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> That's one of the biggest negatives to having cars that can innately phone home to the manufacturer Versus buying a dumb car and never getting upgrades? I'l

> That's one of the biggest negatives to having cars that can innately phone home to the manufacturer Versus buying a dumb car and never getting upgrades? I'll take the "risk" to get sentry/dog/camping mode as free updates vs having to buy a new car every time I want a new feature.

raxxorrax 7y ago
I can really live without updating my car. Last year I used an electric company car to drive home. Or at least that was the plan. After half of the way a warning light flashed up and the display told me to stop the car as soon as possible. That I did. It completely shut down after stopping. Nothing worked anymore besides warning lights, otherwise it was completely dead. Had to leave the car behind and walk home (short trip, I was just lazy because winter). Next day in the morning I tried to start it up and it actually worked again. The display just shortly displayed 'update complete'. Made me laugh. I believe the error was related to the battery being low while it was really cold outside and the update notification was unrelated. But I guess you could call that "camping mode". Still left me with an appreciation for my old car, which is too old and stupid to receive updates and is really dependable without me treating it that well.
- ianai 7y ago
  That sounds like a real life nightmare to me. I have to be able to depend on my transportation. It’s going to be excessively costly and stressful for me to rely on someone else in that case. Completely unacceptable behavior from a car.
- greendestiny_re 7y ago
  "Had to leave the car behind and walk home" Funny anecdote but imagine someone with mobility issues getting stuck in the same situation.
joshuaissac 7y ago
In this case, though, the "upgrade" was the loss of a core feature. The chance of winning camping mode is not worth the risk of losing autopilot, for most people.
- s_y_n_t_a_x 7y ago
  The guy didn't pay for autopilot...
  - TheGrumpyBrit 7y ago
    He purchased a car which was advertised as including autopilot. That sounds a lot like paying for autopilot to me.
huffmsa 7y ago
Dumb cars are nice. My car is so dumb that I can start it without a battery, so long as I have a sufficiently steep hill or a few people to push it. My car is so dumb that it doesn't brick itself when I change the suspension or put a bigger turbo on it. Though it might send a piston into orbit. You don't need to be nannied by your car. Further, it takes a naive level of trust to be okay with an "essential", non-subscription item depending on the benevolent existence of a 3rd party. Be it vehicles, machinery, firearms, combine harvesters or front door lock.
- jacquesm 7y ago
  Even if you can start it without a battery in there please don't. The battery keeps the voltage down and without it - even if it is otherwise empty or unusable - you could easily damage the electronics in your car.
  - huffmsa 7y ago
    Yes, but if it's a choice between getting my car started and having to redo the electronics (which I can do with 3rd party parts, as I please) or getting stranded on the highway, I am happy to have the ability to choose.
    - jacquesm 7y ago
      Sure, but it is just about leaving it connected. Your car will jump start fine like that anyway. I take it you don't lose your battery on the highway :)

raxxorrax 7y ago

I can really live without updating my car. Last year I used an electric company car to drive home. Or at least that was the plan. After half of the way a warning light flashed up and the display told me to stop the car as soon as possible. That I did. It completely shut down after stopping. Nothing worked anymore besides warning lights, otherwise it was completely dead. Had to leave the car behind and walk home (short trip, I was just lazy because winter). Next day in the morning I tried to start it up and it actually worked again. The display just shortly displayed 'update complete'. Made me laugh. I believe the error was related to the battery being low while it was really cold outside and the update notification was unrelated. But I guess you could call that "camping mode". Still left me with an appreciation for my old car, which is too old and stupid to receive updates and is really dependable without me treating it that well.

ianai 7y ago
That sounds like a real life nightmare to me. I have to be able to depend on my transportation. It’s going to be excessively costly and stressful for me to rely on someone else in that case. Completely unacceptable behavior from a car.
greendestiny_re 7y ago
"Had to leave the car behind and walk home" Funny anecdote but imagine someone with mobility issues getting stuck in the same situation.

joshuaissac 7y ago

In this case, though, the "upgrade" was the loss of a core feature. The chance of winning camping mode is not worth the risk of losing autopilot, for most people.

s_y_n_t_a_x 7y ago
The guy didn't pay for autopilot...
- TheGrumpyBrit 7y ago
  He purchased a car which was advertised as including autopilot. That sounds a lot like paying for autopilot to me.

huffmsa 7y ago

Dumb cars are nice. My car is so dumb that I can start it without a battery, so long as I have a sufficiently steep hill or a few people to push it. My car is so dumb that it doesn't brick itself when I change the suspension or put a bigger turbo on it. Though it might send a piston into orbit. You don't need to be nannied by your car. Further, it takes a naive level of trust to be okay with an "essential", non-subscription item depending on the benevolent existence of a 3rd party. Be it vehicles, machinery, firearms, combine harvesters or front door lock.

jacquesm 7y ago
Even if you can start it without a battery in there please don't. The battery keeps the voltage down and without it - even if it is otherwise empty or unusable - you could easily damage the electronics in your car.
- huffmsa 7y ago
  Yes, but if it's a choice between getting my car started and having to redo the electronics (which I can do with 3rd party parts, as I please) or getting stranded on the highway, I am happy to have the ability to choose.
  - jacquesm 7y ago
    Sure, but it is just about leaving it connected. Your car will jump start fine like that anyway. I take it you don't lose your battery on the highway :)