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Toyota owners have to pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start

arstechnica.com

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Re: Toyota owners have to pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start

#121

Post by akvadrako »

HPsquared wrote: post #38
klipklop wrote: post #9

The solution is to vote with your wallet. These days consumers are pretty weak willed though and are willing to put up with almost any level of abuse for their shiny new toy. Look at what consumers are willing to (overpay) for during the pandemic as an example of that. $500 NVIDIA graphics cards going for $2000... Eventually people fed up with it will "jailbreak" their cars like the farmers did with John Deere tracto…

Like in politics, voting with your wallet only works if alternatives are available.

Are you suggesting there are no car makers without monthly key fees?

Re: Toyota owners have to pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start

#122

Post by KingFelix »

bluepaper wrote: post #58
lkozma wrote: post #8

was posted here sometime ago: The door refused to open. It said, "Five cents, please." He searched his pockets. No more coins; nothing. "I'll pay you tomorrow," he told the door. Again he tried the knob. Again it remained locked tight. "What I pay you," he informed it, "is in the nature of a gratuity; I don't have to pay you." "I think otherwise," the door said. "Look in the purchase contract you signed when you boug…

Finished reading Ubik just the other night - the paying for every little thing was haunting, almost claustrophobic with this passage about the door (amongst other things - fantastic book though)

Its brilliant!

Re: Toyota owners have to pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start

#123

Post by KingFelix »

lkozma wrote: post #8

was posted here sometime ago: The door refused to open. It said, "Five cents, please." He searched his pockets. No more coins; nothing. "I'll pay you tomorrow," he told the door. Again he tried the knob. Again it remained locked tight. "What I pay you," he informed it, "is in the nature of a gratuity; I don't have to pay you." "I think otherwise," the door said. "Look in the purchase contract you signed when you boug…

Just had a conversation about this exact idea. Such a brilliant book

Re: Toyota owners have to pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start

#124

Post by BitwiseFool »

itsoktocry wrote: post #106
klipklop wrote: post #9

The solution is to vote with your wallet. These days consumers are pretty weak willed though and are willing to put up with almost any level of abuse for their shiny new toy. Look at what consumers are willing to (overpay) for during the pandemic as an example of that. $500 NVIDIA graphics cards going for $2000... Eventually people fed up with it will "jailbreak" their cars like the farmers did with John Deere tracto…

> The solution is to vote with your wallet. Right on. In 99% of cases, your choice of vehicle brand is fungible. Corolla's are good, cheap cars, but so are Accords, Mazda 3s, Focus', Altimas, Imprezas... Buy something else.

>"your choice of vehicle brand is fungible"

I disagree wholeheartedly. One of the things Toyota has done is to establish itself as a reliable automaker of quality. People specifically think of Toyota/Honda as the vehicle makes which are most likely to last a long time and put up with abuse. Contrast this to the reputation of GM or Daewoo.

You also have the human element, where people are attracted to brand marketing and how certain models make them feel.

Re: Toyota owners have to pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start

#126

Post by graton »

forinti wrote: post #39

Honda charges something like US$15 for a CR2032 for the key fob. The person who was dealing with my car was too embarrassed to charge me, so I got it for free. Still, it makes me want to rethink my relationship with Honda. It seems that Toyota might not be the way either.

Well are they installing the CR2032 battery in the key fob for that price. If so that will probably require a 5-10 minute transaction in order to sell and install the battery. Not making much money on that. Now if it is just the battery, it is a high mark-up. Though looking at Target they charge $6.50 for a two-pack.

Re: Toyota owners have to pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start

#127

Post by bigwavedave »

kristjansson wrote: post #112
Someone1234 wrote: post #36

And the toxic trend of corporate short-term-ism continues... This is clearly set up as a gotcha with a 3 year/10 year "trial" included, then suddenly $80(!) a year. The irony is that both periods are right around the time different demographics start to consider a new vehicle, and Toyota has just pulled this nonsense. You may be thinking $80/year isn't so bad if it includes breakdown coverage/SOS button, but you'd be…

Surely its $51/month (8 + 8 + 35)? Not that that isn't outrageous, but it's not 275/month outrageous

I think it's 8 + 8 + 8 + 35. OP just worded things a little strangely. They're saying it's:

* $8 remote connect * $8 safety connect * $8 destination assist * $35 wifi connect

So $59/mo unless op has multiple Toyotas, I guess? I'm probably missing something.

Re: Toyota owners have to pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start

#128

Post by bserge »

xyst wrote: post #35
zeroflow wrote: post #6

That is just bullshit. A $8/mo charge for a app based remote start? I could live with that. Servers need power, the app needs updates etc. A $8/mo charge for something which does not incur costs for Toyota? Hell no. It seems like bit by bit - every single industry is going down a fucked up route. TVs with built in ads? Cars with pay-by-month features? DRM locked coffee machines? I really hope, there is some sort of e…

If the Apple Car actually materializes, I fear this will become the new standard. All cars come with all bells and whistles, but you have to pay monthly fees in order for them to function. - Want heated seats? $1/month - Want remote lock/unlock? $2/month - Want to remove rate limiting? $5/month - Want GPS in your car? $10/month - Want to use your "frunk"? $10/month - Want Apple CarPlay? $15/month - Want to activate h…

> Apple will be seen as a visionary

By "journalists* they pay and drooling fans.

No one with half a brain thinks any Apple shit is visionary or revolutionary.

Re: Toyota owners have to pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start

#129

Post by shiftpgdn »

luma wrote: post #65
shiftpgdn wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have both a new electric Audi and new Tesla. In either car I can just remove the sim and it'll completely disable all of the internet based features. A lot of the FUD around new cars is spread by grumpy old automotive journalists.

Does this impact your access to Tesla services or charging infrastructure? Can you still supercharge?

As far as I know yes you can still supercharge. The only thing I lose is the ability to remote control the car when out of bluetooth range as well as all the map & streaming features.

Re: Toyota owners have to pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start

#130

Post by Schiendelman »

andi999 wrote: post #74
black_puppydog wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually it isn't. There are tons of examples of whole industries just switching to user-/customer-hostile practices/products, meaning there's simply no more way to vote with your wallet. Happened like that with even trivial things like the milk market in Germany. Within a year or two, fresh milk had suddenly all but vanished from the shelves. Once pay-for-fob becomes the norm, good luck trying to enter that market w…

What do you mean fresh milk has vanished?

It’s now all hyper-pasteurized and shelf stable. Not even refrigerated.
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