[jamesinaz]

Currently driving a 2021 X5. Only 32K miles and overall like the car a lot. But at the 4 year mark suddenly the voice command system became "stupid". Oh, Connected Drive is a subscription service. $12.50 a month.

That kind of nickel and dime treatment for a car over $80K is annoying. If I buy a car with a feature that feature should not die. GPS updates? OK I'd pay it is new data they collected. But the actual feature didn't change or add funtionality.

Guess I'm checking out alternatives and might dump this car far earlier than I planned. I'm sure some will come on and diss me over such a minor expense but hey, it's how I feel.

BMW is losing a customer who has owned 4 of them in the last 15 years and probably would have bought another one in a few more years.

[afadeev]

OK.

Did you short BMW stock first?

[JABCAT]

It shows you all this in the BMW app & on the BMW website under standard features of whatever model you're looking at. Not sure how you didn't know about it?

[Mizuno]

Mine did too. Somehow the car drives the same. Weird.

[DanG]

No sympathy for someone who wont renew their connect drive. You also get updated maps with the connection drive subscription.

[BeEmVe]

At this point it would behoove vehicle mfg to allow people to integrate their own pad, tablet, surface, etc. Map updates are $200+, older cellular is dead and cannot be updated, apps go in and out of fashion, etc.

My last road trip I plugged in my iPad and drove west with music blaring.

[No one]

Originally Posted by jamesinaz

But at the 4 year mark suddenly the voice command system became "stupid". Oh, Connected Drive is a subscription service. $12.50 a month.

That kind of nickel and dime treatment for a car over $80K is annoying. If I buy a car with a feature that feature should not die. GPS updates? OK I'd pay it is new data they collected. But the actual feature didn't change or add funtionality.

They need a human assistant (Homo sapiens - intelligent!) to implement this feature. They must pay it. It takes outsourcing the job to a country where $12.50 a month makes decent money (and lets them save for themselves ). That's why the wording is limited. If they introduced a full-featured chat for the lonely it would cost much more.

[ojt]

Umm, I think this is just what we / you need to get used to. Life is a subscription, and then the terms change.

Btw, in Audi world the same subscription is called Audi Connect. At least looks like. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by ojt

Life is a subscription, and then the terms change.

Awesome one-liner, I'm definitely borrowing that one from you.

[pbonsalb]

Life will become more and more of a subscription for the vast majority of people.

[IDBGOD]

Originally Posted by ojt

Life is a subscription, and then the terms change.

So true.

Op is welcome to shop other brands. He will find pretty much every auto maker is doing the same thing.

[fs1977]

You will be missed in this community, and I'm sure BMW will shed a tear also.

[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by BeEmVe

At this point it would behoove vehicle mfg to allow people to integrate their own pad, tablet, surface, etc. Map updates are $200+, older cellular is dead and cannot be updated, apps go in and out of fashion, etc.

My last road trip I plugged in my iPad and drove west with music blaring.

How would that be any different than the current functionality? I've not used the BMW navigation once in any of my BMWs, nor have I used the personal assistant. I simply use my phone which shows turn by turn navigation both on the screens & the HUD.

[BlkGS]

I think subscription stuff in cars is bullshit too. But the automakers are all trying to push for that sort of nickel and dime stuff because it's more profitable. Micro transactions and subscriptions are things that humans psychologically are weak to, we just don't see the added up cost over time because we see it as "oh it's only $5".

Easy solution, don't buy a new car. Let the perpetually in debt lease crew do it and keep a car you like in good shape. I become more and more certain that automakers simply don't want to sell cars unlike anymore, because it costs them more money to build a decent car than it does to put giant screens everywhere and use cheap materials all over the place. And don't get me started on powertrains...

[Westside Guy]

Do any of the extended warranty plans from BMW also include these subscriptions?

[DanG]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

Do any of the extended warranty plans from BMW also include these subscriptions?

I think the answer to your question is no.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

Do any of the extended warranty plans from BMW also include these subscriptions?

No.
Warranty is warranty.
Infotainment value-add services are just that - some extra fluff on top of core driving experience. You may choose to pay for it, or not - the car will drive the same!

All automakers want to get on the monthly recurring revenue stream from value-add / infortainment services. The business case behind that is obvious and compelling.

Whether or not consumer will accept these extra chargers in sufficient numbers is highly questionable, but all OEMs are trying to find that out.

a

[jamesinaz]

And I knew snark would be the response. It's OK. I am unfazed by ridicule.

I bought a car with features and now don't have them. I don't care if it is visible on mybmw. It isn't obvious when you buy the car. I mean of course except to those of you who read the fine print before purchase and are superior.

[Dan B]

I did not read the fine print, but when I bought the car it was clearly expalined to me and was basically in the 1st pargraph of the subscription agreement.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by jamesinaz

I bought a car with features and now don't have them. I don't care if it is visible on mybmw. It isn't obvious when you buy the car. I mean of course except to those of you who read the fine print before purchase and are superior.

One of these days you will grow up and buy an iPhone.
I don't want to spoil the fun of you discovering what happens when you don't pay for monthly service...

[smrtypants44]

It is irritating to be sure but pretty much everyone is doing it. Even my partner's Kia soul has subscription activated features. Not sure youll find anything different when you switch away from BMW

[CTSean]

Originally Posted by jamesinaz

I bought a car with features and now don't have them. I don't care if it is visible on mybmw. It isn't obvious when you buy the car.

Just a clarification. You bought a car that included a limited subscription to those services. That is was not obvious is not required - there any many things about a new car these days that are not obvious. No company is ever responsible for you actually reading the Terms Of Service. You agreed to them when you bought it, whether you read them or not.

Oddly - when I bought mine in 2019 it was clear that the connected features were a limited subscription. whether the salesman told me or I read it - I don't remember.