[SimonBMW1]

Cant believe they are doing this. Things that were standard and a good BMW feature is now poss on a charge.

It things like this on newer cars which is why i will keep my F32 for time, Possibly switching to a M4 440i soon.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/13/outra...eats-16992099/

[JustChris]

Not read but guessing this is the heated seats subscription?

Handy for 2 months in winter if you jump in and jump out!

[DaveA]

I think this is a move away from specifying and charging for extras at build, into a subscription-based service where you pay for only the bits you want...

Basically, I think how it works is that all the cars are built to the same spec, with a lot of the options coded out from working on delivery... and instead of having paid extra on the order, you then add in the features that you want afterwards...

If you have already paid for the features on your car, then they are not being turned off... It's just for future cars...

To some extent, this has already been happening, with charges for some add-ons... and, to be honest, not all BMW's come with all these features as standard anyway... you are paying £600 for heated seats in an SE 1-er, as you have to have them in a package, so £350 unlimited seems a bargain if you don;t want the other bits of the package...

.. and if you don't want them, the second owner might, and so BMW are opening up that market...

To be honest, I think it's quite smart, and I have not seen that it will cost somebody more on a new build...????

For sure, this is streamlining the build process

ps - in the 80's, even the radio was an optional extra...

pps - some of these things may still be standard on some trim levels and some models, of course. My guess is that this will be more a thing on lower specced trim levels and models than the high end ones...

[isleaiw1]

I was just about to add that the youth of the day dont know they are born, nothing was standard on your average E30 back in the day. I bought a run out 318iS (company car) and the sunroof, radio, remote locking were all extras. Heated seats, auto, forget it. Manual seats, standard air con, no climate control... mind in those days 2 doors were cheaper than 4!

OP will have to buy a Tesla to get all the kit as standard

Hope he doesnt fly anywhere, isnt that all about add ons to the base price? And wonder if he has a coffee subscription with Costa...?

[G50]

So, when buying a new car, you can either buy the option to use forever, like normal, or you can buy it for the months that you use it. So we just have more options than before...

And when you buy one used, it already comes fully specced, though at a cost to activate some options, so no searching for ages for the right spec, you just buy the engine and colour and interior you want.

Feels blown out of proportion/sensationalised by the media, and as usual, muppets lap it up.

[3-GT]

Originally Posted by DaveA

I think this is a move away from specifying and charging for extras at build, into a subscription-based service where you pay for only the bits you want...

Basically, I think how it works is that all the cars are built to the same spec, with a lot of the options coded out from working on delivery... and instead of having paid extra on the order, you then add in the features that you want afterwards...

If you have already paid for the features on your car, then they are not being turned off... It's just for future cars...

To some extent, this has already been happening, with charges for some add-ons... and, to be honest, not all BMW's come with all these features as standard anyway... you are paying £600 for heated seats in an SE 1-er, as you have to have them in a package, so £350 unlimited seems a bargain if you don;t want the other bits of the package...

.. and if you don't want them, the second owner might, and so BMW are opening up that market...

To be honest, I think it's quite smart, and I have not seen that it will cost somebody more on a new build...????

For sure, this is streamlining the build process

ps - in the 80's, even the radio was an optional extra...

pps - some of these things may still be standard on some trim levels and some models, of course. My guess is that this will be more a thing on lower specced trim levels and models than the high end ones...

Agree with this.

It's a great business model and can benefit the first customer and future ones.

This is a massive benefit for cars that are close to the high rate VED. With some models if you add a few extra options your over the £40,000 LIST price threshold. I don't think this threshold has changed since it was introduced, so more and more cars and option are being pushed into that bracket.

This limit has an impact on individuals spec'ing the car, they tend to look at what the can do without rather than looking at the nice to have options. Now you can leave these options off and purchase them after delivery and avoiding the high rate VED.

Also when you consider the cost to retrofit some options these prices are really good.

I don't have an issue with it as long as they have a one month subscription available to try it to see if you want/like it and an unlimited option that isn't unreasonable compared to the original option price.

[SteveChester]

Initially I thought this was terrible but having thought about it now it's actually quite a good idea.

As long as you aren't forced to sign up for 12 months you could only pay for it during the winter so assume 4 months - £60. You keep the car for three years so £180. Cheaper than paying for the option now as an outright fitment?

[SteveChester]

Also assumes that BMW are going to fit all of the heated seat hardware to every car from now on ( not a big cost I imagine ) and any other options that isn't just a software option.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by 3-GT

Agree with this.

It's a great business model and can benefit the first customer and future ones.

This is a massive benefit for cars that are close to the high rate VED. With some models if you add a few extra options your over the £40,000 LIST price threshold. I don't think this threshold has changed since it was introduced, so more and more cars and option are being pushed into that bracket.

This limit has an impact on individuals spec'ing the car, they tend to look at what the can do without rather than looking at the nice to have options. Now you can leave these options off and purchase them after delivery and avoiding the high rate VED.

Also when you consider the cost to retrofit some options these prices are really good.

I don't have an issue with it as long as they have a one month subscription available to try it to see if you want/like it and an unlimited option that isn't unreasonable compared to the original option price.

That's a great point about the £40k threshold that I'd not considered before but, you are right... Some of the sorts of switchable options I have read easily add £2/3k to the price of the base car... Driving Assistant Plus, seat heating, high beam assist, etc etc

I had read, also, somewhere, that adaptive suspension was going to be on some switchable options on some cars...

At the end of the day, if you can do what Chris suggested, turn on seat heating and steering wheel heating for the winter months only, it might even be cheaper...

My guess is that there will still be more highly specified models at the upper ends of the ranges and that the options list for retrospective activation will be longer on models that already have lower specifications...

