8 ms·

BMW Spider-Man in-car advertising

259 points by goplayoutside 2mo ago

onetokeoverthe 2mo ago
and the in-dash eye tracking device shows 66% of drivers engage for at least 5 seconds!!
- artisinal 2mo ago
  The ad will pause if you look away!
  - matheusmoreira 2mo ago
    I suppose it could be worse. The ad could torture you with loud high pitched noise until you look at it, like in Black Mirror's 15 million merits.
fragmede 2mo ago
One of the best things one of me mates from high school did for me, is buy himself a BMW. The amount of problems and money he had to deal with helped me realize I didn't actually want a BMW, they're just nice to look at.
- genter 2mo ago
  They're also really nice to drive (at least when they work).
  - fragmede 2mo ago
    Oh he let me drive it a couple of times and the thing was an absolute beast.
    - dingaling 2mo ago
      The problem these days is that many drivers conflate 'beastly performance' with 'good to drive'. When a basic sedan weighs 1700kg, you can't fool physics - it's never going to corner or respond like it's predecessor of half that weight.
  - calmbonsai 2mo ago
    Only the older ones without screens. A naturally aspirated inline 6 with a manual gearbox and 50/50 weight distribution is it's own special kind of bliss. I only take it out maybe 20 times per year, but after merely 30s behind the wheel I remember why I keep it.
    - artisinal 2mo ago
      And no electronic steering like the newer ones.
    - mlrtime 2mo ago
      The B58 engine + ZF8 is probably one of the best engine/transmission combos BMW ever built. And arguably one of the best combos on the road today. Very reliable, efficient and fast. It's all the other things that break.
- Markoff 2mo ago
  they were nice to look at before they hired some military tank designer and even looking at them is safe only seen they are parked, I warned my kids to be extra vigilant when they are nearby BMW on the road, by far the most dangerous drivers on the road with mental issues
OsrsNeedsf2P 2mo ago
Great to see the Consumer Rights wiki has been picking up steam. Lots of passionate people behind the project
jcastro 2mo ago
Shades of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_Innocence_(U2_album)#Effectiveness,_controversy_and_reaction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_Innocence_(U2_album)#...
- LeoPanthera 2mo ago
  I don't see how. One is a full-screen commercial. The other is a free album in your library.
  - userbinator 2mo ago
    They're both violations of boundaries associated with ownership.
  - jcastro 2mo ago
    It depends if you like U2 or not I suppose.
Rohunyyy 2mo ago
Shocked. Absolutely shocked. No one saw this coming
- mdp2021 2mo ago
  You are being sarcastic, right? We have been seeing this coming for a very long time, in the order of ten years. Spoken with car makers employees: "people ask for that". So: what do you mean.
DrewADesign 2mo ago
I wonder if they say: "A new life awaits you in the Off-world colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure."
- kridsdale1 2mo ago
  Start…the…reactor
narmiouh 2mo ago
Samsung the same with their display on fridge, I'm not sure how is this legal and why someone thinks this is ok. These decision makers are meant to be educated people with may be at least a tiny bit of values in their lives...
- tootie 2mo ago
  No coincidence, BMW and Samsung did product placement in the movie too. Very conspicuously.
- cautiouscat 2mo ago
  I agree that it’s abhorrent. However the doomer in me can’t help but think they do these things because consumers still buy them. You’d expect GE to go “Oh yeah well we don’t put ads on OUR fridges.” but it seems like in every industry they all just follow suit.
  - jaredhallen 2mo ago
    I suppose they've determined the revenue from the ads outweighs the potential competitive advantage.
    - polotics 2mo ago
      Or they know it's a race to the bottom where as long as every brand's doing it, consumers have no choice...
  - dfxm12 2mo ago
    It's not like they're showing ads on fridges/cars in the commercials or the display units in Lowe's/the dealership. By the time you see the ad, it's too much of a hassle to return it, even if you can...
    - narmiouh 2mo ago
      Its much worse, ads came 6 months after buying. The screen was a convenience because it would show ring door video in the kitchen, had some family albums on a carousel etc… clearly would never buy if the ads flip was known before hand. Just like the BMW, bait and switch
fumeux_fume 2mo ago
> BMW's own PressClub release described the advertisement as a special surprise for drivers... That one got a chuckle out of me
- NekkoDroid 2mo ago
  Reminds me of EA calling lootboxes "surprise mechanics, quite ethical"...
- userbinator 2mo ago
  Like coming back to your car getting broken into, a surprise doesn't necessarily have to be a positive one.
- Esophagus4 2mo ago
  Same energy as when airlines make a gate announcement that they’ve got too many bags and they’re offering free baggage check for anyone willing…
helterskelter 2mo ago
Great way to tank a brand. Part of BMW's value is/was the expectation of an upper middle class snob driving it, but having your car force ads on you is something people wouldn't even expect from a Kia Soul leased off a used lot.
- rvz 2mo ago
