Opinion: Jeep Made A Massive Mistake By Giving Up On The Gladiator 4xe

[legacy_etu]

everyone: googling "garage faraday cage"



But seriously.

LOL. Reminds me of the Mustang forums where guys were tracking down all the 4g antennas in the car to prevent it from phoning Ford with driving data that was getting sold to insurance carriers.

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[Stan H]

Recall Alert: 2023-2025 Jeep Wranglers | The Truth About Cars https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cars/news-blog/recall-alert-2023-2025-jeep-wranglers-45131938

 

[Zachanadandy]

Recall Alert: 2023-2025 Jeep Wranglers | The Truth About Cars https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cars/news-blog/recall-alert-2023-2025-jeep-wranglers-45131938

Are we pretending they couldn't screw up an OTA update disabling our vehicles too? I wish that fail was exclusive to the 4xe, but all it proves to me is that they can manipulate the drivetrain control modules OTA which doesn't give me the warm fuzzies regardless of which Jeep or powertrain we are talking about.

 

[Mr Miami]

The scary truth this proves to me is that they could disable any of our vehicles via OTA update intentionally or not. The next Covid scam when they are trying to tell us all to shelter in place even though that proved to be useless and more harmful than good could lead to forced compliance if nobody can drive anywhere. Obviously that's a stretch and constitutionally not an option... but they've proven it possible.

Not to get on the conspiracy bandwagon (Elvis is still alive, I have proof), but this entire OTA update thing and having Onstar unlock your car and whatever else they can do is all part of an evolving situation to have vehicles operate "as a service."

We see it in so many areas of society, especially the high tech industries, where you don't buy or physically own their products but simply rent them on a subscription basis. It's all about recurring revenues. People have already become accustomed to it in the auto industry. Those of us a bit older here remember when the thought of leasing a car was anathema to most people. One would immediately ask, "Why would I want to lease something and not own it? I'll be making car payments forever".

Well, what has happened in the auto world.? Today, about 1 in 4 cars are leased and that number has been trending upwards. More and more people don't mind "renting" a car. The same will undoubtedly happen with cars and software. You will pay monthly to operate your car and stay current. Yes, we will be enticed to get the vehicle at a lower price initially but there are strings attached to use the car for as long as you own or rent it. This is not some far-fetched idea but the roots are already there with GPS and discounts offered by insurance companies to allow you to be tracked. At some point, it will no longer be voluntary. It's not a matter of if, but rather, when.

 

[Stan H]

Not to get on the conspiracy bandwagon (Elvis is still alive, I have proof), but this entire OTA update thing and having Onstar unlock your car and whatever else they can do is all part of an evolving situation to have vehicles operate "as a service."

We see it in so many areas of society, especially the high tech industries, where you don't buy or physically own their products but simply rent them on a subscription basis. It's all about recurring revenues. People have already become accustomed to it in the auto industry. Those of us a bit older here remember when the thought of leasing a car was anathema to most people. One would immediately ask, "Why would I want to lease something and not own it? I'll be making car payments forever".

Well, what has happened in the auto world.? Today, about 1 in 4 cars are leased and that number has been trending upwards. More and more people don't mind "renting" a car. The same will undoubtedly happen with cars and software. You will pay monthly to operate your car and stay current. Yes, we will be enticed to get the vehicle at a lower price initially but there are strings attached to use the car for as long as you own or rent it. This is not some far-fetched idea but the roots are already there with GPS and discounts offered by insurance companies to allow you to be tracked. At some point, it will no longer be voluntary. It's not a matter of if, but rather, when.

Some car manufacturers make you pay a monthly subscription if you want the Higher Horsepower tune on your car.

 

[chaosjake]

vehicles operate "as a service."

BMW's Heated Seat Subscription Is Dead; Others Live On
The heated seat subscription was reportedly going to cost buyers $18 a month, but Nota told Autocar that BMW buyers “feel that they paid double” for the feature before insisting that isn’t true. However, he acknowledged that “perception is reality." He also added “we thought we would provide an extra service to the customer by offering the chance to activate that [heated seats] later ...,” but if customers feel slighted, it doesn't matter how the argument for such a decision is presented.

 

[Zachanadandy]

BMW's Heated Seat Subscription Is Dead; Others Live On
The heated seat subscription was reportedly going to cost buyers $18 a month, but Nota told Autocar that BMW buyers “feel that they paid double” for the feature before insisting that isn’t true. However, he acknowledged that “perception is reality." He also added “we thought we would provide an extra service to the customer by offering the chance to activate that [heated seats] later ...,” but if customers feel slighted, it doesn't matter how the argument for such a decision is presented.

The heated seat thing was mind blowing to me. The manufacturer would have to install every option in every vehicle and then lose all that added cost for the customers who don't subscribe. The only way to make that financially viable is to overcharge the ones that did subscribe to pay for all the unused options.

