UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

silverhairs wrote:I was given one of those data plugs when I picked up my Polo, trouble is, I don't have a smart phone to use with it. It don't work with my land line.

Andy Beats wrote:I can't get the hang of the data plug thing.
It seems to me it only works when you're in the car?
It doesn't seem to update when you're out of the car, which renders it of little/no use to me.
It's not a patch on the Nissan Leaf app, which gave you all sorts of useful info anywhere.

Adam_013 wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 10:38 am

Andy Beats wrote:I can't get the hang of the data plug thing.
It seems to me it only works when you're in the car?
It doesn't seem to update when you're out of the car, which renders it of little/no use to me.
It's not a patch on the Nissan Leaf app, which gave you all sorts of useful info anywhere.

I agree... Its a Bluetooth connection, think the idea is simply so you can see your 'stats' out of the car... Doesn't really do a lot

Is guess the higher spec would allow more?

The Volvo on call found on the S60 is far better, as likely was the one for your leaf.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Andy Beats wrote:

Adam_013 wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 10:38 am

Andy Beats wrote:I can't get the hang of the data plug thing.
It seems to me it only works when you're in the car?
It doesn't seem to update when you're out of the car, which renders it of little/no use to me.
It's not a patch on the Nissan Leaf app, which gave you all sorts of useful info anywhere.

I agree... Its a Bluetooth connection, think the idea is simply so you can see your 'stats' out of the car... Doesn't really do a lot

Is guess the higher spec would allow more?

The Volvo on call found on the S60 is far better, as likely was the one for your leaf.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

So should it update out of the car?
It seems pointless if you need to update it and view it in the car.

Adam_013 wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 11:02 am No it's not, it only tells you the data it retrieved the last time you was in it. So if someone else went out in the car, your phone wouldn't be updated

Adam_013 wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 11:47 am It doesn't do anything special, and in your case, nothing at all!

Its meant to update, relying it's plugged in and connected.

monkeyhanger wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 1:58 pm At the end of the day it's VW spyware.

It's like free social apps such as Facebook- people put their lives on there. If you're using something like Facebook or the data plug - you are the product, freely handing out info for the companies to mine and use.

In this case, VW can analyse usage of the car, real mpg, average speeds etc. It may well be transmitting a whole host of data to VW via your phone's data allowance that is completely opaque to the app. Maybe it can tell when and where you've been hammering your car via GPS data.

I put it on to check battery highs and lows during mild and cold weather, daily and after a weekend of inactivity.

The only other useful thing is the suggestion that you may be able to have a heater retrofitted so you don't have to wait for the oil to be warm before you can blow warm air into the cabin. I'm assuming those with climatronic have one in their system already (can anyone with climatronic confirm that they have immediate access to vented warm air?). I have it on my Golf R, and that certainly has preventing.

Andy Beats wrote:

monkeyhanger wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 1:58 pm At the end of the day it's VW spyware.

It's like free social apps such as Facebook- people put their lives on there. If you're using something like Facebook or the data plug - you are the product, freely handing out info for the companies to mine and use.

In this case, VW can analyse usage of the car, real mpg, average speeds etc. It may well be transmitting a whole host of data to VW via your phone's data allowance that is completely opaque to the app. Maybe it can tell when and where you've been hammering your car via GPS data.

I put it on to check battery highs and lows during mild and cold weather, daily and after a weekend of inactivity.

The only other useful thing is the suggestion that you may be able to have a heater retrofitted so you don't have to wait for the oil to be warm before you can blow warm air into the cabin. I'm assuming those with climatronic have one in their system already (can anyone with climatronic confirm that they have immediate access to vented warm air?). I have it on my Golf R, and that certainly has preventing.

Can the 'widget' plugged into the OBD port be removed easily enough?
I don't want it in there if I'm not using the crap app.
Or, if I unplug it, am I suddenly going to find myself bathed in light and surrounded by armed guards with dogs?

Adam_013 wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 2:07 pm Yup, if you look underneath your dash (near the accelerator pedal) you'll see it. Its white and says VW data plug on it. Just pull it out