  > Part of BMW's value is/was the expectation of an upper middle class snob driving it BMWs are no where near for that "class". A Mercedes-Benz is for that and even they also put ads in their own dashboard screens. [0] So on HN-land, time to rule out BMWs, Chevrolets, Mercedes-Benz, Teslas, Volkswagens, Kias. What else? [0] https://www.motor1.com/news/797846/mercedes-screen-plays-ads/ https://www.motor1.com/news/797846/mercedes-screen-plays-ads...
  - jchw 2mo ago
    I don't think I'll be buying recent model years any time soon.
    - femto 2mo ago
      I'm beginning to think that my '96 Toyota Starlet is "peak ICE". It has EFI, no infotainment, no power windows, no power steering, no automatic transmission. It is basically an engine, gearbox and wheels. An electric Starlet would be Nirvana. Edit: Just read that Toyota is toying with the idea of an electric Starlet. It'll probably have an infotainment system and power "everything" though. https://www.drive.com.au/news/2026-toyota-starlet-rumours/ https://www.drive.com.au/news/2026-toyota-starlet-rumours/
      - fy20 2mo ago
        I'm not a mechanic but I have rebuilt an engine (common rail diesel with electronic injection) with a friend and do some work on my own cars. I don't really get the "everything needs to be mechanical" push. My previous car was mid 2000s, automatic, electronic basically everything. The reason why I scrapped it was because it had too must rust. The engine, transmission, and electronics were still fine after 200k and 20 years of harsh winters. My current car had an electrical issue last year... but it turned out it was a mechanical issue. Something had chewed through the wires to the MAF sensor. Fixed them, and all good. It's no different from something chewing through a fuel line, except OBD was able to tell me what subsystem was not working correctly. The problem I see with current cars is that the infotainment system is tied into everything - and usually the software sucks. If they just went back to seperate dashboard, AC controls and radio I'd have no issues with them. My current car is from 2016, and I specifically looked for something that was like that. It is hybrid and has modern tech (e.g. radar cruise control), but everything is compartmentalised. First upgrade I did was replacing the headunit with a Chinese one that supports Android Auto/CarPlay. No functionality was lost, as the old head unit was literally just a radio and screen for backup camera.
walrus01 2mo ago
If please drink a verification can was applied to automobiles.
- powerpcmac 2mo ago
  The car will remain in park until you roll down the windows and yell "I love McDonalds!"
  - walrus01 2mo ago
    Earn 300 bonus BMWBucks by visiting your local Taco Bell (R) (TM) drive through in the next 15 minutes! Limited time offer!
    - tonyedgecombe 2mo ago
      That explains all the Beemers not stopping at pedestrian crossings.
  - squirtle24 2mo ago
    Spend $20 at your local Burger King and we'll turn off that oil leak!
- dzhiurgis 2mo ago
  It wasn’t. It’s an icon on desktop that most owners probably didn’t even noticed. Same with Tesla’s tron (which arguably was kinda cool for my 3yo).
  - bigyabai 2mo ago
    If my PC or phone did that, I would immediately begin shopping for a replacement. I'm not three.
- HaZeust 2mo ago
  mountain dew is for me and you
asciii 2mo ago
Drove a lot of BMWs when I was working summers as a mechanic
- technol0gic 2mo ago
  wow what an amazing story
- deleted 2mo ago
  [deleted]
foo12bar 2mo ago
This looks like it, possibly. There doesn't seem to be a banner that you click on like it states in the consumer rights article, but rather an icon, so not sure. https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Z8v2tsYdgRk https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Z8v2tsYdgRk
- OptionOfT 2mo ago
  The icon is there to replay it. It'll auto-play like the 4th of July video.
fnord77 2mo ago
I got hit with this Wednesday morning when I started my 330i. I cannot wait to sign up for the class action lawsuit.
- artisinal 2mo ago
  Time to upgrade to a 2008 330i
  - mdp2021 2mo ago
    > Time to ["]up["]grade to a 2008 330i Went to an official repairs shop for a device yesterday, said I had a backup device with a malfunctioning (for clinical reasons) OS. The technician replied that OS downgrade is inhibited. And there are similarities. For example, after laws that forbid circulation of older vehicles upon "non-ecological" reasons. For example, if they stop producing replacement parts. Etc. And anyway, if the basis of Economics is not rebuilt, that of a "violent" Demand side with a strong refusal against the Supply side, the damage will be even more than the already critical one of unacceptable products eating u the market.
userbinator 2mo ago
Hopefully their lawyers have considered the possibility of a bug causing this ad to play while the car is being driven and leading to a distracted driving accident... on suitably equipped vehicles running BMW Operating System 7, 8, 8.5, 9, or OS X built after July 2020 For those who were surprised by that naming, Apple hasn't used "OS X" for nearly 10 years.
roundwego 2mo ago
[flagged]
- isoprophlex 2mo ago
  this isnt 4chan
luciana1u 2mo ago
[flagged]
- ehnto 2mo ago
  The safety of a 2025 with the driving UX of a 1995 is what I want.
