BMW Is Giving Up on Heated Seat Subscriptions Because People Hated Them - eviltoast

BMW Is Giving Up on Heated Seat Subscriptions Because People Hated Them::The blowback worked—but subscriptions for software-based new car features will continue, according to a BMW board member.

  • Adalast@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    14
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    It occurs to me that all of these feature subscription models never seem to mention maintenance. Is that correct? Like, Ford wants to make a car that will deactivate the radio and blare annoying noises at you like you’re a fucking cat if you miss a payment, BMW and Lexus are gating performance and heated seats behind subscriptions and paywalls… But all you get is access. They arent going to fix the heated seats if a coil burns out. They aren’t going to fix a spun bearing you incur while using the extra performance you paid for. They aren’t going to repair a blown transformer in the radio. So you are literally paying for nothing. I am so glad I have an '07 Mustang Convertible. If I keep it maintained and looking good, the value will skyrocket when they actually standardize all of this abusive shit.

    Of course, then somehow “Cash for Clunkers” will come back and be even less “voluntary” and suddenly most cars made before ~2018 will be removed from the road and bricked.

    • SCB@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Your 07 mustang is ICE so in the next 3 decades will lose all value.

      • SuperSpruce@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        No, it’ll become a hot enthusiast pick when everything is electric, especially if it’s a manual. There are a lot of car enthusiasts who swear by the “feel” of an ICE sports car.

    • gian @lemmy.grys.it
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      1 year ago

      They arent going to fix the heated seats if a coil burns out. They aren’t going to fix a spun bearing you incur while using the extra performance you paid for. They aren’t going to repair a blown transformer in the radio. So you are literally paying for nothing.

      This is what a warranty is for.

          • jj4211@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            7
            ·
            1 year ago

            It is the point when the subscription is paid for lifetime, but the warranty is not.

            A subscription fee might make sense if it came with warranty coverage. If the fee is for using some heating elements you already have, but no promises they will actually keep working, then you are paying for something that doesn’t track any associated expense incurred on the supplier.

          • tabular@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Is your point that warranty is part of the cost of the car and so they’ve already paid a substantial portion (for the lifetime of the car) of “the subscription”?

        • gian @lemmy.grys.it
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          I suppose not, but you are mixing two things: a subscription fee and a warranty. They are differnt things.

          I obviously agree that a subscrition model for a car hardware features, even if backed by software, is stupid but you are not paying to have it repaired if broken, you are paying for another thing: the use of it no matter how stupid the thing may be.

          • Reyali@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            OP knows they aren’t the same thing. Their point was that if the subscription model came with promise of repair, maybe there’s a purpose/value in it for the consumer. But without that, it’s pure greed.

            • Adalast@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              1 year ago

              Close to my original point. It’s more like “I’m paying you every month and I am going to have to pay exorbitant repair fees so I can keep paying for the privilege of using it.”