 

[chaosjake]

The only way to make that financially viable is to overcharge the ones that did subscribe to pay for all the unused options.

That's clearly what BMW was doing, and probably what other manufacturers are still doing. All buyers pay for the seat heater hardware. A select few pay a subscription to switch on the software toggle that lets them use it.

 

[Zachanadandy]

That's clearly what BMW was doing, and probably what other manufacturers are still doing. All buyers pay for the seat heater hardware. A select few pay a subscription to switch on the software toggle that lets them use it.

Either that or the subscription fees were high enough to offset the cost of installing unused options. Either way someone was getting hosed.

 

[Mr Miami]

Either that or the subscription fees were high enough to offset the cost of installing unused options. Either way someone was getting hosed.

How do you say "sand in the Vaseline" in German?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Not to get on the conspiracy bandwagon (Elvis is still alive, I have proof), but this entire OTA update thing and having Onstar unlock your car and whatever else they can do is all part of an evolving situation to have vehicles operate "as a service."

We see it in so many areas of society, especially the high tech industries, where you don't buy or physically own their products but simply rent them on a subscription basis. It's all about recurring revenues. People have already become accustomed to it in the auto industry. Those of us a bit older here remember when the thought of leasing a car was anathema to most people. One would immediately ask, "Why would I want to lease something and not own it? I'll be making car payments forever".

Well, what has happened in the auto world.? Today, about 1 in 4 cars are leased and that number has been trending upwards. More and more people don't mind "renting" a car. The same will undoubtedly happen with cars and software. You will pay monthly to operate your car and stay current. Yes, we will be enticed to get the vehicle at a lower price initially but there are strings attached to use the car for as long as you own or rent it. This is not some far-fetched idea but the roots are already there with GPS and discounts offered by insurance companies to allow you to be tracked. At some point, it will no longer be voluntary. It's not a matter of if, but rather, when.

When Bill The Gates was still king of Mickysoft, he gave a speech as some tech thing, I believe in Vegas. He talked of the browser becoming the operating system, and that software would no longer be purchased and installed, it would be a service. You'd not have updates to Office, when you launched Word, it would be the lasted patched version. Software as a service, the computer based on the internet.
We are well past that point.
Google and the Chromebook - internet based, almost nothing installed locally. Your browser if your main tool, and Mickysoft Office is a subscription.
He talked of that way way before it happened, years before there was a Chromebook or Office was a subscription app.

Cars are following.

 

[Mr Miami]

When Bill The Gates was still king of Mickysoft, he gave a speech as some tech thing, I believe in Vegas. He talked of the browser becoming the operating system, and that software would no longer be purchased and installed, it would be a service. You'd not have updates to Office, when you launched Word, it would be the lasted patched version. Software as a service, the computer based on the internet.
We are well past that point.
Google and the Chromebook - internet based, almost nothing installed locally. Your browser if your main tool, and Mickysoft Office is a subscription.
He talked of that way way before it happened, years before there was a Chromebook or Office was a subscription app.

Cars are following.

It won't be long until you go to open your car door or start you engine and the message pops up telling you your payment has not been accepted, payment was late or whatever. Click on your payment button, choose another credit card (it already knows all of your cards), press OK and your car starts. If anyone thinks that is far-fetched or something in the next century they are wrong. We are just a few short years away from this type of technology taking over.

 

[Stan H]

BMW's Heated Seat Subscription Is Dead; Others Live On
The heated seat subscription was reportedly going to cost buyers $18 a month, but Nota told Autocar that BMW buyers “feel that they paid double” for the feature before insisting that isn’t true. However, he acknowledged that “perception is reality." He also added “we thought we would provide an extra service to the customer by offering the chance to activate that [heated seats] later ...,” but if customers feel slighted, it doesn't matter how the argument for such a decision is presented.

Well Ishmael that is definitely a crazy one for sure.

 

[Stan H]

It won't be long until you go to open your car door or start you engine and the message pops up telling you your payment has not been accepted, payment was late or whatever. Click on your payment button, choose another credit card (it already knows all of your cards), press OK and your car starts. If anyone thinks that is far-fetched or something in the next century they are wrong. We are just a few short years away from this type of technology taking over.

Which is why this is my last one and why I have been diligently doing refreshes to the Jeep. It runs better now than it has in years.

 

[Mister Lamb]

Are we pretending they couldn't screw up an OTA update disabling our vehicles too? I wish that fail was exclusive to the 4xe, but all it proves to me is that they can manipulate the drivetrain control modules OTA which doesn't give me the warm fuzzies regardless of which Jeep or powertrain we are talking about.

Do what I did and call up uConnect and Sirius Guardian to cancel any and all Jeep Connect services. My truck is incapable of receiving OTA updates, can't be unlocked via phone, etc. Would have to bring to a dealer to update anything

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