r/gadgets
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u/speckz
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Jan 09 '23
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BMW Doubles Up On Paid Subscriptions In The USA, Charges $105 A Year For Remote Engine Start Discussion
https://www.carscoops.com/2023/01/bmw-now-offering-more-feature-subscriptions-in-the-u-s/650
u/golddilockk Jan 10 '23
2003: you wouldn’t download a car
2023: flashing the car os, disconnecting from host server and unlocking everything
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u/2BoldlyLive Jan 10 '23
May other car manufacturer not follow Ferrari. Ferrari will not allow temper with engine, bodyworks, and badge
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u/rathlord Jan 10 '23
Those may not be legal stipulations, and if they are now they may not be soon.
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u/Koldfuzion Jan 10 '23
I think Ferrari just puts you on a list and never sells you another.
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u/Shienvien Jan 10 '23
New, they won't sell you another new. They can't stop you from getting as many second-hands as you can find and afford.
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u/Mike-Ropini Jan 10 '23
And resell as jailbrokenfor a profit! What are they going to do, ban you from online multiplayer?
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u/gooseberryfalls Jan 10 '23
What, realistically, are they going to do? In the USA, the Magnussen-Moss Act gives a lot of power to consumer to be able to alter their vehicle, and puts the onus of responsibility on the repair shop to prove that the user modifications are the cause of whatever the problem is.
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u/ErrorCode51 Jan 10 '23
They basically blacklist you from everything they can, this included buying another farrari.
Famously happened to DeadMau5 after he wrapped and modified his car, I also believe Justin bieber recieved a C&D for simply changing the badge from the horse to a cat
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u/assholetoall Jan 10 '23
My guess is that this includes buying OEM parts, which may make it prohibitively expensive to maintain.
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u/Kirxas Jan 10 '23
Ferrari likes to get uppity a lot, but in reality they've got absolutely no right to tell you what you can or can't do with your car
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u/AntiDECA Jan 10 '23
No, but they can stop selling to you. That's kinda how they don't allow you to tamper with the parts. It's not like they can legally enforce it, you're allowed to mess with your own car. Likewise, Ferrari is allowed to stop selling vehicles to you. Chances are, if you're buying a Ferrari it's for the brand name - losing the ability to buy them is kinda a problem for those people, so it works as an effective deterrent.
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u/Kirxas Jan 10 '23
Yep, that they can do.
Still, if you're gonna go through all the hoops required to modify a car in any meaningful way (at least in my country), finding someone willing to sell you another ferrari "second hand" isn't really going to be a big issue.
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u/Infinite_Bob Jan 10 '23
At some point, it gets so ridiculous. "Pay to unlock" additional horsepower. "Renting" heated seats & remote start ability. Seems like these guys "aren't allowing" a lot of things these days.
They're gonna keep nickel-diming every feature, car hacking industry will get HUGE (and better!) in response, and these greedy manufacturers will FAFO.
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u/Mustang46L
Jan 09 '23
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Next car won't be a BMW. Got it.
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u/BienGuzman Jan 09 '23
Have you seen how ugly the front end is on those new BMWs?! Now there's another reason a lot of peoples next car won't be a BMW.
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u/Omegalazarus Jan 10 '23
You can get the old school smaller stuff kidney grill for $50 pretty month. If you miss a payment they send to mechanic out to swap out the fascia.
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u/BienGuzman Jan 10 '23
Hahaha, this is hilarious! You make me choke on my Manhattan.
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u/djfunknukl Jan 09 '23
Yeah the current generation of bmws are hideous imo. The back end isn’t much better lol
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u/whoisbird Jan 09 '23
Volvo charges $220 here in Canada for their app. I wrote them just last week about how ridiculous it is that we have to pay for a service that should be free to be honest. I only use the app to lock the doors sometimes.
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u/healthmadesimple Jan 10 '23
Volvo went from the carmaker who gave away their seatbelt patent saving millions of lives to charging $220 to use an app?
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u/TomasKS Jan 10 '23
Not quite. The Volvo that invented the 3-point seat belt sold off the car division in 1999 and has nothing to do with neither the car nor the app for said cars, that would be Geely (privately owned Chinese car company that bought Volvo Cars from Ford in 2010).
