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NEW CARS WILL NICKEL-AND-DIME YOU – IT’S AUTOMOTIVE AS A SERVICE (airbag requires monthly payment..and maybe good social credit?)
Hackaday ^ | December 30, 2021 | Lewin Day

Posted on 01/17/2022 8:14:40 PM PST by DoodleBob

Every few years, someone pushing a startup to investors comes up with an acronym or buzzword which rapidly becomes the new hotness in those circles. One of the most pernicious is “as a Service,” which takes regular things and finds a way to charge you a regular fee to use them.

Automotive companies just absolutely loved the sound of this, and the industry is rapidly moving to implement subscription services across the board. Even if there’s hardware in your car for a given feature, you might find you now need to pay a monthly fee to use it. Let’s explore how this came about, and talk about which cars are affected. You might be surprised to find yours already on the list.

Subscription Required

Many cars now come with smartphone apps full of additional features. Credit: Audi

A long time ago, before the world went mad, you could option out your car with all kinds of nice equipment when you ordered it from the dealership. You’d pay a bit extra, of course, but some nice people at the factory would bolt in the extra gear, and you’d enjoy the extra nice little touches that you’d paid for.

It was a simple system, and it made sense. Things like heated seats or stereo upgrades really needed to be installed at the factory; going back to the dealer later for more upgrades would be complicated and a relatively unattractive option.

These days, many cars are connected to the Internet around the clock via their own built-in cellular modules. These serve all kinds of purposes, from safety monitoring to allowing the automaker to roll out software updates as needed over the air.

However, this connectivity also created a new opportunity. Automakers could now remotely turn features in the car on and off from the comfort of their ivory towers. Thus was born a new opportunity for monetization. Pay the car company a toll, else you can’t have nice things.

It’s Already Happening

Toyota has already implemented subscription services in many of its vehicles. Credit: via Toyota

This may sound like a problem brewing for the future, but sadly it is already very much our present reality. The big breakout story this year has been that many customers have not realized that they’re already driving cars subject to subscription-only features.

As reported by The Drive, many Toyota customers have only just realised that the key fob remote start feature in their vehicles is only enabled if they maintain a subscription to Toyota’s Connected Services. The issue has been masked thus far, as it only effects cars built from 2018 onwards, and Toyota provides most drivers with a free 3-year subscription, extended to 10 years for those that spring for the Premium Audio package.

However, after that period is over, if no ongoing subscription is paid for, the car’s remote start feature will cease to work. It matters not that the key fob and the vehicle can still communicate fine, nor that all the hardware is still in place. The feature will cease to work unless the fees are paid.

Obviously, there’s an argument to be made that automakers should be able to cover ongoing costs of maintaining cellular connections to vehicles. For things like remote start apps using the Internet, and other cellular-enabled features, it’s understandable why fees would be required. However, in this case, key fob remote start requires no cellular connection at all. Thus, charging a fee for this feature is solely a revenue-generating measure. Amazingly, Toyota have begun “reviewing” the situation after blowback received when the story broke.

Interestingly, some Toyota models built prior to November 12, 2018, can no longer maintain a cellular connection in the United States due to pending 3G network shutdowns. In these cases, Toyota has “enhanced” the vehicles to no longer require a cellular subscription for the remote keyfob start feature. It’s unsurprising, as Toyota no longer has a way to communicate subscription status with these cars now offline. It’s a goodwill move; Toyota could have just as easily done nothing as the cars fell off the network, and let the feature die forever.

A Widespread Problem

Full-travel rear-wheel steering requires a subscription in the new Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+. Credit: Mercedes-Benz

The problem isn’t unique to Toyota, though. Tesla have been particularly keen on similar antics, famously disabling features on a used car that the previous owner already paid for. In this case, the features weren’t even subscription based, but subject to a one-time payment. Tesla cared not, and disabled the features anyway. This left the new owner of the used car significantly out of pocket, as they had paid for a car advertised as having certain features that evaporated once they took ownership.

