diff --git a/.flake8 b/.flake8
index 5915461f29..bad0d2ef96 100644
--- a/.flake8
+++ b/.flake8
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ exclude=
     share,
     pyvenv.cfg,
     third-party,
+    sundials-5.0.0,
 ignore=
     # False positive for white space before ':' on list slice
     # black should format these correctly
diff --git a/pybamm/quick_plot.py b/pybamm/quick_plot.py
index a801120baf..901e347e80 100644
--- a/pybamm/quick_plot.py
+++ b/pybamm/quick_plot.py
@@ -242,9 +242,7 @@ def __init__(
                 else:
                     variable = list(variable_tuple)
                 try:
-                    self.variable_limits[variable_tuple] = variable_limits[
-                        variable
-                    ]
+                    self.variable_limits[variable_tuple] = variable_limits[variable]
                 except KeyError:
                     # if variable_tuple is not provided, default to "fixed"
                     self.variable_limits[variable_tuple] = "fixed"
@@ -402,7 +400,6 @@ def reset_axis(self):
         variables in each subplot
         """
         self.axis_limits = {}
-        self.var_limits = {}
         for key, variable_lists in self.variables.items():
             if variable_lists[0][0].dimensions == 0:
                 x_min = self.min_t
@@ -457,7 +454,7 @@ def reset_axis(self):
             if variable_lists[0][0].dimensions in [0, 1]:
                 self.axis_limits[key] = [x_min, x_max, var_min, var_max]
             else:
-                self.var_limits[key] = (var_min, var_max)
+                self.variable_limits[key] = (var_min, var_max)
 
     def plot(self, t):
         """Produces a quick plot with the internal states at time t.
@@ -587,14 +584,19 @@ def plot(self, t):
                 ax.set_ylabel(
                     "{} [{}]".format(y_name, self.spatial_unit), fontsize=fontsize
                 )
-                vmin, vmax = self.var_limits[key]
-                contour = ax.contourf(x, y, var, levels=100, vmin=vmin, vmax=vmax)
+                vmin, vmax = self.variable_limits[key]
+                ax.contourf(
+                    x, y, var, levels=100, vmin=vmin, vmax=vmax, cmap="coolwarm"
+                )
                 if vmin is None and vmax is None:
-                    self.colorbars[key] = self.fig.colorbar(contour, ax=ax)
-                else:
-                    self.fig.colorbar(
-                        cm.ScalarMappable(colors.Normalize(vmin=vmin, vmax=vmax)), ax=ax
-                    )
+                    vmin = ax_min(var)
+                    vmax = ax_max(var)
+                self.colorbars[key] = self.fig.colorbar(
+                    cm.ScalarMappable(
+                        colors.Normalize(vmin=vmin, vmax=vmax), cmap="coolwarm"
+                    ),
+                    ax=ax,
+                )
             # Set either y label or legend entries
             if len(key) == 1:
                 title = split_long_string(key[0])
@@ -661,6 +663,8 @@ def slider_update(self, t):
         """
         Update the plot in self.plot() with values at new time
         """
+        from matplotlib import cm, colors
+
         t_dimensionless = t / self.time_scale
         for k, (key, plot) in enumerate(self.plots.items()):
             ax = self.axes[k]
@@ -699,7 +703,7 @@ def slider_update(self, t):
                 spatial_vars = self.spatial_variable_dict[key]
                 # there can only be one entry in the variable list
                 variable = self.variables[key][0][0]
-                vmin, vmax = self.var_limits[key]
+                vmin, vmax = self.variable_limits[key]
                 if self.is_x_r[key] is True:
                     x = self.second_dimensional_spatial_variable[key]
                     y = self.first_dimensional_spatial_variable[key]
@@ -708,10 +712,17 @@ def slider_update(self, t):
                     x = self.first_dimensional_spatial_variable[key]
                     y = self.second_dimensional_spatial_variable[key]
                     var = variable(t_dimensionless, **spatial_vars, warn=False).T
-                ax.contourf(x, y, var, levels=100, vmin=vmin, vmax=vmax)
-                if self.variable_limits[key] == "tight":
+                ax.contourf(
+                    x, y, var, levels=100, vmin=vmin, vmax=vmax, cmap="coolwarm"
+                )
+                if (vmin, vmax) == (None, None):
+                    vmin = ax_min(var)
+                    vmax = ax_max(var)
                     cb = self.colorbars[key]
-                    cb.set_clim(vmin=np.nanmin(var), vmax=np.nanmax(var))
-                    cb.draw_all()
+                    cb.update_bruteforce(
+                        cm.ScalarMappable(
+                            colors.Normalize(vmin=vmin, vmax=vmax), cmap="coolwarm"
+                        )
+                    )
 
         self.fig.canvas.draw_idle()