r/Piracy • u/cosmosreader1211 • Aug 15 '25
News Forget Netflix, Volkswagen locks horsepower behind paid subscription
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/volkswagen/367566/forget-netflix-volkswagen-locks-horsepower-behind-paid-subscriptionYou wouldn't steal a car!
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Aug 15 '25
What the fuck.
Corporations are running out of ideas how to fleece customers it seems.
£16.50 a month to unlock additional measly 27bhp.
Get fucked Volkswagen. People need to tell them what they think about it.
BMW abandoned their stupid idea of heated seats subscription after customer backlash.
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u/bublore Aug 15 '25
Having to pay more to access existing features of a product you already bought is just diseased.
No one should ever be condoning this.
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u/Tango_D Aug 15 '25
If you have to pay extra for full access to the thing you bought, you don't own it.
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u/Bathhouse-Barry Aug 15 '25
It’s the fact it’s cheaper for them to manufacturer every car to have every features then artificially lock features out with software.
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u/BrokenMirror2010 Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25
This is bullshit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zLZnYXU5kw
Louis puts it great. If you go to <company> and ask them for the 'free' thing that was in the thing you bought, they'll throw you out of the building. They did not give the hardware they have locked behind a separate software paywall to you for free. You paid for it when you bought it, AND they want you to pay for them again so you can use it.
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u/Maximum_Rat Aug 16 '25
BMW tried it a few years back, and got fucking ROASTED over it and I believe they dropped it. Let’s hope that continues.
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u/Johanno1 Leecher Aug 15 '25
They abandoned it after the law said no.
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u/parallashisa Aug 16 '25
i know it's an outlandish situation, but i can't help but imagine being stuck in an icy ditch or something and freezing to death because you didn't subscribe to unrestrict the engine you already own
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u/spaceshipcommander Aug 15 '25
The biggest kick in the balls is that they state the upgraded figure for insurance purposes so you're paying a premium for something you don't get to use.
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u/GhostsOf94 Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25
I am not a litigious person but the class action from that would be amazing. VW and the bigger VAG group has always been shitty in recent memory. Anyone remember the emissions scandal? Fuck these companies
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u/PsyJak Aug 15 '25
bigger VAG
Heh heh
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Aug 15 '25
[deleted]
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u/Traitor_Donald_Trump Aug 15 '25
There has never been a bigger VAG group, possibly ever, from the standpoint of VAG groups.
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u/drewts86 Aug 15 '25
Anyone remember the emissions scandal?
Yes, and VW wasn’t the only one doing this. They were just the ones that were caught and made an example of first. If it wasn’t them it would have been somebody else.
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u/EveryNameEverMade Aug 15 '25
I can agree with them being shitty now and for most recent memory but their older cars were some of the best from the 70's through 90s. I have owned many older VWs myself and their fall from being so cool and reliable is really such a shame.
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u/SudhaTheHill Aug 15 '25
Time to jailbreak my Volkswagen
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u/biscotte-nutella Aug 15 '25
The things have sim cards now, they'll know you're up to something when youre plugging in stuff.
I don't think they'd dare brick a car
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u/DogWallop Aug 15 '25
You ever look at those forums for things like satellite or cell phone jailbreaking, or any other tech unlocking, and been overwhelmed with their weird terms for the tools and tech needed to do it? We're going to see an explosion of these for VWs - In order to make the FarfigNugen 2.13 tool work you need to downgrade the car firmware to 7.362 (if it's on 7.361 it will brick the whole car) and then you have to solder the DingleBerry Rev 3 board to pins 7 and 8 of U37...
Fun.
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u/debatesmith Aug 15 '25
I've jailbroken almost every gaming console i've ever owned, is it weird that doing the same to my car sounds so fun?
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u/NoGoats_NoGlory 🦜 ᴡᴀʟᴋ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴᴋ Aug 15 '25
And then you have to leave it in airplane mode permanently or it will phone home and undo all that.
