Heated car seats for rent!

[A930Rocket]

First I’ve heard of it, but BMW is now renting/leasing options on your car. Instead of paying for it upfront, you can pay for it monthly.

Edit: unless this is some kind of spoof article?

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/12/23204950/bmw-subscriptions-microtransactions-heated-seats-feature


BMW is now selling subscriptions for heated seats in a number of countries — the latest example of the company’s adoption of microtransactions for high-end car features.

A monthly subscription to heat your BMW’s front seats costs roughly $18, with options to subscribe for a year ($180), three years ($300), or pay for “unlimited” access for $415.

It’s not clear exactly when BMW started offering this feature as a subscription, or in which countries, but a number of outlets this week reported spotting its launch in South Korea.

BMW has slowly been putting features behind subscriptions since 2020, and heated seats subs are now available in BMW’s digital stores in countries including the UK, Germany, New Zealand, and South Africa. It doesn’t, however, seem to be an option in the US — yet.


We’ve asked BMW for the exact details of this roll-out, but it was unable to say when the subscriptions had been launched in which countries. It’s no surprise that BMW isn’t trumpeting the news, though. Since the company announced in 2020 that its cars’ operating system would allow for microtransactions on features like automatic high beams and adaptive cruise control, customers have decried the move as greedy and exploitative.

Carmakers have always charged customers more money for high-end features, of course, but the dynamic is very different when software, rather than hardware, is the limiting factor.

CHARGING MORE FOR HIGH-END FEATURES FEELS DIFFERENT WHEN YOU ALREADY OWN THEM

In the case of heated seats, for example, BMW owners already have all the necessary components, but BMW has simply placed a software block on their functionality that buyers then have to pay to remove. For some software features that might lead to ongoing expenses for the carmaker (like automated traffic camera alerts, for example), charging a subscription seems more reasonable. But that’s not an issue for heated seats.


Other features that BMW is locking behind subscriptions (as per the company’s digital UK store) include heated steering wheels, from $12 a month; the option to record footage from your car’s cameras, priced at $235 for “unlimited” use; and the “IconicSounds Sport package,” which lets you play engine sounds in your car for a one-time fee of $117.

In the latter case, BMW notes that “the hardware for this feature has already been installed in your vehicle during production, at no extra cost.” How generous.

[Reg]

This is crazy. I’d never buy the brand and pay for an option it had built in. Similar to XM I suppose.
Pay extra when buying. Not after.

[Scott R]

Read this today, Toyota and Tesla started this, I bet it's not going away.

[cabmandone]

I read about this the other day. I can't see people buying a car and paying a service fee for heated seats. How do you justify the fee with literally every other manufacturer includes it for free?

I don't know if Toyota has corrected it yet or not, I haven't tried it, but they were supposed to do something to allow key fobs to remote start cars without a subscription. I really don't care since my wife had the Toyota connected services so she could start her car with the app but never used the feature during the trial period.

[stomachmonkey]

Personally I hate the idea and I hope they die of ass cancer.

I believe what's happened is some bean counter or logistics person figured out that there is massive efficiency and cost savings in manufacturing all the cars with all the options.

They build at least the raw cost into the base price of the car which is less than the buyer would normally pay for them.

So at that point they are cost neutral and the fee's to enable the feature is all gravy.

[dw1]

Care to guess how long it will take someone to create a hack for this and publish it on the internet?

The is absolutely no f'ing way I would pay a subscription for a automotive hardware feature. Or buy a car from a company that did that.

What's next? A subscription for the car's heater and air con?

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by dw1

Care to guess how long it will take someone to create a hack for this and publish it on the internet?

The is absolutely no f'ing way I would pay a subscription for a automotive hardware feature. Or buy a car from a company that did that.

What's next? A subscription for the car's heater and air con?

Subscriptions for software have been around long enough that the industry has figured out how to mitigate hacks.

Phoning home was the default way so you just blocked that by routing the traffic to localhost and dumping it.

Now if the subscription doesn't check in every 30 days the license is invalidated.

What ends up happening is it becomes such a hassle to continually apply the patch that people will eventually go without or simply pay for it.

That will happen when the wife gets in the car and the heat isn't working and ***** you out, you'll get sick of hearing it and pony up.

There will be ways to get around it but they will be temporary at best.

I'd read the fine print, I bet there is a clause that any mucking about in the code invalidates the vehicles entire warranty.

And yes, they will be able to tell you've done it.

[SCadaddle]

My neighbors have a 2018 or so Honda Pilot. He's been having issues with the electronic controls of the drivers seat. Some mix up with the key fobs and seat memory or whatever. The times I've shared a ride with them with me in the back seat I've been instructed to bail out of the back seat before the driver opens the door and the seat does it's thing by fully sliding back and fully reclining.

Their Son the Preacher came to town yesterday and being the whiz he is supposedly fixed the gremlin.

We went to dinner and I wound up in the back seat behind the driver. Leaving dinner I got in before the driver opened his door, but when he did, the seat went into full exorcist mode with the Preacher sitting in the back next to me! Honda power seats have very strong motors. I was lucky to get my knees rotated outwards and have the seat not crush me as it was in the process of moving fully rearward and fully reclining while I was hollering at the driver CLOSE THE DOOR! CLOSE THE DOOR!!

Technology. I was so close to owning any new Honda I ever wanted I imagine!

[Bill Douglas]

This is why I like the SC so much.

Or if I want high levels of sophistication (a heater that works), I drive the Corolla.