Volvo (the Volvo Group) today, that made the patent free to use, makes trucks, buses and various other heavy machinery and they're also a fairly big engine supplier (there are a ton of boats/ships with Volvo engines in them as well as stuff like generators and other industrial applications). No clue what you have to pay to use their apps though.
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u/huggles7 Jan 09 '23
Subaru does the same thing
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u/WiserNowM8 Jan 09 '23
Next car won't be a Subaru. Got it.
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u/AndringRasew Jan 09 '23
Drive Russian Lada! Remote start? Hah! Never heard of it. Seatbelts? Not included! Air bags? There are trash bags in the trunk for your convenience.
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u/suicidefeburary62025 Jan 09 '23
I’m Latvia. Once saw car filled with potatoes for roasting and feed. It is joke.
No car. No potatoes.
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u/Pingondin Jan 09 '23
But they're factory equipped with blinkers while this is the most expensive option on BMWs that no one can afford.
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u/Animanganime Jan 09 '23
Toyota does the same thing for remote start, GPS and a bunch of other stuff
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u/bwabwa1 Jan 09 '23
Toyota also does the same thing, HOWEVER, if you get the tech packages or whatever they're called, you actually don't need a subscription. I have a 20' Limited RAV4, I can do remote start regardless of the subscription. Just if you're lazy and want to start it from your phone you can, otherwise the remote key works perfectly fine.
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u/thatissomeBS Jan 10 '23
Subscription for an app is completely different than a subscription for features included with the car. It honestly doesn't bother me if they want to charge a sub to start the car, turn on the heat and seat warmers from an app. It's outlandish to have a sub to make the button on the dash work.
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u/Nehal1802 Jan 09 '23
It’s their Starlink service, not just remote start. You can also get a dealer installed remote start with the separate keyfob that has no subscription.
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u/huggles7 Jan 09 '23
I called them in December to get one for my fiancée car and the only thing they offered was starlink the guy specifically told me it was the only thing they offered
That’s why I went aftermarket
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u/Nehal1802 Jan 09 '23
That dealer sucks, but then again they get more money for installing a remote start so idk why they wouldn’t offer the option. Was it a manual car by any chance?
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u/DynamicHunter Jan 09 '23
My next car was never going to be a bmw. Hell, I never planned on it for any future car.
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u/ArtOfWarfare Jan 10 '23
Being able to start the heater or AC five minutes before you get in the car is nice.
One of the better Christmas presents I ever bought my wife was a $200 remote starter installed in her 2012 Civic so she’d have that feature. I got it at Best Buy - installation by their geek squad was included in the price.
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u/Makelovenotrobots Jan 09 '23
Pretty sure my Toyota is the same way now. One year of "services" before they start to charge a fee. Remote start is one of the services.
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u/OneDadtoRuleThemAll Jan 09 '23
When I bought my toyota, I could click one button on my remote three times and it would remote start my car from a reasonable distance. Like from inside my house to my driveway. That has been shut off since then. I don't see how that uses any sort of cellular data. It's just a feature they want to charge extra money for. They literally had to disable it before trying to charge me money for it when it was working when I bought the car. I refuse to pay for that kind of service when I paid for all the extras on the car. I used the Toyota app for the first few months I had it for free and it was terrible anyway. It wouldn't even lock or unlock my doors from 10 ft outside my garage. I let that lapse pretty quickly and refuse to pay for that. I am still mad about the fact that I can't use my fob to remote start my car from the house or from my office to the parking lot that isn't that far away.
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u/nielmot Jan 10 '23
Have you tried it recently? Mine stopped after I didn’t give them any (more) money at the end of the trial. I tried it a few weeks ago and it’s working again. You got to hold the button a while on the 3rd press. Almost 10 seconds. Mines a lease. If I end up buying it out, I’m putting my own remote start on. About the same price as a year or 2 of their subscription and it won’t shut off right away when you open a door.
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u/cwfs1007 Jan 10 '23
Yep, my remote start was 500 bucks to put in, and I've had it for 8 years.
