Mercedes Benz has a new twist on subscriptions. They want to sell you power that already exists in your Benz EV. If the owner can increase power with a software patch it seems like MB planned this all along. I’m glad I’m not one of the people affected by this. Read about it here and get steamed up like I am.
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Don’t understand. How could someone ponying up the $60/month adversely affect you? It seems like the traffic regulations would equalize out most of the advantages. If someone could pay $60 per month to not get any speeding tickets, then I could understand why you’d be upset about that.
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It’s not always how fast you can go, sometimes it’s how quickly you can get to that speed…
I can see jtsanders point (I think), when you buy something you should get everything you paid for, another words if you buy a vehicle capable of 400HP, you expect it to produce said HP, not 300HP that you have to pay an extra fee to get the 400HP…
But I also can see it as you are buying a 300HP vehicle that is capable of producing 400 HP with XX upgrade… Like buying a tune for a ICE vehicle to give it more HP…
(HP #'s are just random #'s I pulled out of the air lol)
So I guess you have to go into it that your are buying a 300HP vehicle that is capable of 400HP with upgrade package…
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Lots of capabilities in Teslas that one has to pay to unlock. I’m sure others are or will do the same.
The counter-argument is the manufacturer saves money by only testing & qualifying the 300 HP features when selling a 300 HP version of the car, so can sell the car at a reduced price. Then if the customer later wants the 400 HP features, the company incurs add’l expense to guarantee they work, so they have to charge the customer extra.
There’s a marketing issue as well. Cars with 400 HP features sell in a higher priced segment of the market. If a customer buys the 300 HP version, they pay less b/c they are buying in a lower priced market segment. If the manufacturer allowed them to turn a 300 HP version into a 400 HP version without paying any money, that would defeat the purpose of the 400 HP market segment, and the customers in that higher priced segment would disappear.
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If a vehicle can have more than 1 performance condition then that should be a one time charge at the sale . Paying a monthly fee is just wrong .
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That will become more the norm over the next x numberof years.
That is very true, it would be like buying a 340 or 440 6 barrel engine (option for your car) and only being able to use the center 350cfm carb and having to pay a monthly fee to have both the outer 500 cfm each carbs activated, it came with all 3 don’t make me pay extra to use all 3…
(yes I know that was an advertised rating only)
If it is already installed there should not be an extra cost of use (satellite radio and the like is different), now if you have to replace a part to get more performance then I can see a 1 time fee, but then you have bought and paid for it, it is your to do with as you please and you shouldn’t have to keep paying for it…
Again if it is already a part of the car that doesn’t require an outside source to use (radio etc) then it should be included in the original cost…
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I wonder what it would take to record the network traffic between the manufacturer and the vehicle to figure out which data packets are responsible for enabling various features. And then replay them back at a later time.
I would guess the car manufacturers are encrypting the data by now, which makes this much harder, but not impossible.
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Probably encrypted.
That’s it. I object to providing capabilities but not enabling them until I pay a subscription fee. In some cases I don’t object like Sirius/XM radio because it’s another company’s product. Hated seats and increased power fall into that box. If my base Model 3 and the long range version had the same batteries and I could unlock the additional range for a monthly fee I would be unhappy too. Since the LR version uses the NCM battery and the SR version (mine) uses a LFP battery that isn’t currently possible.
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On my Snap-on scanner, the european software was there the whole time . . . but wasn’t enabled until I paid the activation fee
But from that point on, it was there to say
I do pay fees for software updates, though, which are twice a year
But if I were to stop paying them, my scanner and all its functions would still work, but of course would eventually have outdated software and would someday reach a point where I’m no longer to do certain things with newer vehices
I personally like that business model better
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Can you tell me more about this? I frequently see older Snap-On and other professional-grade scan tools for sale on Craigslist with the stipulation that they have been updated through such-and-such model year, or (for really old scan tools) that they include the ROM cartridges through such-and-such model year.
As a DIYer, not connected with any professional repair shop, and certainly not willing to pay for any sort of subscription or updates, would a used scan tool purchased on Craigslist work for me? Some of these scan tools even include ROM cartridges and adapter cables to support legacy vehicles, such as those from the early 1990s.
I wonder what would happen if you shopped for a new car, found one, then told the sales-person you’d like to buy the car, & you’ll pay the asking price provided it comes with a scan tool with the same functionality (for that particular car) as the manufacturer’s scan tool would have for that car.
Would the sales-person tell you to take a hike? Or would they accommodate your scan-tool request inn order to book the asking-price sale?
Know we have a lot of fans of performance here, but for me it just is not an issue to knock a second or two getting up to 60. I’ve had about 8 v6 s and when I want to get up to speed I just step on the gas. I have never been disappointed with a gas v6 without a turbo. I guess I pay for it whenever I stop for gas. I would be a little suspect of a car that needs an extra performance boost.
Of course my vw and corvair had little performance but it was expected.
You’re talking about the Snap-On “Brick” . . . might be the MT2500?
It’s so old, that the newest software would still be roughly 15 years old . . . I think it’s not worth buying that, unless you get it for free or a case of beer 
After x number of years, many companies no longer offer software updates for their older models. I suppose after that, they would still be okay for global OBD2, but at some point, if you’re working on newer vehicles, they’ll no longer be very useful
If you’re set on buying a Snap-on “brick” . . . get one with a ton of personality keys and the black programmable cartridges
But if it were me, I’d spend money on better and newer technology
To update any professional-level scanner is going to cost you several hundred dollars, even more if it’s also got a scope built-in
The sales person most likely wouldn’t have a clue what a scan tool was… lol
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You mean after the gut laugh? We don’t even need to go into the issues with proprietary software.
They don’t sell scan tools. If they were to agree to such a ridiculous demand, you’d end up paying more than you could just go buy one yourself. They would have to charge you for the time and effort to procure it as well as the material cost. People argue over floor mats for a $100. You think they’re just going to toss in a multi-thousand dollar scan tool for the same price? Cue the gut laugh…
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Yeah we got the winter floor mats a couple times and touch up paint but they weren’t going any further. Well worth it though. On my diesel in 81, I did get them to throw in the service manual but it was a couple years old with the 81 supplement. Guess the mechanics got a new one. Proud of myself though. $100 manual on a $1000 extra engine. The bottom line is the bottom line though. You do the best you can without getting thrown out like my neighbor.
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I have to ask… What did your neighbor do at the dealership that resulted in him being booted?
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