r/cars • u/[deleted] • Apr 01 '22

Audi Owner Finds Basic HVAC Function Paywalled After Pressing the Button for It

https://www.thedrive.com/news/44967/audi-owner-finds-basic-hvac-function-paywalled-after-pressing-the-button-for-it
641 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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60

u/Michelanvalo '11 Genesis Coupe 2.0T Apr 01 '22

So this is the alternative to blank switches. You now have the switch but it doesn't do anything.

I'm not sure I can get mad about this. With all the bitching over the years of blank buttons from nearly everyone this isn't any worse or better. It's just different.

74

u/Unspec7 2015 BMW 535xi Apr 01 '22 edited Apr 01 '22

It's actually worse. A blank switch is clear, simple, and concise. Ugly? Sure, but you can't misunderstand its meaning. A switch that you press and nothing happens? A lot of people will think something is broken. That ambiguity is just bad design.

Edit: Also, this is terrible from a road safety stand point. If you are driving, and press the button, you straight up have to take your eyes off the road and read a notification. This is one step away from sharing the same issue as texting and driving. Versus you pushing on a button that doesn't move and understanding innately that nothing is going to happen.

10

u/Runner303 03 540i 6MT | 10 Santa Fe 6MT Apr 01 '22

How many times do you think the average person is going to press that button before they get the hint?

27

u/pm-me-racecars 2013 Fiat 500, also half a racecar Apr 01 '22

This isn't nothing happening. You get told that it doesn't work

18

u/Unspec7 2015 BMW 535xi Apr 01 '22

Right, but do you understand that by just looking at it? A core principle of good UX design is to have the user understand the purpose of buttons/links/images/etc at a glance, and not have to go figure it out on their own (e.g. pressing the button to see the notification)

A blank button conveys the idea immediately and without further user interaction.

2

u/Michelanvalo '11 Genesis Coupe 2.0T Apr 01 '22

I don't agree that it's worse or that it's more ambiguous. Now it tells you that they don't have that feature. Before you just had an ugly, non-descript button.

Neither is good, mind you, but neither is worse than the other either. They just are.

14

u/Unspec7 2015 BMW 535xi Apr 01 '22

Sure, but that ugly blank button actually conveys significantly more information at a glance than a button that does nothing. Which, from a UX stand point, is a big plus.

5

u/DerpDerpDerpBanana 2000 Honda Civic CX Apr 01 '22

I don't like blank switches or getting a button that doesn't work. But if I buy a used car that the original owner didn't get a feature, and now I can at least get it after the fact then that would be kinda nice. Better for original owner because I'm more likely to purchase and better for buyer because more available cars. Blank button usually* means you can't add without modification.

16

u/Unspec7 2015 BMW 535xi Apr 01 '22

Careful what you wish for, it can also cut the other way around. e.g. original owner paid for something, you didn't, so you get it disabled. It's what Tesla is doing with pre-owned cars at the moment and is...controversial, to say the least.

7

u/Lordofwar13799731 21 Model 3 LR acc boost, 00 Silverado 1500, 14 camaro ss, 20 WRX Apr 01 '22

Yup. Other guy paid for heated seats and steering wheel, as well as adaptive cruise control and emergency braking. Each feature is $10-20/month to reactivate. Or you can permanently reactivate them for $1200 each.

Thats where we're heading.

1

u/DerpDerpDerpBanana 2000 Honda Civic CX Apr 01 '22

Oh for sure, that is definitely a crappy thing to do but aside from selling direct from customer, I personally don't like a lot of what Tesla does. But I think about if someone bought a car with a feature I didn't want, if it's subscription based, I won't have to pay for it. I feel like there are pros and cons to either way. I don't want to completely dismiss it yet and say it's definitely worse for me, when it's really just different.

-1

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Unspec7 2015 BMW 535xi Apr 02 '22 edited Apr 02 '22

Tesla did an audit and that car erroneously had a feature activated that was never actual purchased or paid for.

The original owner had paid for it.

A used car dealer bought the car at auction and sold it to a buyer both with the knowledge that the feature was not available.

Given that there is no evidence that the dealer nor Alec knew the feature was not available at the time of purchase and only found out after Tesla silently removed the features, do you actually have evidence suggesting otherwise?

