Would you pay monthly for certain features

[JPW2017Rebel]

I own a 2017 Ram Rebel. I love it! I am subscribed to the Uconnect service, the cheapest package, no extra internet or anything. I use it quite frequently, and I personally think it is a worthwhile subscription service. I use it to start, lock the doors, unlock the doors, etc, all the time. I also have remote start on the key fob. Is Ram saying they are gonna make it a subscription service to use the key fob? Or are they going to take it off the key fob and have it a available through the Uconnect app only?

 

[Loudram]

Hopefully that '79 is something fun & hot ...not a Chevette!

Hey, Watch it. I had a '79 Chevette in high school. $5 in gas would last me 2 weeks but to time 0 to 60 you needed a calendar not a stop watch.

 

[Docwagon1776]

I own a 2017 Ram Rebel. I love it! I am subscribed to the Uconnect service, the cheapest package, no extra internet or anything. I use it quite frequently, and I personally think it is a worthwhile subscription service. I use it to start, lock the doors, unlock the doors, etc, all the time. I also have remote start on the key fob. Is Ram saying they are gonna make it a subscription service to use the key fob? Or are they going to take it off the key fob and have it a available through the Uconnect app only?

Neither. Toyota briefly did, it's nothing to do with Ram and actually nothing to do with anybody at this point outside of a hypothetical future.

 

[GeometryFletch]

Pay monthly for remote start? What the hell?? lol

 

[JPW2017Rebel]

You can remote start, lock, unlock or alarm your vehicle with the Uconnect app from anywhere. There are other perks, those are just some. I love it!

 

[tjfdesmo]

Having grown up on stuff with carburetors, hand chokes(you had to keep them running when cold-and stalling at every stop when cold was common), Manual steering, crank windows, no A/C and a heater that barely did anything. Ford pickups even had an option for a Hi-Output Heater well into the 80s. Our shop trucks had radio delete and a blockoff plate. We didn't have a company truck with power steering until 1986. This shyt is hilarious.

 

[anchorsaweigh]

We have turned into a subscription society. Manufacturers and our government have an uncanny ability to create newer ways to tap into our wallets. I will NOT subscribe.

 

[Big Blue Hemi]

No!!

 

[PaulHubbard]

I guess I'm alone in thinking remote start is a useless feature. I briefly had a Jeep with remote start, never used it. Maybe I'm a cave man but I just can't wrap my head around what's difficult sticking a key in a hole and turning it.

I'm sure as **** not going to pay a subscription for having a car that also depreciates and I need to maintain on my dime. It's one or the other, either I 100% own it or they 100% own it, none of this worst-of-both-worlds junk.

Here in AZ it's really nice to start the truck right when you've finshed eating at the restaurant so the A/C starts to cool down the sauna... But I wouldn't pay a monthly fee for it.

 

[any4xx]

Nope. I’ve been playing the mental coin toss game in my head for quite a while about whether I should keep my 2014 RAM or buy a new vehicle after car lots start filling up again. As part of my mental gymnastics I’ve read quite a bit about car companies embracing these subscriptions. I finally ordered new tires, more filters, and paid for a five-year registration for my truck. I’m not subscribing to my vehicle.

 

[Summit1]

If I cannot remotely start my vehicle when I can see the vehicle, I need not remotely start (nor lock/unlock) it.

 

[Jim Carelas]

Nothing is difficult about it. Except you can't do it from your living room and your vehicle can be more easily stolen with the key in it. The use is the ability to run the HVAC system without having to go to the vehicle first and to allow the HVAC system to run without the risk of the vehicle being easily stolen by an opportunistic thief. Want to run in the convenient store but leave the AC on for the dog? Shut if off then remote start. Want to defrost your vehicle while you make your coffee? Remote start. If those don't appeal to you, then it's useless to you but it doesn't require much imagination to think of the utility others may find in it.

All good reasons to use. I don't use that often but it's convenient when I'm taking my dog with me and he first has to go *** and pooh. So I auto start the truck while I wait for Buddy to run around and find "the spot". Then we can jump in a ready truck and just go.!!!

 

[MikeinSonoma]

Found this when looking at ordering a new Toyota rav4 for the wife. The main thing she wants is remote start which is free for the first year then it's $8 a month. Needless to say we won't be ordering one since who knows what other features they will switch over and a person has to pay monthly.

Just to be clear with Ram aren’t you’re paying for the ability to start your truck, Lock and unlock, see the status of your truck, tire pressure, mileage with the app on your phone, but using the button on your Key fob to start your car, is free.
I’m planning to retire in the next year and the last thing I want is a bunch of subscriptions to pay. Fortunately I purchased the Sirius XM lifetime plan back in ‘09 and thanks to some lawsuits they were forced to live up to it. That at least gives me the radio and if I want to keep the Uconnect I get a discount with SiriusXM, but I don’t want anything that I can’t cancel if I want to.
For the question, do people need remote start? More so in Steamboat Springs, Colorado then in Santa Rosa California.

 

[GaryA]

I'm guessing the monthly fee is for some additional services besides the remote start, maybe some satellite based program? If remote start is the main thing she's looking for, there's no need to pay monthly. Just buy a vehicle with it already installed or as was said earlier, purchase an after-market setup. I have remote start in my current Ram and also had an after-market installed unit in a previous SUV. I live in a cold climate and use it all the time. When winter temps run in the minus teens/twenties it's great to have just to get the ice off the windshield. The vehicle will stay locked while it runs.

