Renting your winch for 30 seconds

[pfletcher229648]

One of the best things that has been added to cars in the past 10 years has been the Apply/Android functionality. So much so, there is no use for the auto manufacturers to put in navigation systems or try and sell us updates to the maps, but they still do.

There is revenue there for them to get without upsetting the customers. As long as you have a screen that people look at, you can sell the eyeballs. If I'm getting in the car to go out to eat, then guess what, how about you tell me all the places near me and any specials they have going on at restaurants. That's how the tech companies do it. They should focus on that revenue and quit trying to charge me a monthly fee to use my windshield wipers.

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[The Last Cowboy]

No F'n way will I pay a subscription to use what the vehicle already has built in as an option. Obviously the manufacturer can control the car remotely if they can turn on something as minor as a seat heater.

Then there is the economy of scale of building the car with all the options and only activating those which a rented from the overlord manufacturer. That way they can build the car one way, saving money on the assembly line, then charge for you to use what's already there. This has been done to some extent for years.

Many vehicles have parts or harnesses related to a higher option the car, it's just not on the screen or in the switch gear. In our Jeeps for example, I can simply replace the center switch cluster and 5" screen with an 8" screen and an new switch cluster. Then I have access to much more than before, such as auto AC, off road pages etc.

If other manufacturers start to do this, I will buy the base version every time. I know that they rip people off for "tech". Screens are cheap, but they charge out the ass for each step up in size because they know how much it dazzles people. The only real tech that matters is what makes the wheels turn.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Never say never! World Economic Forum says soon you'll own nothing, and be happier for it!

Straight out of the Communist Manifesto. No ownership of private property.

 

[OldBlue]

Never say never! World Economic Forum says soon you'll own nothing, and be happier for it!

Not in my lifetime.

 

[Mocopo]

Not in my lifetime.

Here's hoping you're right on that!

 

[Traveller128]

But a subscription to turn on a feature that's permanently installed in your vehicle, never updated and doesn't have any cost to the manufacturer whether you use it or not? I would never buy that vehicle. And what happens a decade or two in the future when that manufacturer gets bored of maintaining their extortion? Does the feature become obsolete and useless even though it's still otherwise completely functional? I don't want to find out. Take that vehicle and shove it.

This is exactly what will happen. If they decide to shut down their department that controls the features, the customer will be left with no support. They MIGHT, and I mean MIGHT, offer a one time activation fee when they shut down the subscription dept., and it will resemble buying the feature in the first place. After the window expires for "support", then that's it,

The auto makers are on a very short "must" support cycle lately. The only thing they have to support, is the 8 year/80,000 emissions warranty parts. If they decide to discontinue a non-popular interior color series of parts for a model, they can do that. There is no "7 year" or "10 year" parts support necessity, and there is no requirement to support tech features outside the warranty period. Witness the 3G/4G modem issue. Some are stepping up with a 4G tech solution, some are saying there will be no hardware solution, sorry for your luck pal, buy a new model.

If they discontinue a model, the discontinued model only needs to have parts be "available" until the warranty expires. That might mean that the OEM has their suppliers keep the molds until the warranty expires, then they authorize them to be sold or thrown away. And that doesn't mean that your burgundy interior model has that color available, only that the component is made, in whatever color they decide to produce, be it black, or a lighter color that the dealer can dye to match.

Buyer beware. Especially of low production models, or tech features. Typical "tech" be it nav, audio, or touch screens, has a "life" of about 7 years, WHEN IT'S NEW. That means, the first year of production. After that, it's aging out, and so is the support. Buying a 5 year old car, means the tech in it will be updated in the newer models very soon, and the old stuff not supported in 1-3 years.

I work on a product line, that does a pretty good job of support, and they still don't support any tech past about the 10 year mark. It simply ages out, and the companies that built the tech have moved on. They may not even have staff that is trained on the "old" tech after 10 years in the market. Nav updates stop at about the 7 year mark. They keep the "updates" online for the customer to download, but the last update is at about the 7 year mark, and will BE the last update, forever. There are sometimes aftermarket companies that will crack code and try to keep updating something, but it's not assured. As tech moves on, the formats change, and it's the same thing as the computer industry. No one except niche companies writes code to support old tech. Don't see many folks writing programs for WInblows 98.

Bottom line, the OEM's want to sell new cars. The tech in older cars, and by old I mean they can't sell it CPO, is yesterday's news, they've moved on, they don't care.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

@Traveller128

What you describe is probably the exact reason not to buy a 4Xe and to be wary of any new EVs on the market right now. The tech is what will put them in the junkyard, not the mechanical parts.

 

[mgroeger]

Just when I thought the stupid question posts were dying down...

 

[Bzinsky]

Did anyone bother to do research beyond this clickbait thread about a clickbait article?

Bmw is only charging monthly for features……drum role……..if you didn’t get them optioned on the vehicle during purchase but want them after the fact.

 

[STW]

Did anyone bother to do research beyond this clickbait thread about a clickbait article?

Bmw is only charging monthly for features……drum role……..if you didn’t get them optioned on the vehicle during purchase but want them after the fact.

good info. So this means they install the features you didn't option just in case you decide later you want to purchase them after all?

 

[Bzinsky]

good info. So this means they install the features you didn't option just in case you decide later you want to purchase them after all?

Pretty much.

Just cheaper for them to install it in all vehicles i guess.

 

[roaniecowpony]

How'd you like it if you bought a plane ticket, they lock the door, take you 40,000 feet in the air, then tell you that you can't use the lav to pee or poo unless you swipe your credit card?

 

[Bzinsky]

How'd you like it if you bought a plane ticket, they lock the door, take you 40,000 feet in the air, then tell you that you can't use the lav to pee or poo unless you swipe your credit card?

Eh, 2/10 on the analogy

 

[webwbr]

I admit I did not read all the responses. But specifically for a winch, I don't see that working.

Basically a winch is a SAFETY feature. Could you imagine the bad PR an automaker would receive if a death occurred because a winch (installed and functioning on the vehicle) could not be unlocked due to a person's inability to pay, or in the crisis, they were unable to enter their credit card information in time?

Vanity features (like heated seats) while I'm against the subscription model of, is a different animal and I guess the consumers will decide.

 

[Fudster]

Did anyone bother to do research beyond this clickbait thread about a clickbait article?

Bmw is only charging monthly for features……drum role……..if you didn’t get them optioned on the vehicle during purchase but want them after the fact.

This fact was discussed early into the thread. All the vehicles get the feature. Those that don't pay for it upfront have it disabled.

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