Mazda's $10 Subscription For Remote Start Sparks Backlash After Killing Open Source Option | Carscoops
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Right-to-repair advocates believe that car owners should have full ownership of the technology embedded in their vehicles

Mazda recently surprised customers by requiring them to sign up for a subscription in order to keep certain services. Now, notable right-to-repair advocate Louis Rossmann is calling out the brand.

It’s important to clarify that there are two very different types of remote start we’re talking about here. The first type is the one many people are familiar with where you use the key fob to start the vehicle. The second method involves using another device like a smartphone to start the car. In the latter, connected services do the heavy lifting.

Transition to paid services

What is wild is that Mazda used to offer the first option on the fob. Now, it only offers the second kind, where one starts the car via phone through its connected services for a $10 monthly subscription, which comes to $120 a year. Rossmann points out that one individual, Brandon Rorthweiler, developed a workaround in 2023 to enable remote start without Mazda’s subscription fees.

However, according to Ars Technica, Mazda filed a DMCA takedown notice to kill that open-source project. The company claimed it contained code that violated “[Mazda’s] copyright ownership” and used “certain Mazda information, including proprietary API information.”

  • Fester@lemm.eeEnglish
    211·
    22 days ago

    Toyota, Mazda and Honda are the only makes I’ve really ever considered, or ever plan to consider. Of those 3, Honda has not gone that route yet as far as I know. Correct me if I’m wrong.

        • clif@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          21 days ago

          Is there a sim card buried in there somewhere that can be removed or is it soldered in, potted, etc?

          … Or your car bricks if you remove it wouldn’t surprise me, regardless.

    • marx2k@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      22 days ago

      22 CRV here. Fob based remote start, no subscription for that or anything (though I would like to get the maps updates without payin) :(

      I’ve used three remote start once in almost 3 years and I live in Wisconsin. It’s just really not that necessary. The car warms up quickly just driving.

    • fulg@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      21 days ago

      Subaru does the same thing, on my car it was free for three years then you pay or lose all connected features. That includes remote start, there is no way to start the car from the keyfob.

      • dan@upvote.auEnglish
        1·
        21 days ago

        on my car it was free for three years

        At least it sounds like they told you this. They probably aligned it with the most common lease period. Mazda just suddenly decided to make it a subscription.

        Ideally it should be longer, like 8-10 years.

        • fulg@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          21 days ago

          Yeah it was not a surprise, and I understand someone has to pay for the bandwidth those features use up. But I still resent them for making remote start app-only.

          I am otherwise happy with the car itself, but this does leave kind of a sour aftertaste. I feel like it’s only going to get worse with my next car…

    • Lennny@lemmy.worldEnglish
      48·
      22 days ago

      Might as well throw Subarus into that list. They’re LGBT Toyotas lol