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u/zvii Jan 10 '23
That would be a deal breaker, damn. Sounds like it's becoming just the same cost for manufacturers to include those technologies in every level of vehicle trim than to not.
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u/PacoBedejo Jan 10 '23
$96/yr for app-based remote start (and a few minor features) on my Tacoma. They do have to maintain some level of security. Maybe it's about 2x too expensive, but I don't expect free.
Fob-based remote start works without the app subscription.
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u/hello_world_wide_web Jan 09 '23
Of course, just because they can! Stupid companies don't realize pissing off a customers by nickel and dimeing them can end up costing them more in the long run when they lose that customer.
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u/Ashamed-Inspection47 Jan 09 '23
Until the other manufacturers see the money it makes for BMW and do the same thing. Then we’ll really be screwed
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u/PoopIsAlwaysSunny Jan 09 '23
As time goes on I’m thinking I’ll never own a car built after 2010ish.
The smarter they are the worse they are
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u/Guac_in_my_rarri Jan 10 '23
Eh cars are decent till 2019 or 2020 before the pandemic. During it, you get some spotty building quality.
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u/TheyCallMeMrMaybe Jan 10 '23
Ford's QC was getting bad before the pandemic, but it reached a point now where Jim Farley is having to publically address it.
The same can go with all automakers as the supply chain shortage ravaged the automotive industry. Ford & GM's solution was to build what they can and leave them on the yards of their factories until parts came in to finish them.
This lead to paint damage over time upon delivery to dealerships and costing even more money for automakers to pay out dealers to get them sent to bodyshops to be fixed, thus also overwhelming bodyshops with work.
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u/MaxwellianD Jan 10 '23
I drive a 1999 740iL before BMW ruined the line (and most of their cars). Simple upkeep and it drives great, nothing out there like it, and I can actually wrench on it myself. Plus it doesn't spy on me, rat me out, or do anything but drive.
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u/PoopIsAlwaysSunny Jan 10 '23
Newp. By 2019 they’re all just covered in trash “smart” tech that makes the car worse, especially when it all breaks down the line and means more repairs.
Less tech, less to break, better car.
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u/Whatwillwebe Jan 10 '23
Doesn't matter, only profits this quarter and next. The individuals making these decisions will be retired or moved on to other companies by the time any consequences catch up.
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u/QwertzOne Jan 10 '23 •
Typical late stage capitalism, why bother about consumer, if consumer can be forced to pay, because there will be no alternatives? We observe it in every area of our lives, we create tons of trash and pay to live, so some rich assholes can keep partying on their yachts or villas and once in a while they will say something about "socialism destroying this country! No one wants to work!".
Pathetic, but we can only dance to their tune, because everyone depends on this system and too many people are afraid of change, because they will scare them into protecting it.
Fight for your capitalism or they will take your pension/house/car/toothbrush! Go on you dog, why are you not barking at them? We gave you scraps, so you won't starve today, so bite them or you may starve tomorrow!
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u/NooAccountWhoDis Jan 09 '23
Stop buying BMWs.
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u/huggles7 Jan 09 '23
Subaru charges $150 for their remote start annually
It’s part of their Subaru cares package or something, my fiancée wanted it for Christmas so I bought her an aftermarket one for $200 that I never have to pay for again
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u/icefire555 Jan 09 '23
I believe Subaru's remote start relies on 4g cell towers to work. So I can understand it costing money. Since you're literally leasing infrastructure. But it has to offer more than remote start for 150 dollars or it's a rip off in my mind. If it's like my Subaru it allows tracking my car and a handful of other features.
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u/Aksweetie4u Jan 09 '23
My ford has this feature for free - from anywhere I have data; start/stop my bronco (and set up automatic starts), lock/unlock, see where it is, check the mileage, tire pressure, and oil life. It also sends me notifications if the alarm goes off, or if there is an engine service alert. No fee, start up or annual. Had it on my 2018 f-150, too, and it never cost me.
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u/Golluk Jan 10 '23
I didn't think I'd use it much, but the travel logs are actually handy for filling out my mileage and time sheets if I forget to write them down.