smlacy 2mo ago
The ultimate driving machine... for marginal revenue.
Markoff 2mo ago
this is what you get for buying cheap noname brand car from Temu similar thing happened with that British LGBT brand, which is gone though it's clear people who buy BMW are not mentally sane anyway, I'm yet to see BMW driver with stable personality who would not vent their mental issues on the road, these people will buy BMW with literally any design and specs just because it's BMW, no matter it looks like ugly tank I honestly believe if we banned BMW car registrations number of accidents would drop much more than it's their total share on registrations.
- timc3 2mo ago
  Seriously not helpful, and have you actually matched this opinion to the statistics which are freely available?
  - Markoff 2mo ago
    yes, these are data from Czechia in 2022, TOP10 (it's percentage share of accidents per operated/registered cars, it doesn't take into consideration km travelled though which would eliminate all the trucks immediately with their yearly mileage): 1. DAF 4,67% 2. MAN 3,60% 3. Iveco 2,99% 4. Mercedes-Benz 1,53% 5. Volvo 1,34% 6. BMW 1,04% 7. Audi 1,02% 8. Fiat 0,89% 9. Renault 0,86% 10. Volkswagen 0,83% Guess which of these brands doesn't sell trucks (just a little bit hint - Mercedes and Volvo sell a lot of trucks in Europe) and you will get number one among passenger cars from one brand which doesn't sell trucks and cause the most accidents followed unsurprisingly by Audi. https://www.garaz.cz/clanek/servis-auto-cisla-statistiky-vinici-dopravnich-nehod-2022-nejcasteji-boural-daf-ve-smutne-statistice-bodovalo-i-bmw-s-audi-21009589 https://www.garaz.cz/clanek/servis-auto-cisla-statistiky-vin... different chart from 2025 from CEBIA in Czechia, company checking whether car was crashed and their findings, percentage of cars they were checking and which actually crashed, though this one just says percentage out of verified cars, it must be noted that Skoda/Toyota are extremely popular in Czechia, so they are also more likely to have accidents: Audi 69,69 % BMW 68,82 % Škoda 64,37 % Toyota 63,87 % Mercedes-Benz 62,27 % Hyundai 61,95 % Volvo 58,59 % Volkswagen 56,02 % Seat 55,02 % Mazda 54,78 % https://autosalon.tv/novinky/ojetiny/10-nejcasteji-bourajicich-znacek-aut-v-cesku-statistice-kraluje-audi-dejte-pozor-na-skodu https://autosalon.tv/novinky/ojetiny/10-nejcasteji-bourajici...
Neil44 2mo ago
My BYD doesn't do this.
- DanOpcode 2mo ago
  Soon Chinese tech will be viewed as premium class while their competitors are eroding their quality.
- dzhiurgis 2mo ago
  BYD infotainment is trash tho. “The bzootoo conexun is sugzezsul” level of trash.
- eps 2mo ago
  It just quietly documents your life.
  - DaSHacka 2mo ago
    LOL, so do all Western automakers.
c7b 2mo ago
It sounds awful, but it might not even make the top-5 of the most annoying/concering things you'll get in a new car (bought in the EU at least), many of which are now mandatory by regulation. What you'll also get is a camera that tracks your eye movements to play an alert when they're not on the road, an alarm when you drive over the allowed speed limit as determined by a camera, an alarm plus a mechanical yanking of your driving wheel when you're approaching the side of your lane without a turn signal on. As a cherry on top it's unclear what happens with all the data generated by these systems. And I'm probably forgetting a few. I'm wondering what a good cutoff date is when considering buying a used car.
- dylan604 2mo ago
  My 2015 has none of these things. It has a rear camera, no telemetry, physical buttons, no internal nav, and no giant tough screen.
  - DanOpcode 2mo ago
    Same in my car from 2017. Also has rear camera, no infotainment other than bluetooth (so I guess it doesn't have any telemetry), physical buttons, no internal nav, no EU warning systems, no alerts that I need to turn off. Perfect car. Very peaceful to drive.
  - mdp2021 2mo ago
    > My 2015 has none of these things The eu has started pushing those things with a 2016 (I believe) regulation that imposed "all cars approved for production after 2018 must have an "e-Call" system (internal GPS, microphone and telephone connected to the police in case of car crash)". And then more, and then more, and still more...
- maxgashkov 2mo ago
  I get all of these with more or less recent (2023) Mazda here in Japan, but all of them can be turned off in settings. Are they always-on in EU?
  - 2mo ago
DanOpcode 2mo ago
Wouldn't it be fair if BMW at least shared the advertisement revenue with the car owners? It's so ugly that they first sell cars, and profit from that. And then they utilize the fleet of cars to squeeze out more revenue, even though that was never part of the contract to begin with. What right does BMW have to do that? If they found a new revenue source, it would be nice if they at least shared that with their customers. Now it's just abuse of their customers. Where BMW is one-sided profiting while the customers are suffering.
- wvenable 2mo ago
  > Wouldn't it be fair if BMW at least shared the advertisement revenue with the car owners? No.
  - DanOpcode 2mo ago
    I mean, I don't know of it's still around, but the ad-supported Amazon Kindle was at least cheaper than the regular version. So the customer got some compensation for being shown ads.