 

[runamuck]

I would pay zero. that's why I did not renew uconnect for 12$ a month. does very little and I already have enough nickle and dime fees with all the streaming stuff we get. I am an architect and the newer versions of my cad programs have annual fees so when those came out I quit upgrading. old software works fine. I park my truck in my detached shop/garage so remote start gets used every now and then.

 

[lpennock]

I wouldn't and that's why I let my XM Guardian expire after the free trial.

Same here. Same reason I won't pay for the built in Nav, I'm not paying $300+ to renew the maps when I can get a life time maps Garmin for $150 or just use Google maps on my phone.

 

[Mohican69]

Car companies want to make billions by charging monthly fees for features like heated seats, but buyers won't pay up

How would you feel about paying $10, $20, or $100 per month to access features already built into your car? Some buyers are calling foul.

www.google.com

Found this when looking at ordering a new Toyota rav4 for the wife. The main thing she wants is remote start which is free for the first year then it's $8 a month. Needless to say we won't be ordering one since who knows what other features they will switch over and a person has to pay monthly.

"Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler), Ford, and GM each aim to generate at least $20 billion in annual revenue from software services by 2030."

Nope. I recently bought my wife a loaded top trim Mazda CX-5 and we couldn't believe that it didn't come with remote start. We could've gotten it installed by the dealership. That would entail the usage of a separate key fob and a subscription service. I said no to that mess. I bought an aftermarket one and installed it myself. I couldn't believe how easy it was and it works with the standard key fob. My wife is happy and I'm not paying what I consider to be a monthly extortion fee. These vehicles are already too much money and now they want to bleed us dry with features that should and used to come standard! Just another reason to hate dealerships and new cars.

 

[White six four]

Just to be clear with Ram aren’t you’re paying for the ability to start your truck, Lock and unlock, see the status of your truck, tire pressure, mileage with the app on your phone, but using the button on your Key fob to start your car, is free.
I’m planning to retire in the next year and the last thing I want is a bunch of subscriptions to pay. Fortunately I purchased the Sirius XM lifetime plan back in ‘09 and thanks to some lawsuits they were forced to live up to it. That at least gives me the radio and if I want to keep the Uconnect I get a discount with SiriusXM, but I don’t want anything that I can’t cancel if I want to.
For the question, do people need remote start? More so in Steamboat Springs, Colorado then in Santa Rosa California.

I personally am not paying for any of that and would not. My phone isn't connected to my truck at all through any apps. I have remote start with the key fob but I rarely use it.

 

[JKLines]

I believe what you are paying for is the ability to do these things with your smart phone ... the idea I believe is that you can remotely access your car from anywhere via the "cloud" i.e. internet service. I've heard that with some you don't even need your key fob any more ... just your phone to start your car. The other things being included is the ability to know where your car is, etc. But think about that ... what stops them from using the service for other stuff. We've seen it used in the movies and television shows for good, like where they get the license plate from some traffic camera and then use that to get the VIN and then get access to the GPS info for the car to track down the bad guy. And we've seen the shows where the bad guys are hackers and take over control of cars. Anyplace this "connected" technology can be used for good ... it can also be used for bad. But now a lot of cars are coming with a SIM slot so they can be directly connected to the "cloud" without your phone. I was curious about whether there was a charge for that from the carrier so I stopped by my AT&T store and found out that indeed they want to charge a fee for each device you have connected.
My new Ram was delivered to the dealer last Saturday and my salesman said I could come by if I wanted, but he would not be able to get it prepped yet ... so I did and he gave me the key to start it up. First thing we noticed is that the automatic running boards were not enabled so had to climb up into the cab. Basically, most things were still disabled so really just got an idea of how much has to be enabled for the options you purchased to even function. This makes it more difficult for taking advantage of the innovation 3rd parties will bring to the party and is basically the auto manufacturer trying to control all of that.
I'm inclined not to pay these fees and will probably not just to make that statement. But I feel that unless other consumers do the same or better yet, make more noise resisting these moves, it is simply going to keep getting worse. Hopefully, these will be the things people will give up as inflation continues to go up.

 

[kurek]

This makes it more difficult for taking advantage of the innovation 3rd parties will bring to the party and is basically the auto manufacturer trying to control all of that.
I'm inclined not to pay these fees and will probably not just to make that statement. But I feel that unless other consumers do the same or better yet, make more noise resisting these moves, it is simply going to keep getting worse.

This is one of the reasons it's important to remain an active advocate of our right to repair, and to own the things that we buy. Cars are one of the few products that have SOME consumer protection there (notice how useful all the aftermarket OBD2 stuff is? notice how there's no equivalent "obd2" interface in any other consumer products??) - if you're paying attention to what's happening in agricultural equipment they're serializing parts and making it nearly impossible to field repair tractors without manufacturer consent so farmers are stuck scrambling when a piece of equipment breaks during their tiny harvest window - basically pay Deere's ransom or let the crop spoil.

Or perhaps lower stakes but just as evil Apple is serializing parts so you could take two brand new identical iPhones and swap components inside of them and the components won't work. That's like if you had two identical Ram trucks and took the spark plugs out of one and put them in the other & the truck wouldn't start anymore unless you tow it to the Ram dealer and pay them to authorize the new spark plugs.