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BMW Feature Subscriptions are here, Heated Seats = $18/month

dsio
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Dogart1983 Dogart1983
Anyone else get half of the ads on their page being for BMW?
It’s a predictable thing given the context of the discussion, but it’s probably not the best use of their advertising given the stuff I’ve said lol
 
Archer
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Rjay8 Rjay8
My thoughts are that theyre really pushing towards a "maintenance free, replace car every X years" model. In the past 30+ years, as you've mentioned, intervals are extending, parts are "replace only" and no longer serviceable or not feasibly serviceable, proliferation of plastic components, subscription access only diagnostics, etc. By eliminating the access to self service or repair, you slowly eliminate the thought of self service or repair. This then becomes the norm, and the norm drives the society and economy. Voting with your wallet isnt very useful when the options are rigged from the start.

This is a big reason i got into mechanical and vintage watches. It's such a shame to just completely throw things away, but it seems thats where the world is headed.

Pretty much everything you said above can be said about the world of mechanical watches as well. Service intervals extended, parts access restricted by brands, lack of technical documentation availability, individual parts no longer available and now only sub-assemblies...if you picked mechanical watches to get away from all that, you picked the wrong hobby.
 
STANDY
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So what happens when the battery goes flat and you have to replace it or in my case you drive somewhere where there is no internet for half the trip….hell the next town from me there is 300 of the 350km without service… .??

I am hating the future
 
JwRosenthal
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STANDY STANDY
So what happens when the battery goes flat and you have to replace it or in my case you drive somewhere where there is no internet for half the trip….hell the next town from me there is 300 of the 350km without service… .??

I am hating the future
When I worked for the Park Service, it wasn’t uncommon for us to spend 2-3 weeks, hundreds of miles from the closest civilization documenting heritage sites (basically archaeology). We used Suburbans, Toyota and Chevy pick-ups (all from the 90’s or early 00’s) and all were outfitted with 8-ply tires, 2 spares on the roof, extra water pumps, hoses, belts and all the tools needed to do trail-side service (we usually had 2 vehicles that carried the water, food and all mess equipment and extra fuel). All trucks had radios and there was one sat phone available for emergencies. Not sure how this kind of work can be done with the future vision of what vehicles will look like.
 
gatorcpa
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Rjay8 Rjay8
In the past 30+ years, as you've mentioned, intervals are extending, parts are "replace only" and no longer serviceable or not feasibly serviceable, proliferation of plastic components, subscription access only diagnostics, etc. By eliminating the access to self service or repair, you slowly eliminate the thought of self service or repair.

…This is a big reason i got into mechanical and vintage watches. It's such a shame to just completely throw things away, but it seems thats where the world is headed.
We have several threads here regarding that very practice in the world of watches. Many watch companies no longer allow the sale of branded OEM parts through independent parts dealers. There have been a few lawsuits, but nothing has really changed.

The future is here.
gatorcpa
 
NoName
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Soon they will have subscriptions if you want wheels on your car=52$ per month!! ::facepalm1::
 
Pvt-Public
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NoName NoName
Soon they will have subscriptions if you want wheels on your car=52$ per month!! ::facepalm1::
No, no, no. You’ve got that all wrong. The wheels will be pre-installed you’ll only have to pay if you want them to roll.
 
Foo2rama
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Hear me out.

One, lots of companies already do this. Lots of software disabled features its pretty common on Land rovers and jags... not to mention Teslas can restrict down the battery size, and have in the past via software.

Two, This greatly reduces MFG costs, only one seat and set of seat parts need to be stored. The cost to permanently add heated seats is about the same as if you had it on the sticker price... All of these options have permanent purchase prices. So I see it as lower costs of mfg which would translate to lower costs of purchase, and then if you do not want a feature like heated seats since you live in the tropics, you never have to pay for it.
 