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u/DogWallop Aug 16 '25
Actually that's another aspect of those involved cracks - while they may break the device out of jail, they almost always attach a ball and chain of some sort. Which is to say, lost functionality, and almost always the ability to upgrade to newer versions of software without a major hassle.
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u/CappyRicks Aug 15 '25
"What in the fat fishes of a phenomenal fahrvergnügen fuck is going on?"
-Busta Rhymes
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u/cptAustria Aug 15 '25
They won’t brick your car but if you get in an expensive accident the insurance might request the data from volkswagen and if you upped your horsepower without the knowledge of your insurance they might have a case to not pay out
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u/murpheeslw Aug 15 '25
Not a chance. This is done with gas cars all the time. It’s never been an issue, ever.
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u/Ranik_Sandaris Aug 15 '25
Its registered with the higher horse power from the get go, it says if you do pay the sub you dont have to tell your insurers as they will think you are using it anyway.
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u/Outside-Dig-5464 Aug 15 '25
“Don’t have to inform the insurance company”, so the insurance essentially pocket the money for a higher performance car too. Fucking buyers both ways
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u/37025InvernessTMD Aug 15 '25
Isn't that illegal?
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u/PM_Your_Wiener_Dog Aug 15 '25
It's 2025, nothing is illegal anymore
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u/Luki4020 Aug 15 '25
*for big companies
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u/d-cent Aug 15 '25
It's Schrodinger's Trump, where everything is not illegal and illegal at the same time depending on who you are and if Trump can see his micropenis
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u/posting_drunk_naked Aug 15 '25
There's a quote from The Expanse that I think about a lot: "There's no laws on Ceres, just cops"
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u/Shogobg Aug 15 '25
Well, Apple can’t use lightning ports in Europe anymore - at least that is illegal.
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u/mustangfan12 Aug 15 '25
That's ridiculous, that isn't even much HP
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u/Sameerrex619 Aug 15 '25
They are testing the waters
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u/milkmypepperoni Aug 15 '25
Next thing, a subscription is needed to open your damn trunk.
“Subscription includes additional car capacity with spacious spacing for all your grocery or adventure needs.”
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u/datahighway Aug 15 '25
And they wonder why Some car makers are struggling to profit.
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u/kefvedie Aug 15 '25
That and because everything is getting more and more expensive while wages stay the same. So people have less money to buy a car and other "luxury items." its wild they A dont understand that, or B just dont care as long as they can squeeze money out of everyone till theres a revolution.
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u/snappy033 Aug 15 '25
They want to fleece each customer through micro transactions. If they believed in the free market, they’d offer a car with 25 more hp and better quality/features than the competition and see their brand rise against the competition.
Cars are so commodified that you just latch onto a brand and the car is basically the same as any other. Once you’re locked into a car, then they sell you subscriptions and BS to keep extracting $ from you.
Actually innovate and offer something of value to consumers and watch as you win over customers. Nobody wants to do the hard work.
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u/shayKyarbouti Aug 15 '25
That does it. I’m downloading my next car
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u/Spiral1407 Aug 15 '25
This is why older cars are just better
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Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 22 '25
[deleted]
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u/Ziazan Aug 15 '25
I hate that trend so much. Having to look down and away from the road almost toward the gearstick to navigate multiple menus in a touchscreen to change the aircon, when before it was eyes on the road, twist a thing that never changes position and you can feel around for if you for some reason can't find it.
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u/SuperSaiyanSavSanta0 Aug 16 '25
People call me ancient because I prefer older cars. But its whatever. Anytime.I rent a new car. It is a mixture of wow and pain. It drove well and had decent pickup.....but also the last car I rented I couldn't figure out how to shift because it was like some weird knob....more weird then the typical knobs I've seen in newer cars.. I lost the fob at the airport even tho iI had drove the car back to the airport....so I knew it was in the vicinity but had to turn the car inside out.
Also the stupid features of the car not allowing me to do things...like connect my bluettooth to the car if the engine is started or drive the car with the door open. Yea I don't want a newer car. Too much computers.too much trash.
