[Raptor6492]

I am sorry to hear about the dismal performance of the Mahindra Adrenox System.
Although I do not understand what the remote start has got to do with battery drainage. Once the engine is running there should be less load on the battery.
Did you enquire about this at the time of servicing? I guess those folks should be able to deal with software too. Or atleast tell you if its a problem with all cars.
I use the Honda Connect regularly and have never faced any issues with the Remote Start (though the tyre pressure monitor often doesnt work well).

[iskandariya]

Originally Posted by rpmmachine

For Arenox of Xuv 700 combined with VI sim, I am not going to renew it again ever in my life.

Same is the case with Tata and all point resonate with the Subcription model. I also didn't renew my Safari subscription. That being said Maps and other features are still better than Tata .

Choice of Provider and duration should be owner choice. If you want to use for 1 month and are away for 11 then no point for yearly renew.

[Cresterk]

So I think we can safely conclude from this thread that connected car tech is currently just useless gimmicks for the customer, at least on mainstream cars. It was pushed as a way to show inflated profit projections for investors and as a way to harvest and sell customer driving data for the company. I wonder if there is a fuse I can disconnect to turn off the connected car tech completely.

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by rpmmachine

4) Mahindra has played dirty by tuning the Audio system better on the Alexa and inferior on the Carplay and Bluetooth. No other Manufacturer have done this and I think no one should do this.

For Adrenox of Xuv 700 combined with VI sim, I am not going to renew it again ever in my life.

Ok, so I too am a part of the statistics group who have not yet renewed the subs. I basically felt cheated because I was given an understanding that the Adrenox connection remains valid as long as the car's main warranty of 3 years remains in force. However it expired in exactly 1 year after purchase and that didn't sit well with me. I have also seen cases where some had it running for 2 years. Looks like a totally random thing! Mahindra doesn't understand that this kind of arbitrariness makes customers wary of their ethics!

While I resonate with you on most points that you have written it's the 4th point that I found intriguing. Is this based on your gut feeling or have you seen this as an accepted reality by audio experts and has been well documented? The thing is I always felt this but refrained from calling this out for lack of any hard evidence. It's thus interesting to hear the same from someone else!

[vvs29]

I am using the Suzuki connect on my Fronx for the past 1 year and as long as the pricing is reasonable, I will renew. Main draws are:
1. Help to get in that 1-2 mins warm up for the turbo. I start the car from home and by the time I get to the parking, the car is ready to go and also pre-cooled.
2. Ability to track when someone else is driving or my wife can track me when I'm going out of station without her. Google maps can also do the thing, but the more channels the merrier.
3. I has worked well, even in my office B2 parking where phone calls tend to be spotty.

[tbppjpr]

Alarming

Millions of Vehicles Could Be Hacked and Tracked Thanks to a Simple Website Bug

Even in cases when it didn't allow outright theft of a car, the web flaw could have created significant opportunities for theft of a car's contents, harassment of drivers and passengers, and other privacy and safety concerns.

“If someone cut you off in traffic, you could scan their license plate and then know where they were whenever you wanted and break into their car,” says Curry. “If we hadn’t brought this to Kia’s attention, anybody who could query someone’s license plate could essentially stalk them.”

For Kias that come installed with a 360-degree camera, that camera, too, was accessible to hackers. Beyond allowing the hijacking of connected features in cars themselves, Curry says, the web portal flaw also allowed hackers to query a broad range of personal information about Kia customers—names, email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, and even past driving routes in some cases—a potentially massive data leak.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Zappo

While I resonate with you on most points that you have written it's the 4th point that I found intriguing. Is this based on your gut feeling or have you seen this as an accepted reality by audio experts and has been well documented ? The thing is I always felt this but refrained from calling this out for lack of any hard evidence. It's thus interesting to hear the same from someone else!

If the phone has good audio hardware and you use a premium streaming service, the experience over AA or CP will be better than Alexa.

So a top tier phone is needed and a paid streaming service on the phone, it doesn't have to be a new phone.

[rpmmachine]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

If the phone has good audio hardware and you use a premium streaming service, the experience over AA or CP will be better than Alexa.
So a top tier phone is needed and a paid streaming service on the phone, it doesn't have to be a new phone.

I was using it on an iPhone 14 Pro Max with Apple Music (which is paid), using it with CarPlay and simple Bluetooth, but still, JioSaavn music (online through Alexa) sounded better.
I have tried it on a friend’s Samsung S23 Ultra- Android Auto with Apple Music and Spotify, but I still found the same results.
It’s not about the music, phone, or app. I feel either there is some bug or the system is tuned by Mahindra that way to get more subscribers
These are not just my gut feelings, this is an observation based on my experience.

[blueshift]

I do not recall paying any subscription fees when I purchased my EcoSport in June 2021. Fortunately, after three years, FordPass Connect is still operational.

