Latest grab by auto manufactures

[tacticalturnip]

This new onstar/internet package is not even close to the old one....in fact, the old one is not even supported anymore. People demand more from their vehicles now and that is driving the market. If a car maker charges $500 more for a certain popular paint color, is that greed? No one is forcing you to buy a vehicle.

No, but you're in for a real awakening if you try living without one anywhere other than an urban area; add to that the used market was purposefully gutted by cash for clunkers, of which it never truly recovered, and toss on some inflation and the whole market is a **** show.

Yep, be a smart consumer and buy what you want, not what other's want to sell you.

That only works so long; you know what I can't stand? Being pushed towards small displacement turbo'd engines in trucks, oh and electric vehicles. I don't want these things, and you know what I can do? Stick my opinion up my arse, because apparently that's what that market wants- or maybe it's required to meet standards imposed by our political class.

We don't have a free market anymore, and the opinion of the consumer only goes so far.

 

[tacticalturnip]

A decade ago it was. One had to be a tech guru. No more Linux Ubuntu is as graphical as windows. You still have the terminal and you can still control everything from it but you also have the GUI.
I picked it up around 2008; played with it. Used it to surf the web, especially those places where before with windows one would come away with a plethora of viruses and trojans. Nothing can touch me now. I haven't bought an antivirus in a very long time & won't.
There are a few cons.
There is no really good engineering CAD CAM software there is some but it's just not as good as the 10-thousand dollar packages meant to run on windows. And the same problem applies to good Accounting software. I'd have expected RedHat to have solved for that latter, but nope.

I'm quoting your post so I remember to look into Ubuntu tomorrow.

 

[WM75Guy]

I have OnStar on all our vehicles as I am not always available to go and help out my wife with an automotive issue. Roadside assistance to change a flat, bring fuel if you run out of fuel, jump start a dead battery, and towing up to 25 miles is included. Remote diagnostics is included. I recently used that on our 2008 pickup when the check engine light came on. The advisor ran the diagnostics and told me that it was the cylinder #6 glow plug not working, so driving it wasn't going to cause damage. Plus the crash notification, stolen vehicle locate and shutdown, and remote unlock that most people think about when they hear the word OnStar.

 

[rontaki]

Every time I hear about these new car remote control / ownership "features", my '86 3WD Vanagon Synchro Westy becomes more valuable to me.
Can't turn the heater seats off remotely, does not have any.
But it will take me dang near anywhere and give me good bed when I get there.

 

[gsganzer]

... Plus the crash notification, stolen vehicle locate and shutdown, and remote unlock that most people think about when they hear the word OnStar.

Do you get an insurance discount for having Onstar that might cancel out the monthly fee?

 

[Rustyiron]

I'd like a vehicle that's NOT basically an extension to/for a friggin phone.

 

[MasseyFerg231]

I guess I have driven 40+ years and never had remote start. If they block a feature I don't need or want, who cares? I'm not a big fan of the overall concept, but how often do you need remote start?

I thought the same until I had a rental in a cold climate. It’s nice to warm your car up on an extremely cold day. I could take or leave this but the feature I am addicted to is when you don’t have to get the keys out of your pocket to unlock the door. That is an awesome feature!

 

[MasseyFerg231]

I'd like a vehicle that's NOT basically an extension to/for a friggin phone.

‘55 Chevy should fit that bill!

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I don't understand why anyone would even want Onstar anymore. Doesn't a smartphone do everything, and more, then OnStar? Seems to me OnStar is more about monitoring YOU, so they can send you "alerts" to take your car to the dealer for over priced servicing, when they determine it's needed.

My bigger issue is the "dumbing down" of the average American consumer where people can't (or don't) calculate fee's into the price of something. Great examples are the town, municipal, state fee's (e.g. taxes), banking fee's, cell phone fee's, cable TV fee's etc., that get tacked onto the proclaimed "cost".

I'm starting to push back. My bank is my first target. They currently hold 6-digits of my money, but feel compelled to charge me a $30 monthly fee for "services". Next are the "convenience fee's" for paying on-line. Convenient for whom? I can just as easily make them send me a monthly bill, by which I'll snail mail them a check that they then need to process and deposit. Seems to me I should be the one getting a discount for being inconvenienced as I spend my time to pay on-line to save them the of hassle of someone having to process a check, plus they get their money sooner! Am I missing something here?

I guess as I get older, I'm starting to turn into a curmudgeon, because I'm starting to push back on the obvious BS.

I went through the same thing with banking until I figured out that there are still banks out there that offer no fee checking and savings accounts, you just have to keep a minimum 10k monthly balance or some form of that, the numbers vary from bank to bank, also if you have a local credit union they are sometimes far better to deal with over chain banks, I still have an account with my local credit union and probably always will, I just have an account with a chain bank because no matter where you go or travel to you can find a branch to get cash or if you have a problem.

 

[dodge man]

I‘m guessing here and I’ll take my Ford F-150 as an example. They have something called Ford Pass? You put it on your smart phone and can do things on your truck, like remote start, maybe turn on the heated seats for the remote start. It was useless on my truck since it’s an XLT and it’s too low a model for any of that to work.

So are they saying you will have to pay for this app to make it work? Or are they saying to make tge heated seats to work at all you have to pay yearly? I thought the article was a little vague.

 

[mikester]

The way to deal with that is to not buy their crap.

A year ago I was reading something about how people were sick and tired of all the software companies switching to subscriptions instead of standalone software.
I remember feeling very good about not using any microsoft or apple garbage.
In Linux there is more and better software and all of it is free.
I tell people this all the time. I show them my OS and let them play with it, I show them the various software packages etc.. So far I have achieved a conversion rate of ZERO.

