Uconnect is it worth having?
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I love the UConnect entertainment system in general but I think your question goes to the Uconnct Access service
which is also separate from the free XM radio and traffic conditions service.
When all the free services that we get expire, I think I will notice the ones associated with Sirius/XM the most such as the sat radio and the NAV traffic conditions that show as green/yellow/red roads right on the NAV screen. I love, LOVE these.
The free features that are specifically associated with Uconnect Access will be less noticeable to me when they expire because my smart phone provides me with many of these like local gas prices, Yelp, Pandora. I don't think I'll ever activate the PACIFICA's 3G hotspot because that's a separate and very expensive charge beyond basic Access and it is slow 3G only and a pale comparison to simply using my phone as a hotspot.
I do like being able to see on a map where my Pacifica is so that might be my motivation to keep Access going. Last week when it was getting serviced for a seat problem and we had a loaner vehicle, I could see my Pacifica sitting in their back packing lot for two full days before they finally moved it into a repair building and at that point I started checking the map more often, like once every couple hours. I could even see when they moved it to the car wash area. When I saw it had moved to the front customer parking lot I knew my "it's ready" call was coming soon.
We sometimes start the Pacifica remotely to get AC running. My wife's office is too far away for the key FOB to do this.
which is also separate from the free XM radio and traffic conditions service.
When all the free services that we get expire, I think I will notice the ones associated with Sirius/XM the most such as the sat radio and the NAV traffic conditions that show as green/yellow/red roads right on the NAV screen. I love, LOVE these.
The free features that are specifically associated with Uconnect Access will be less noticeable to me when they expire because my smart phone provides me with many of these like local gas prices, Yelp, Pandora. I don't think I'll ever activate the PACIFICA's 3G hotspot because that's a separate and very expensive charge beyond basic Access and it is slow 3G only and a pale comparison to simply using my phone as a hotspot.
I do like being able to see on a map where my Pacifica is so that might be my motivation to keep Access going. Last week when it was getting serviced for a seat problem and we had a loaner vehicle, I could see my Pacifica sitting in their back packing lot for two full days before they finally moved it into a repair building and at that point I started checking the map more often, like once every couple hours. I could even see when they moved it to the car wash area. When I saw it had moved to the front customer parking lot I knew my "it's ready" call was coming soon.
We sometimes start the Pacifica remotely to get AC running. My wife's office is too far away for the key FOB to do this.
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The only part of Uconnect Access that I personally find useful is the ability to remote lock, unlock, and start with a cell phone. But the current pricing is too expensive for that. As a frame of reference, Ford charges $50 a year for this functionality on our Explorer and it works much better than Chrysler's implementation.
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Just from my prospective, I'm not even sure what else Uconnect offers at additional costs other than Serius, an entertainment system and Navigation.
We had navigation on both our Mountineer and Avalanche, it was on a CD and was active from the day we bought the vehicles. They pestered us to buy new CD's every year (around $150), but we never did and we never had to pay anything to keep it active. I thought that navigation was a one-time setup cost with our Pacifica, but for us, that setup fee isn't worth it when we can buy a stand-alone system for a fraction of that, but even then, I've got Google Maps if I need help finding my way.
As far as satellite radio goes, again, both those vehicles had a free trial period, and they also pestered us to renew (at a cost), but we rarely even turn on our free over the air stations, so subscribing to Serius would be a waste for us. I'm guessing that we'll get the same bombardment of letters and email after our trial period is over, just like we're being bombarded for not buying the Mopar extended warranty.
And for the entertainment system, I made sure we didn't have one when we bought our Pacifica. We had one in the Avalanche and used it just once in the nine years we owned it, It seems that our grandson ran the battery down using it while we were out in the desert target shooting. Our 2014 T&C had one as well, and we never even tested it to see if it worked.
I guess I have to ask, what else does Uconnect offer as an option, and at what price?
We had navigation on both our Mountineer and Avalanche, it was on a CD and was active from the day we bought the vehicles. They pestered us to buy new CD's every year (around $150), but we never did and we never had to pay anything to keep it active. I thought that navigation was a one-time setup cost with our Pacifica, but for us, that setup fee isn't worth it when we can buy a stand-alone system for a fraction of that, but even then, I've got Google Maps if I need help finding my way.
As far as satellite radio goes, again, both those vehicles had a free trial period, and they also pestered us to renew (at a cost), but we rarely even turn on our free over the air stations, so subscribing to Serius would be a waste for us. I'm guessing that we'll get the same bombardment of letters and email after our trial period is over, just like we're being bombarded for not buying the Mopar extended warranty.
And for the entertainment system, I made sure we didn't have one when we bought our Pacifica. We had one in the Avalanche and used it just once in the nine years we owned it, It seems that our grandson ran the battery down using it while we were out in the desert target shooting. Our 2014 T&C had one as well, and we never even tested it to see if it worked.
I guess I have to ask, what else does Uconnect offer as an option, and at what price?
+1 Which of the "services" are via Uconnect Access vs Sirus/XM Satellite? Is the Sirus trail 1 year? How long is the Uconnect Access trial period?
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SXM is a separate subscription that's not related to Uconnect Access at all. The SXM trial period is either 6 months or 1 year depending on the trim level of your Pacifica. Navigation is also completely separate and has no subscription fee. You will need to pay for map updates though if you want them.
The Uconnect Access trial period is 1 year and $15/mo (or $150/yr) after that. A list of what's included with Uconnect Access (also called Advantage plan) can be found HERE. In my opinion, it's far too expensive for what you get.
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Is there not a activation fee, something over $500? Our Touring-L is, "Nav equipped", but not activated yet.
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If you don't already have Nav, yes you would need to pay for the option. If you already have Nav, no there is no fee.
Mine came with NAV. But everytime I start the vehicle, it spent a minute to activate. It is rediculous.
The Uconnect App is a piece of junk too. It doesn't show the current status of the vehicle. There are no positive feedback after you push a button. You have no idea if your vehicle locked or started. Maybe the only useful part of the app is to locate the vehicle.
Agree. I personally do not trust that Uconnect remote. It won't tell the current status. Even it shows the status, you still not sure your vehicle doors are locked open or locked close. No doors position shown.
The third party GPS do a lot better job. At least my other GPS do not waste time to activate it every time I start it.
My kids like it a lot better than Google Maps. But when I put on my phone a couple of years ago, it scrambled my phone directory (which is still messed up.) So I took it off and have not put on my new phone. Just check the permissions it asks for.......
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