There are some things, like flying on a budget airline or eating from a hotel minibar, where you just expect that every additional service or upgrade is going to cost you.
Nobody likes getting nickel and dimed, but that hasn’t stopped BMW
from trying to charge users an $18/month subscription service
to use their car’s built-in heated seats—a feature that previously came at no additional cost. The average BMW is still on the affordable end of the luxury car segment, but users don’t want to pay extra for a feature when they’ve already spent tens of thousands on a new car.
According to Vice
, a week after BMW made the announcement official, a community of hackers has come forward with the intention to help owners unlock subscription-only features at no cost. Jerry, the car ownership super app, looks at what you need to know about why hackers are taking on BMW over its new heated seats policy.
Why BMW and other automakers want subscription features
While the heated seat subscription news is disappointing for fans of the luxury car brand, it’s not the first time BMW has faced criticism
over new charges. Back in 2019, BMW made a controversial announcement that users of Apple CarPlay—a service that most automakers include for free—would now cost drivers an $80 annual subscription fee.
The brand quickly withdrew the proposal following massive public backlash, but that hasn’t stopped BMW from looking for a new angle on subscription-based add-ons.
BMW isn’t the only brand looking to subscription-based service charges as a way to make an extra buck. High inflation and climbing gas prices mean consumers don’t have much to spare
, and automakers are looking for new ways to profit amid rising manufacturing costs. Charging subscription fees is an easy way to yield recurring, predictable profits from a consumer base, but is it worth it if hackers can circumvent it anyway?
How hackers are taking on BMW
Like most new cars built today, BMW cars contain complex smart computer systems that are always online. Using integrated, cloud-based technology is convenient for drivers, but it does pose a greater security risk for automakers themselves.
Additionally, upgrade packages and trims that used to be hardware or physical upgrades are increasingly software-based. A software-locked feature is one that can technically be enabled on any version of the same car but only can be used if a customer pays to unlock it.
A community of hackers has been unlocking these features in BMWs for years, and their services are already pretty popular.
The features that coders are capable of unlocking are numerous and can range from anything from enabling video functions while driving to closing the car’s windows via the key fob.
“When I first started doing this about seven years ago, there were a lot of requests for common comfort features,” said one coder as reported by Vice. It looks like enabling heated seats will be next for many of these aftermarket coders.
How to save money on your car
An extra $18 a month might not break the bank, but those car payments and other bills can start to add up fast.
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