Bullshit: car features behind a paywall

"gin-san - shitpost specialist" (gin-san-)
07/03/2020 at 10:46 • Filed to: BMW

Driving: BMW to make owners pay for features like heated seats via subscription.

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DISCUSSION (17)

pip bip - choose Corrour > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 10:52

clearly turn signals already are

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 10:53

*breaks out multimeter*

WilliamsSW > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 10:53

“subscription” is just double speak for “way to gouge customers even further.”

I will never “buy” a car with that fee model. Ever.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
07/03/2020 at 10:54

Exactly what came to mind.

nafsucof > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 10:56

i’m not gonna subscribe to that until it snows. also i won’t subscribe to lane keep assist, traction control or stability control EVER!

My bird IS the word > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 11:03

Sure sounds like a wonderful m onetization strategy with no ill effects whatsoever. Clearly wouldn't affect brand loyalty, prestige, consumer satisfaction, or be easily circumventable.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 11:04

We all knew this was coming eventually. I’m a little surprising GM didn’t try it first, but then again maybe they just aren’t there yet.

I was thinking it would more take the form of “The car had detected it is 0 degrees out. For $3 would you like to enable remote start for 24 hours? For an additional $2, the remote start will also turn on the heated seats and steering wheel! Press “Yes” to charge this to you BMW credit card.”

But yeah, even if this attempt fails eventually they’re going to figure out a way to move to features “as a service” because that is the way every industry is moving or attempting to move.

sony1492 > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 11:06

So are they now legally obligated to fix the seat heater in 8 years when I pay to have them on, but they no longer work?

Will it be illegal to gerryrig them to work without paying?

If I buy the car what exactly does bmw own? As in do they have rights to the seats within the vehicle.

Absolutely hate subscription based anything outside of software based services.

dogisbadob > pip bip - choose Corrour
07/03/2020 at 11:19

came here for this

Jason Spears > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 11:28

This seems like a clever way to defeat right-to-repair, too. If they frame it as tampering, they could not only deny you a working feature but potentially go after you legally for trying to fix it. If this happens to fall under “digital rights management” legally it’s definitely going to screw customers over.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 11:48

I can see this being a thing and I am not okay with it. If it was a subscription service to have the car to begin with it would make more sense

shop-teacher > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 12:19

Screw that.

NYankee1927 > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 12:53

Subscription traction control is where it’s at!

In all seriousness BMW has likely seen the last of purchases out of my entire family. Their willingness to put up with bullshit is low. Even lower is adding tech into cars and making it more confusing. This is why I have such a hard time picking a new car. Everywhere I look is either a bland driving experience or $100k for a Porsche. The only place where it makes sense to buy new now is with trucks.

Wow that rant went sideways from a sarcastic comment. Sorry about that

gin-san - shitpost specialist > WilliamsSW
07/03/2020 at 12:57

Yeah not interested either.

If I wanted a subscription based car I'd get a lease. The crowd that leases every 2-3 years for the latest model won't be affected, but this could impact the used market quite heavily. Imagine buying a car outright and then being told you need to fork over a monthly fee to access the extra M engine power.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 13:01

So if you bypass the subscription fee to have heated seats in your own car, are you stealing? Would that just void your warranty or would they go after you legally?

If I swap in seats from another car, is that like changing your preferred browser?

DipodomysDeserti > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 13:36

There’s a German guy who cracked BMWs programming and sells an iPhone app. The app with full features is pricey, but it pays for itself after your first battery replacement.

Lets you turn on all sorts of features.

WilliamsSW > gin-san - shitpost specialist
07/03/2020 at 14:17

Yeah this is targeted at lessees.

Thing is, if resale values tank, BMW has to increase lease rates to make up the difference.

At some point the "subscription" has to end - as others point out, if they're collecting a fee to keep a feature active, I think they're going to have to have a warranty to keep it working too.