discussion Subscription for heated seats...

[MR_Y]

Hi

Comments please on the new feature subscription model for BMW (already on Teslas).

Here you pay R250pm for when you need seat heaters. I guess in SA, you will only need this for winter months.

Anyway, I guess those under 40 can maybe explain the appeal and logic of such subscriptions to us older folk....

Front Seat Heating | BMW.za

Seat heating turns the front seats into a comfort zone at the touch of a button. This feature quickly heats up your seats to a relaxing temperature you can adjust however you like.

www.bmw.co.za

 

[Spanky]

No one likes it. Irrespective of age group.

You say it as if we (the younguns) asked for this? haha

Lest we forget - Boomers and GenX are the people mostly in charge of companies at this point in time. They're the ones calling the shots and instituting all these subscription based fee structures.

It sucks. Period.

 

[Veedub]

If heated seats cost R6k and you use it for 4 months of the year over a finance term of 6 years, you are "kind off" paying R277 for each of the 4 months over 6 years that you use them. The monthly cashflow impact is actually R111 per month over the 6 years, so even here it's not far off the R250 BMW want to charge. Used a rate of 10% for interest.

On a monthly repayment of like R12k...R250 is nothing for 4 months.

It also then means that finding a used vehicle with the option becomes much easier (who buys a new car in Jhb and doesn't spec heated seats??!!).

The US is not doing this though https://www.verifythis.com/article/...n-us/536-816e1124-994b-41ce-ab5a-222c10667566

I suppose things like Android Auto, Reverse/360 Camera, auto high beam, ambient lighting, etc will follow suite. I wonder if they will drop the base price of the vehicle?? Or whether the cost of the options are hidden in the base price, then they still charge a subscription fee...bread buttered on both sides

 

[Spanky]

I wonder if they will drop the base price of the vehicle?? Or whether the cost of the options are hidden in the base price, then they still charge a subscription fee...bread buttered on both sides

It will certainly be baked into the purchase price. They are double dipping and generating long-term revenue.

Good point on used vehicles though.

 

[TBP88]

I've never owned a car with heated seats and never felt the desire to have them, SA at it's coldest is maybe -3/4 levels, and that happens maybe once ever 2 or 3 years. Unless you live in sutherland or some other place where negative temps are a regular feature of life I've always thought it's dumb.

Either way, what next, aircon for 300pm? Cruise control for 100pm? unlock your speed limiter for R50pm, daytime running lights for R200pm? The idea that hardware you pay for can be locked behind software locks is absurd.

 

[TurboLlew]

It's all fun and games justifying this garbage until the terms change and your other options are gone. I agree that NO sane person in ANY GENERATION wants this crap. I am finding it hard navigating the home automation landscape now because of how many companies have started out "OK" then moved to "cloud management" and then suddenly turned off services or held back firmware updates for your house (essentially).

In the instance of streaming services, your content is no longer available, prices increase and they 'double dip' by serving ads anyway

In the instance of games, microtransactions might be instituted by boomers, but it is based on the market 'accepting' this - people just need to say no and it won't happen but they don't and hence you have to these days at least accept that you're going to buy some DLC...

In the instance of cars? I will go and buy another brand if this becomes a thing (or buy an older vehicle). I don't mind covering the data/platform costs for live services. This is absolute stupidity and the people defending it are doing so with flawed logic. It isn't a slippery slope between paying for live services and then basically DLC/microtransactions for physical hardware. they are two totally different concepts one of which has an ongoing cost and one of which is putting functional paid for elements behind a paywall which is a TERRIBLE idea for the consumer.

 

[zabbo]

I have only had heated seats in my Golf GTi and driving with nice toasty buns is nice

To the point though, I think in theory it is cheaper for the manufacturer to "upspec" all cars in a particular build period and then for the end user to only pay for the feature when required as opposed to pay a premium at purchase - Win/Win for both parties.

Preferential pricing on bulk items and less complications in specific build patterns should improve manufacturing efficiencies as well.
All for it as this would make buying 2nd hand and demos alot better!
My 2c on this.

