car feature subscriptions...

[cfz2882]

... seems with certain new cars you can pay to unlock features built into the car you bought-extra horsepower, special interior lighting, and other doo-dads... several decades past are the days of checking off options such as radial tires,fm radio,v8 engine,automatic transmission,etc.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

really? how?

 

[phillymatt53]

really? how?

Hi Dave,
I assume that it's like when you want to subscribe to say,.... optional streaming music services, etc.

It's all about marketing, hype, and digging continuously into your back account.
What cracks me up is the cost of having a car these days.
High price, high cost of repairs, making cars so that they require taking it in for service because of the complexity of design.
You're never done buying one.
And teased to pay for options.

Gone are the days of changing your own brakes, shocks, engine repairs, etc.
Buying your own radio and installing it.

It's about corporate greed, and milking the consumer.

 

[DADoES]

Dave, think of satellite radio ... it's integral to the automobile's entertainment but non-functional if one doesn't pay a continuing subscription. There are now other optional features that are handled as such which previously had to be selected for a given vehicle at the time of purchase. The automaker can enable or disable them via the airwaves.

Signed: Goofy Glenn

 

[phillymatt53]

Dave, think of satellite radio ... it's integral to the automobile's entertainment but non-functional if one doesn't pay a continuing subscription. There are now other optional features that are handled as such which previously had to be selected for a given vehicle at the time of purchase. The automaker can enable or disable them via the airwaves.

Signed: Goofy Glenn

And just another way of having control over the consumer for an extended period of time.