    - wvenable 2mo ago
      If customers have a real choice between ad supported and not ad supported then that's fine. (And by "real choice" I mean that ad-free isn't ridiculously overpriced) (And not a subscription fee to avoid ads)
inasio 2mo ago
The main story in the wiki page comes from the Autopian [0], specifically from Jason Torchinsky, ex Jalopnik. It's an awesome publication, check them out, and Jason is an incredible writer (Onion alumni) [0] https://www.theautopian.com/bmw-is-showing-commercials-on-their-cars-dash-screens-and-they-want-you-to-think-its-a-treat/ https://www.theautopian.com/bmw-is-showing-commercials-on-th...
bredren 2mo ago
A month ago the highly upvoted blog entry [0] about Rivian’s rejection of CarPlay included this quote from Rivian’s Chief Software Officer, Wassym Bensaid: The challenge with screen mirroring solutions is that they take over every single pixel in the car, and that’s not the way we see ourselves interacting with our users. Yes, it’s clear the companies’ see the way they want to “interact” with their customers is to force whatever content they please. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48769397 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48769397
tonyedgecombe 2mo ago
Whilst we are having a dig at BMW owners it turns out that most of them don't know whether their car is front or rear wheel drive. https://www.motortrend.com/news/bmw-80-of-1series-owners-dont-know-they-have-rearwheeldrive-cars-3558 https://www.motortrend.com/news/bmw-80-of-1series-owners-don...
- bouke 2mo ago
  1-series owners, who don’t represent typical BMW owners.
  - tonyedgecombe 2mo ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
tmcnally 2mo ago
BMWs have decent 'mod' support, if you fully own a msport/M you can be mitigating OTA updates in firmware to retain your perf/exhaust pops as regulations/OEMs change goals. Original firmware b58s (m340/z4m40) are infamously coveted for specific software/hardware versions... Same logic can be applied to this strange advert thingy
- OptionOfT 2mo ago
  Engine modules are locked because of regulation to ensure that emissions control remain in place. Pops don't disappear with software updates. Pops disappeared in Europe because of the dreaded OPF.
  - tmcnally 2mo ago
    Focusing on US, not EU: Had a 2020 m340i delivered pre2020 so lived through this. The niche market also understands this, C3 made a full breakdown presentation for the Volkswagen scandal (https://media.ccc.de/v/32c3-7331-the_exhaust_emissions_scandal_dieselgate https://media.ccc.de/v/32c3-7331-the_exhaust_emissions_scand...) that makes your first point moot.
- moralestapia 2mo ago
  "Hehe, just hack into your car and completely void your insurance claims and warranty to stop it from playing ads. ;)"
  - tmcnally 1mo ago
    "Hehe, just hack into your car to get FSD https://github.com/commaai/openpilot https://github.com/commaai/openpilot ;)"
haritha-j 2mo ago
This and the eye tracking could make a killer combo. “Stare at this ad for 30s to unlock the drive gear”.
- dash2 2mo ago
  No no, the brake!
wewewedxfgdf 2mo ago
Enshittification of everything.
q3k 2mo ago
> Clicking on it then activates the Spider-Man™ animation, comprising a full-screen festive animation in the Control Display with aptly chosen backing music and an accompanying light show courtesy of the ambient lighting system. Stop the presses, it's not an ad, it's just a “festive animation”!
andrewstuart 2mo ago
Everyone sells out for a price and old Spidey found how much BWM will drop its pants for.
Gud 2mo ago
I wouldn’t even drive. I would put up the car for sale, and would never drive a BMW again. I’d go by bus until my new car arrives.
Barbing 2mo ago
Dropped from top of first page to third page: rank 69, 188 points, +5 hours, 124 comments This one doesn’t seem right to me since it’s a recent popular post w/o a previous popular post.
staz 2mo ago
U
JKCalhoun 2mo ago
Oh, cool. If the car has ads it means it's free then. Right?
1vuio0pswjnm7 2mo ago
27 Jul 2026 18:42:31 UTC BMWs shows in-car ads for Spiderman https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49073924 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49073924 [ok] 28 Jul 2026 19:53:02 UTC BMW showing video ads in car for Spider-Man new Day https://old.reddit.com/r/BMW/comments/1v802of/got_this_commercial_in_my_car_today_as_part_of/ https://old.reddit.com/r/BMW/comments/1v802of/got_this_comme... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49089027 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49089027 [ok]
Henchman21 2mo ago
Wow. That’s incredibly trashy. I mean, for a brand whose cars break down endlessly — do they not make enough from recurring repairs?
ChrisArchitect 2mo ago
Some more earlier this week: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49073924 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49073924
sebiw 2mo ago
At this point, the current BMW has to die and reinvent themselves in a fundamentally better way. Breaks my heart as longtime BMW fan and previous owner of some older models. What have they done to the DNA of that company...
fg137 2mo ago
When I learned about their heated seat subscription thing, I knew BMW is a brand I wouldn't touch. This just cemented that. (Not that I plan to spend that much on a car anyway.)