[Robert Coats]

Blame video games for this trend. Used to be, you'd solve puzzles, become more skilled, etc., and you'd eventually 'win' the video game outright. Next, developers started including cheat codes, that would let you win easily. Some smart guy figured why give that away? "Hey, for only $0.99, you can buy this fully-automatic weapon and kill more bad guys." It worked. Next thing you know, you'd buy a game for $60, and then spend gawd only knows how much to buy up in-game money, treasure, weapons, extra lives, etc.

I read last week some first-person shooter game update was released, and not only did the publisher rocket to the #1 sales slot, they banked over **$10 million** in revenue for in-game micro-transactions in the first two weeks!

I'm guilty too; I usually pay $2-$5 a month to my favorite podcasts just to avoid commercials on otherwise free shows.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Robert Coats

Blame video games for this trend. Used to be, you'd solve puzzles, become more skilled, etc., and you'd eventually 'win' the video game outright. Next, developers started including cheat codes, that would let you win easily. Some smart guy figured why give that away? "Hey, for only $0.99, you can buy this fully-automatic weapon and kill more bad guys." It worked. Next thing you know, you'd buy a game for $60, and then spend gawd only knows how much to buy up in-game money, treasure, weapons, extra lives, etc.

I read last week some first-person shooter game update was released, and not only did the publisher rocket to the #1 sales slot, they banked over **$10 million** in revenue for in-game micro-transactions in the first two weeks!

I'm guilty too; I usually pay $2-$5 a month to my favorite podcasts just to avoid commercials on otherwise free shows.

I’ve been working in gaming for 32 years with credit on multiple AAA titles.

In a word, no.

Cheat codes are for development purposes.

Let's say you are doing QA on a 10 level game, it doesn't work if you have to play through each level to get to higher levels to test.

You also want infinite lives so you don't have to continually start over to get to s certain point in a level.

You need to test all the weapons etc.... etc..... etc...

Sometimes they get taken out, sometimes a few are missed and left in by mistake, sometimes they are left in on purpose because there is a whole sub genre of gamers who will buy the game just to find cheats and they never really play the game itself. Call them Easter Eggs.

Most games have a set number of hours of gameplay, it should take the average person XX hours to complete the game. DLC, expansion packs, in app purchases, are all ways to extend the value proposition of the product.

Some of that stuff comes out at launch but generally new levels, maps, come out later because it takes time to build them. If developers waited to release a game that included "everything" the game would never come out, it'd be in continuous development and you'd be burning money like a CA forest fire with no revenue coming in and then there is always the likelihood the game tanks and now you are well and truly f'd.

Expansion of existing titles is mutually beneficial, consumers, if they choose cause no one is forcing them, can extend the life time value of their initial purchase and developers can maintain incremental revenue streams that make it possible to fund the team to continually improve the game.

[rockfan4]

Why doesn't BMW put the turn signals on a subscription?
None of their owners would sign up for it.

[nota]

how hard is a wire to a heater coil ?

guess I am doomed to older cars forever
as I will never own a car that can report me
or expect an on going options tax payment

[OK-944]

First they start charging us for in-flight peanuts...and now this? What's the world coming to?

[fastfredracing]

Another reason to despise the Bavarian Manure Wagon

[john70t]

Three months of free turn signals. $12/mo afterwards

[nota]

the only way the BMW drivers will use turn signals is if you PAY THEM

A LOT for the inconvenience

[SCadaddle]

.......yet guaranteed there will be future BMW owners who are savvy enough to crunch the numbers and feel like they are getting a "deal" by only subscribing to the seat warmer "service" during the colder months.

I had my yearly visit with my PCP the other day, an older lady, and jokingly asked her if she remembers the old Twilight Zone shows. "Oh yes" she replied. I then told her "Imagine if you will, a beautiful day. In the blink of an eye everything turns to black and white. You turn and see a young Rod Serling holding a cigarette with a smirk on his face. It's at that moment you realize you've entered the Twilight Zone." She chuckled and agreed that everything about the world has gone nuts.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

This is why I like the SC so much.

Or if I want high levels of sophistication (a heater that works), I drive the Corolla.

The heater on my 85 Carrera will roast me on the coldest days. It is simply astonishing how good the factory stock heater is. If the AC was 1/2 as powerful as the heater, Charlie Griffith would never have a business of AC upgrades.

You must have backdated heat, or some modification to have poor heaters. Does the SC come with the footwell blowers like the Carrera has? Those things move the heat.

I can't imagine buying any product that requires me to pay a subscription just to have the hardware work.

Lots of the software manufacturers like Adobe, and Microsoft have gone to subscriptions for their software. We have to pay 12 bucks per month for Office 365, and $29.95 per month to use Photoshop. There is no end to that except switch to a different program.

[nota]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The heater on my 85 Carrera will roast me on the coldest days. It is simply astonishing how good the factory stock heater is. If the AC was 1/2 as powerful as the heater, Charlie Griffith would never have a business of AC upgrades.

You must have backdated heat, or some modification to have poor heaters. Does the SC come with the footwell blowers like the Carrera has? Those things move the heat.

I can't imagine buying any product that requires me to pay a subscription just to have the hardware work.

Lots of the software manufacturers like Adobe, and Microsoft have gone to subscriptions for their software. We have to pay 12 bucks per month for Office 365, and $29.95 per month to use Photoshop. There is no end to that except switch to a different program.

or just use the last PS one could buy or pirate