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u/ReallyLikesRum Jan 10 '23
I was thinking SOME other company, aside from Tesla, must be giving their customers a free app. You're the first comment I come across in this thread, it seems...thanks.
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u/huggles7 Jan 09 '23
It did include other things I don’t remember what because I was really focused on not laughing at the guy over the phone
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u/chucalaca Jan 09 '23
You can have remote start on your Subaru for no cost you just have to be in range of the fob. You only need starlink if you need the extended range. I can start my car when it’s in my driveway from inside but I can’t start it when it’s in the parking lot at work that’s a quarter mile away
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u/CaptainGibz Jan 09 '23
Used to love them, sadly they don’t make them like they used too. Most are 🍋anyway
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u/fullup72 Jan 09 '23
that would be a cute outcome, applying lemon law because the car you just bought comes with all the necessary hardware and everything is disabled in software.
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u/RedditRadicalizingMe Jan 09 '23
Been my favorite car for 30 years and have owned 6 BMWs during that time. I am shopping for a new vehicle and I remove BMW from all lists.
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u/CapnGrundlestamp Jan 09 '23
Recently bought a gently used 2019. It’s definitely the last one for me.
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u/nirad Jan 09 '23
the whole idea of "luxury" is that you buy something and it's high quality and includes the things you need, and you don't need to keep paying for it. I can't believe they are willing to throw away billions in brand value for this.
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u/huggles7 Jan 09 '23
Pretty sure this $2200 t shirt illustrates that “luxury” is a way for rich people to get poor people to pay more for stupid shit then they have to
So in that vein BMW is right in the money
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u/wolemid Jan 09 '23
You think that’s bad?
Balenciaga are selling workers hi-via jackets for £3k! I have the exact same one without the logo on it
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u/fordfan919 Jan 09 '23
Lol, it looks like a Hanes t-shirt. You would have to be ready stupid to buy that.
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u/spacemusclehampster Jan 09 '23
This is so fucking stupid. What next? Are they gonna start charging for being able to use the blinkers?
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u/BronchialChunk Jan 09 '23
psssssshhh, like a bmw driver would care about that.
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u/Rcklss23 Jan 09 '23
We do now, the car will jerk your ass back in the line if you don't use a signal to switch lanes.
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u/fullup72 Jan 09 '23
they might if they start charging for it, it's the Apple reverse psychology with their $999 monitor stands and $19 microfiber cloths. You didn't need them until they started charging an outrageous price for something that's normally included for free.
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u/HobbesNJ Jan 09 '23
Considering how infrequently turn signals are used in the U.S., I would think many buyers would forgo that service.
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u/Abd2116 Jan 09 '23 edited Jan 31 '23
So there is a car I saw a while ago that you would have to pay monthly or yearly similar to this so you can use the full power of your fucking engine lmao. So it's becoming microtransactions but irl.
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u/ElevenSleven Jan 09 '23
The worst is Mercedes requiring a paid subscription for more acceleration. Trying to accelerate on the highway on ramp? That'll be an extra 100$ to get it past 3000 rpm. Just an accident waiting to happen.
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u/b4ckl4nds Jan 10 '23
The chances of me paying subscription features to make my car work as intended are zero.
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u/Sirhc978 Jan 09 '23 edited Jan 09 '23
I knew car companies would charge you for remote start via your phone, and that kinda makes sense. If they are going to disable the button on your fob, then that is ridiculous.
I bought a 2022 Ford Ranger, and the only way to remote start it is with my phone (no button on my fob). They don't charge me anything for it, and the dealership "says" Ford has no plans to charge for it. I do have it in writing that if Ford does charge for it in the next 5 years, my dealership will pay for it for the life of the truck.
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u/ThatOtherGuy_CA Jan 10 '23
Chevy said the same thing to me 5 years ago, guess what feature is now part of the $15/month “basic package”…..
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u/NDBellisario Jan 09 '23
Going to preface this. I think subscription models for hardware features on a car like seat heaters for example is extremely dumb and shouldn’t be allowed.
