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View Full Version : Major ONSTAR Rant!!

redthunder1996
03-27-2010, 10:33 AM
Onstar sucks big time. I just came back from Vegas, Disneyland, Bakersfield, San Jose, Reno and drove just over 3100 miles. I used Onstar a bit here and there. In general they way overpromise underdeliver on everything. When I signed up I gave them my credit card so according to them "they can make reservations for me and already have my card on file." NO, they call the Hotel that I want and transfer the call to me so I can try and do all that crap while driving down the road and reading my credit cards while digging through my ginormous wallet!! Pain in the butt. The turn by turn directions were a joke and very complicated to use if you're in busy or rush hour traffic. The operators would give stupid directions taking you off the interstate in montana to go down 2 lane roads all to save 10 miles. Retards. Luckily I brought my own GPS and took their directions as a supplement to my own just in case. HERE IS THE BIGGIE!!!

Between Winnemucca and Boise on the 95 about 45 miles south of boise, 25 miles North of Jordon Valley, My tire lost its tread. I have AAA and Onstar roadside assistance that I pay for. No cell service in the middle of nowhere, so I push the Onstar button. No answer. I push the Onstar Emergency button, No answer. I had to drive 20 miles on that tire at 30 miles an hour until the tire finally popped. I just bought this truck and it didn't have a Jack because Dave Smith throws everything away on used vehicles. Didn't think it a problem with both AAA and Onstar. After driving those 20 miles still no service from Onstar. When I finally got closer to Ontario they finally answered after I got help from some locals who were driving by. Onstar is a lie and DOES NOT WORK EVERYWHERE! They are cancelled. Oh yeah. And I pay $38 a month for their service because it is a diesel ($7) more than normal because diesels have more diagnostic needs. My check engine light came on and Onstar was not able to determine what if any was the problem. Useless.
mark6052
03-27-2010, 04:45 PM
onstar has many uses. on new vehicles they will tell you when a check engine lite is on. they did this for a customer. told him to pull over, and he didnt call them, they called him first! In the middle of montana he asked them if they knew where he was. they told him yes, his mile post and the fact he was speeding. when he did get to billings later the dealer didnot want to honor the warranty because he kept driving after the light came on and was told by onstar to stop. nice socialist society we have.
Jetblack
03-28-2010, 07:04 AM
On most cars, the check engine light meant one thing... for years. O2 sensor.

When the check engine light came on, in my Taurus, I'd just say "I'm sure it's still there."
redthunder1996
03-28-2010, 12:25 PM
On most cars, the check engine light meant one thing... for years. O2 sensor.

When the check engine light came on, in my Taurus, I'd just say "I'm sure it's still there."

Yes this was just like when the o2 comes on in my gas vehicle. Is diesel the same? I know pretty much nothing about diesel engines and their emmissions system. Anyone have any insight what would cause this to come on after a couple hours of driving and a couple hard excellerations. It does go off after sitting overnight...?
GetawayInMoscow
03-31-2010, 06:40 PM
Too much boost is my guess when you went up in elevation
3258
04-09-2010, 05:34 AM
I have heard many similar stories. On-star is the last thing i would want on a Obama-motors vehicle,
Mr. Hoy
04-09-2010, 04:32 PM
Talk about some shitty luck! I feel your pain, I broke down 20 miles north of Winnemucca (3/4 mile south of the chevron) a couple years ago with no cell reception, no onstar, nothing. OnStar can be useful, but when you're out there, I'm not sure that anything can save your ass. Luckily my phone is a smart phone and can jump onto other networks and I was able to get my situation figured out. Have you tried calling onstar customer service to talk about the issues?
redthunder1996
04-11-2010, 08:11 AM
Yes I did. They told me about it and offered me three months of free service. They explained exactly how it works. I explained to them that their marketing is misleading. They told me some people will lock their keys in their vehicle at the airport on purpose so they dont have to worry about them while on a trip and figured they can just call onstar when they get back to the long term airport parking. lol... appearantly if you leave your car for longer than 24 hours onstar cannot unlock your vehicle and those individuals have to call an expensive locksmith. She told me she gets calls several times a week of people doing just that. Same goes for if your hunting in an area with no cell service then again they cannot unlock your car, and the onstar wont work at all.

That stretch from winnemucca to boise is the worst stretch too. Dont break down there. lol
silver_echo
04-11-2010, 09:15 AM
so, onstar is based on cell service? that's interesting information...
redthunder1996
04-11-2010, 07:43 PM
The only thing that is sattelite based is the gps location and it only locates your car within a half a block they said.

Unlocking the doors, vehicle diagnostics, and all onstar emergency and regular services are done through cellular service only. They did say the anteanna on the vehicle is superior to your cell phone so you will get significantly better service than your phone would.
Jetblack
04-12-2010, 04:39 AM
The only thing that is sattelite based is the gps location and it only locates your car within a half a block they said.

Unlocking the doors, vehicle diagnostics, and all onstar emergency and regular services are done through cellular service only. They did say the anteanna on the vehicle is superior to your cell phone so you will get significantly better service than your phone would.

I wonder if they are comparing it to a Kricket phone. Two cans and a string are better than my service. More convenient too.