On*Star!

[tnpartsguy]

How many of you have On*Star?I'm not sure about the '09's, but the '06~'08, we get a bit shortchanged on On*Star. We can't get remote diagnosis, nor can we get service reminders. The phone works great, and I guess the air bag deployment notification works (I hope I never really NEED that feature) but I kinda think it's a crock that we have to pay the same fee per year and don't get all the features.

[ehoff121]

Quote, originally posted by tnpartsguy »How many of you have On*Star?I'm not sure about the '09's, but the '06~'08, we get a bit shortchanged on On*Star. We can't get remote diagnosis, nor can we get service reminders.I have OnStar and my understanding is that the remote diagnostic is not possible because the Vibe doesn't have "GM" electronics. Other brands that have OnStar have the same issue, e.g., Acura.I agree that it does suck having to pay full boat for a portion of the service, but GM can point to the disclaimer on their marketing materials, i.e., some features are not available on all vehicles.If a good buddy of mine didn't work for OnStar, I wouldn't have searched for a used Vibe that had it and I wouldn't have shipped the vehicle 600 miles.

[djb383]

I wonder what the deal is????? We get monthly OnStar diagnostics via email on our '06 Saturn Vue that has the Honda 3.5L VTEC engine/tranny.

[imspace2]

I feel for ya, I had an '06 Malibu SS before my GT and do miss the "enhanced" onstar, hell I could even get my doors locked or my trunk opened on the mali!!

[gimmegimme]

The unlocking of the doors is supposed to work (at least on the '09s). At least that's what the OnStar rep. told me. Has anyone tried it? Maybe I'll have to pretend to lock my keys in the car and have them "save" me.

[imspace2]

Thats the "Only" thing that works on our Ponyotas other than airbag alerts. I'd also love to have the GM DIC even though it might not be that accurate it sure was nice to have an idea of range and MPG.

[djb383]

A ScanGaugeII will do most of what the GM DIC does.http://www.scangauge.com/

[tnpartsguy]

Door Unlock works too (on my '06) I've used it 3 times.

[Alan]

When I set up my account I read the manual and it said door unlock NOT available on the 2009 Vibe. I questioned the advisor and she said it should work. She had me lock the doors while I sat in the car and it worked fine.

[Old Smokey]

While many of you may think that "On*Star" is a great item to have, but I think it is only for dummies who lock their keys in the car. For my 09 Vibe GT, I elected to have a key made and put it in my wallet for that time when I am dumbed out and lock my keys in the car. I know when to change the oil and perform any other maintenance tasks (read the manual). I also had a key made for my 04 GMC Envoy. Is it really worth what GM charged you for when you bought the vehicle not to mention the annual change. No Thanks!!Old Smokey

[Caretaker]

forget onstar for unlocking your doors!! has anyone tried the "have your spouse click the extra remote over the telephone while you place the phone near your car trick"???

[tribalman]

Quote, originally posted by Caretaker »forget onstar for unlocking your doors!! has anyone tried the "have your spouse click the extra remote over the telephone while you place the phone near your car trick"???nope, i'm single. :Di did have a family member at home do it. worked once. i haven't been able to replicate it. it might be because of my new phone. i forget, do you need to put your phone on speaker phone?

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Caretaker »forget onstar for unlocking your doors!! has anyone tried the "have your spouse click the extra remote over the telephone while you place the phone near your car trick"???There is absolutely no way that can possibly work... The keyless does not rely on sound, it's a 300-ish Mhz radio transmission, and your cell phone certainly isn't going to be around that same frequency- at least 800 Mhz or above.http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/keyless.asp

[VforVIBE]

The 2009 Vibe's Safe & Sound package includes:Emergency Services Automatic Air Bag Deployment Response Emergency Services Crisis AssistSecurity Services Stolen Vehicle Assistance Remote Door Unlock Roadside Assistance Remote Horn and LightsCalling Hands-Free CallingOnStar has a lot of really cool stuff like: Stolen Vehicle Slowdown and Automatic Crash Response... too bad the Vibe has none of those, although I'd pay to have them installed.

[tnpartsguy]

my '06 has On*Star.The major items from normal GM On*Star that don't work on my Vibe is remote diagnostics, and service reminders. Emergency Services, including lock-out, Crash Response, Roadside Assistance do work, and that's why I pay for it.I still don't think it's fair Vibe owners pay as much as say someone with a G6 coupe.....

[Old Tele man]

...IMHO "On*Star" is merely GM's poor attempt to make "something" out of an advanced technology that neither the USGovt (EPA, DOT) nor the public (auto buyers) wanted to "back" as a back-door BIG-BROTHER black box implementation of OBDIII (which Calif was drooling to get)...in the back of your Owners Booklet, read the GM/On-Star blurb about the recording of seat-belt use, vehicle speed and braking data being recorded and possible police / insurance company usage....and, yes, I was once associated with GMHE which did the satellite systems that GM now uses On*Star over.

