the HVAC (warm up thing as you described it) on then adjust the temp.

Edit - once you turn on the HVAC, you’ll see the word HVAC at the top right of the app screen. Press that, then select the temperature you want

 

[Rolfe]

I thought it might be something like that. I didn't see anywhere to adjust the temperature, it just asked me for my PIN then said "turning air conditioning on". I do see a button for HVAC appearing after that stage though, so this is probably where I'm going wrong.

Thank you for your help, I obviously need to explore the app in more detail.

 

[Les burrows]

Yeh that’s correct when you switch on the heating you will get a response in the Ismart app that says success then you will see on the right hand side near the top of the Home Screen in you ismart app you will see HVAC notice touch to open that and then set the temperature to full if you like it will run for 10 minutes and then switch off
Les

 

[Diggsy]

I thought it might be something like that. I didn't see anywhere to adjust the temperature, it just asked me for my PIN then said "turning air conditioning on". I do see a button for HVAC appearing after that stage though, so this is probably where I'm going wrong.

Thank you for your help, I obviously need to explore the app in more detail.

No problem at all. If only MG gave us a decent manual for it!

 

[Rolfe]

Thank you so much. I'm just playing with the functions at the moment, but this was a function I was really looking forward to using in winter. In fact, I'm not sure I'm that bothered that the SE doesn't have heated seats, when it's possible to do this.

Yes, I've been known to drive my ICE car out of the garage then leave it in the drive with the engine running and everything at max for ten minutes, but it will be so much nicer not to have to go out in the cold to get it going.

 

[Diggsy]

For info, this is the closest manual I can find for the app. It’s for another region, but is for the MG4, so gives at least some pointers…

https://www.mgcars.com/mg4-2022/images/safety/file/ismart-manual-en.pdf#page93

 

[Les burrows]

Nice find Diggsy as you say for another region and a lot in it I don’t get in the MG4 SESR or my MG5 Trophy sadly in the UK
But still very useful thanks.
Les

 

[Rolfe]

Thanks again. Now I feel extra silly.

I have Sloucher's excellent hard-copy manuals, and I realise this is all covered at the end of the smaller volume, the "Navigation and Infotainment System" one. I had only looked in the main "Owner's Handbook" volume.

So it is all there, just not very obvious.

 

[Diggsy]

Thanks again. Now I feel extra silly.

I have Sloucher's excellent hard-copy manuals, and I realise this is all covered at the end of the smaller volume, the "Navigation and Infotainment System" one. I had only looked in the main "Owner's Handbook" volume.

So it is all there, just not very obvious.

Great spot! Hadn’t noticed that either, from page 99 onwards

 

[Rolfe]

It was only when I saw the manual linked to above I thought, why isn't this in the manual I have? Then I remembered the second volume, and there it was!

 

[Diggsy]

Nice of them to bury it at the end of the manual. Suppose that sort of sums up the level of importance they give to the app. It is really handy too, as you say, the preheat is a great function. Shame they removed the sharing key function as that’s something I genuinely thought could be really useful.

 

[Rolfe]

I retired not long before the covid lockdowns started, and didn't drive my car much for about a year. In particular I didn't have to get up first thing on cold mornings and get going early, and in particular I wasn't out and about so much in winter.

Fast forward to the winter of 2022-23 and I suddenly realised I had forgotten that I had heated seats! Previously it was my second-nature routine on winter mornings to switch the heating to max and the heated seat to 3. That's when it occurred to me that having the pre-heating/ defrosting capability in an EV was likely to make the heated seats much less essential.

PS. What is the "sharing key function"?

Well, at least I managed to figure out the functions on the right-hand steering wheel buttons this afternoon. They should become second nature as soon as the muscle memory for the right-hand steering wheel buttons on my previous car has faded. (The left-hand buttons must remain a mystery because it appears there is no way to get my phone to talk to the car.)

I also managed to use a public charge point for the first time, and figure out the difference between type 2 charging and CSS charging. I'm sure there is a how-to guide somewhere for new EV owners but I've never found one that talks at my level.

 

[Diggsy]

Would tend to agree that preheating would probably make the car just as comfortable, if not more so than the heated seats.

The sharing key function was what it says on the tin really. There used to be a function that allowed you to send a digital key to someone in order that they could use it to open and drive the car. It was removed as MG felt it was a security risk I think.

 

[Rolfe]

Sounds a bit esoteric to me, I can't immediately think of a use for it, and I would agree it could be a security risk.

 

[Diggsy]

Sounds a bit esoteric to me, I can't immediately think of a use for it, and I would agree it could be a security risk.

Yes I can see where the potential risk comes from, that said it would’ve been a useful feature in some circumstances, and I think it could’ve easily been setup so that you could disable it just as quickly as you created it.

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

FYI - Once you activate the HVAC button in the app, you can trigger the heated seats from there too.

 

[Les burrows]

FYI - Once you activate the HVAC button in the app, you can trigger the heated seats from there too.

You can on the Trophy model but not on the SEs because they are not fitted.
Les

 

[tsedge]

You can on the Trophy model but not on the SEs because they are not fitted.
Les

And they are reversed I think - driver's is passenger's and passenger's is driver's.

 

[Rolfe]

My car is an SE. I'm rather hoping that the pre-heating function will mean that I don't really miss the heated seats.