Hotrodder wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2023 10:05 amAnother element to this technology is that some manufacturers are building lots of goodies into their cars but only activating some of it depending on the price you pay. A variation is allowing certain things to be switched on later remotely if you agree to pay a monthly subscription for it. Auto industry lobbyists are pushing for laws to prohibit owners or independent garages from altering the on board computer systems to activate or enhance anything that is not agreed by the manufacturer. The internet connectivity is the key to the control they have over the product after the customer buys it. The legal argument put forward is that tampering with factory settings could be a safety issue. Consumer rights groups say that it is much more of a profit issue.
It seems BMW has had second thoughts.
It's enough to warm the cockles of more than your heart. After an experimental rollout in a few test markets including Britain, posh motor maker BMW has abandoned its subscription plan to activate heated seats.
Not only were drivers unwilling to cough up a constant stream of cash in exchange for coccyx-centered comforts in cold climes, the plan had attracted a rare degree of outrage. The marque's cadre of owners are normally happy to pay through the nose for everything behind the blue and white badge. Not this time.
A.N.Other wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2023 9:01 pm
Isn't the automatic emergency call an EU requirement for all new cars?
So very glad my current base model Skoda Yeti has none of that crap and has a fair probability of being to be the last car I ever have to buy.
Yes but if you have a dashcam my make "Nextbase" has a system that if it records a certain amount of "G" force, ie after an accident it phones you and asks if you are ok, if it doesn't receive a message within a timeframe it calls out the emergency services, and gives them your details, you are able to pre-load any outstanding medical issues you may have, in my case Iam allergic to Penicillin, so it will tell them that if Iam unable to do so, of course the downside is that you need a mobile signal.
I do have a dash cam but again it's a basic one so no connectivity.
Re Penicillin, from the age of about 8 and after a trip to hospital following a fall into a ditch full of nettles whilst wearing only swimming trunks, my parents were told that I was allergic to it so it was always noted on my medical records and I was always at pains to mention it where and when necessary.
Last year however my doctor here in Spain sent me for a simple test at my local hospital which proved that I wasn't.
I never knew but seemingly it can come and go so maybe worth getting yourself tested. It's definitely worth finding out for the reasons listed in the piece below.
A.N.Other wrote: ↑Fri Sep 22, 2023 8:19 am
I do have a dash cam but again it's a basic one so no connectivity.
Re Penicillin, from the age of about 8 and after a trip to hospital following a fall into a ditch full of nettles whilst wearing only swimming trunks, my parents were told that I was allergic to it so it was always noted on my medical records and I was always at pains to mention it where and when necessary.
Last year however my doctor here in Spain sent me for a simple test at my local hospital which proved that I wasn't.
I never knew but seemingly it can come and go so maybe worth getting yourself tested. It's definitely worth finding out for the reasons listed in the piece below.
Thanks A.N.Other will mention to the Doc on next check up, I know I was very allergic to it as a youngster, so much so the Docs told me an injection would be fatal, I couldn't eat Blue cheese without coming out in a rash, but while living out here I do sneak the odd piece without any problems, but DW doesn't like me to risk it
Hotrodder wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2023 4:03 pmTip of the iceberg, wait and see.
Yep - seems Skoda are now at it . . .
Only when a new owner pays extra to download the relevant software will they be able to use the navigation system. And that's just the start.
The brand is also exploring more paid-for 'on- demand' features, including adaptive cruise control and automatic headlight dipping from the infotainment screen.
niemeyjt wrote: ↑Sat Oct 14, 2023 8:42 am
The brand is also exploring more paid-for 'on- demand' features, including adaptive cruise control and automatic headlight dipping from the infotainment screen.
Golly, that's a blast from the past. Cadillac had that as standard of some models in 1951 and Chrysler offered a cruise control in 1958. Air conditioning was an option on Packard's top of the range models in 1941.
It seems that performance and safety are the only significant advances in cars over the last 50 years or so. The rest is dressing up old ideas in order to call them new features.
Humanity landed on the moon over fifty years ago but it seems too much to ask for a reliable telephone/internet service in rural France.
‘It seems that performance and safety are the only significant advances in cars over the last 50 years or so. The rest is dressing up old ideas in order to call them new features.’
I would add economy to that list. Modern cars offer levels of economy impossible to find in the past. Things like tyre life have also improved hugely; my XR3i would eat its front tyres in 12,000 miles trying to put 105 BHP onto the road, my 200BHP Golf despite weighing almost twice as much will manage three times that.
Yes. I forgot economy. My 450hp beast in 1967 got about 15mpg if I took it easy. Today's cars that offer a similar performance can do it with half the ccs and deliver over twice the mileage putting the boot down.
Humanity landed on the moon over fifty years ago but it seems too much to ask for a reliable telephone/internet service in rural France.
Owning a vehicle in France, buying and keeping, Insuring, Driving licence issues, etc.
