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BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

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281–290 of 351 posts

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really wish personalized ads were criminalized. Lets go back to contextual (by location of ad) and general ads. The stalker big brother ad industry needs to be stopped.

My children (one is in High School and the other in College) don't get bothered by advertisements as much as me (are they desensitized?). I would rather pay for most of these "free" services if there was an option to simply opt out of having my data harvested.

It's a paradox: anyone who can afford to pay to opt out is a valuable target for advertisers.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's the opposite problem, they're trying to expand to fill every niche and in so doing have lost focus on what made them appealing. Just look at their model range nowadays, it's vast, confusing and insipid. Very little of it is inspiring unless you think 650bhp in an SUV is interesting.

Very little of it is inspiring unless you think 650bhp in an SUV is interesting. Depends on where you live. I drive a really small but acceptably fast car, but I'm frequently surrounded by giant lifted trucks that block all visibility. I want a taller vehicle just so I don't die, but don't want to give up the 6 second 0-60.

6 second 0-60 isn't that hard to hit, and doesn't need anything like 650 bhp, even on a larger frame.

Unless you are sub 3s, mostly what you need is a bit of torque lower in the range, and a suspension & tires that can deliver it to the road. This, along with transmission ratios, trades off against other things people often want in their cars.

hp above 300ish is mostly about what happens (or doesn't happen) at triple digit speeds, at least for regular passenger vehicles not towing large loads. The latter is all about torque available at what range but that can push you into higher hp territory.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#283

It makes sense, BMW quit being a car company in the past few years. Now they’re just clueless assholes. I’ve seen it in their IT systems, their design teams are either on crack or got outsourced to 4 year olds and their product/sales gurus are a mix of bean counters incapable of producing an original idea and a bunch of lifers running on nepotism. It’s starting to happen and will get even worse, BMW will have a tough…

> Now they’re just clueless assholes. I’ve seen it in their IT systems, their design teams are either on crack or got outsourced to 4 year olds and their product/sales gurus are a mix of bean counters incapable of producing an original idea and a bunch of lifers running on nepotism. Can confirm. BMW used to be quite innovative, at least on the scale of German automakers, with their connect services. We have a fairly…

I absolutely hate the UConnect software/entertainment systems in Dodge/Chrysler models, not sure how much this is/was from Daimler though. AFAIK they've relatively recently switched to Android Mobile systems, but I haven't tried them.

It's hard to believe that nobody came up with a good/open AV integration for mobile/smart phones a decade ago. Gotta love proprietary interfaces that stop getting updates 2 years in for a car that should last 10+ years at least.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#284
post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you can typically lease a different car every month. I kinda wish you could. I would definitely pay to try a car for a full month before buying it.

Actually you sorta can. I know Volvo has/had a program where you pay something like $1k/month, including insurance, and you can swap out cars twice a month or something like that. I believe some other manufacturers did the same thing.

Yeah... that's the subscription thing we're talking about. Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover have it - not sure about others.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Now they’re just clueless assholes. I’ve seen it in their IT systems, their design teams are either on crack or got outsourced to 4 year olds and their product/sales gurus are a mix of bean counters incapable of producing an original idea and a bunch of lifers running on nepotism. Can confirm. BMW used to be quite innovative, at least on the scale of German automakers, with their connect services. We have a fairly…

BMW went on stage at WWDC this year to talk about Digital Key for the car. Their marketing page said it works on all 2021 models. The detailed list says Series 1, 2, 3, etc.. I thought this feature is really cool. I am going to buy this car for it. I talked to 2 dealers and confirmed the feature. I looked up all the info online but could not find any more details. I bought a 2021 m240i for $50,000 USD. I could have g…

If it's any conciliation personally I think you have the nicer car mechanically. The m240i is a rwd straight 6 with the legendary zf 8hp gearbox whilst the newer m235i is an awd 4 cylinder with some inferior aisin gearbox.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#286

BMW is the most user-hostile car brand there is. They’re constantly seeking ways to squeeze revenue from their owners in slimy ways. (They charge an annual fee for access to car play, for instance)

Eugh. I dread the day my 2010 car needs replacement. It's deliciously dumb: I put petrol in it, and in return, it gets me places.

Yes it can be, but then again there are ways to keep the car longer, I myself drive a 2008 Honda, but at the same time I think it is easy for another 10 years. You should definitely think about taking care of the engine. I hope I can help if I tell you to read about the same transmission fluid for honda https://carfluidsexpert.com/best-transmission-fluid-for-hond... , take a look, I think you will find a lot of universal options. It's worth starting to take care of your car with at least that. I hope I was able to help.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#287

It makes sense, BMW quit being a car company in the past few years. Now they’re just clueless assholes. I’ve seen it in their IT systems, their design teams are either on crack or got outsourced to 4 year olds and their product/sales gurus are a mix of bean counters incapable of producing an original idea and a bunch of lifers running on nepotism. It’s starting to happen and will get even worse, BMW will have a tough…

> BMW will have a tough decade at least

This seems like a vast understatement. The article is about a BMW campaign in which BMW will pay a lot of money to shame BMW customers and send a very very strong message to anyone who sees these billboards: DON'T BUY BMW.

Somebody inside BMW has an axe to grind and has decided their coworkers are a bunch of idiots. Rather than quit, they've decided to use their coworkers' stupidity against the company. In a too impossible to be be true storyline, they keep pitching obviously self-destructive strategies to their coworkers who lap them up and implement them.

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#288

It makes sense, BMW quit being a car company in the past few years. Now they’re just clueless assholes. I’ve seen it in their IT systems, their design teams are either on crack or got outsourced to 4 year olds and their product/sales gurus are a mix of bean counters incapable of producing an original idea and a bunch of lifers running on nepotism. It’s starting to happen and will get even worse, BMW will have a tough…

> Now they’re just clueless assholes. I’ve seen it in their IT systems, their design teams are either on crack or got outsourced to 4 year olds and their product/sales gurus are a mix of bean counters incapable of producing an original idea and a bunch of lifers running on nepotism. Can confirm. BMW used to be quite innovative, at least on the scale of German automakers, with their connect services. We have a fairly…

[deleted]

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#289
post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah no one buys an amg because it's a sensible vehicle. these are the folks who sell a 600 hp station wagon.

I would argue that the station wagon is a great idea. A car like that allows enthusiasts to buy something that isn't completely impractical for most non-enthusiast things.

keep in mind this is a vehicle that starts at $110k. you could buy a nice sports car and a practical family vehicle for that money. I do know a guy that has one and uses it as a daily. he loves it, but he also owns a cayman and a forester, so it's not exactly the "one car that does it all".

Re: BMW to shame out-of-warranty UK drivers with smart billboards

#290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really wish personalized ads were criminalized. Lets go back to contextual (by location of ad) and general ads. The stalker big brother ad industry needs to be stopped.

Agreed, although it will be an uphill battle. We are rapidly outsourcing governance to data brokers who will vigorously defend their core business model. Boycotts are likely a good place to start, at least until public institutions can be reclaimed, if they can be.

I saw an article here where a dating app was actually selling it's data to a broker , and then that data was being resold to the US military.

Even more alarming , this appeared to target a specific demographic. I dislike online dating for an array of reasons, not being able to control my personal data is the top one.

The only thing you can do is be mindful of how much data you give out.

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