259 points by goplayoutside 2mo ago

onetokeoverthe 2mo ago

and the in-dash eye tracking device shows 66% of drivers engage for at least 5 seconds!!

artisinal 2mo ago
The ad will pause if you look away!
- matheusmoreira 2mo ago
  I suppose it could be worse. The ad could torture you with loud high pitched noise until you look at it, like in Black Mirror's 15 million merits.

fragmede 2mo ago

One of the best things one of me mates from high school did for me, is buy himself a BMW. The amount of problems and money he had to deal with helped me realize I didn't actually want a BMW, they're just nice to look at.

genter 2mo ago
They're also really nice to drive (at least when they work).
- fragmede 2mo ago
  Oh he let me drive it a couple of times and the thing was an absolute beast.
  - dingaling 2mo ago
    The problem these days is that many drivers conflate 'beastly performance' with 'good to drive'. When a basic sedan weighs 1700kg, you can't fool physics - it's never going to corner or respond like it's predecessor of half that weight.
- calmbonsai 2mo ago
  Only the older ones without screens. A naturally aspirated inline 6 with a manual gearbox and 50/50 weight distribution is it's own special kind of bliss. I only take it out maybe 20 times per year, but after merely 30s behind the wheel I remember why I keep it.
  - artisinal 2mo ago
    And no electronic steering like the newer ones.
  - mlrtime 2mo ago
    The B58 engine + ZF8 is probably one of the best engine/transmission combos BMW ever built. And arguably one of the best combos on the road today. Very reliable, efficient and fast. It's all the other things that break.
Markoff 2mo ago
they were nice to look at before they hired some military tank designer and even looking at them is safe only seen they are parked, I warned my kids to be extra vigilant when they are nearby BMW on the road, by far the most dangerous drivers on the road with mental issues

OsrsNeedsf2P 2mo ago

Great to see the Consumer Rights wiki has been picking up steam. Lots of passionate people behind the project

jcastro 2mo ago

Shades of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_Innocence_(U2_album)#Effectiveness,_controversy_and_reaction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_Innocence_(U2_album)#...

LeoPanthera 2mo ago
I don't see how. One is a full-screen commercial. The other is a free album in your library.
- userbinator 2mo ago
  They're both violations of boundaries associated with ownership.
- jcastro 2mo ago
  It depends if you like U2 or not I suppose.

Rohunyyy 2mo ago

Shocked. Absolutely shocked. No one saw this coming

mdp2021 2mo ago
You are being sarcastic, right? We have been seeing this coming for a very long time, in the order of ten years. Spoken with car makers employees: "people ask for that". So: what do you mean.

DrewADesign 2mo ago

I wonder if they say: "A new life awaits you in the Off-world colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure."

kridsdale1 2mo ago
Start…the…reactor

narmiouh 2mo ago

Samsung the same with their display on fridge, I'm not sure how is this legal and why someone thinks this is ok. These decision makers are meant to be educated people with may be at least a tiny bit of values in their lives...

tootie 2mo ago
No coincidence, BMW and Samsung did product placement in the movie too. Very conspicuously.
cautiouscat 2mo ago
I agree that it’s abhorrent. However the doomer in me can’t help but think they do these things because consumers still buy them. You’d expect GE to go “Oh yeah well we don’t put ads on OUR fridges.” but it seems like in every industry they all just follow suit.
- jaredhallen 2mo ago
  I suppose they've determined the revenue from the ads outweighs the potential competitive advantage.
  - polotics 2mo ago
    Or they know it's a race to the bottom where as long as every brand's doing it, consumers have no choice...
- dfxm12 2mo ago
  It's not like they're showing ads on fridges/cars in the commercials or the display units in Lowe's/the dealership. By the time you see the ad, it's too much of a hassle to return it, even if you can...
  - narmiouh 2mo ago
    Its much worse, ads came 6 months after buying. The screen was a convenience because it would show ring door video in the kitchen, had some family albums on a carousel etc… clearly would never buy if the ads flip was known before hand. Just like the BMW, bait and switch

fumeux_fume 2mo ago

> BMW's own PressClub release described the advertisement as a special surprise for drivers... That one got a chuckle out of me

NekkoDroid 2mo ago
Reminds me of EA calling lootboxes "surprise mechanics, quite ethical"...
userbinator 2mo ago
Like coming back to your car getting broken into, a surprise doesn't necessarily have to be a positive one.
Esophagus4 2mo ago
Same energy as when airlines make a gate announcement that they’ve got too many bags and they’re offering free baggage check for anyone willing…

helterskelter 2mo ago

Great way to tank a brand. Part of BMW's value is/was the expectation of an upper middle class snob driving it, but having your car force ads on you is something people wouldn't even expect from a Kia Soul leased off a used lot.

