Why so many top spec cars without hands free ?

[Fatman2]

Does anyone know why there are so many top spec cars on the road without bluetooth hands free kits ? Every day I see so many Merc, Beemers, Audi's, Disco's and other fine cars with people still holding phones to their ears.

Is the general consensus one that hands free is crap or are phones too difficult to pair up ? Looking at the options list they only cost about £100 so are hardly the most expensive add-on.

Any ideas

P.S. I'm not wanting to start a discussion about the rights/wrongs of using a phone in the car but just curious why people with £20k + to spend don't seem to spend it on something I think is genuinely useful.

[Munter]

Are they always holding an iPhone? I've known a few people who's cars have declined to connect to iPhones. Other phones fine. iPhone's no.

[steeveeboy]

I dont know about not having it in the car,
But my view is its laziness not bothering to connect the phone to the bluetooth headset,
I know technically that my view doesnt count because im 16 and dont have a license but i know when i learn to drive that i will be sensible and NOT!!! a chav LOL...
Steve

[munroman]

In our neck of the woods it tends to be 'ladies who lunch', always blonde with sunglasses and a scarf to hide the 'turkey neck', or dudes in Range Rover Sports, probably arranging their latest 'deal'.

And black German cars seem to be particularly favoured by both factions.............

Like OP said, its not a matter of money, either they are so self obsessed they think the law doesn't apply to them, or they are too 'ard for the BiB to challenge.

[Dracoro]

I reckon most simply don't know

a) that they can hook up their phone to their car
or
b) don't know how to hook their phone to their car
or
c) can't be arsed or don't care about hands free.

[Munter]

steeveeboy said:

I dont know about not having it in the car,
But my view is its laziness not bothering to connect the phone to the bluetooth headset,
I know technically that my view doesnt count because im 16 and dont have a license but i know when i learn to drive that i will be sensible and NOT!!! a chav LOL...
Steve

Head sets are st unless you're constantly taking calls, and then you'd pay for a proper hands free kit in the car and connect it.

Phone rings, scrabble around for head set, turn it on, fit it to your ear, fit it again as it falls off, answer the call, scrabble around for head set under drivers seat, fit head set again, listen to voice mail from handset on speaker.....

Proper hands free, or let it ring and get the call later for me.

[esuuv]

I'd say this was down to one of two reasons.....

1 - people love badges on cars, so will buy a C class - pay for the big wheels so it looks good and then have nothing else on it, manufactures don't include them as standard so they can charge 300 quid for them as an option for that want it.

2 - Lots of people dont know how to work their fridge - so their phone, and the bluetooth system in the car may as well have beamed in from another planet.

Personally I think they are brilliant - and mine works beautifully with my iphone......

[Dracoro]

Munter said:

steeveeboy said:

I dont know about not having it in the car,
But my view is its laziness not bothering to connect the phone to the bluetooth headset,
I know technically that my view doesnt count because im 16 and dont have a license but i know when i learn to drive that i will be sensible and NOT!!! a chav LOL...
Steve

Head sets are st unless you're constantly taking calls, and then you'd pay for a proper hands free kit in the car and connect it.

Phone rings, scrabble around for head set, turn it on, fit it to your ear, fit it again as it falls off, answer the call, scrabble around for head set under drivers seat, fit head set again, listen to voice mail from handset on speaker.....

But they're "safe" as they're keeping within the law by using a hands-free. A bit like thinking driving is completely safe as long as within speed limit.

I have a hands free (cable etc.) that I don't use much (I have more than 1 car, don't do mega miles to need to take calls when driving) but on the odd occasion that I do take/make a call, I keep thinking this would be much safer/easier if I just used the handset

[Pooh]

My Grande Punto has Fiats blue and me system as standard, it works very well, it automatically connects to the phone when I get in the car, people can hear what I am saying(unlike my bosses Audi)and it lets me play music from a memory stick.
If Fiat can manage to produce a good system and fit it as standard to a cheap car like a Grande Puto why do so many other manufacturers either produce rubbish systems or none at all?

[Fatman2]

Thanks for the respones guys.

