Remote start with Keyfob requires a subscription fee on Toyotas

[Heartbreaker]

This is only the beginning of needing to pay a monthly fee for the options on your car to function:

Toyota Made Its Key Fob Remote Start Into a Subscription Service

Subscription-based features are taking over the automotive industry—and now they're coming for your key fob.

www.thedrive.com

Mercedes is charging a subscription for four wheel steering on the EQS:

Full Rear-Wheel Steering on Mercedes EQS Will Be $575 Annual Subscription in Germany: Report

All German-market EQS models can reportedly turn their rear wheels 10 degrees; however, without the software upgrade, they'll only turn 4.5 degrees.

www.thedrive.com

BMW tried to charge $80/year to use Apple Car play (pushback change that one) but still plans a bunch of supscription features like heated seats:

BMW Is Planning to Sell Heated Seats and More as a Subscription (No, Really)

Do you really own anything if you have to pay a subscription for things like remote start or auto high-beams?

www.thedrive.com

Can we swear in the garage? Because I'm swearing in my head right now...

 

[ISAslot]

I wonder if there would be any issue using an aftermarket remote start system.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Its crazy how Toyota snuck that in 3 years ago, but, i don't think most of us heard anything about this until just recently.
Its frustrating how badly so many companies are trying to leech everyones money through the "blablabla as a service" mentality.

 

[Kaido]

Automotive DLC!

 

[pcgeek11]

There are always aftermarket remote starts...

I don't know of anyone with this issue with a remote start.

 

[mindless1]

It stinks. I imagine it's less expensive to just make one control module with this functionality rather than a 2nd one without, so it's not like people who don't want it, are paying extra for the bill of materials, but then it should just be a standard equipment feature that the owner can disable.

More troubling is this trend in general, that this means the manufacturer has remote access to the vehicle and the capability of disabling things, which seems like a security risk even if it is the manufacturer legitimately, or through a glitch/accident doing so, rather than a hacker or thief.

If I could turn THAT remote access off and I lose remote start by doing so, seems like the better alternative and then add my own remote starter module instead... very much against any subscription service for a vehicle, besides Sirius if I drove more/longer trips than I do.

 

[IronWing]

Hopefully, dealers will see lost sales and push back on subscriptions.

 

[repoman0]

Mazda does this too AFAIK. When my fiancée bought her CX-5 that’s what the salesman said at least. It connects to some shitty app .. think it was free for a year or something and then turns into a subscription. We never use the remote start anyway and certainly would never pay a subscription fee for it. I think we can handle being cold for five minutes while the car warms up 🙄

 

[Meghan54]

Add in all the features that are going to be kaput when the cell providers discontinue 3G...I recently read a list of cars affected and it's not short....and mfgr. attention to it isn't encouraging. This could effect things like nav systems, remote start, etc.

 

[pauldun170]

This is only the beginning of needing to pay a monthly fee for the options on your car to function:

Toyota Made Its Key Fob Remote Start Into a Subscription Service

Subscription-based features are taking over the automotive industry—and now they're coming for your key fob.

www.thedrive.com

Mercedes is charging a subscription for four wheel steering on the EQS:

Full Rear-Wheel Steering on Mercedes EQS Will Be $575 Annual Subscription in Germany: Report

All German-market EQS models can reportedly turn their rear wheels 10 degrees; however, without the software upgrade, they'll only turn 4.5 degrees.

www.thedrive.com

BMW tried to charge $80/year to use Apple Car play (pushback change that one) but still plans a bunch of supscription features like heated seats:

BMW Is Planning to Sell Heated Seats and More as a Subscription (No, Really)

Do you really own anything if you have to pay a subscription for things like remote start or auto high-beams?

www.thedrive.com

Can we swear in the garage? Because I'm swearing in my head right now...

Salesmen practicing...

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Just gonna make people buy base models and use SEMA and other aftermarket industries provide leech-less solutions.

 

[Entity23]

I have the remote start subscription and I can't even start it with the FOB, only the app.