rvz 2mo ago
> Part of BMW's value is/was the expectation of an upper middle class snob driving it BMWs are no where near for that "class". A Mercedes-Benz is for that and even they also put ads in their own dashboard screens. [0] So on HN-land, time to rule out BMWs, Chevrolets, Mercedes-Benz, Teslas, Volkswagens, Kias. What else? [0] https://www.motor1.com/news/797846/mercedes-screen-plays-ads/ https://www.motor1.com/news/797846/mercedes-screen-plays-ads...
- jchw 2mo ago
  I don't think I'll be buying recent model years any time soon.
  - femto 2mo ago
    I'm beginning to think that my '96 Toyota Starlet is "peak ICE". It has EFI, no infotainment, no power windows, no power steering, no automatic transmission. It is basically an engine, gearbox and wheels. An electric Starlet would be Nirvana. Edit: Just read that Toyota is toying with the idea of an electric Starlet. It'll probably have an infotainment system and power "everything" though. https://www.drive.com.au/news/2026-toyota-starlet-rumours/ https://www.drive.com.au/news/2026-toyota-starlet-rumours/
    - fy20 2mo ago
      I'm not a mechanic but I have rebuilt an engine (common rail diesel with electronic injection) with a friend and do some work on my own cars. I don't really get the "everything needs to be mechanical" push. My previous car was mid 2000s, automatic, electronic basically everything. The reason why I scrapped it was because it had too must rust. The engine, transmission, and electronics were still fine after 200k and 20 years of harsh winters. My current car had an electrical issue last year... but it turned out it was a mechanical issue. Something had chewed through the wires to the MAF sensor. Fixed them, and all good. It's no different from something chewing through a fuel line, except OBD was able to tell me what subsystem was not working correctly. The problem I see with current cars is that the infotainment system is tied into everything - and usually the software sucks. If they just went back to seperate dashboard, AC controls and radio I'd have no issues with them. My current car is from 2016, and I specifically looked for something that was like that. It is hybrid and has modern tech (e.g. radar cruise control), but everything is compartmentalised. First upgrade I did was replacing the headunit with a Chinese one that supports Android Auto/CarPlay. No functionality was lost, as the old head unit was literally just a radio and screen for backup camera.

walrus01 2mo ago

If please drink a verification can was applied to automobiles.

powerpcmac 2mo ago
The car will remain in park until you roll down the windows and yell "I love McDonalds!"
- walrus01 2mo ago
  Earn 300 bonus BMWBucks by visiting your local Taco Bell (R) (TM) drive through in the next 15 minutes! Limited time offer!
  - tonyedgecombe 2mo ago
    That explains all the Beemers not stopping at pedestrian crossings.
- squirtle24 2mo ago
  Spend $20 at your local Burger King and we'll turn off that oil leak!
dzhiurgis 2mo ago
It wasn’t. It’s an icon on desktop that most owners probably didn’t even noticed. Same with Tesla’s tron (which arguably was kinda cool for my 3yo).
- bigyabai 2mo ago
  If my PC or phone did that, I would immediately begin shopping for a replacement. I'm not three.
HaZeust 2mo ago
mountain dew is for me and you

asciii 2mo ago

Drove a lot of BMWs when I was working summers as a mechanic

technol0gic 2mo ago
wow what an amazing story
deleted 2mo ago
[deleted]

foo12bar 2mo ago

This looks like it, possibly. There doesn't seem to be a banner that you click on like it states in the consumer rights article, but rather an icon, so not sure. https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Z8v2tsYdgRk https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Z8v2tsYdgRk

OptionOfT 2mo ago
The icon is there to replay it. It'll auto-play like the 4th of July video.

fnord77 2mo ago

I got hit with this Wednesday morning when I started my 330i. I cannot wait to sign up for the class action lawsuit.

artisinal 2mo ago
Time to upgrade to a 2008 330i
- mdp2021 2mo ago
  > Time to ["]up["]grade to a 2008 330i Went to an official repairs shop for a device yesterday, said I had a backup device with a malfunctioning (for clinical reasons) OS. The technician replied that OS downgrade is inhibited. And there are similarities. For example, after laws that forbid circulation of older vehicles upon "non-ecological" reasons. For example, if they stop producing replacement parts. Etc. And anyway, if the basis of Economics is not rebuilt, that of a "violent" Demand side with a strong refusal against the Supply side, the damage will be even more than the already critical one of unacceptable products eating u the market.

userbinator 2mo ago

Hopefully their lawyers have considered the possibility of a bug causing this ad to play while the car is being driven and leading to a distracted driving accident... on suitably equipped vehicles running BMW Operating System 7, 8, 8.5, 9, or OS X built after July 2020 For those who were surprised by that naming, Apple hasn't used "OS X" for nearly 10 years.

roundwego 2mo ago

[flagged]

isoprophlex 2mo ago
this isnt 4chan

luciana1u 2mo ago

[flagged]

ehnto 2mo ago
The safety of a 2025 with the driving UX of a 1995 is what I want.

smlacy 2mo ago

The ultimate driving machine... for marginal revenue.

