Now I'm really keeping my truck until the bitter end...

I recently received a survey from BMW testing the water on willingness to pay a subscription for seat heaters in the future...

Complete and utter BS... if you ask me.
Everyone is chasing recurring revenue these days.

(The BMW in question was recently, happily, and eagerly sold. I used to be a fan back in the 80s/90s. BUT No more.)

Sorry - I wont play (or pay!)

There is one born every minute... but come on!


"General Motors said in 2021 that it expects its in-car subscription services "to generate nearly $2 billion in revenue this year and will reach as high as $25 billion by the end of the decade."

Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, BMW, Ford -- all of them have subscription options now, too.

A survey of 1,200 people taken by Autolist in February revealed interesting information about this, however -- nearly 70% of those surveyed are not interested in automotive subscriptions. While Gen Z was slightly more willing to consider them than Boomers, Gen X and Millennials, the general consensus was clear: no one wants another subscription to keep track of... "


https://www.thestreet.com/automotiv...g-new-cost-blame-tesla?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO

 

I'd pay the first aftermarket company whatever they're asking to bypass all such subscription services... even if it was cumulatively more expensive than the subscription itself.

 

My guess is they’ll try to bundle the shit too. Like you can’t get JUST the seat heaters, you need the whole cold weather package that includes a heated steering wheel, mirror defrost and heated trailer hitch. Bundle and save for only $80 a month!

 

complete nonsense! Why would we want to subscribe?!

 

Open the gas cap? $20/mo
Headlights? $50/mo
Do you REALLY need that valve in the tire stem? $200/mo/tire.

 

Just decline everything always ​

 

If there is any hope for humanity, that buisness model will die a well-deserved quick death...

I will not buy any options on subscription. Period.

- Then I remember Apple and their insane ability to sucker people with their products and services... People pay happily through the nose...

I do not believe the odds are good...

 

There are commercials for phone apps that will help manage your subscriptions. First you manually enter your entire bank statement line-by-line into the app. Then the app tells you about subscriptions you magically were unable to recognize while entering them.

And you expect the general public to actually seriously consider the need for subscriptions?

 

Well if they go by the printer model; then new BMWs should cost 149.99 at Costco.

Edit: A manufacturer's incentive discount on any subscription whenever one cuts off any other driver on the road. Just to keep the brand image alive.

 

Aren't we really just renting everything in this world anyway, even the things we supposedly own?

 

So what's BMW's subscription terms relating to warranty coverage? Is there warranty coverage on the system for as long as you subscribe?

Asking because, you know, our 3rd gen's seat heater modules like to burn up...

 

I must be hitting the crack pipe pretty damn hard, but if you own the vehicle, what is keeping you from activating features the manufacture disables?

I remember when the FJ cruiser first came out in 2007 I bought a base model which did not have the ATRAC button but because of economies of scale Toyota included ATRAC and all you had to do is buy a $40 button off of eBay, pry out the blank switch, and plug-in the ATRAC switch.

Let me guess they’re going to say this is some type of bullshit where you are voiding the warranty by attempting to install functionality only the manufacturer can install, or some other nonsense like that.

 

Its like people completely forgot what life was like in the days of Napster, and the general response to overpriced media.





yes, I would. I 100% unashamedly would. Guess what is about to happen when subscription models oversaturate the market?

 

When you own a subscription to something you don’t actually own it and there’s nothing to keep the subscription provider from locking you out from it for ANY reason.

I forgot I even had an iTunes account until recently, but when I went through the files on my MacBook I found out that half the shit I downloaded in the early 2000s is no longer available because Apple doesn’t license it.

 

Wait, what? Why the fuck would you need a subscription to turn on features built into the car that you paid for?

Although, it would be cool if you could get a car/truck with features you almost never need but could pay to turn on when needed. Like extra power for towing. Of course, that's a benefit to buyers not a way to fleece us so probably won't ever happen.

 

GM faced big backlash when they tried to force 3 years of OnStar onto new vehicles for $1,500. I believe it was removed quietly but you can still see some window stickers out there with it as an “option”.

 

This is what happens when corporations are publicly traded. Shareholders demand constant revenue growth and company management will push the envelope as far as they can. It's despicable, but that's the business. Everyone will complain and say subscription services for cars are ridiculous, but in a few years most people will be used to it. Sucks.
Most luxury cars are leases anyway, so it will just be built into the monthly payment.

 

Subscriptions to seat heaters is a bad practice but there is something to be said about your comment.

Tesla includes seat heaters in the rear seat of every car, but if you want to use them you pay a ONE TIME fee of $200. The reason being that although it is cheaper to NOT have the feature at all, if you are going to include it the heaters cost less than having two different parts in the supply chain and the manufacturing cost to install (or not install) the heated seats, etc. And if you DON'T install it the second owner cannot then pay you for it. Figure 25% of owners pay for it, but if the car goes through 4 owners then you sold a seat heater in every car.
-And if you trade your Tesla back to Tesla they can disable the feature and sell it again to the next guy, like they reportedly did with FSD.

Some other manufactures are doing this for performance too. Pay a one time fee and now your computer lets the engine make more power. The reason here is warranty. The added power increases the chance of a warranty issue so low power for those that don't care and they have less warranty issues, for those that want it they make some money and cover the added cost of increased warranty issues. The manufacture makes one part which makes it cheaper for everyone and the guy who wants more power can just buy it. Plus here again future owners can buy it if the original owner didn't.

 

As much as I go through brakes on my BMW, I consider them a subscription already.

 

Once again, if I buy the car, what’s keeping me from enabling the feature myself?

That comes into a very weird stage of ownership where I have something, but I can’t use parts of it because the manufacturer said so.