Luxury brands have jumped on the bandwagon, too. The new EQS luxury electric sedan from Mercedes-Benz comes with rear-wheel steering. However, it’ll only steer up to 4.5 degrees unless you pony up some extra cash. As reported by Autoblog, if you want the full ten degrees of operation from the system, you’ll have to pay an annual fee of €489 euros. The hardware to do the full level of steering is in every car; Mercedes has just decided that for the German market at least, you’ll have to pay extra to get the most out of it.

BMW and Audi are getting involved too with their own takes on functions-on-demand. BMW are trialling an annual fee system for remote start and a integrated dash camera, while also contemplating asking drivers to regularly fork out for simple things like heated seats and steering wheels that are already built into the car. Audi, meanwhile, will offer higher-speed data connections as well as improved vehicle lighting operation for those who sign up for a regular payment.

Many other automakers are already running subscription services, too. Whether its for navigation system updates and traffic information, or for driver assist systems like GM’s Super Cruise, they’re all out there tying vehicle functionality to a regular monthly fee.

Outside of automakers, even accessory companies are keen to get a regular dollars flowing in. In perhaps the most horrifying example, the Klim motorcycle safety airbag system will not inflate in a crash unless owners are paid up on their subscription. Gut-wrenching stuff.

The Why

Volkswagen’s Car-Net system requires a monthly subscription fee to enable certain features like live traffic updates, but is usually granted free for the first five years of vehicle ownership. Credit: Volkswagen

It’s not difficult to understand why this came about. From a business perspective, finding a way to get regular money flowing out of existing customers is a hugely-attractive proposition. Rather than seeing a customer once every few years when they buy a new car, and hoping they stay faithful, instead, that person can contribute each month to the company’s bottom line. If a car is owned long enough, too, the sum of the subscription fees could far exceed what the company would have originally charged for the option to be installed in the first place.

Automakers will argue that what they’re offering is flexibility. Customers will only have to pay for what they want and need, and they can purchase extra features as and when they want to use them.

However, what they’re also introducing is annoyance. The late Internet era has already weighed down the average person with a huge number of recurring credit card payments, for everything from phone plans to streaming services. Adding on yet another isn’t helping anyone, and is costing consumers more money.

Even worse, it complicates things for used buyers. Test drive a car, and it might have all the bells and whistles -until you sign it into your name and log in to the infotainment system. Then suddenly you’re getting slugged each month with an additional cost on top of the loan repayments just to keep the seats warm. It’s enough to give anyone a headache.

There’s also the spectre of a car losing its features for good once connected services are turned off. Whether it’s older cellular networks being shut down or a company going out of business in a given country, it matters not. Without a regular signal from the mothership, the features disappear. Some, like Toyota, may elect to unlock features in cars in these situations, but there are absolutely no guarantees.

The idea of features-on-demand seems to be very much slanted in favor of the automakers. The industry seeks to gain a whole new income stream at the cost of much consumer frustration. On the other hand, if people can force Toyota to stand down on the keyfobs, maybe we can do it with the other automakers as well.

Whether a consumer movement is successful or not, one suspects that a cottage industry of crackers may spring up to unlock features without paying onerous ongoing fees. We can all look forward to grooving to the cracktros while we unlock the Advanced Windscreen Wiper package for winter, at the cost of occasionally bricking the car with a bad patch. Come what may.



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Society
KEYWORDS: automobiles; payasyougo; subscriptions
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To: Openurmind

“The value of a new car drops about 30% as soon as you drive it off the lot.”

Before that.
As soon as you and the dealer sign the DMV paperwork for title transfer your brand spanking new car that you haven’t put one mile on becomes a “used” car.


41 posted on 01/18/2022 5:33:29 AM PST by oldvirginian (So if a cow doesn’t produce milk, is it a milk dud or an udder failure?)
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To: BobL

I agree. Back in the day, I knew one of the engineers who designed airbag systems for GM. He told me the trick to disabling them.

A week after I disabled the bags, we got run off the road by a semi at about 80 mph. As I was struggling to regain control on gravel, we narrowly missed a signpost. At that speed, I assume that even nicking the post would have set off the bags, knocking my hands off the wheel and rendering the car completely out of control.

