I love Bimmers – especially those of the spicy M variety – but there’s no denying that BMW HQ has made some controversial decisions lately. Most infamously, in 2022 they tried charging customers $18/month for heated seats that were already installed on their cars.
Backlash was swift and vicious, and to their credit, BMW backed down. They said their intention was simply to let customers activate their hardware later to avoid paying $500 upfront.
That kinda makes sense, but the sentiment across BIMMERPOST and Reddit seems to be that allowing automakers to remotely deactivate parts of your car sets a dangerous precedent.
– Chris Butsch, Contributor