 

[mindless1]

Seems like I vaguely recall that Toyota is considering backtracking on their position, but never saw any statement of conclusion.

 

[Heartbreaker]

I have the remote start subscription and I can't even start it with the FOB, only the app.

Do you know the button sequence?

 

[bigi]

yea, and welcommen to 1997 or something.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Hyundai has been like this since 2019.

The fob will start the car for free at one setting only for the cabin temp - 72 year round....

22 Tucson Fob



.. but to start via the app with custom settings for heat/ac/defrost/ heated seat levels you have to pay. First 3 years are free, then $99 a year thereafter.

 

[mindless1]

^ I'd be fine with 72F, but the most useful thing about remote start would be if the windshield is frosted or iced up, to clear that off. If it can't be set to defrost, possibly it can be rigged. A lot of vehicles *default* to defrost meaning if you unplug (and plug off) a vac line, or actuator motor, it results in defrost no matter what it was set to.

 

[Brainonska511]

^ I'd be fine with 72F, but the most useful thing about remote start would be if the windshield is frosted or iced up, to clear that off. If it can't be set to defrost, possibly it can be rigged. A lot of vehicles *default* to defrost meaning if you unplug (and plug off) a vac line, or actuator motor, it results in defrost no matter what it was set to.

My Ford Fusion's remote start just puts the vehicle's climate settings at whatever they were when it was shut off - so if you had it on defrost, it would start with the front defroster on.

It's probably just me, but I've never found remote start to be particularly useful. Cars don't take that long to warm up or defrost. For the times I had to dig out the car and run the defroster, I'd just get it clear enough to open the door, turn it on to max defrost, and keep digging/clearing around/off the car

However, the nonsense of moving things to apps and requiring subscriptions kind of pisses me off. I don't need another app on my phone, and I definitely don't want to pay for more subscription services.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

My Ford Fusion's remote start just puts the vehicle's climate settings at whatever they were when it was shut off - so if you had it on defrost, it would start with the front defroster on.

It's probably just me, but I've never found remote start to be particularly useful. Cars don't take that long to warm up or defrost. For the times I had to dig out the car and run the defroster, I'd just get it clear enough to open the door, turn it on to max defrost, and keep digging/clearing around/off the car

However, the nonsense of moving things to apps and requiring subscriptions kind of pisses me off. I don't need another app on my phone, and I definitely don't want to pay for more subscription services.

Think the opposite season, summer. My Tesla has an overheat function. I can set the temp to whatever I want and while its sitting outside in the heat I can arrive back into the car at a comfortable temp without having to do anything. Same for winter settings. Keyfob, so 20th century.

 

[Brainonska511]

Think the opposite season, summer. My Tesla has an overheat function. I can set the temp to whatever I want and while its sitting outside in the heat I can arrive back into the car at a comfortable temp without having to do anything. Same for winter settings. Keyfob, so 20th century.

Guess I'm just not that picky.

 

[mindless1]

It's probably just me, but I've never found remote start to be particularly useful. Cars don't take that long to warm up or defrost.

Two words. Ice Storm. If you can't get your door open, you're not running the defroster without remote start.

Plus, given the choice for a vehicle I have parked outdoors, if it snows more than about 3", I'd rather remote start and be shoveling a path around it, before I walk around it to brush most of the snow off. Frozen on snow, brushes off much easier if there's a molten bottom layer.

It's especially useful if the weather report underestimated amount of snow or how cold it'll get, and I don't bother pulling my windshield wipers up off the windshield. That happened today, so I left the vehicle parked running a good 20 minutes while I snowblowered the driveway.

I'd rather have a real key, and a keyfob, because I keep my vehicles practically forever (till they rust out) and the more modern integration, the more complex, and expensive to repair. These days you can have function X fail and it prevents function Y and Z from working too, especially if it's the dash console module controlling it. Give me good old, mechanical HVAC control knobs any day. If a knob switch fails it's about a $15 DIY repair, and no vehicle downtime at a shop... less work to replace the knob than drive back and forth from the shop anyway.