Regarding its connectivity features, I primarily use it to check vehicle status alerts and oil life, and occasionally for GPS tracking and the remote lock/unlock function. I believe higher models offer a remote start/stop feature as well.

I have heard from other Ford owners that their apps have ceased functioning and are no longer available in the mobile app store. I am unaware of the SIM card used and have not received any calls regarding subscription renewal. Therefore, I suspect that my service may be nearing its end.

Moving forward, I would consider renewing it solely because the unit is discreet and factory-fitted. While there are more advanced OBD-based GPS trackers available that provide trip and vehicle statistics, they tend to be less discreet. Other features are merely conveniences and are less essential.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by rpmmachine

I was using it on an iPhone 14 Pro Max with Apple Music (which is paid), using it with CarPlay and simple Bluetooth, but still, JioSaavn music (online through Alexa) sounded better.
I have tried it on a friend’s Samsung S23 Ultra- Android Auto with Apple Music and Spotify, but I still found the same results.
It’s not about the music, phone, or app. I feel either there is some bug or the system is tuned by Mahindra that way to get more subscribers
These are not just my gut feelings, this is an observation based on my experience.

Something is broken between the phones and the HU, maybe HU is downsampling the signals from Phone due to some incompatibility.

My Wife's Samsung phone has Dolby Atmos, I keep that in Auto setting and seems to work fine streaming through Google Play Music and it sounds better than Alexa. Same song - same volume. Some other newer phones don't have the same clarity on music , some of the older phones like Mi10 sounds excellent.

Now the difference is not night and day - I was once a musician and I am a bit sensitive to how certain things sound, so this experience may vary.

[JithinR]

Can someone provide some background on how the remote start engine command is meant to work on the Mahindra Adrenox connect systems.

I planned to use it to warm up the engine/turbo and cool the cabin (i wince internally when I see neighbours just start their cars and drive off) but the start engine command in this thing doesn't work like I thought it would.

If I click on Start Engine -> Input Pin, the car does start in a few secs but then as soon as I approach the car and unlock it using my key/pressing the door unlock button, the car just switches off.

I assumed it would allow me to simply unlock and drive off. But now I have to start up the car a second time and then wait till the idle rpm comes down before starting my drive.

[SaiSW]

I don't care so much about the operation of windows, AC etc remotely (even though they are much appreciated features) as much as I care about locking down and shutting off the car remotely incase of theft.

Like the block card controls we have with various banking platforms that completely block the usage of the credit card if it is lost.

THAT is worth paying for, AFAIC. If my car is stolen, tracking it's location live and then completely blocking the car's functions once I feel it is safe to do so will be a priceless set of features to have.

I assume for the car's system to maintain communication with my phone would require the usage of mobile networks or communication protocols of some sort which would incur costs. I am okay with that as long as above said blocking function is reliable and thief-proof.

Maybe different levels of connected car tech could be offered to the user. Like a full fledged suite for the tech savvy car enthusiast who doesn't mind paying that little bit extra for the convenience and another perhaps more barebones/basic version for people like me. Or maybe an à la carte system where the user can pick and choose which functions he wants in his Connected Car "package", like the system we have with our TV channels after the TRAI decision.

P.S.

None of my current cars have any sort of connected car tech in them. So I am not aware if there already is a system where different levels of connected car tech is offered to the user by companies.

[Ravindra M]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Can someone provide some background on how the remote start engine command is meant to work on the Mahindra Adrenox connect systems.

I planned to use it to warm up the engine/turbo and cool the cabin (i wince internally when I see neighbours just start their cars and drive off) but the start engine command in this thing doesn't work like I thought it would.

If I click on Start Engine -> Input Pin, the car does start in a few secs but then as soon as I approach the car and unlock it using my key/pressing the door unlock button, the car just switches off.

I assumed it would allow me to simply unlock and drive off. But now I have to start up the car a second time and then wait till the idle rpm comes down before starting my drive.

It is a human safety feature. System can't handover a running engine to the driver. The failure modes are severe.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by Ravindra M

It is a human safety feature. System can't handover a running engine to the driver. The failure modes are severe.

It's a running engine in park mode with the handbrake engaged right? Not sure what safety concerns are there. I guess I need to see if the implementation is the same in other connected car systems of Hyundai/Kia etc.

[Ravindra M]

Originally Posted by JithinR

It's a running engine in park mode with the handbrake engaged right? Not sure what safety concerns are there. I guess I need to see if the implementation is the same in other connected car systems of Hyundai/Kia etc.

Let me tell you something more about engineering development. For every vehicle function or feature, DFMEA ( Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis ) is done, followed by elaborate Functional Safety Analysis as per ISO26262. Remote start will be ASIL D (Severe Criticality). Anything can go wrong when someone climbing into a vehicle with running engine e.g. someone engaging transmission unintentionally e.g. Similar thousands of scenarios are considered before deciding the functional behavior.

This won't be an obvious miss from Mahindra.