Auto clock change?

[Jiff]

Hi 

Just wondered if the 2019 Corolla Excel has auto clock change for the change @ summer time & BST. 

I've set the time zone as Greenwich, Daylight Saving time is on and Auto adjust by GPS is (was) on. 

It hasn't auto set in the year I've owned it, and as you only get to check if it works twice a year I thought it was time to ask if it does do it automatically or if I have to do it manually. If there is an auto change what settings are required please?

Regards

Jeff 

[frizzbee30]

Wondering the same myself,  as it hasn't updated, despite being network connected. 

Considering my previous car did, without connection,  but by date, and cost £10,000 less!

[AndrueC]

No, it doesn't. You have to go into \Settings\Clock\ and disable DST. Yes it's rubbish.

My old Jazz was even worse. That infotainment unit ran on Android (albeit an out of date one even when new) and allowed you to specify the time zone. Yet it still required that DST be enabled/disabled manually.

Nearly all my timepieces are radio controlled. The only ones I had to manually change were some power socket timers and my £30k car. Classy.

[scar]

Saw this post and its not just the corolla. I have a 2020 RAV4 and my wife the latest Yaris Hybrid. 

Both cars had to have the clocks altered manually. Yes both cars bluetooth with our phones and I thought they would even recognise the time difference and alter. Nope.

Seems like a software issue. All settings were correct. 

Even my central heating changed over, and my wrist watch. 

[Jiff]

I wonder what the point is of having the setting of time zone e.g. Greenwich? Seems like they thought they were going to put auto time change in the system, but it got to Friday afternoon..... zzzzzz

[Timmon]

I think it is because the system get's the time from the satellite, and satellite's don't alter time just because we on the good Earth do. So you have to go in and switch day light saving off.

Better than my Mercedes commercial vehicle where I have to battle to find where the clock setting is within the menu and go back an hour, and adjust the minutes because it usually has gained 5 minutes in the last 6 months.

Not sure why the system can't use your mobile, but maybe the nav is a constant within the car, whereas there will still be people out there who don't have a smart phone etc, or chose not to link a mobile with the car. As I have often said, what the Corolla does is not always perfect, but still light years ahead of anything I have ever had. Changing the time is dead easy compared to what I am used to, and the time stays accurate for the full 6 months. A novelty for me!

 

[Geoff W]

To be fair, the time is synchronised to the GPS satellites so is spot on. They don't use time zones or DST so your time is accurate to the split second but it's up to you to get it accurate to the hour! Using the NPL time signal (like modern home clocks) is probably not a great idea in a car.

[AndrueC]

30 minutes ago, Timmon said:

I think it is because the system get's the time from the satellite, and satellite's don't alter time just because we on the good Earth do. So you have to go in and switch day light saving off.

Internally it won't change time anyway. Computers never do these days because they all run on UTC regardless of their geographic location. In a globally connected world that's the only sensible thing to do. Attempting to compensate for time zones when transferring files or validating security checks would be a nightmare. The only time computers concern themselves with time zones and DST is when displaying a time to the user. Or at least they are supposed to - apparently neither Toyota or nor Honda decided to bother.

Another silly thing with my second Jazz was that Honda designers printed the hint for how to change the clock in light grey on a grey fascia. Consequently Honda service centres used to get inundated with questions twice a year. I don't know if that was stupid marketing not liking writing marring their fascia or clever marketing because it ensured that customers called a dealer twice a year :)

The writing is more obvious in that picture. But put that inside a car's cabin and good luck spotting 'clock', 'h' and 'm' :)

[Rosgoe]

Mine adjusted ok turn gps on in clock settings and daylight saving off. Daylight saving is GMT+1 by turning daylight saving off that is GMT.

[AndrueC]

1 hour ago, Rosgoe said:

Mine adjusted ok turn gps on in clock settings and daylight saving off. Daylight saving is GMT+1 by turning daylight saving off that is GMT.

Well yes, but the point is that in the 21st century we shouldn't have to manually disable DST. The infotainment unit should be able to do it automatically just like my computers, my DVR, my clock radio, my lounge and kitchen clocks, my central heating thermostat and my wrist watches.

[Jiff]

It is stupid that my non smart central heating programmer changes automatically. it's preprogrammed with the idea that the clocks change on the last Sunday in October. When you first set it up you tell it the date, time & timezone & it does the rest, it even has a Battery backup so it doesn't forget.You can switch the timechange off as well if .gov decide to change it in the future.  It's so simple it's unbelievable that Toyota don't do it.

Also remember that the car has a built in sim for emergency contact, that could also be used to get the time, or they could have an option to use your own phone time if you connect it. 

I still don't know why you set the timezone. What purpose does it serve? 

[Geoff W]

"I still don't know why you set the timezone. What purpose does it serve?"

I guess it calculates an offset from the UTC time on the GPS satellite clocks.

 

[AndrueC]

58 minutes ago, Geoff W said:

"I still don't know why you set the timezone. What purpose does it serve?"

I guess it calculates an offset from the UTC time on the GPS satellite clocks.

Yes, it will allow the unit to calculate base offset. My guess is that someone decided to exclude DST information from the infotainment's time zone database. Perhaps the manufacturers don't want to have to deal with the relative complexity of DST. DST start/stop dates are arbitrary and subject to change whereas time zones generally stay the same. Countries sometimes change their time zone but the zone itself remains.

Given the infrequency of updates to car firmware (from both sides - owners that don't bother and manufacturers that lose interest after a few years) maybe they felt that it was best just to let the owners deal with it. But they could have got it from the phone. I remember investigating this when discussing the same failings with my Jazz and we confirmed that it was getting the time from the phone and ignoring the DST information.

[Sandra.]

23 hours ago, Jiff said:

Hi 

Just wondered if the 2019 Corolla Excel has auto clock change for the change @ summer time & BST. 

I've set the time zone as Greenwich, Daylight Saving time is on and Auto adjust by GPS is (was) on. 

It hasn't auto set in the year I've owned it, and as you only get to check if it works twice a year I thought it was time to ask if it does do it automatically or if I have to do it manually. If there is an auto change what settings are required please?

Regards

Jeff 

Hi, you have to do it manually

 

[Timmon]

My Electricity / Gas "Smart" meter doesn't change either, and there is no option to manually change it! So I have to remember that cheap rate electricity starts and finishes an hour earlier, until the end of March. Apart from the PC, TV box and Smart Phone, nothing I possess changes time without me doing something to "Encourage" it! Toyota included. Clocks, Watches, Central Heating... I always forget something.