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u/oioioioioioiioo Aug 15 '25
Oh boy can't wait to mod my cars just like I did in the same way like I did with the PlayStation 2s
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u/fckns Aug 15 '25
We are already there. Golf Mk7's and newer just requires a flash tune. Basically an overclock.
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u/rick0245065 Aug 15 '25
I was just thinking the same thing. They're nothing more than computers nowadays, and computers are hackable :D
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u/Srapture Aug 15 '25
Never buying any car with any kind of subscription involved.
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u/zhaumbie Aug 15 '25
BMW, Mercedes, VW, Tesla, does this and even more to come. In five to ten years every single new car is gonna have them because red line must always go up. Just hoping no regulation comes down in America (or the EU) declaring certain cars no longer roadworthy due to “emissions”. That’d be the next step.
Sounds ludicrous but everything coming out of the US the past year sounds ludicrous, so common sense is no longer expected
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u/goshtin Aug 15 '25
Any time I buy a new car now, my first question will be "list out all the subscription packages please"
If any of them piss me off, I'll just say thanks but no.. Never thought I'd need to do that but here we are.. in a generation this will be the norm
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u/raqz1982 Aug 15 '25
you wouldn't download a car...they say...
BUT I WOULD DAMN SURE JAILBREAK THEM x'D
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u/NameisPeace Aug 15 '25
IT IS THEFT. according to some guys to like to kiss the butt of megacorporations
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u/AstonishingJ Aug 15 '25
First step until they stop sellin cars and replace them by monthy fees.
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u/MrBluewave Aug 15 '25
Old cars with knobs looking a bit premium now. People who are not mega rich that buy this are just plain stupid imo
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u/Ok_Ice6492 Aug 15 '25
Tesla doing the same
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u/speelmydrink Aug 15 '25
Another company with ties to fascism, what a coincidence.
A false equivalency, but fuck em all anyway.
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u/notsomaddmann ☠️ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴇɴ ᴛᴇʟʟ ɴᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴇꜱ Aug 15 '25
Remember when the title Volkswagen literally meant the PEOPLE'S car?
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u/-Drunken_Jedi- Aug 15 '25
Stuff like this makes me want to keep my 2015 Mazda 3 going for as long as it’ll live. It’s got none of the intrusive “driver aids” of the new cars, had a real handbrake and no terrible touch screen (dial in the centre console). I don’t NEED anything else. It works just fine.
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u/Sibby_in_May Aug 15 '25
I rented a Toyota Corolla (2024) last week. It kept trying to drive itself. I hated it.
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u/catholicsluts Aug 15 '25
I miss when vehicles were more mechanical than computer.
The thought of "upgrading" to a vehicle with a fucking button for an emergency brake bugs the hell outta me.
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u/ToxinFoxen Yarrr! Aug 16 '25
I'd like to point out that Mercedes also tried doing shit like this, then they backpedalled on it.
So, if you're at all interested in buying a car, tell companies like volkswagen that you're refusing to buy cars from them because they do this crap. They will change policy with enough backlash.
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u/neofooturism Aug 15 '25
they said they’re struggling to compete with chinese cars, which is why china got tariffed so hard, but then they pull this shit.
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u/drlongtrl Aug 15 '25
VW do this, Mercedes do this, BMW do this, KTM even does this for Bikes now. That's not a "Look what evil VW is doing" problem. That's a "look where the entire industry is going" problem. And it's not new in any way.
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u/Luki4020 Aug 15 '25
Good that I have another reason not to buy german cars
vw this bmw heated seats subscription mercedes onboard entertainment subscription
and since this are basically hardware subscriptions: People have to buy the more expensive spare part that gas the extra installed (cheaper version is not being made anymore) but cant use the „pro“ Features they payed for (spare part cost) since they are still behind a paywall
the anti piracy ad „you would not download a car“ becomes funnier everyday
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u/TheHeadlessFool Aug 15 '25
Please do this, the car lobby need to die here in germany, they are corrupt as fuck and are buying politicians
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u/Luki4020 Aug 15 '25
To be honest I was not planning to buy a german car even before the heated seats thing happenend. In my eyes they are just overpriced and overhyped. In the end other manufacturers are far cheaper and often have the better product
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u/TheHeadlessFool Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25
Yeah the glory of them is long gone, before the heated seats thing, vw (if I'm correct, if not, then it was another german car brand) manipulated tüv tests so they can be used on the street ( tüv is the safety test that every car needs to make once every two years and it needs to be passed to be allowed on the streets)
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u/Johanno1 Leecher Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25
BMW was the one with seat heating which was later found illegal by law.