I like the concept of side curtains but I’m not a real fan of frontal airbags


42 posted on 01/18/2022 5:34:02 AM PST by cyclotic (I won't give up my FREEDOM for your FEAR)
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To: cyclotic

“He told me the trick to disabling them.”

Yea, I guess you mean the ‘resistor’ trick. Best we not tell anyone else here, LOL.


43 posted on 01/18/2022 5:38:29 AM PST by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's, I just don't tell anyone, like most here.)
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To: BobL

It was a long time ago and I’m guessing they put some fail-safe’s in since then.

They were Gen 1 rip your head off and kill your children airbags


44 posted on 01/18/2022 5:53:17 AM PST by cyclotic (I won't give up my FREEDOM for your FEAR)
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To: cyclotic

They are much better now (other than the exploding Takatas). I think their detonation level is variable, so they can respond appropriately to a given accident.

I know they were literally ripping heads off of infants (well over 100 of them). That must have been a bit annoying for the soccer moms who got into fender-benders during a milk run. Needless to say, the media, dutifully, spiked most of those stories, but it leaked out anyway.


45 posted on 01/18/2022 5:59:19 AM PST by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's, I just don't tell anyone, like most here.)
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To: oldvirginian

True...


46 posted on 01/18/2022 6:13:21 AM PST by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
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To: Does so

It cost me a little but the engine rebuild( took it to a machinist), clutch, radiator and hoses and a few knick-knacks still was much less than a used”someone elses problems” or some new car I could not afford. Still thousands cheaper than a used or new car

My car may not look great but I call it my Clive Cussler mobile after reading one of those books about a junky looking barge on the outside and yet all the inside was state of the art.


47 posted on 01/18/2022 6:21:05 AM PST by Karliner (Heb 4:12 Rom 8:28 Rev 3, "...This is the end of the beginning." Churchill)
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To: cyclotic; DoodleBob

Check this out guys... Chipped keys are a huge issue too.

“The great key uh oh”

“I have an 01 WJ 4.7 with skim. My wife lost her key in November last year, and yesterday while fishing up river, my key fell out of my pocket into the mighty Kuskokwim River. What are my options for replacing/reprogramming/eliminating the skim? I have steel keys that work for the doors, and will turn it over. I am 400 air miles from the nearest dealership in southwest Alaska. Chrysler said any dealership can program keys based on my vin, our nearest dealer said Id need to bring either the Wj in, or at least my key. Since Im sol on that, and not spending 6-8k one way to freight my WJ to Anchorage, what can I do?”

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f5/great-key-uh-oh-239321/


48 posted on 01/18/2022 6:22:12 AM PST by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
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To: Secret Agent Man

We’ll be more like Cuba in no time at all. You just thought parts for a 50’s Chevy were already hard to get.


49 posted on 01/18/2022 6:22:29 AM PST by revetment
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To: RinaseaofDs
There is now room for an entrant to come in and sell cars. [ . . . ] Dodge announced no more ICE vehicles. Corporate suicide.

1, Cars that you picture have been regulated out of existence. Regs effectively require electronic rear view cameras, traction control, an assortment of air bags, high profiles, etc. 2026 regs call for 50 mpg. No ICE car worth having that meets safety and emission regs can do that.

2. The car manufacturers see that Red China by diktat, and EU and the USA by ever creeping regs, are making electric cars mandatory. Complaining about it won't let them keep market share in the new system.

3. DODGE is not discontinuing all ICE vehicles. The CHRYSLER BRAND is. Chrysler Corporation and Chrysler's model line are often confused. Chrysler brand has all of two vehicles, the Pacifica minivan and the 300. The 300 is half killed off anyway. That said, Stellantis IS killing off the high powered V-8's for Dodge, Jeep and Dodge Trucks/RAM. I would describe that as more of a homicide than a suicide.
50 posted on 01/18/2022 6:45:22 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("There are only men and women."-- George Gilder, Sexual Suicide, 1973)
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To: revetment
You just thought parts for a 50’s Chevy were already hard to get.