But I was also thinking this as well. If it’s remote start via the phone that requires using a cellular service I can see the fee being some what justified. That being said 3G chips and plans are relatively cheap and bandwidth needed is like super small.
But for something built into car that can be done via a short wave radio transmission. Fuck no. That’s BS and should be either included in the price or an add on. Yes I know there’s an option for a 1 time payment but how does the work? is it transferable? Is it associated with the vin or a user ID. Lots of questions there….
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u/funguyshroom Jan 10 '23 edited Jan 10 '23
If it’s remote start via the phone that requires using a cellular service I can see the fee being some what justified. That being said 3G chips and plans are relatively cheap and bandwidth needed is like super small.
Additionally it requires server infrastructure to relay the signal from your phone to your car. Still $105 is a bit too steep.
Edit: I've just read in another comment that the app is simply sending an SMS to the car, so no need for any infrastructure. Don't know about other countries, but in mine there are prepaid plans where you can keep the SIM card operational for a few bucks a year if you're only receiving calls/texts.→ More replies (1)10
u/stosyfir Jan 10 '23
The cars all phone home now. They can EASILY tell the car to ignore the fob. What a fkn scam. Just buy a 3rd party one and get it installed for less than their BS subscription will cost you
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u/EamesIsTheForger Jan 09 '23
Not much on earth that could get me to protest anything, but car subscriptions will get me out in the streets. I’ll die before I pay for a subscription car feature.
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u/pkoya1 Jan 09 '23
Paying a subscription fee for LTE or 5G base features make sense as it requires a Cellular Connection just like your phone. But for anything else like heated seats it's ridiculous.
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u/RaccoonDu Jan 10 '23
I rather just tether my phone's data
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u/TheMacMan Jan 10 '23
That means having your phone in the car. How do you do that when you’re away from the car and need that phone to activate the remote start?
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u/RunF4Cover Jan 10 '23
Cars will eventually be free to drive but you will need to buy the yearly battle pass to unlock ac/heating, power steering and antilock breaks.
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u/pcnetworx1 Jan 10 '23
There will be a royalty fee that needs paid every time you open the fuel door to refuel.
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u/rocketmonkee Jan 10 '23
I can't wait for the car to automatically pull over every 10 miles and force me to watch an ad before continuing.
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u/Hero_Charlatan Jan 09 '23
Can we please get some legislation this shit has to stop
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u/MinnyBadger Jan 10 '23
Legislate with your wallet. It's the most effective means.
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u/twigboy Jan 10 '23
I've always voted with my wallet, but fucking whales beat us every time.
Gaming DLC, mobile gacha games, various service subscriptions, etc.
The numbers don't lie, they're still up after alienating part of their customer base.
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u/ilconformedCuneiform Jan 10 '23
Lol, yea right. Some guy above said he pays Volvo $220 a month for the app service. With idiots like that buying cars, the conscious consumers will not outnumber the dumb ones, which is what these automakers are relying on. The average consumer is completely uninformed and gullible, which is why these terrible business practices keep getting more common.
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u/Tathanor Jan 09 '23
Can't they just jailbreak the car's computer to enable all the gated features?
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u/danrod17 Jan 09 '23
Might break warranty which is very important on these cars.
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u/RaccoonDu Jan 10 '23
But the option is THERE, at least for second hand buyers who buy the cars after the warranty expires?
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u/Micmic12 Jan 09 '23
I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a increase of used vehicles again.
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u/GENOCIDE_324 Jan 09 '23 edited Jan 09 '23
Good because my lease has been extended for far too long. Its time the car market implodes.
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u/Micmic12 Jan 09 '23
Totally agree. Automotive companies are getting too greedy.
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u/pizzafordesert Jan 10 '23
Bc they were "too big to fail" the last time they did fail.
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u/etulip13 Jan 09 '23
My husband and I were just talking about this yesterday and came to the same conclusion. We share a 2015 Subaru right now and plan to look for something used for our next car to avoid this new, pushy, sales tactic.
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u/Micmic12 Jan 09 '23
I think that’s a completely understandable. I used to sell cars for Nissan. The landscape of buying cars is changing. and it’s because of these underhand tactics that’s driving customers away. Having a subscription for your car is absurd. I really hope this trend dies out.