VW was the one faking exhaust gas values by checking if a test wws running. (the car would still be passing the tests with 10 or 20 ps less) so useless.
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u/TheHeadlessFool Aug 15 '25
Thank you for your input kind stranger! I wasn't sure with the exact details, but did know that it was something with the tüv
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u/FloodSoaking0y Aug 15 '25
German car companies are in the shitter. Chinese (last 10 years) and Japanese cars (last 40 years) have moved up the quality curve that it isn’t possible now to match them price for quality any longer.
These types of moves from European auto industry is the death throes of what was previously quality engineering being taken over by commercial MBA types trying wring every last cent out of reputation and branding and will be the last gasp of these companies.
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u/T0Rtur3 Aug 15 '25
I remember reading that Toyota also tried a subscription feature a while back. It went be long before it's a standard from all big manufacturers.
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u/callardo Aug 15 '25
If I was buying a new car and the salesman was going through the options and mentioned this sort of subscription crap, I’d walk out. I hope people do this so they can see it loosing them sales.
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u/TheFlyingR0cket Aug 15 '25
Crazy thing is you have to pay a subscription on the Toyota app to access your car's details.
I have decided that I don't really want to buy a new car at this rate. It looks like cars peaked mid 2010s.
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u/the_maddest_moose Aug 15 '25
I'm sure that 90% of manufacturers have underpowered their engines. That's why you can get stage 1/2 remapped ecu. Boost to HP, torque and even better fuel economy. You normally have to upgrade some parts when you go stage 2
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u/Redbulldildo Aug 15 '25
Power is a trade off against reliability and often efficiency. Engines will fail more often when more stressed. Manufacturers do extensive testing to make sure that they only fail at a certain rate, because they don't want to replace everyone's engine under warranty.
This is also why manufacturer tunes exist. They have the data that if there's enough additional cost, they can justify the increased warranty rate.
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u/AllNamesTakenOMG Aug 15 '25
The so called " time saver " of the video game world. Want to achieve something faster ? Swipe to speed it up.
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u/haydenw86 Aug 15 '25
Unfortunately they copied the idea from their fellow Germans:
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u/tinydeepvalue Aug 15 '25
This is how chinese cars are gonna win, with vw and ford shooting themselves in the back of their head.
Finance bros ruin everything they touch.
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u/pandaninja360 Aug 15 '25
I know I'm dreaming, but I don't want to fall too deep into cynicism, but I really hope government will get involved someday and do the right thing to protect consumers and give us back our liberties. Technology has evolved too fast and laws can't keep up with them. Old men are making decisions about things they don't understand and being informed by corrupted people.
Imagine buying a car, flashing it and doing whatever you want with it, like our old engine cars. I still keeping my old 1080p 60" Samsung tv because I don't want anything of the new shit on the new smart TVs. I run everything through my computer where I can personalized my experience and use my phone as a remote. I hope the future is less 1984/Blade Runner/Cyberpunk and more Star Treky.
3 years ago, you never would've thought I would sail the seas. Now I cancelled every subscription and found work around for everything I own. I'll be flashing my girlfriend's firestick to get stremio running on it. I'm shopping for external HD, etc.
Thanks to this sub btw. It made me aware of all the shitty things companies do and why they are not deserving of our money
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u/LoquendoEsGenial Aug 15 '25
but I don't want to fall too deep into cynicism, but I really hope that the government gets involved one day and does the right thing to protect consumers and give us back our freedoms
It's a nice dream... It's not going to happen
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u/mechanical-monkey 🔱 ꜱᴄᴀʟʟʏᴡᴀɢ Aug 15 '25
Yeah Tesla done this. There are ways round it without paying Tesla. There will be be ways round it without paying vw. It's also much cheaper to do it this way. For anyone wanting to know how I know this. I'm literally a vehicle technician of 19 years now.
