wildta

There's an opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information form here.

EWL5

Yeah, but Lexus probably told you up front what was happening (i.e. didn't stick "Remote Start" under Standard Features in the Order Guide). I think many of you are missing the point: my frustration is not the business model for the remote start, it's the deception that it was included in the purchase price of my nearly $100k car!

Luxury costs money, but it's also supposed to come w/perks. When I fly first class, I probably get my own pod, and or set of dedicated attendants. If I fly business, it might get downgraded to champagne and a section partitioned by a curtain. Either way, these are expected perks that come w/paying more.

The X7 comes w/remote start and acoustic glass standard (matches expectations of the top SUV). When it comes to the remote start, Mercedes is no better than average and some would argue worse than average (not quite as bad as losing remote start functionality despite having the button on the keyfob w/o sub). So what should Mercedes motto be? "Definitely not the worst"?

EWL5

I went to the site by clicking through the email notification on a desktop computer and I was given both the monthly and annual payment option. Have you tried not going through the app?

SW20S

Doesn't bother me at all.

SW20S

I just don't perceive this the same way you do. I honestly don't remember how Lexus or MB positioned it...I want the features so I just pay for the app. Focus your energy on things that mean more than a $20 subscription to an app. I spend more than $20 on lunch...I pay $18 a month to not have advertisements on YouTube. Its firmly in the realm of "who cares"

If the X7 is a better package for you, why didn't you buy that? . I find Mercedes far better than average but if you prefer BMW, get that. BTW BMW is the one who was spear-heading the whole "charge people for heated seats" nonsense, so they are not innocent lol. X7 is a great vehicle, but I prefer the looks inside and out of the GLS, and the GLS is bigger so thats the way I would go. Subscribing to an app for remote start is not even in the ballpark of what would be a deciding factor for me on a $115k+ vehicle.

EWL5

You don't have to remember how Mercedes positioned it because I spelled out via the pic from the Order Guide in the first post!

The GLS was a grudge purchase since my wife is a badge seeker but I'm a more discerning customer. I'm guess I'm not part of Mercedes' core demographic since I believe in "Truth in Advertising"!

mikapen

@EWL5 Does "discerning" also mean petty? Or just lazy.

If you read the rest of the info in the description, you'll see disclaimers addressing your concerns. They are everywhere.

Make your case to the FTC. I personally don't think you have a case.

Do you argue with your phone company, electric, trash, and internet providers? They also have the similar disclaimers.

But no forums for venting and ranting, alas. 😥

Just read the material.

superswiss

It really is quite the First World problem. There's been several threads like this one where posters got specifically worked up about Remote Start. Such a non-issue, IMHO. If you live in a cold climate, you better get used to the cold or move. Oh the horror of feeling cold for the first few minutes getting into the car. Before anybody says anything, I grew up in cold climates and lived in Chicago for a while w/o Remote Start. What happened to garages anyway? Toughen up those kids for the curveballs life will throw at them later instead of cuddling them in a toasty seat every morning. That's how you end up with generations of kids that can't cope with basic live anymore and pop Xanax for their anxieties.

jkaetz

This thread isn't about the lack of remote start. It's about listing remote start as a standard feature but placing it behind a subscription wall when most manufacturers implement it from the key fob.

superswiss

I know. Same difference for me.

EWL5

That's all well and good but Mercedes should really remove it from the Order Guide as "Standard". Based on how tired folks on this forum are from having to deal w/this issue "yet again", it would only make sense to prevent further confusion!

EWL5

I lived in the Bay area for 3 months. Wear a light jacket in the morning, take it off for lunch, and put it back on for the evening! I agree YOU don't need remote start!

Often in the middle of summer, when the family returns to the car from a trip to an amusement park, beach, or what have you, the Mercedes app actually reports cabin temperature as 120°F (not sure how accurate this is)! I for sure want remote start to get that cabin temp down!

EWL5

When I grew up as a kid, there was a program called "RIF" in school (Reading Is Fundamental).
Kinda strange how at least 2 folks took my thread and created their own narrative!

superswiss

Same happens here, especially since my car is black on black. You can bake a cake in there. However, what I do is use the convenience open feature, which lowers the windows, opens the sunroof and turns on the seat ventilation. Most of the heat escapes and the seat ventilation is much more effective at cooling the leather than running the AC.

mikapen

What you need is to open your windows. Not start your car.
2 minutes of open windows is worth 15 minutes of running the air conditioner. No subscription required.

Help us out here. My Mercedes me app doesn't show inside car temperatures. How do you get yours to do that?

jkaetz

While a valid alternative, you're still trying to minimize the OPs concern by offering an alternative to the OP's stated use case which isn't directly the subject of discussion.

Your proposed solution also begs the question, why did MB implement the open/ventilate feature but not remote start on the key fob? I suspect the answer is $$$.

superswiss

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

EWL5

You have never seen this?

mikapen

I believe it was safety and security concerns. The same reason Mercedes resisted touch screens for so long.
We may wish they used a different strategy, but they didn't.

80% of the owner's manual is disclaimers. Ordering guides are also full of them. Those little footnote numbers? They refer to disclaimers and cautions.

jkaetz

I always get skeptical when entities try to use this phrase to justify a money making decision.


I do at least find these humorous most of the time. It's clear the manual was written by lawyers rather than engineers.

superswiss

At the end of the day it comes down to doing one's due diligence and make sure the car you are buying has the features you desire and they work the way you desire. The dealer order guides are not even meant for customers. They are meant for dealers. They are not called customer order guides for a reason. I'm not trying to downplay anything.

Maybe I don't see all this as an issue, because I did my homework before buying the car and it was clear to me before I even ordered the car which features require a subscription and that the subscription was complementary for the first 3 years. I know they reduced the complementary subscription to 1 year now, so I can see how that could get some people worked up. With the prior 3 year complimentary subscription it basically meant that if you leased, all those features were indeed standard for the term of a typical lease or for the many people who get a new car about every 3 years.

EWL5

I get that the OGs are not meant for the general public but are we somehow explaining why the SAs sometimes get facts wrong?

SW20S

I think your "grudge" against Mercedes is showing here. You didn't understand how it works, but I and others understood.

Then pay the $20 for the app. I don't understand why this is worthy of all this energy...I wish I had the time or energy to be so upset about something like that...

superswiss

I don't think so. I make no excuses for sales people who don't really know the products they are selling.

EWL5

Thank you for all your responses! I've been in many auto forums where "boosters", employees, and former-employees of the respective car make are just as dismissive as what I've experienced here! Instead of customers helping each other, I get mostly "its your fault" or "read the fine print"! It's almost like being at a car dealership again!