I remain to be convinced it is a negative... Unless we start to see that overall costs will be a significant uplift on the costs before...

But this will not impact cars already sold with features bought and paid for... I do not see any options for me to switch on, for instance (I went for a big spec)...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by SteveChester

Initially I thought this was terrible but having thought about it now it's actually quite a good idea.

As long as you aren't forced to sign up for 12 months you could only pay for it during the winter so assume 4 months - £60. You keep the car for three years so £180. Cheaper than paying for the option now as an outright fitment?

Yes, it'll be the 12 month commitment that will discourage people... Overall they could sell more if they went for month-by-month opt out whenever on some of these options...

What we need now is some feedback from somebody who sees some options when they look at the BMW Online Store for their car...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by SimonBMW1

Cant believe they are doing this. Things that were standard and a good BMW feature is now poss on a charge.

It things like this on newer cars which is why i will keep my F32 for time, Possibly switching to a M4 440i soon.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/13/outra...eats-16992099/

I just looked at my various F30 orders and seat heating (mentioned in the article) was a £325 extra... This even on a 340i M Sport... So they were not standard on the F30, for sure...

[planemad]

Some bright spark will crack the system in a few weeks and we will be buying plug in devices that activates all the features !

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by SteveChester

Also assumes that BMW are going to fit all of the heated seat hardware to every car from now on ( not a big cost I imagine ) and any other options that isn't just a software option.

It's possible they always were... Am seeking clarification on something somebody has posted on another forum, but it might be the case that an F31 owner is now being offered seat heating in their connected drive store... AFAIR, seat heating always an optional extra on the F30's (certainly on the ones I bought), so maybe all the seats (or sports seats) had the heating elements in, but only activated if you chose to pay extra..?

[SteveChester]

Originally Posted by DaveA

Yes, it'll be the 12 month commitment that will discourage people... Overall they could sell more if they went for month-by-month opt out whenever on some of these options...

What we need now is some feedback from somebody who sees some options when they look at the BMW Online Store for their car...

Ah ok….

Still £325 for unlimited access seems reasonable even if you only keep the car for 3 years.

[SteveChester]

Originally Posted by JustChris

Not read but guessing this is the heated seats subscription?

Handy for 2 months in winter if you jump in and jump out!

You have to sign up for 12 months JustChris which obviously rules you out as you don't keep a car for that long!

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by SteveChester

You have to sign up for 12 months JustChris which obviously rules you out as you don't keep a car for that long!

I'm out!

[G50]

Originally Posted by DaveA

It's possible they always were... Am seeking clarification on something somebody has posted on another forum, but it might be the case that an F31 owner is now being offered seat heating in their connected drive store... AFAIR, seat heating always an optional extra on the F30's (certainly on the ones I bought), so maybe all the seats (or sports seats) had the heating elements in, but only activated if you chose to pay extra..?

If an F30 didn't originally come with it, it wouldn't have the heated seat buttons.

Also, I bet if you pay for unlimited access, it will just be for your connected drive account on that particular car. If you sell the car, the next owner will no doubt have to pay again for unlimited access.. So bmw then make double the amount, and more for multiple owner vehicles, on the same option...

[SkyJawa]

So when the mobile network it runs off is disconnected like 3g in the earlier cars for connected services you lose all your options or can't add them.

Seems an awesome model

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by G50

If an F30 didn't originally come with it, it wouldn't have the heated seat buttons.

Yes, I realised that later and it was not (it has been confirmed) something that was related to an F31... This is, basically, I think, going to be for newer generation cars with switchless dash boards so the features can be turned on and operated via the screen controls...

Originally Posted by G50

Also, I bet if you pay for unlimited access, it will just be for your connected drive account on that particular car. If you sell the car, the next owner will no doubt have to pay again for unlimited access.. So bmw then make double the amount, and more for multiple owner vehicles, on the same option...

... and, yes, it will be for your connected drive account I am sure... But the second owners may, or may not, those to have things enabled... It is an interesting model, for sure, and I am sure that is something you would take into account as a second owner...

I will be fascinated to see how prices compare between a car for sale now (with extras ticked) and a car with extras to be ticked later... I am sure BMW are going to price things so they do not lose out, but there could be a win/win, against a lose/lose...

[HighlandPete]

Posted the following comment in another of these topics, in response to it not really being an issue, if we pay for unlimited use.

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Although I find the concept a big strange to get my head around, when hardware is fitted, I see it much the same as the above comment. As long as 'lifetime' access is similarly priced to optioning the feature (before the change to subscription), there isn't really an issue.

I also think 'leasing' (which many accept) is similar. We never own any of the vehicle on lease payments, we are only renting it when we pay monthly. Unless we pay the balloon payment at the end of term.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by SkyJawa

So when the mobile network it runs off is disconnected like 3g in the earlier cars for connected services you lose all your options or can't add them.

Seems an awesome model

I think more seem to be going this way... Just reading some VW stuff the other day about services being added through their WeConnect (like My BMW)... I think the move to digital dashboards is opening this up as no need to have physical switches installed...

But, yes, interesting point... Any connected services that rely solely on the car's own internet connection could go (albeit you do have the link to your phone, still, and they are delivering major software upgrades that way)... and I am guessing they will have to have a lock in code set in the car for any feature like seat heating etc that is coded as "unlimited"...

I do agree with you... This is something that is not being discussed about this... and there is no doubt that the modern world seems obsessed on technical redundancy....

[Kal101]

Think it’s a decent enough idea that BMW have been building up to gradually. Heard a while a go IIRC they refused to honour warranty claims on coded cars ?

My only query is - what happens when something breaks?? Who is responsible for the repairs? I’m thinking is it like Sky- where it’s your box and if breaks you pay or is it like Virgin - where if the box breaks they pay as you only have a subscription.