People are funny. They get used to taking the beating and actually experience discomfort at the prospect of no more beatings, no more abuse, opening their cage fills them with dread.

More and better software and it's all for free? BS

You can get free software on all OS's. Vast majority of titles are crapware.

 

[paulfun9]

I don't understand why anyone would even want Onstar anymore. Doesn't a smartphone do everything, and more, then OnStar? Seems to me OnStar is more about monitoring YOU, so they can send you "alerts" to take your car to the dealer for over priced servicing, when they determine it's needed.

My bigger issue is the "dumbing down" of the average American consumer where people can't (or don't) calculate fee's into the price of something. Great examples are the town, municipal, state fee's (e.g. taxes), banking fee's, cell phone fee's, cable TV fee's etc., that get tacked onto the proclaimed "cost".

I'm starting to push back. My bank is my first target. They currently hold 6-digits of my money, but feel compelled to charge me a $30 monthly fee for "services". Next are the "convenience fee's" for paying on-line. Convenient for whom? I can just as easily make them send me a monthly bill, by which I'll snail mail them a check that they then need to process and deposit. Seems to me I should be the one getting a discount for being inconvenienced as I spend my time to pay on-line to save them the of hassle of someone having to process a check, plus they get their money sooner! Am I missing something here?

I guess as I get older, I'm starting to turn into a curmudgeon, because I'm starting to push back on the obvious BS.

One of our banks tried to start charging fees for every and any thing they could when they changed ownership.

People around here must be smarter because they are now closed down and a new branch office for our other bank opened up right in town.

If they charge fees move your money and talk to anyone who will listen and hope they learn also!

 

[IndyJay]

More and better software and it's all for free? BS

You can get free software on all OS's. Vast majority of titles are crapware.

Anytime the product is free then you are the product. They collect and sell data that the device/software collects on you.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Every time I hear about these new car remote control / ownership "features", my '86 3WD Vanagon Synchro Westy becomes more valuable to me.
Can't turn the heater seats off remotely, does not have any.
But it will take me dang near anywhere and give me good bed when I get there.

I passed a Westfalia on the highway yesterday, pale yellow with Rhode Island plates, it was gorgeous.

 

[Raul-02]

Remote diagnostics is included.

what you describe may be worth the cost. I don't have that on my truck. I have GPS that I can update for way cheaper than I could my BMW

 

[Raul-02]

Emission Testing pulls old cars off the road... it was not always that way.

I am in the people's republic of New Jersey I have a placard for a 20 year old vehicle that announces to any LEO who stops me that I no longer need inspections.

 

[Jstpssng]

Doesn't a smartphone do everything, and more, then OnStar?

Smartphones don't work without data service... which is spotty here.
That is one of my biggest fears; will autos someday become so reliant on external service that they don't run without it?
I can drive 10 miles in any direction and lose cell service; and based on my experience with satellite based services that can also be dicey depending on cloud cover, trees, and hills.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Smartphones don't work without data service... which is spotty here.
That is one of my biggest fears; will autos someday become so reliant on external service that they don't run without it?
I can drive 10 miles in any direction and lose cell service; and based on my experience with satellite based services that can also be dicey depending on cloud cover, trees, and hills.

That's why we ought to all to all let ourselves be pushed into more populated areas, for our own good, and for the good of the environment or some such.

 

[MossRoad]

I don't understand why anyone would even want Onstar anymore. Doesn't a smartphone do everything, and more, then OnStar? Seems to me OnStar is more about monitoring YOU, so they can send you "alerts" to take your car to the dealer for over priced servicing, when they determine it's needed.

My bigger issue is the "dumbing down" of the average American consumer where people can't (or don't) calculate fee's into the price of something. Great examples are the town, municipal, state fee's (e.g. taxes), banking fee's, cell phone fee's, cable TV fee's etc., that get tacked onto the proclaimed "cost".

I'm starting to push back. My bank is my first target. They currently hold 6-digits of my money, but feel compelled to charge me a $30 monthly fee for "services". Next are the "convenience fee's" for paying on-line. Convenient for whom? I can just as easily make them send me a monthly bill, by which I'll snail mail them a check that they then need to process and deposit. Seems to me I should be the one getting a discount for being inconvenienced as I spend my time to pay on-line to save them the of hassle of someone having to process a check, plus they get their money sooner! Am I missing something here?

I guess as I get older, I'm starting to turn into a curmudgeon, because I'm starting to push back on the obvious BS.

When you get in a bad car accident, your phone goes flying and is of little use. On Star will detect the crash and call automatically.

When your car is stolen, your cell phone isn’t likely inside of it. On Star can locate your car quickly for police. It can also shut your car down in a controlled manner, so it basically slows down to a crawl.

It can also disable the ignition, so once it’s shut off, it can’t be restarted.

If you lock yourself out of your car, On Star can open it for you. Cell phone can’t without an app. And if you lock your phone and keys in the car, you can borrow someone else’s phone and call On Star to have them open if for you.

So there are advantages to On Star Vs a cell phone.

 

[IndyJay]

That's why we ought to all to all let ourselves be pushed into more populated areas, for our own good, and for the good of the environment or some such.

So that we can "own nothing and be happy"...
Funny that the wealthy elite that are buying up everything keep telling us that the true path to happiness is to own nothing. Also, that we should let them make all of our decisions for us. Kind of like pets or slaves. No thanks, I'll take a pass. The woke sheep are welcome to accept the "free handouts" from their masters like a dog begging for scraps.