Wow don't BMW drivers get ripped off :-)

[Ham]

I imagine there will be a booming trade in Indy garages offering mods to bypass all the hardware and just add a switch to turn the elements on and off.

If it's software then it will be hacked

It's likely going to be a little more complicated. That is, cars are now part of the Internet of Sh-it, I mean, Things and in normal circumstances security with a 256 key pair is almost certain to provide security against unauthorised changes. So, any hack is likely to have to effectively "root" the car systems. Anyone who does that may end up with substantially more (or less) than they bargained for. That is either unpredictable and undesirable effects on other aspects of the car control (and don't forget everything including braking and steering could be impacted) or malicious code inserted. Turning your car into a housebrick (or even, broken housebrick) is not something you'd want.

The reverse engineering of the car system would be a massive task, so probably beyond the reach of any single hacker. Whether there is common interest will depend on the commercial benefit, so it would probably fall to organised crime, rather than any open source project (which would attract the attention of the companies involved)

So, yes, it isn't impossible that it would be hacked, but anyone with any instinct for self preservation would be unlikely to use it.

(just to be clear, it is this connectivity and improved security that makes the exercise fundamentally different from anything that has gone before)

 

[nog]

Trust me you would like it in winter and you might like it even more in a convertible. Can you live without it? Yes absolutely

Heated seats came as standard in our car, it is quite nice in winter, also good if you have back pain, would I pay extra if it was an option-probably not

 

[LongLensPhotography]

It's likely going to be a little more complicated. That is, cars are now part of the Internet of Sh-it, I mean, Things and in normal circumstances security with a 256 key pair is almost certain to provide security against unauthorised changes. So, any hack is likely to have to effectively "root" the car systems. Anyone who does that may end up with substantially more (or less) than they bargained for. That is either unpredictable and undesirable effects on other aspects of the car control (and don't forget everything including braking and steering could be impacted) or malicious code inserted. Turning your car into a housebrick (or even, broken housebrick) is not something you'd want.

At the end of the line there will be a 'dumb' heating element. So you connect your switch from an old car right there, and the other cable piggy pig on some appropriate fuse making sure voltages are thoroughly compatible. Switches on my 2009 VW are basic ON[1..5] to OFF, without any ECU connection. That's what you want.
Heated steering wheel could be a little trickier but in principle will be doable in the same way.
I would forget about hacking the infotainment as this will be both illegal and likely to get patched in the next OTA update wasting you time and money.
I just don't want to deal with a car and manufacturer that are engaging in such cheap dirty tricks to charge their customers twice. German economy is well and truly in their own self imposed death throes so that just the sign of times...

 

[LongLensPhotography]

Heated seats came as standard in our car,

That will be quite a common theme I believe hence it is super annoying to see ultra premium cars shipping with such a ransom demand!

it is quite nice in winter, also good if you have back pain, would I pay extra if it was an option-probably not

A more real life scenario is that my aircon pressure is gone in the passat and I'm NOT refilling it for £50 or maybe now more for the sake of a few weeks. I find myself quite happily driving with all windows down at any speed as long as it doesn't rain.

 

[Ham]

At the end of the line there will be a 'dumb' heating element. So you connect your switch from an old car right there, and the other cable piggy pig on some appropriate fuse making sure voltages are thoroughly compatible. Switches on my 2009 VW are basic ON[1..5] to OFF, without any ECU connection. That's what you want.
Heated steering wheel could be a little trickier but in principle will be doable in the same way.
I would forget about hacking the infotainment as this will be both illegal and likely to get patched in the next OTA update wasting you time and money.
I just don't want to deal with a car and manufacturer that are engaging in such cheap dirty tricks to charge their customers twice. German economy is well and truly in their own self imposed death throes so that just the sign of times...

Now, I have absolutely zero knowledge of the modern car wiring, but that only qualifies me more to have an opinion on this here Internets.

You've got your 2009 hat on, there. I would expect that the seat, say, will have a local controller to do all the stuff it is asked to: move, heat etc so hot wiring will likely involve some digging into the seat and wire back to somewhere with a physical switch added to a dashboard that has no physical switches. Oh, and you'll likely generate some fault code that may have unpredictable outcomes. You'd be better off sticking with a hot water bottle. Neater, non destructive and reliable.

 

[Box Brownie]

At the end of the line there will be a 'dumb' heating element. So you connect your switch from an old car right there, and the other cable piggy pig on some appropriate fuse making sure voltages are thoroughly compatible. Switches on my 2009 VW are basic ON[1..5] to OFF, without any ECU connection. That's what you want.
Heated steering wheel could be a little trickier but in principle will be doable in the same way.
I would forget about hacking the infotainment as this will be both illegal and likely to get patched in the next OTA update wasting you time and money.
I just don't want to deal with a car and manufacturer that are engaging in such cheap dirty tricks to charge their customers twice. German economy is well and truly in their own self imposed death throes so that just the sign of times...

Back in the day wiring looms were quite literally a set of wires (pair or single & earth connection) per device needing switching.

The modern loom is more akin to a computer wiring in that the ECU is the heart/brain but there are intermediate controllers i.e. 'they' are manufacturing vehicles to be 'smarter'.

That will be quite a common theme I believe hence it is super annoying to see ultra premium cars shipping with such a ransom demand!


A more real life scenario is that my aircon pressure is gone in the passat and I'm NOT refilling it for £50 or maybe now more for the sake of a few weeks. I find myself quite happily driving with all windows down at any speed as long as it doesn't rain.

In regard to loss of A/C has.....in older vehicles it is more likely to be the seals that have failed and no matter the number of re-gassing, you would waste your money. NB AFAIK the cost of rebuilding or replacing an A/C unit especially in older cars is not economically viable!!!

I was told a long while ago that A/C needs to even be used sometimes in colder weather to make sure the seals are 'lubricated'.

 

[Nod]

Yup, even in winter, we run the AC for a couple of minutes every week to keep the lubricant moving and the airways clear. This is supposed to stop the seals from shrinking and letting the gas escape.

 

[mj4456]

I was told a long while ago that A/C needs to even be used sometimes in colder weather to make sure the seals are 'lubricated'.

I run the a/c in both our cars more in winter than in summer, it dries the incoming heated air and so aids demisting, a/c in a softtop in the summer is a bit of a waste - unless stuck in traffic- I just go quicker for more airflow otherwise.

 

[Nod]

The MX-5 pumps heat into the footwells (not as bad as the old Frogeye sprite!) so we tend to have the AC blasting down onto our feet on hot days.