Subscription payments to access heated seats

[fossyant]

I get too hot, so heated seats and bloody steering wheels are wasted. Although the Titanium Mundano I once drove with heated and cooled seats was great. Cooled seats

 

[Cycleops]

This area is ripe for hackers.

 

[Jody]

PS someone will find a hack soon enough.

That covers it. Hopefully won't take long for someone to hack it.


Although £15 a month does take the p*ss to have a £400 option turned on. A 3 year deal would mean you pay £140 over the price of the option purchased outright. Also £10 a month if you want your heated steering wheel to work.

It should be kept fair and switched on permenantly if whoever drives the vehicle exceeds the price of the option in monthly payments. Wishful thinking maybe.

 

[Jody]

I get too hot, so heated seats and bloody steering wheels are wasted. Although the Titanium Mundano I once drove with heated and cooled seats was great. Cooled seats

AC seats in the Mondeo were great.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

This area is ripe for hackers.

I suspect this is already being worked on, Ransomware installed on the system so you can't drive your car without paying bitcoins to some foreign account.

But back on topic I think this is just BMW trying to find out how stupid the consumer is, hopefully they will get their fingers burnt (metaphorically)

 

[lazybloke]

AC seats in the Mondeo were great.

Have often desired cooled seats. Can't say I've ever been desperate for heated seats.

 

[Badger_Boom]

Yes it does. It makes every economic sense to standardise production as far as possible.

Up to a point. What about the avoidable waste of materials and energy for items that some buyers simply don't want or need?

 

[Jody]

The media as usual have been a little economical with the truth. Looks like they are trying to tempt buyers in by letting them experience the option for a month or beyond.

Heated seat packages are £15 for 1 month, £150 for a year, £250 for 3 years (offering a saving for those who are on a 3 year deal) or £350 for unlimited use.

I still don’t like the idea that every car has to have the option fitted as it seems so wasteful. Quite a few of the options offered are only software based adaptions.

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

I still don’t like the idea that every car has to have the option fitted as it seems so wasteful. Quite a few of the options offered are only software based adaptions.

With a lot of features, they are already present on the hardware, but not enabled. They just need switched on.

For manufacturers, there are probably economies and efficiencies in having all models fitted with the same hardware and simply enabled by software

 

[Cycleops]

I can see how these features that are there but not there would annoy our friends north of the border. Hell, it's enough to upset those south of the border too.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

With a lot of features, they are already present on the hardware, but not enabled. They just need switched on.

For manufacturers, there are probably economies and efficiencies in having all models fitted with the same hardware and simply enabled by software

Yep. Manufacturers aren't altruists - plus, even if the first owner's not interested, then subsequent ones may be.

 

[Jody]

With a lot of features, they are already present on the hardware, but not enabled. They just need switched on.

For manufacturers, there are probably economies and efficiencies in having all models fitted with the same hardware and simply enabled by software

I understand the economics behind it but just don't agree with it.

 

[mustang1]

I had forgotten all about this! I first heard about it on Mercedes a couple of years ago.

But for everyone who says "simple, just don't buy a BMW (or whatever brand tries it next)", then what if this eventually comes to Shimano Di2 (or SRAM or whatever) when you have a 15 speed cassette, but you have to pay a subscription to access 1st, 5th, and 15th cogs? And at that time, the only mechanical groupset will be Tourney. What then?

Here are some other examples:
You buy a TV to watch, but if you fancy listening to what you watch, guess what.... a monthly sub.
Or!.... you need to buy a subscription that allows you to subscribe to other subscriptions! I got that idea from the insurance companies: they sell you insurance that insures against your car insurance going up. Yeah I know right? Crazy!

 

[mustang1]

They might even do this with engine power. Suppose you have a 2.0 turbo car which makes 200hp. If you want it to make 300hp, you subscribe to allow more power to come through. Same with gearboxes (especially those CVT stepped ones). I could think up all sorts of stuff.

Oh well, this is the future that's coming.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

They might even do this with engine power. Suppose you have a 2.0 turbo car which makes 200hp. If you want it to make 300hp, you subscribe to allow more power to come through. Same with gearboxes (especially those CVT stepped ones). I could think up all sorts of stuff.

Oh well, this is the future that's coming.

That'll be Volvo's so-called 'Polestar Optimisation' nonsense then!

Give us some folding and we'll make your car as good as it could have been in the first place