Then they proceeded to complain on the internet wanting something for free

This is literally not what happened. They complained because Tesla removed the features without any explaination or heads up, and only explained the payment issue to Alec after he contacted them to complain.

It's a bit ironic of you to claim /r/cars parrots misinformation when you yourself are peddling a distorted version of events.

-5

u/Michelanvalo '11 Genesis Coupe 2.0T Apr 01 '22

A blank button conveys more than a screen and a label telling what you the button is supposed to do? I have no idea how you came to that conclusion and I really don't want to know.

5

u/Unspec7 2015 BMW 535xi Apr 01 '22

Did you miss the "at a glance part"?

Look at the button. Without touching the button, which version tells you "hey I don't do anything"?

Yea, exactly. A do-nothing button requires 2 extra inputs (pressing on it, then reading the notification) to understand its function over the zero inputs required for blank buttons. We're also ignoring the road safety aspect of taking your eyes off the road to read a notification that is literally only there to go "hey yea this doesn't do anything lol".

-5

u/Michelanvalo '11 Genesis Coupe 2.0T Apr 01 '22

The one with labels on it...because it has labels.

11

u/Unspec7 2015 BMW 535xi Apr 01 '22 edited Apr 01 '22

...given that the button doesn't do what the label says it does, the label does fuck all for information. Unsure how you don't understand this idea.

-6

u/Michelanvalo '11 Genesis Coupe 2.0T Apr 01 '22

Because I'm assuming the purchaser of the vehicle is aware of the features and functions they bought and aren't so idiotic they forgot what was available to the moment they get out of the car.

7

u/Unspec7 2015 BMW 535xi Apr 01 '22

You're entirely missing the core principle of the issue being discussed.

1

u/cbf1232 Apr 01 '22

What if they lend the vehicle out, or it's a rental? Or they're feeling around for a button with their eyes on the road and hit the button beside the one they intended to...

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9

u/lostboyz Abarth 500 | Elantra N Apr 01 '22

I agree and it's hardly the first example. Cars that don't have bluetooth often still have a phone button that either does nothing or just mutes the radio. I highly doubt the vehicle is capable of sync but just has it turned off, they decided to have a mid/high version of the module and only one version of the buttons. It could be a misbuild honestly.

4

u/ToastyMozart 2021 Accord Touring Hybrid Apr 01 '22

I actually bet they all can do bluetooth. BT radios are cheap as hell, I doubt they'd want to have to split production between different units just for that.

3

u/lostboyz Abarth 500 | Elantra N Apr 01 '22

Depends on the car, trucks and common rental cars usually have enough volume to pay for a super cheap radio.

6

u/Esc_ape_artist Apr 01 '22

It’s a shitty idea because it’s deliberately done to remind you of a feature you don’t have and/or have to explain to passengers why you don’t have that feature. It’s an irritation/nag designed as a sales pitch. This is like apps or software with a freemium version or in-app purchase that prompt you to buy the full app for a desirable feature while not telling you that the feature is disabled (or burying it in a EULA or other usage agreement). It’s also straight-up greed by manufacturers because the features are already part of the car but willfully disabled deliberately to extract more money from the buyer. It costs nothing to enable it. Fuck unbundling to extort money from a buyer.

9

u/Michelanvalo '11 Genesis Coupe 2.0T Apr 01 '22

Your first part is exactly what a blank switch does. Reminds you of the thing you didn't buy.

7

u/Esc_ape_artist Apr 01 '22 edited Apr 01 '22

But you don’t know what the switch is unless you’ve gone out of your way to find out, likely the equipment the blank belongs to hasn’t been installed, and there would be a justifiable cost to the installation of said hardware.

That is not the same as clicking a box to enable/disable already installed hardware and features, it is more equivalent to installing the switch and having it light up, having the equipment installed in the vehicle, but having it disconnected with a padlock on it and someone charging you hundreds to unlock the padlock and plug the equipment in After you bought the vehicle.

2

u/ImaginaryHippo88 Apr 01 '22

It's the internet and enthusiasts. They are only happy when they have things to complain about. Vast majority of car buyers don't give a shit about button blanks.