Not that I'm holier than thou but for the first time ever (3 years late as usual ) I bought a used car that had hands free installed as standard and find it fantastic. Pairing was pretty straightforward and now it connects automatically when I get in.

But LOL @ the 'ladies that lunch' in their Range Rovers. So stereotypical but funny all the same

[ewenm]

If it's installed but not used, then that's classic user error. The driver is too stupid/lazy to pair their phone with it.

We're speccing up a car at the moment and I'm not sure whether to include the bluetooth connectivity. In the modern 24/7 world, I quite like being out of touch while driving. I rarely need to make calls while on the move and am happy to ignore incoming calls - that's what my answerphone is for. The only reason to include it in our spec would be for future-proofing in case our circumstances change, but is it worth the up-front cost...

Edit: Plus IMO it's the conversation that can be distracting, not the holding of the phone.

Edited by ewenm on Wednesday 28th April 09:45

[gshughes]

My wife's Aygo has a really good handsfree kit fitted as standard, and it only cost about £8k new, so no excuse for top spec marques not having them.

[bazking69]

Alot of cars some with them as standard, especially luxury stuff. Even run of the mill cars offer it as a cheap option or indeed a freebie as a selling point.

Even a Parrot is £100....

I refuse to answer my phone when driving, but as I don't spend alot of time in the car having handsfree is of no necessity to me.

I do however concur with alot of comments that alot of the time it is down to laziness and blatent disregard for the law by some individuals.

[HellDiver]

gshughes said:

My wife's Aygo has a really good handsfree kit fitted as standard, and it only cost about £8k new, so no excuse for top spec marques not having them.

Wow, you'd expect an £8000 hands free kit to be good. Mine only cost £70 and it works well enough.

[blindswelledrat]

Fatman2 said:

Looking at the options list they only cost about £100 so are hardly the most expensive add-on.

.

The first one I came across googling was for a 3 series and said

bluetoothprice said:

Bluetooth telephone preparation with telematics, £535.00 ...

Which corresponded with my gut feeling.
THat pretty much asnwers your question surely?

[Fatman2]

Wow that's expensive.

I looked directly on the BMW website car configurator and for a 5 series it's a £70 option.

You do have a point though as it seems to be a more expensive option in the E Class (£280). Having said that though, if I had over £30k to spend on a car then £280 wouldn't be a problem IMO.

[blindswelledrat]

Fatman2 said:

Wow that's expensive.

I looked directly on the BMW website car configurator and for a 5 series it's a £70 option.

You do have a point though as it seems to be a more expensive option in the E Class (£280). Having said that though, if I had over £30k to spend on a car then £280 wouldn't be a problem IMO.

Plus the VAT of course.
I know it seems like that, but it doesn't quite work out.
THere are so very many options that by the time you think "Yeah-thats only £300 on a £30k car-Ill have that" for each of them you very easily end up nearer £40k.
THen you think- 'this is supposed to be a £30k car. Im not spending £40k' so you then reverse the process taking out anything you don't thinks is absolutely essential.
Bluetooth being one of them for most people I think when there are perfectly good alternatives for a fraction of the price.

Edited by blindswelledrat on Wednesday 28th April 11:09

[zakelwe]

Why so many cars without cruise control is a more pertinent question.

Andy

[TheRoadWarrior]

zakelwe said:

Why so many cars without cruise control is a more pertinent question.

Andy

How is that a pertinent question in light of the current discussion about handsfree telephony??

[The Wookie]

Fatman2 said:

But LOL @ the 'ladies that lunch' in their Range Rovers. So stereotypical but funny all the same

My Mum took to talking through the Bluetooth on her Range Rover pretty easily once I'd set it up for her... Only issue she has are the frequent occasions where she'll answer her phone whilst standing outside the car, and all I can hear is the increasingly loud, but muffled shouts from outside the car of 'Hello?... Hello?... I can hear you somewhere!'.

What she can actually hear is the muffled shouts of 'STEP INSIDE THE BLOODY CAR AND YOU WILL HEAR ME MORE CLEARLY!' through the windows

Edited by The Wookie on Wednesday 28th April 11:25