Strange car options

[Robster]

So I've been thinking I know some manufacturers group extra car options together, e.g if you want leather seats you have to buy the "comfort pack" which includes lots of extra things you don't need, what's the most blatant rip off you have had to pay for just to get the "one option you really wanted"?

[lowdrag]

To my mind the most blatant one was having to pay NOT to have a standard item. Porsche used to charge for the deletion of the 911 badge on the back.

[Rincewind209]

lowdrag said:

To my mind the most blatant one was having to pay NOT to have a standard item. Porsche used to charge for the deletion of the 911 badge on the back.

That is plain silly.

[Bailey93]

Rincewind209 said:

That is plain silly.

But arguably a loss in advertising, someone (who's lived under a rock) might see it and think oooh i like that car but i have no idea what it is

[Superhoop]

lowdrag said:

To my mind the most blatant one was having to pay NOT to have a standard item. Porsche used to charge for the deletion of the 911 badge on the back.

Isn't that a historic cost that has just stayed on the chargeable options list. Back in the 70's/80's BMW used to charge for badge deletion, as the boot lid was then a non standard item i.e. The boot lid had no drillings for the badge pins.

With badges all now being stuck on, you'd be mental to pay for it though, as you'd just remove the badge once the car was delivered.

[tintopracer]

It was a no cost option on 80's BMW's to have the model designation badge removed. When my dad ordered his 535i in 1986 the sales guy was amazed he wanted it debadged. Up till then it had only been asked for on 518's and 520i's.

Apparently only the German's debadged the top spec models. Us Brits, did it with the base spec ones.

I also remember our neighbour at the time wanted the turbo decal removed from the driver's front wing of his 944 as he thought it was naff, but Porsche refused. Looks kinder cool now though.

[hairyben]

lowdrag said:

To my mind the most blatant one was having to pay NOT to have a standard item. Porsche used to charge for the deletion of the 911 badge on the back.

electric board I worked for actually paid to have radios deleted from the transits (before they inflicted us with the ultimate punishment, sherpas)

[hairyben]

Just been studying the options list on a caddy van though, you can't have several paint options if you have the BMT engine (bluemotion which is just a couple of bit like stopstart) and you can't have parkassist in conjuction with body coloured bumpers or electric windows

WTditheringF? obv. parkassist is no concern as I have man-plums but was wondering if the BMT would be useful on something that'll spend it's whole life in grindalong traffic. Unless I'd rather have one in metallic blackberry.

[RobM77]

A friend of mine at work is buying a new Skoda Octavia and he wants a heated windscreen like his (now scrapped) Mondeo had. To get this heated windscreen he needs to buy a winter pack with loads of other stuff, but not just that, according to the dealership he's ordering through, he has to change from a petrol to a diesel to get it!

[Morningside]

Smokers pack. Although I don't smoke anymore it seems funny that something that was ALWAYS standard years ago is now an optional extra. And what do you get? A pop out lighter and an ashtray.

[lowdrag]

I was rather taken aback to find out that at Mercedes you now pay for a manual gearbox but the auto is standard.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Rincewind209 said:

lowdrag said:

To my mind the most blatant one was having to pay NOT to have a standard item. Porsche used to charge for the deletion of the 911 badge on the back.

That is plain silly.

You've obviously never worked in manufacturing.

A deviation from the standard can require an extra process, certainly a different process. I can fully understand why there might be a charge.

...plus, if the market will stand it then it makes perfect economic sense!

[IanCress]

The Focus ST170 could be had with a custom pack and a comfort pack. Basically, if you wanted climate control you also had to have leather seats, and if you wanted the upgraded audio then you had to also have Xenon headlamps.

[matrignano]

That's something that reeeeallllllllly pissed me off with the AMG GT recently.
Basically all options are grouped under 2 or 3 massive "packs".

For example, if I want the high-end audio, I need to get a pack which also contains all the Assist bullst stuff for the modest sum of £1.5bn.

fk off!

[troc]

Robster said:

So I've been thinking I know some manufacturers group extra car options together, e.g if you want leather seats you have to buy the "comfort pack" which includes lots of extra things you don't need, what's the most blatant rip off you have had to pay for just to get the "one option you really wanted"?

In the case of my S4, it was the "through load facility with ski bag" that was mandatory when specc'ing the super sports seats.

So, I apparently need a hole through my rear seats (which are the same as every other A4) because I have somewhat bucketey-er front seats?

• shrug*

[velocemitch]

On the yet to be actually built c class hybrid to get the command system you will automatically get a glass sunroof, which then has to have a wheel and tyre upgrade. This upgrade puts the co 2 up significantly costing a lot more in BIK. You cant delete the wheel package due to the weight of the sun roof. But you can't have the command system without the sunrioof. Stupid!

[hairyben]

velocemitch said:

On the yet to be actually built c class hybrid to get the command system you will automatically get a glass sunroof, which then has to have a wheel and tyre upgrade. This upgrade puts the co 2 up significantly costing a lot more in BIK. You cant delete the wheel package due to the weight of the sun roof. But you can't have the command system without the sunrioof. Stupid!

I dunno why anyone would order £2-3k factory nav anyway... my 5 year old £500 double-din JVC dumped all over the merc command system available when I bought the van new and looking around now (as I'm looking at a new caddy) the ~£300 "factory fit" type systems on ebay look a step up again.

How are manufacturers getting away with it?

[RicksAlfas]

Not quite in the spirit of the thread, but I can't understand why manufacturers won't allow certain colour/trim options. So you can only have red seats with black paint, but you might want red seats with green paint and they won't let you. If they stock the paint and the upholstery, they should let you have it!

[RicksAlfas]

velocemitch said:

On the yet to be actually built c class hybrid to get the command system you will automatically get a glass sunroof, which then has to have a wheel and tyre upgrade. This upgrade puts the co 2 up significantly costing a lot more in BIK. You cant delete the wheel package due to the weight of the sun roof. But you can't have the command system without the sunrioof. Stupid!

Only on the estate Mitch. If you go for the saloon you can have Premium Plus with the standard wheels.
Looks a good company car package doesn't it?!

[ChasW]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

Rincewind209 said:

lowdrag said:

To my mind the most blatant one was having to pay NOT to have a standard item. Porsche used to charge for the deletion of the 911 badge on the back.

That is plain silly.

You've obviously never worked in manufacturing.

A deviation from the standard can require an extra process, certainly a different process. I can fully understand why there might be a charge.

...plus, if the market will stand it then it makes perfect economic sense!

I remember the bad old days when MRP came in and we implemented ISO 9000 in the manufacturing plant. Machines destined for the US came off the line with 3 pin UK plugs attached. Someone had to cut them off and put two pin US plugs on before they were packed. Ridiculous!