Markoff 2mo ago

this is what you get for buying cheap noname brand car from Temu similar thing happened with that British LGBT brand, which is gone though it's clear people who buy BMW are not mentally sane anyway, I'm yet to see BMW driver with stable personality who would not vent their mental issues on the road, these people will buy BMW with literally any design and specs just because it's BMW, no matter it looks like ugly tank I honestly believe if we banned BMW car registrations number of accidents would drop much more than it's their total share on registrations.

timc3 2mo ago
Seriously not helpful, and have you actually matched this opinion to the statistics which are freely available?
- Markoff 2mo ago
  yes, these are data from Czechia in 2022, TOP10 (it's percentage share of accidents per operated/registered cars, it doesn't take into consideration km travelled though which would eliminate all the trucks immediately with their yearly mileage): 1. DAF 4,67% 2. MAN 3,60% 3. Iveco 2,99% 4. Mercedes-Benz 1,53% 5. Volvo 1,34% 6. BMW 1,04% 7. Audi 1,02% 8. Fiat 0,89% 9. Renault 0,86% 10. Volkswagen 0,83% Guess which of these brands doesn't sell trucks (just a little bit hint - Mercedes and Volvo sell a lot of trucks in Europe) and you will get number one among passenger cars from one brand which doesn't sell trucks and cause the most accidents followed unsurprisingly by Audi. https://www.garaz.cz/clanek/servis-auto-cisla-statistiky-vinici-dopravnich-nehod-2022-nejcasteji-boural-daf-ve-smutne-statistice-bodovalo-i-bmw-s-audi-21009589 https://www.garaz.cz/clanek/servis-auto-cisla-statistiky-vin... different chart from 2025 from CEBIA in Czechia, company checking whether car was crashed and their findings, percentage of cars they were checking and which actually crashed, though this one just says percentage out of verified cars, it must be noted that Skoda/Toyota are extremely popular in Czechia, so they are also more likely to have accidents: Audi 69,69 % BMW 68,82 % Škoda 64,37 % Toyota 63,87 % Mercedes-Benz 62,27 % Hyundai 61,95 % Volvo 58,59 % Volkswagen 56,02 % Seat 55,02 % Mazda 54,78 % https://autosalon.tv/novinky/ojetiny/10-nejcasteji-bourajicich-znacek-aut-v-cesku-statistice-kraluje-audi-dejte-pozor-na-skodu https://autosalon.tv/novinky/ojetiny/10-nejcasteji-bourajici...

Neil44 2mo ago

My BYD doesn't do this.

DanOpcode 2mo ago
Soon Chinese tech will be viewed as premium class while their competitors are eroding their quality.
dzhiurgis 2mo ago
BYD infotainment is trash tho. “The bzootoo conexun is sugzezsul” level of trash.
eps 2mo ago
It just quietly documents your life.
- DaSHacka 2mo ago
  LOL, so do all Western automakers.

c7b 2mo ago

It sounds awful, but it might not even make the top-5 of the most annoying/concering things you'll get in a new car (bought in the EU at least), many of which are now mandatory by regulation. What you'll also get is a camera that tracks your eye movements to play an alert when they're not on the road, an alarm when you drive over the allowed speed limit as determined by a camera, an alarm plus a mechanical yanking of your driving wheel when you're approaching the side of your lane without a turn signal on. As a cherry on top it's unclear what happens with all the data generated by these systems. And I'm probably forgetting a few. I'm wondering what a good cutoff date is when considering buying a used car.

dylan604 2mo ago
My 2015 has none of these things. It has a rear camera, no telemetry, physical buttons, no internal nav, and no giant tough screen.
- DanOpcode 2mo ago
  Same in my car from 2017. Also has rear camera, no infotainment other than bluetooth (so I guess it doesn't have any telemetry), physical buttons, no internal nav, no EU warning systems, no alerts that I need to turn off. Perfect car. Very peaceful to drive.
- mdp2021 2mo ago
  > My 2015 has none of these things The eu has started pushing those things with a 2016 (I believe) regulation that imposed "all cars approved for production after 2018 must have an "e-Call" system (internal GPS, microphone and telephone connected to the police in case of car crash)". And then more, and then more, and still more...
maxgashkov 2mo ago
I get all of these with more or less recent (2023) Mazda here in Japan, but all of them can be turned off in settings. Are they always-on in EU?
- 2mo ago

DanOpcode 2mo ago

Wouldn't it be fair if BMW at least shared the advertisement revenue with the car owners? It's so ugly that they first sell cars, and profit from that. And then they utilize the fleet of cars to squeeze out more revenue, even though that was never part of the contract to begin with. What right does BMW have to do that? If they found a new revenue source, it would be nice if they at least shared that with their customers. Now it's just abuse of their customers. Where BMW is one-sided profiting while the customers are suffering.