[ColonelPanic]

I have a 2006 Hyundai that has a whole page in the owner's manual dedicated to similar big brother data logging features and it doesn't even have any on*star like technology. It's all saved in the air bag controller. Most cars now log this stuff, but it's only accessible when you have physical access to the vehicle and have the right equipment (and probably, authorization.)But if On*Star is beaming this stuff up continuously for anyone to access at any given time, that's a little creepy! I'm sure we're heading that way, just give it time.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »I have a 2006 Hyundai that has a whole page in the owner's manual dedicated to similar big brother data logging features and it doesn't even have any on*star like technology. It's all saved in the air bag controller. Most cars now log this stuff, but it's only accessible when you have physical access to the vehicle and have the right equipment (and probably, authorization.)But if On*Star is beaming this stuff up continuously for anyone to access at any given time, that's a little creepy! I'm sure we're heading that way, just give it time.I WON'T own a vehical with On-Star... I don't like being watched, I don't like someone knowing where my car is all the time... And yes, I have GPS tracking shut off in my phone... lol... E911 only.. lol..

[vibedrivermatt]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind » I WON'T own a vehical with On-Star...Well I don't want to own a vehicle with On-Star again. At least not on purpose. I think the emergency button on my rear view mirror should work whether I pay for this service or not.. I was very dissatisfied with this service in sooo many ways...It really makes me upset.. They need to make some serious policy changes if they want to have my business.. they've obviously outsourced a lot of work. I've been talking to people from india.. When they can no longer help you they switch you to someone who's american.. If your like me and you don't know your pin number.. they ask you your address and phone number for identification.. One time when getting switched between several people in an attempt to get directions, (which cost me money and failed) I had to repeat this information five times. This was incredibly intrusive There's also much more that's wrong with on-star..

[Sublimewind]

Oh, but they are getting SOOO much more info from you.. It's transmitting data all the time.. they aren't telling you that, but I bet if you got into a wreck with "odd" circumstances, they'd pull on-star records and see what you were doing when it happened.. Big Brother, he is watching.. lol..

[vibedrivermatt]

are you suggesting that onstar could use data from a crash to help aid an insurance company? that's silly. What would be their motive? It's just a crappy safety service... a really crappy safety service actually. the red button should be able call 911 for free on all cars equipped with on-star. If they want to provide any extra services, than that could happen at the customers request. I just got really fed up with the constant charges they were throwing at me, that coupled with the experience I had was enough to convince me I didn't want onstar.

[Caretaker]

I totally agree vibedrivematt. It is pathetic that OnStar won't keep the emergency button enabled even after we cancel their service. If they were smart, which they are not, they would have us sign an agreement that if we were in an accident and the airbags deploy, OnStar has the right to charge us $100 to call an ambulance for us. I'd agree to that in a second. OnStar could also have in that signed agreement that any time we pressed the emergency button, we'd be charged $25. I think any police officer that was in distress, or a person's home who was on fire would greatly appreciate that capability in those instances when our cell phone was not in our car with us. I'd sign up for all of that. But as it stands, I will pull the plug on OnStar the moment my one year service is about to elapse. I think it is a useless service at the price they charge now. To totally turn the system off and not have the ability to profit from the scenarios I've outlined, is typical GM ignorance, and another reason the company should be disolved.Sublime: you haven't been on a Bonnie and Clyde crime spree lately, or anything else you want to tell us about? Horseknapping? Stealing cable TV? Anything?? I really don't think that OnStar will be turning you in. Just give the horses back, and all will be forgiven

[star_deceiver]

When my year of free onstar is up, that's it, I'm not renewing it. And 50 cents a minute calling is really expensive!

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by vibedrivermatt »are you suggesting that onstar could use data from a crash to help aid an insurance company? that's silly. What would be their motive? It's just a crappy safety service... a really crappy safety service actually. the red button should be able call 911 for free on all cars equipped with on-star. If they want to provide any extra services, than that could happen at the customers request. I just got really fed up with the constant charges they were throwing at me, that coupled with the experience I had was enough to convince me I didn't want onstar. Plus I have no respect for thieves.OS is intermingled with the whole of the cars systems, on some cars it far more complex than others... Like someone I know with a Saturn Vue, got a call from OS one time, when they had a low/flat tire... IIRC..

[vibedrivermatt]

yeah another problem I had was how they tried to lay a guilt trip on me about getting the service.. "You need this to protect your family" they said and "You want emergency responders to be notified your airbags have gone off". Well Im single, don't have a family yet, and have been driving around for over ten years without on-star and don't feel any NEED to have it. In most crash scenarios, there's going to be other cars, with other people and lots of cell phones. These phone can be just as helpful in getting emergency help when needed. They have no right to try to force people into buying on-star. That's what they did to me.. it ended up causing me to lose money..be carefull when minuets on your hands-free phone expire so you aren't caught without them in an emergency. They charge you $39 (really 48.50) to give you the minuets back.. then they charge you $20 and change a week later to renew your service. Im pretty sure they did something illegal when they charged my card a second time without my approval. They offered me a discounted rate of 12.50 a month and 100 free minuets to keep my service on.. I you choose to keep your service don't pay more than that... I was so mad my phone was off in an emergency and that they made me cough up $48.50 on the spot. They should have offered that free 100 minuets when I needed it. They do not operate as a business should by treating people carefully..and being careful with their customers money money..

[tipdrill]

yeah GM should offer vibe customers a discounted rate. OnStar sent me a survey and I let them have it.