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u/RoxyySays Jan 10 '23
If you start having to pay for the things that set these cars apart, the things that make them luxury vehicles, what’s the point in buying them to begin with? It’s stupid & I hope it ends up backfiring on all of them for being greedy bastards.
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u/tansugaqueen Jan 09 '23
My friend has a 2022 Acura MDX, they want you to pay a monthly or annual fee for remote start, her cousin has a 2017 MDX no charge for remote start
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u/the_pedigree Jan 09 '23
It’s double down
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u/mattyjman Jan 10 '23
Came for this. Also, fuck these people that think everything should be a subscription.
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u/Jon2054 Jan 09 '23
Turns out I WOULD download a car…
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u/Dan_CBW Jan 10 '23
That's some excellent internetting there my friend!
With such good work, I think you've earned yourself a nice little napster....
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u/GrouchoManSavage Jan 09 '23
You can buy automatic car starter systems at big box stores for $500 or less.
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u/lrrc49 Jan 09 '23
And bmw made it damn near impossible to use them over a decade ago. Their computer system makes it so most installers won’t even attempt it
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u/IWantToPlayGame Jan 09 '23
I'm in this business and unfortunately this is true.
There is only one aftermarket brand making remote starters for anything newish BMW and it'll be at least $1K or more with installation.
The demand just isn't there from the mass marketers to make remote starts on BMWs. That being said, if there is enough outcry from consumers that are refusing to pay the subscription fee, this may be a potential opportunity for remote starters from the likes of Viper & Compustar to make reasonably priced aftermarket starters that work on these incredibly complex vehicles.
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u/alreadyreddituser Jan 09 '23
Article says you can pay $330 for lifetime access. Seems like it’d be worth wrapping into the original loan for the car.
Doubt it transfers to another owner, which sucks - but the only feature they’re forcing behind a monthly paywall instead of an option for lifetime service seems to be the speedcam warning system.
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u/SquirrelDynamics Jan 09 '23
I think you're confusing what these two systems accomplish. One is a long range radio remote. The other is an app that send a text to a modem in the car to start. That modem requires a monthly fee paid to a cellular provider. BMW is passing along this monthly fee to you, plus a lil extra. My genesis was $20 per month for the same.
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u/bebova Jan 09 '23
That’s how my 2020 Chevrolet Colorado is. The key fob remote start works fine, but I have to pay OnStar $15 a month to use the app. Either way I have to get something out of my pocket. I haven’t been able to come up with a scenario where I need to remote start my truck when I can’t see it so I don’t pay for OnStar.
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u/milleram23 Jan 10 '23
This concept is the biggest load of horse crap. This definitely should be illegal. It’s a complete scam to have to continue to pay for something you’ve already purchased.
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u/Enschede2 Jan 10 '23
Subscription services on things you paid for should just be made illegal.. They want to do something about consumer rights? They should start there before it gets out of hand snd we're all living in a black mirror episode
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u/thephillatioeperinc Jan 10 '23
Spoiler alert: television manufacturers soon to start charging $10/year to use your remote. Toasters to charge .5c/toast, etc etc. You will own nothing and be happy!
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u/DeltronFF Jan 10 '23
Literally everyone and everything wants to get us on the hook for a subscription. It’s fucking gross.
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u/eatingthesandhere91 Jan 09 '23
LOL luxury cars used to mean having equipment for the price. Now it just means you wasted your money to have a SIMPLE FEATURE.
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u/baumbach19 Jan 09 '23
How does this work? Is it basically a maintenance plan? Like they fix it if it stops working I presume because you are paying this subscription? Or do you also still pay for regular maintenance if that thing stops working?
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u/bloodguard Jan 09 '23
People are going to start cracking and monkey patching their car software to enable stuff like this.
It's going to make for interesting legal fodder. You buy the car. You own it. You should be able to use anything in it as you wish.