 

[TurboLlew]

ALSO I also thought heated seats were dumb for SA until I had them and now I use them quite often

 

[Spanky]

I have only had heated seats in my Golf GTi and driving with nice toasty buns is nice

To the point though, I think in theory it is cheaper for the manufacturer to "upspec" all cars in a particular build period and then for the end user to only pay for the feature when required as opposed to pay a premium at purchase - Win/Win for both parties.

Preferential pricing on bulk items and less complications in specific build patterns should improve manufacturing efficiencies as well.
All for it as this would make buying 2nd hand and demos alot better!
My 2c on this.

In theory this does streamline the supply chain and assembly process, and could theoretically reduce cost of production at scale.

Whether this potential benefit will be passed on to the customer is the question though...

I'd wager any value gained would be passed on to shareholders rather than customers.

 

[chrisv]

I don't even know where to start on this. It's like an April's fool joke.

It's in the trend of not owning anything anymore. Subscription everything..

I don't want to have to jailbreak my car!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DonovanPorter]

Its 2022 how is this not standard 🤷‍♂️? My 2001 VW Sharan has heated seats, mirrors and front windshield.
Come on BMW stop with your .

P.S Heated seats are awesome in winter. 😬

 

[Nick]

Its a bit of a soft feature, ye in Europe you might need them but SA our winters are mild at best.
if we can ride bikes in winter, you really dont need a toasty bum in your fancy BMW

 

[TBP88]

I've never used heated seats, SA is mild, I can't fathom anyone needing seat heating when the coldest weather anyone faces is low single digits, maybe the coldest day a year might sit just negative at sunrise.

But agreed, the idea of software locking auto features is wild. Can't wait for cars to be released with every feature. Cars out of plan with some piratebay hack will be worth a ton given they'll have every feature auto-unlocked!

 

[Nick]

i was watching a Vid on the new KTM890R. they will sell it to you in "demo mode" with all the rider aids enabled.
After 1500km they bike will lock to default mode until you pay for them.


HAHAHA we live in a crazy time...

 

[GravityLee]

I've never used heated seats, SA is mild, I can't fathom anyone needing seat heating when the coldest weather anyone faces is low single digits, maybe the coldest day a year might sit just negative at sunrise.

But agreed, the idea of software locking auto features is wild. Can't wait for cars to be released with every feature. Cars out of plan with some piratebay hack will be worth a ton given they'll have every feature auto-unlocked!

Heated seats are great in a roadster in winter.

 

[PsyCLown]

So a bit of a thread revival, although does anyone know by when this will be implemented?

I am not for the idea, however I am certain there will be a way to bypass the software and unlock all of these features for little to no charge and that to me is appealing.
In a way it means no more poverty spec BMW's as the hardware is all there - just needs to be unlocked.
However those who purchase the vehicles new will likely need to wait until motorplan has expired to avoid motorplan possibly being voided.

I guess it would become similar to rooting your phone or unlocking the bootloader, jailbreaking your playstation etc. etc.

I heard Mercedes is looking at implementing this on their EV's but for performance, pay an extra monthly amount for higher performance and it will reduce your 0 - 100 times by 0.8 or 0.9 seconds.


If you add up all of these extra features, suddenly you're paying an extra R1k or R2k per month over and above your monthly premium... bit ridiculous IMO.

 

[DHimself]

These are things wealthy manufacturers are offering to customers who have, essentially, already paid for the hardware, as it were. Paying for something your car already has. Extortion that.

 

[DonovanPorter]

i just saw this about subscriptions

 

[Benji]

This is unfortunately a trend, nobody will own any assets, everything is subscription based - allows corporations more control over you. Same thing is happening with cash - governments pushing for cashless economies, citing they are limiting the power of illicit trade etc, when in effect it will force you to keep all your money with the banks so that they can institute negative interests rates so you can helplessly watch your money devalue itself while any little transaction you make can be monitored. No more "money under the mattress" as it were

 

[ENT_DocY]

There's lots of opinions on whether heated seats are necessary. And they're just thay, opinions. Just because YOU don't mind the cold, doesn't mean everyone does.
I don't like the subscription model, but they DO have an option to buy it outright. It will make my life easier, because I can never find a used BMW with heated seats, which my wife loves. (My opinion is that people out lots of useless rubbish like 21in individual rims (which cost an arm and a leg in tires) rather than something useful like heated seats. But again, it MY OPINION)