JwRosenthal
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The thing that is really sad is that after 25 years of really incentivizing riding public transit and improvements to the systems in major metro areas- Covid really shot all that work to shit as people don’t want to ride with other people now. I still take the train to work and ridership is still half what it was- granted, many are telecommuting full time now- but I don’t see investment continuing as it was pre-pandemic for decades.
 
Rjay8
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Archer Archer
if you picked mechanical watches to get away from all that, you picked the wrong hobby.
gatorcpa gatorcpa
We have several threads here regarding that very practice in the world of watches. Many watch companies no longer allow the sale of branded OEM parts through independent parts dealers. There have been a few lawsuits, but nothing has really changed.
gatorcpa
I guess you could say i arrived a bit late to the watch hobby (maybe half a decade ago). I only learned of the watch repair mafia in early 2020 when i realized my watches needed servicing and began scrolling through cousins and doing some research.
JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
Not sure how this kind of work can be done with the future vision of what vehicles will look like.
Its tough since urban societies drive the options available to rural societies. I think rural folks will be fine for another few decades before fossil fuel vehicle options and parts availability starts getting difficult. After that im not sure. The real elephant in the room that politicians and big media keep dodging is the industrial level equipment which keeps our world revolving. The battery tech to electrify this sector, by far the largest driver of pollution, is arguably many decades from ready, yet they choose to target regular consumer goods. It reminds me of the penny pinching schemes that got us to OPs original topic in the first place.
 
R
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I still have an 03 BMW ZHP. Several times over the years I went to test drive the M3 and later M4, but the design changes and move to turbo engines killed it for me. Ended up getting a new Jaguar F-Type years ago as a second car instead. I can't imagine ever buying a new BMW again given the direction they've gone in.
 
wrist time
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Its not just the heated seats.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/12/23204950/bmw-subscriptions-microtransactions-heated-seats-feature
"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. "
 
JimInOz
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wrist time wrist time
....................... and the “IconicSounds Sport package,” which lets you play engine sounds in your car for a one-time fee of $117. "

Very clever of BMW to make it a one time purchase. Any sane person would dump it as soon as the subscription period ended.
Actually, any sane person wouldn't actually want it, subscription or otherwise.
The one time purchasers who do make the jump probably curse every time they think of it.
 
jaguar11
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At:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-62142208
it states that
For £200, those with chilly hands can enjoy a warm wheel for "as long as the technical prerequisites are met for this vehicle". I am not sure what "technical prerequisites" are. I guess just like any other electronic device there comes a point when it is out of date and stops working properly or simply is not supported anymore by updates.
 
JwRosenthal
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jaguar11 jaguar11
At:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-62142208
it states that
For £200, those with chilly hands can enjoy a warm wheel for "as long as the technical prerequisites are met for this vehicle". I am not sure what "technical prerequisites" are. I guess just like any other electronic device there comes a point when it is out of date and stops working properly or simply is not supported anymore by updates.
I miss relays and mechanical switches.
 
Foo2rama
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jaguar11 jaguar11
At:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-62142208
it states that
For £200, those with chilly hands can enjoy a warm wheel for "as long as the technical prerequisites are met for this vehicle". I am not sure what "technical prerequisites" are. I guess just like any other electronic device there comes a point when it is out of date and stops working properly or simply is not supported anymore by updates.
It depends if it shipped with the heated wheel or not.
 
JwRosenthal
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noelekal noelekal
That I was capable of replacing, yes!
I always carried a couple extra window switches in my glove box for my BMW’s (were about $20/ea from the dealer). You could pry a dodgy switch out with a pen knife (even your fingernails sometimes), unplug it, whack it on the dash and it usually worked again. If not, use the spare.

Sunroof also had a little hatch that let you put a crank handle ( from the trunk tool box )in to manually close it if it lost power. This is good design IMO!
 
Tony C.
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
Sunroof also had a little hatch that let you put a crank handle ( from the trunk tool box )in to manually close it if it lost power. This is good design IMO!

Really good!
 
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