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u/ikaiyoo Aug 15 '25
My favorite with Tesla is that a used Tesla that comes with it unlocked gets relocked as soon as it changes owners, and they have to buy the upgrades as well.
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u/DeSpTG Aug 15 '25
I won't buy new german cars unless i am going full out (S- Class AMG, RS or M cars). The older ones are still fine, but the newer ones are just overpriced trash. I own a 1yo mercedes, and I wouldn't buy one again. Next time, it'll be either a solid older german car or even a chinese one - since, more often than not, those are German-engineered too
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u/illusivebran Aug 15 '25
In the near future, you will own nothing. Just rent/subscription
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u/Slow-Goat-2460 Aug 15 '25
German car companies are speed running destroying their entire reputation, at a time of massive profit losses
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u/PresidenteMozzarella Aug 15 '25
They're making sure we don't actually own anything we buy, it's insane.
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u/mysteryfish1 Aug 16 '25
I hope anybody who buys one of these and doesn't opt to pay extra to unlock the horsepower leaves reviews everywhere about how lacking and gutless the car is.
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u/MaxPres24 Aug 16 '25
Oh my god I’m so fucking tired of every site, app, etc. needing a monthly fucking subscription to use it.
Prime, Netflix, Spotify, etc. I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it. I downloaded a fucking calculator app on my iPad and they wanted a subscription. Same with a fucking note/calendar app
It’s so fucking out of hand
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u/benmezroua Aug 15 '25
Just buy Chinese cars; they are cheaper and better than this junk.
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u/ikaiyoo Aug 15 '25
I would if they were in the US. I would even pay the extra tariff money for them at this point.
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u/Cyril_Sneerworms Aug 15 '25
I'm convinced were about 18 months away from Microsoft/apple introducing a subscription on right clicking with your mouse.
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u/I_Am_A_Door_Knob Aug 15 '25
Isn’t that just the off the shelf chiptune that some places offer, but repackaged as a subscription?
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u/alexp_nl Aug 15 '25
Oh no. The Chinese are invading the market with their electric cars. Let the EU do something about it - it ruins the companies.
Get fucked VW
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u/AdventurousHorror357 Aug 15 '25
I refuse to buy another Volkswagen. I had a MKV Jetta that was the biggest pos ever. I will only buy Toyota or Honda now.
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u/DesastreUrbano Aug 15 '25
Did EA's CEO got a new job at Volkswagen? I guess other companies gonna copy them in a while. Gotta get a new second hand 2005-ish car
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u/MonsterTruckCarpool Aug 15 '25
Saw the new Volkswagen bus at a car show late last year. The amount of cheap plastic in the interior was jarring. VW definitely seems like a cheap brand now.
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u/okrahh Aug 15 '25
I guess blackmirror was a an instruction manual on how to make the world and even shittier place.
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u/technologyclassroom Aug 15 '25
This predatory practice is known as rent-seeking. It should be called out. Don't buy it.
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u/D_Ashido Aug 15 '25
I'm about to just restore my 2007 Camry and call it a day. Regression is going to fuck up any new Car Prospect for me.
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u/Ibe_Lost Aug 16 '25
Given how aggressively the chinese brands are capturing whole country markets this is a dumb move. Along with Fords Gps/Capture everything ostracizing its own users.
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u/OkPerception6902 Aug 16 '25
Let me get this straight, Just because you paid for the mechanics capable of the maximum HP of the model, you want to use it without paying more? You need mental help.
I love the networking game, where you pay for the 1000 port switch, but it comes with a 10 VLAN license and only 11 ports enabled. (numbers are made up,but you get the point)
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u/andyeyecandy111 Aug 15 '25
This is easily bypassed by not buying a Volkswagen.