wvenable 2mo ago
> Wouldn't it be fair if BMW at least shared the advertisement revenue with the car owners? No.
- DanOpcode 2mo ago
  I mean, I don't know of it's still around, but the ad-supported Amazon Kindle was at least cheaper than the regular version. So the customer got some compensation for being shown ads.
  - wvenable 2mo ago
    If customers have a real choice between ad supported and not ad supported then that's fine. (And by "real choice" I mean that ad-free isn't ridiculously overpriced) (And not a subscription fee to avoid ads)

inasio 2mo ago

The main story in the wiki page comes from the Autopian [0], specifically from Jason Torchinsky, ex Jalopnik. It's an awesome publication, check them out, and Jason is an incredible writer (Onion alumni) [0] https://www.theautopian.com/bmw-is-showing-commercials-on-their-cars-dash-screens-and-they-want-you-to-think-its-a-treat/ https://www.theautopian.com/bmw-is-showing-commercials-on-th...

bredren 2mo ago

A month ago the highly upvoted blog entry [0] about Rivian’s rejection of CarPlay included this quote from Rivian’s Chief Software Officer, Wassym Bensaid: The challenge with screen mirroring solutions is that they take over every single pixel in the car, and that’s not the way we see ourselves interacting with our users. Yes, it’s clear the companies’ see the way they want to “interact” with their customers is to force whatever content they please. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48769397 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48769397

tonyedgecombe 2mo ago

Whilst we are having a dig at BMW owners it turns out that most of them don't know whether their car is front or rear wheel drive. https://www.motortrend.com/news/bmw-80-of-1series-owners-dont-know-they-have-rearwheeldrive-cars-3558 https://www.motortrend.com/news/bmw-80-of-1series-owners-don...

bouke 2mo ago
1-series owners, who don’t represent typical BMW owners.
- tonyedgecombe 2mo ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman

tmcnally 2mo ago

BMWs have decent 'mod' support, if you fully own a msport/M you can be mitigating OTA updates in firmware to retain your perf/exhaust pops as regulations/OEMs change goals. Original firmware b58s (m340/z4m40) are infamously coveted for specific software/hardware versions... Same logic can be applied to this strange advert thingy

OptionOfT 2mo ago
Engine modules are locked because of regulation to ensure that emissions control remain in place. Pops don't disappear with software updates. Pops disappeared in Europe because of the dreaded OPF.
- tmcnally 2mo ago
  Focusing on US, not EU: Had a 2020 m340i delivered pre2020 so lived through this. The niche market also understands this, C3 made a full breakdown presentation for the Volkswagen scandal (https://media.ccc.de/v/32c3-7331-the_exhaust_emissions_scandal_dieselgate https://media.ccc.de/v/32c3-7331-the_exhaust_emissions_scand...) that makes your first point moot.
moralestapia 2mo ago
"Hehe, just hack into your car and completely void your insurance claims and warranty to stop it from playing ads. ;)"
- tmcnally 1mo ago
  "Hehe, just hack into your car to get FSD https://github.com/commaai/openpilot https://github.com/commaai/openpilot ;)"

haritha-j 2mo ago

This and the eye tracking could make a killer combo. “Stare at this ad for 30s to unlock the drive gear”.

dash2 2mo ago
No no, the brake!

wewewedxfgdf 2mo ago

Enshittification of everything.

q3k 2mo ago

> Clicking on it then activates the Spider-Man™ animation, comprising a full-screen festive animation in the Control Display with aptly chosen backing music and an accompanying light show courtesy of the ambient lighting system. Stop the presses, it's not an ad, it's just a “festive animation”!

andrewstuart 2mo ago

Everyone sells out for a price and old Spidey found how much BWM will drop its pants for.

Gud 2mo ago

I wouldn’t even drive. I would put up the car for sale, and would never drive a BMW again. I’d go by bus until my new car arrives.

Barbing 2mo ago

Dropped from top of first page to third page: rank 69, 188 points, +5 hours, 124 comments This one doesn’t seem right to me since it’s a recent popular post w/o a previous popular post.

staz 2mo ago

JKCalhoun 2mo ago

Oh, cool. If the car has ads it means it's free then. Right?

1vuio0pswjnm7 2mo ago

27 Jul 2026 18:42:31 UTC BMWs shows in-car ads for Spiderman https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49073924 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49073924 [ok] 28 Jul 2026 19:53:02 UTC BMW showing video ads in car for Spider-Man new Day https://old.reddit.com/r/BMW/comments/1v802of/got_this_commercial_in_my_car_today_as_part_of/ https://old.reddit.com/r/BMW/comments/1v802of/got_this_comme... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49089027 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49089027 [ok]

Henchman21 2mo ago

Wow. That’s incredibly trashy. I mean, for a brand whose cars break down endlessly — do they not make enough from recurring repairs?

ChrisArchitect 2mo ago

Some more earlier this week: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49073924 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49073924

sebiw 2mo ago

At this point, the current BMW has to die and reinvent themselves in a fundamentally better way. Breaks my heart as longtime BMW fan and previous owner of some older models. What have they done to the DNA of that company...

fg137 2mo ago

When I learned about their heated seat subscription thing, I knew BMW is a brand I wouldn't touch. This just cemented that. (Not that I plan to spend that much on a car anyway.)