That is doable, especially popular models like the '57 Bel Air. I had a problem 15 years ago getting parts for my C-Body '65 Chrysler 300 2-door hardtop coupe. They never had the market niche that the A/B/E Bodies (Charger, Challenger, Road Runner, Dart, 'Cuda) have. I am hopeful that 3D printing can take care of some small hard to find parts.
51 posted on 01/18/2022 6:50:46 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("There are only men and women."-- George Gilder, Sexual Suicide, 1973)
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To: DoodleBob

I can’t believe that it would be legal for a company to disable airbags for lack of a fee payment since airbags are a federally required feature.

If they tried this and people got killed or badly injured when the airbags didn’t work, the lawsuits would be interesting.


52 posted on 01/18/2022 7:01:15 AM PST by Fresh Wind (Media Control is an anagram of Delta Omicron.)
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To: setter

# I drove to a local businesse last week and guess what? Trying to start the car and the battery in the key fob went out and the car would not start.

I actually asked about this when I bought my last car. They said that even if the batter is dead, you could put the fob on the dash, and the car would start via an NFC. I tested that proposition by popping the battery, and it worked. Those of you who have one of these fob things might want to try that out yourself, just for peace of mind. Obviously, this won’t work for remote start.


53 posted on 01/18/2022 7:03:00 AM PST by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: Dalberg-Acton; setter
“Trying to start the car and the battery in the key fob went out and the car would not start.”

A lot of later model cars that use the proximity fob have a spot in the center console you can place your dead fob to start the car. Likely an RFID chip in the fob that the car can ping.

54 posted on 01/18/2022 7:20:53 AM PST by TangoLimaSierra (⭐⭐Public hangings will wake 'em up.⭐⭐)
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To: BobL

How did they rip off an infants head if the infants were in the back seat?


55 posted on 01/18/2022 9:24:11 AM PST by AppyPappy (Biden told Al Roker "America is back". Unfortunately, he meant back to the 1970's)
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To: Openurmind

That was a fascinating thread. Thanks


56 posted on 01/18/2022 9:41:33 AM PST by perfect stranger
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To: TangoLimaSierra

“A lot of later model cars that use the proximity fob have a spot in the center console you can place your dead fob to start the car. Likely an RFID chip in the fob that the car can ping.”

Yes. My car can start with the fob in the cup holder if the battery in the fob is dead. There is also a key inside the fob to unlock the driver’s door.


57 posted on 01/18/2022 9:55:26 AM PST by Dalberg-Acton
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To: perfect stranger

And thank you for actually going and reading it. :)

Can you just imagine the situation that guy was in? I have to share that that conversation helped reaffirm why I just refuse to own vehicle like that. And why isn’t there an override so that the real OWNER can get control of his own vehicle back from the manufacturer? A button/pedal sequence or SOMETHING after the unchipped key turns the ignition. It does not perpetually belong to Jeep/Chrysler.

TOO MUCH security is now becoming too much and they are locking out the very owners of the vehicle. If it is to that point then let hem seal it. Insurance has you covered. Better than having your vehicle being a paper weight in remote Alaska 400 miles by ferry ride from a dealer to make it work again...

Better off with a 60s VW bug and take the distributor cap off and take it with you in a bag... Or the rotor in your back pocket and a spare rotor duct taped under the bonnet somewhere hidden. :)

This guy’s situation could have killed him if a blizzard blew through...


58 posted on 01/18/2022 1:56:02 PM PST by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
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To: AppyPappy

Not all infants (or kids) are in the back seat. Here in Texas, if I were driving alone, my kid was in far more danger of me forgetting about him in the back seat than a once in a lifetime accident, which is why I had to disable the airbags and put tinting on the front windows.


59 posted on 01/18/2022 2:37:42 PM PST by BobL (I shop at Walmart and eat at McDonald's, I just don't tell anyone, like most here.)
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To: Dr. Sivana

Mechanical is one thing. If it was built once, it can be remanufactured (economically is another matter).

All the electronics and software are another and beyond me.

Used to see this back and forth argument regarding military hardware. quanitity vs quality and how much tech you really need as opposed to quantity that could actually be brought to bear.


60 posted on 01/20/2022 8:05:42 AM PST by revetment
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