My home link also works when the ignition is off. It’s not ideal, but I’ve had regular openers in my cars for 30 years, so maybe I’m just complacent.
Honda paywalls garage door opener
- Thread starter BobsArmory
- Start date
My home link also works when the ignition is off. It’s not ideal, but I’ve had regular openers in my cars for 30 years, so maybe I’m just complacent.
Its definitely a first world problem. I could just deprogram it and use the visor clipped remote I can take in if it bothered me severely.
but the design choice to always power it is questionable.
Took me a while to figure out how to train our 3 Honda Link cars to the remotes. It’s pretty neat howver not sure I’d pay unless they set it up.
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So they're not connected to the internet - so being more complicated wouldn't be the case.
I own things I've never hooked up too, where I just use them the old fashioned /uncomplicated way. I'm not sure what your point is.
The toilet reference was made in jest.
CleanSump
Site Donor 2026
You need to see some of the Japanese and Korean high end toilets!
I'm not for it at all but I can imagine what salesmen/women will go through.
I'm guessing a salesman will deal with it like this with customers that don't like it: Your payment for 60 months on that new Pilot is $782 with $6K down and MyQ for 5 years after the trial is $179 which is $2.98 a month, don't let it get you down. The sales guy could add some brand bashing if needed like: You can buy a Nissan... that doesn't have it and see how much that will cost you in repairs and lost resell value in 5 years because that $179 bothers you.
I'm guessing a salesman will deal with it like this with customers that don't like it: Your payment for 60 months on that new Pilot is $782 with $6K down and MyQ for 5 years after the trial is $179 which is $2.98 a month, don't let it get you down. The sales guy could add some brand bashing if needed like: You can buy a Nissan... that doesn't have it and see how much that will cost you in repairs and lost resell value in 5 years because that $179 bothers you.
There’s a way to modify the wiring to a HomeLink mirror to make it active only when the car is on. I need to do that mod to the family fleet.
This comes after Honda suddenly and unexpectedly removed support for a bunch of vehicles from their HondaLink app back on March 5, 2026. Some vehicles like the 2025 HR-V EX-L and 2026 Ridgeline Trailsport weren't even a year old.
HondaLink definitely isn't a must-have feature, but it is a nice to have for remote start beyond line of sight and being able to easily locate a vehicle. The more frustrating thing is it was sold to owners as a feature for and suddenly is unavailable because reasons. What happens when this same behavior is applied to more critical or must have features of vehicles?
As software and connected digital technology get integrated deeper and deeper into vehicles, I fear that both planned obsolescence/forced vehicle upgrades and nickel & dime subscriptions will become commonplace across the majority of new vehicles and manufacturers.
(and the list of vehicles goes on...)
HondaLink definitely isn't a must-have feature, but it is a nice to have for remote start beyond line of sight and being able to easily locate a vehicle. The more frustrating thing is it was sold to owners as a feature for and suddenly is unavailable because reasons. What happens when this same behavior is applied to more critical or must have features of vehicles?
As software and connected digital technology get integrated deeper and deeper into vehicles, I fear that both planned obsolescence/forced vehicle upgrades and nickel & dime subscriptions will become commonplace across the majority of new vehicles and manufacturers.
(and the list of vehicles goes on...)
I would subscribe to disabling their VCM garbage 
I'm such a grumpy old man at heart, I laughed so hard at this.
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
EXACTLY. This is the kind of thing that should get a company like Honda's CEO or whatever genius came up with the idea tossed out of the job ASAP. As someone said: "Desperation time?"
Honda and others are figuring out the pricing model my barber already has:
Haircut: $10
GOOD haircut: $20.
Haircut: $10
GOOD haircut: $20.
Easier said than done. On my CHR for example, the communication module is a pass through for the Bluetooth mic, so if you disconnect the module, you lose the ability to talk hands free.
The only other option is to de-solder the e-sim chip to stop any communication.
Some cares still use a physical sim, so these should be pretty straightforward.
Am I missing something or is the article rage bait? The MyQ basic use is free. The MyQ up tiered subscriptions were not, so the user can pay for MyQ integration with their car, or they can use the app for free on their phone, or they can purchase the optional Home link mirror, which was always part of higher trims
I don't know of any any full-service app-controlled car services that are without subscriptions.
I don't know of any any full-service app-controlled car services that are without subscriptions.
Owen Lucas
$100 Site Donor 2023
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I think it applies to garage openers using the remote app, which requires a cellular signal. I can still open the garage door with the muttons on the rear view mirror.
I pay for the remote service, IIRC $99 a year. A little much but in case we somehow get locked out, it's an extra security layer. It's also nice seeing tire pressures and oil percentage.
Luckly, because my 2021 is an Elite model, somehow it was excluded from the app deprecation despite some 2025 models losing the full service.
I can understand paying for the cellular service, I don't expect the cell companies to provide me a service for free.
Turning off tire pressures and OLM, systems which use sensors and algorithms built into the vehicle that I "own", would absolutely infuriate me. I own those sensors and that ECU, Honda does not. Vehicle would be for sale the next day. I'm sure there's some T&C in the fine print that is agreed to when someone purchases said vehicle allowing this, else there would be a flurry of class action lawsuits immediately.
I still shake my head at this stuff, I can't believe anyone accepts this. All of those vehicles should rot on the lot until manufacturers pull their heads out of their backsides.
End rant, thank you for listening. Going to go hop in my intentionally very dumb unconnected-to-anything car and go take a walk in a park.
Owen Lucas
$100 Site Donor 2023
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I agree with you, if it can be updated via bluetooth to the app when you are in the car, awesome.
A while back, some of the older Pilots modems, IIRC had to be changed out or stopped functioning because they were on 3G
Here's some research....$20 cellular connectivity license for OEMs? Wow!
Manufacturer Use of Background Connectivity
While consumers often pay for "front-end" features like remote start, automakers utilize the background "back-end" connection for several internal reasons:
- Warranty Cost Reduction: By monitoring real-time vehicle data, OEMs can identify faults earlier, potentially cutting the time and cost of repairs by half.
- Predictive Maintenance: Using AI to analyze data logs helps manufacturers spot anomalies before a formal warranty claim is even filed.
- Data Harvesting: Some vehicles communicate with cell towers to send data back to the "mothership" even when a user declines to subscribe. This data is often used for marketing or sold to third-party data brokers.
- Low Lifetime Costs: The actual cost of this connectivity is surprisingly low for the manufacturer; for instance, a 4G license can cost an OEM as little as $20 for the entire life of the vehicle
So I guess it was a courtesy that Honda was giving with some basic data, and the cost might have increased or some technical issue.