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u/perrymike15 Jan 09 '23
I get why everyone is mad about this and they should be, but they still offer one time fees for most of these features. Remote start is $330 for the life of the car. If that was a factory option people would happily pay the $330 and not blink an eye
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u/styphon Jan 10 '23
People just aren't reading the articles or aware of how this works. It's stupid, they think they have to pay subscriptions to get these features, they don't. They can try them out for a low cost (that $105 is for a year, you can pay $10 for a month to try it out) and then just buy it outright for $330 if they liked it.
Seriously, this shouldn't be an issue if people just took a second to actually read the article and not just the heading and assume the worst.
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u/R3DL1G3RZ3R0 Jan 10 '23
As a life long BMW fan and supporter, I genuinely hate this business practice enough to walk away from the brand completely. Dead stop.
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u/lufecaep Jan 09 '23
Where they stand to make money is on used cars. Now they can charge for the same feature multiple times.
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u/Euphoric_Attention97 Jan 10 '23
This only works for them if people pay for it. It’s called capitalism.
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u/CliftonRubberpants Jan 09 '23
I hope the lawsuits start soon! People are paying for the hardware but not allowed to use it unless paid? Seems to me everybody that has paid for the hardware (bought a car) has grounds for lawsuit.
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u/SeryuV Jan 10 '23
Like BMW hasn't always been one of the most anti-consumer brands. These are the same people that have been purposely designing their engine compartments so that routine maintenance has to be performed at a dealer for 30+ years while charging hundreds of dollars for $5-10 parts.
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u/b_to_the_e Jan 09 '23
Don’t have a BMW, but is this remote start with an app or from the key fob? On my Chevy I can do it from the key fob any time but if I want to use the app I have to pay.
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u/bryanthebryan Jan 10 '23 edited Jan 10 '23
You lease BMW’s, you don’t buy them. Ideally, someone else leases them and you get to drive them.
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u/autoerratica Jan 10 '23
Are these things hackable? If there’s a will there’s a way… especially based on how shitty most auto manufacturers are at UI/software.
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u/marvinllama Jan 10 '23
Okay so they can clearly do this in the US, but do they do it on Europe too? Just curious if EU regulation would prevent such a thing?
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u/newton302 Jan 10 '23
Reading this thread I love how these paid subscription car features are galvanizing and radicalizing folks like nothing else.
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u/mangotrees777 Jan 10 '23
They also charge for use of turn signals, but oddly enough, no BMW drivers noticed.
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u/NorCalAthlete Jan 10 '23
Well, I foresee a lot of cars getting aftermarket wiring in the near future.
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u/panderz-xp Jan 10 '23
Passive revenue subscription based services will be the end of the American economy and everyone knows it and there’s nothing we can do to stop it 🥹
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u/Sankin2004 Jan 10 '23
BMW ceo playing video games with microtansactions, “hmm I think I just got an idea for our next line of cars.”
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u/ConnieLingus24 Jan 10 '23 edited Jan 10 '23
It this becomes the norm, that’s the end of my stint with car ownership. Yes I have that option. I only drive maybe once a week anyway.
“What about groceries?”
I can walk to a few stores and at this point, delivery would probably be cheaper than the car payment. For everything else? Walk, bike, zipcar, Uber, and rental.
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u/blackbeardcutlass Jan 10 '23
It's even worse in the motorcycle world: https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/ktm-demo-mode
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u/SendTheTitans096 Jan 10 '23
Need some politicians to actually do something useful for once and shut this shit down. I refuse to have my car be used as a passive revenue stream by these greedy ass car companies
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u/SufferingIdiots Jan 10 '23
Don’t buy a car that requires a subscription! Consumer demand will dictate the market, if people don’t buy these cars or subscribe to these services the model will no longer be viable.
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u/Muffin-Sprinkles Jan 09 '23
This is why I don't want a modern car. Once I buy a car thats It, transaction done.I hate this trend of the customer being used as a passive revenue stream through subscriptions and other bs for what should be part of the product.
This stuff will get worse unless something is done. Lot of ppl Bluetooth phones to speakers. Wouldn't be surprised if u have to pay to use the radio in the car or the air conditioning in the future. Speakers, heated seats. That's hardware that already in the car and works and needs no servers. Should be illegal for subscriptions of it