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Frustrations with CUE and 2013 XTS

2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  dchamb 
#1 ·
I am seeing based on my own experience and the feedback from others out here that calling the CUE customer care line does not get you answers. What Cadillac doesn't seem to get is the CUE system (which I am referring to as the Cadillac Useless Experiment) is a computer that runs on software and its users need technical assistance. Not someone who gives you the same answer as what is written in the user manual...you know the one that is dumbed down with useless information.

For example:

1. What is the largest USB drive that CUE will take? So far through experimentation, I have been able to use a 64GB Sandisk thumb drive but not a 1TB My Passport drive.
2. FAT32 seems to be the best file system that CUE works with. But not FAText, which results in the drive not appearing at all. The manual says it supports NTFS but I've been getting strange behavior with it like song titles doubled.
3. Album artwork works sometimes and not others. Would I be better off using an iPod? And if so what is the maximum capacity?
4. Even though the support line says CUE reindexes each time you start the car (bad design decision by the way), it seems that it retains something from the last time. Re-indexing doesn't take as long after the first time, but picking up changes can be a challenge. Also it seems to remember where it left off when the car was shut off.
5. How are updates handled? Automatic downloads at night like a cell phone? or does it have to be taken to a dealer? The navigation maps are at least a year and half old, and the www.navigation.com site shows its been updated, but my car does not reflect those updates.
6. How are we notified of updates?
Given that a car is more expensive than a computer and lasts longer, Cadillac needs to figure out how they plan to support (really support) this system for years to come. Who can afford to trade in a $50,000 car every other year to get the latest features?

My assessment of CUE is that it is not ready for prime time. And they are getting ready to launch across the Cadillac lines. Not a good idea lest you have meltdown. The design and engineering of CUE needs another look at. Makes me wish I had my trusty old 2004 Escalade back.

Dale
 
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#2 ·
Hi Dale,

In answer to your first three questions, I think it's easiest all around to use an iPod with CUE (and that seems to be GM's preferred/most functional option). There's no file format worries, no issues with album art appearing, no size limitation (use any iPod capacity), playlists/smart playlists all work, and keeping music in sync is simple.

If you don't have one already, I'd suggest leaving an iPod touch in your console. That's what I've done on our cars and it works great. Just take it in the house to sync whenever you buy new music (or use wireless sync if your car is parked in range of your Wi-Fi network).

For the other questions, I agree: I think GM needs to do a better job of publishing information. I'm sure they're planning to distribute CUE updates over the air after they switch OnStar to 4G AT&T service (hopefully also loading updated maps information over the air as part of the OnStar subscription), but I think they should make OS upgrades free for the life of the car just by downloading a file to a thumb drive and plugging it in the car. New features might only work with newer cars, but bugs should be squashed on all systems. That's part of the promise of CUE.
 
#3 ·
Thanks reciprocity,

I was coming to the same conclusion about the iPod simply because GM seems to have thrown weight toward the Apple platform. I'd love to keep my entire CD/mp3 collection in the car and that would take 128GB at a minimum. Does the voice command also work with the iPod (i.e. artist/music/genre selection via voice command)?

I certainly hope GM knows to keep CUE updated for all vintages of Cadillac vehicles from now through the future. New features (at least some) I can understand can only be realized with changes in hardware and that comes with new models. If they can keep that promise then I won't be missing my 2004 Escalade! (Oh heck...I do miss it because it was the best car I ever had!)
 
#4 ·
One thing to note (from a previous discussion with codeman) is that there is a maximum amount of songs that CUE can index. I have 6700 songs on an 80 GB iPod Classic and CUE cannot index that many. I would need to look back to see what codeman said was the maximum supported, but there is definitely a limit....
 
#5 ·
I use a SanDisk Cruzer Fit in my 2013 SRX, which is barely longer than the USB connector. I just leave it permanently installed in the USB slot in the hideaway under the cover plate. Just enough sticks out to grab it and remove it, so no worries about anything else stored in that capacious space knocking it out.

Unfortunately, 32GB is the biggest they make. Which works for me, but it isn't 128GB for those who really need 128GB.

However, the SD slot in the armrest console should take a 128GB SD card. FAT32 should address up to 2TB, so any problems with 128GB would not be the file system's fault anyway.
 
#6 ·
The album artwork only shows up when your cell or music device is hard-wired connected to the USB ports. Same for Pandora. You can still listen over Bluetooth but the artwork won't show up.

I'd imagine that new cue upgrades should be out soon with the release of new vehicles. CTS, escalade.....
 
#7 ·
I purchased an iPod Classic 160GB which handles all my mp3s and leaves room for much more. CUE on the XTS takes to it much better than the USB drives and shows the album artwork. However, there are still some quirks. Its been nearly a week since I put the iPod in the car and the iPod has frozen up 4 times needing a "reset". Every time this happens it is in the middle of playing a song. Other things I believe are simply bugs in CUE. For example, my playlists I put on my iPod show up under the heading "90s music" and when a playlist is selected, it displays the wrong list of songs. However, if I scroll up on the playlist browse listing, it seems the display resets and everything is where it should be.

I haven't hit a limitation on the number of songs except CUE voice will warn me that some songs can't be referenced by name only and I would need to state things in groups like "Play Artist" or "Play Album". Otherwise it seems that all the artists/albums/songs are displayed on the browse.

Is anyone else having problems needing to reset their iPod while linked to CUE?
 
#9 ·
I got a response from codeman71 saying the same thing. They are saying the iPod Classic is not responsive enough during reindexing, and Apple says it is getting too many queries from CUE. But Apple says the iPod is in maintenance mode so no enhancements will be forthcoming. It's frustrating because I can't find a platform that works well with CUE and allows me to carry my entire library wherever I go. Wishing for the 6 disc CD changer I had with my old Escalade.
 
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