Who is the Snake Doctor and why does the S60 keep searching for him?
Seems our staff cobra tamer A. Austria has duly charmed the S60. After I bumped the Doctor from the paired phones list (can't bump a mobile handle that pays homage to a pretty good Van Hagar album, after all), the S60 refused to find my phone. And I mean flat out refused.
Even after trying all combinations of shutting off the ignition, exiting the car, locking/unlocking, and even cycling my phone off and on a couple of times, the S60 would not find my phone.
Instead, it first searched for Snake Doctor -- last charmer in the driver's seat, apparently -- then looked for previously connected devices, then urged me to ensure that my phone was discoverable. I've paired my phone -- a 3G iPhone that runs on kerosene -- with the S60 before, no problem. Not this time. Thus ensued a quick spiral into a Bluetooth rabbit hole: checking the manual, deleting other phones, pairing the phone with another car to rule out a hardware issue.
This continued for 30 minutes. The first 15 minutes, I felt it was something of a job responsibility to try and get to the bottom of the issue. The next 15 minutes were pure mindless, irrational focus on a trivial matter. And when no apparent answer presented itself, I drove the S60 home in a funk, disliking it intensely. Lumbar's too aggressive. Engine's too loud. Too many stupid esoteric controls and switches. A dumb, lumpy 3-Series pretender.
All was forgotten after a good night's sleep. Next morning, the neighbor said how much she liked the color. The engine fired up with its distant shake and clatter that always makes me think it’s a diesel. It's a sound that indicates the engine is ready to do some work for you. In the end, I never did figure out the issue. The phone would still not pair the next morning. And it was still looking for that hack physician.
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor
nickjs1984 says:
07:08 PM, 01/13/12
Is there an option to delete paired devices from the Volvo? Have you tried deleting the Volvo as a paired device from your iPhone?
geokilla says:
08:54 AM, 01/15/12
nickjs1984 says:
07:08 PM, 01/13/12
Is there an option to delete paired devices from the Volvo? Have you tried deleting the Volvo as a paired device from your iPhone?
Yes you can delete paired devices. Tel --> Cancel Search by pressing Exit --> Press Exit again to get into menu --> Removed Paired Phones.
It was something like this anyways. I don't remember at the moment because I do it instinctively.
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Dan this happens occasionally for me as well. However you might want to check that your phone is working properly, especially bluetooth. I myself find that restarting my phone will fix this bluetooth connecting problem. You also have to make sure that the S60 is given access to the phone (on my Samsung Galaxy S Captivate anyways). If the S60 does not have access to the phone, it won't ask again and no access means no connecting your phone to the S60.
bodyblue says:
09:03 AM, 01/15/12
Geo, do you like your Captivate?
geokilla says:
01:19 PM, 01/15/12
bodyblue says:
09:03 AM, 01/15/12
Geo, do you like your Captivate?
Only if it's running custom ROM developed by XDA members. I hate the official Samsung ROMs.
stovt001 says:
02:03 PM, 01/15/12
Yet one more reason I'm glad I just drive my car when I'm driving it, instead of using it is a moving telephone booth.
bodyblue says:
05:35 AM, 01/16/12
stov+1000 I just get in the dumb thing and drive....you know even with the window down once in a while....I sometime look at things of interest as well! Hey if you want to sell your Taurus let me know....I am having a hell of a time finding an old beater that I like...I sold the Stratus to my buddies kid for his first car. I dont want a rolling laptop....I want a car.
mkboyardee says:
05:57 AM, 01/16/12
Van Halen (OU812) in a Volvo?!
Blasphemy!
stovt001 says:
12:00 PM, 01/16/12
Bodyblue, I'm happy to say Stovt002 is on the way, so Mrs Stovt001 and I think we probably should hold on to the Taurus. Now the Miata on the other hand...that probably has to go. :-(