Jump to content

On Star

Haufski762
 Share

Recommended Posts

Haufski762 Enthusiast

Haufski762

Posted
Posted

Just curious how many guys keep the service after it expires? I know they have different plans. I do enjoy the ability to lock/unlock and start the truck from my phone but I am not sure if I fully utilize everything else. My plan will be running out soon. Should I just get the cheap plan or dump it all together? Any tips on getting good deals?

bobder41 Enthusiast

bobder41

Posted
Posted

I have kept onstar since 2004. Getting a break on my insurance and have used it several times. Once I left my dog in the truck with the motor running and she locked the doors when she hit the button. Had to call them to unlock the doors. My friend used them to track his stolen truck. The police had them turn the truck off and arrest the guy, no damage to the truck. 

  • Like 1
kickass audio Enthusiast

kickass audio

Posted
Posted

double check your build sheet if it came with connected service. I had my trial end and it ended the connected service feature that was part of the build sheet and I couldn't use the remote start, lock/unlock or any other commands from my phone and it also killed the AT&T 4g data on my 2023 RST. I called onstar and told them my truck was supposed to have the coverage for I think the build sheet said 3 years or 5 years something like that and they gave it to me along with 2 months of data connectivity. I've been testing turning off the data plan on my truck and use my mobile hotspot instead when my phone pairs up to the radio, data usage is pretty high for just driving around but it's typical mobile data usage for trip suggestions and traffic updates. I disabled auto map updates and auto app updates and run them usually every 2 weeks and it keeps everything working fine. With mobile hotspot it also gives me the ability to use the "hey google" feature to control everything like the temperature of the truck and what not. Without mobile hotspot or the AT&T plan for the truck you can use android auto by holding the mic button on the wheel for 5 seconds to use android auto's automation but it doesn't work as fantastic as the built in one with a data connection.

 

I know once my trial is totally gone I won't pay for onstar. The insurance break isn't anything more than $5 every 6 months for my premium which is a joke.

ember1205 Senior Enthusiast

ember1205

Posted
Posted (edited)

What you're essentially asking is how much value does OnStar have and does it line up with the cost of the subscription. Let me offer the following to consider:

 

OnStar has been around since something like the mid 90's. At the time, cell phones were still more of a luxury item than anything else so adding "telephone" services in the vehicle were of interest to many customers as it was FAR cheaper than getting a "car phone" installed. When cell phones became a mainstream thing, the phone service part lost some value. When -smartphones- became the norm, the data plans and turn-by-turn navigation became less valued. GM never changed their offering much, though. Same old tired services at rising prices.

 

Subscribership got so bad that GM changed the rules a few years ago and hard-bound three years of connected service into all vehicles and passed the cost along to the consumer. There was no way to opt out, and it was considered a factory-installed "option" that couldn't be removed so you couldn't argue the price of it. People still bought the vehicles, so GM decided to take away the mandatory service but still roll the price into the vehicle, increasing the margin on the vehicles.

 

They're likely still showing some of that revenue to support the OnStar business unit, but I'm willing to bet that their subscriber count is dropping again.

 

OnStar is a mostly redundant set of services compared to your smartphone at a monthly subscription price that is far too high for what little actual functionality you get.

Edited by ember1205
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Gangly Senior Enthusiast

Gangly

Posted
Posted

I could very well be mistaken, but I believe GM was contractually obligated to continue OnStar subscription services in their vehicles.  As a result of dwindling/no consumer interest in the subscription, but with a contractual requirement to continue its use in their vehicles, they began to mandate the "option" in their vehicles and tie in the price of a subscription with the purchase price of the vehicle to be able to keep from loosing money on it. 

 

Honestly, how many people prefer OnStar's navigation over Google, Apple, Waze, etc.?  1 person in 1,000?  If you're involved in a crash and want emergency response contacted, Apple and Andriod have done this for a while now.  Other than emergency services, and navigation, the OnStar services are obsolete, and I would argue even those options are obsolete compared to what's readily available on our phones. 

 

The GM app is nice, and being able to track, unlock, and remote start from a distance, etc. is nice to have, but that should be standard on higher end models, and not linked to a subscription based software.

ember1205 Senior Enthusiast

ember1205

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Gangly said:

The GM app is nice, and being able to track, unlock, and remote start from a distance, etc. is nice to have, but that should be standard on higher end models, and not linked to a subscription based software.

 

The app is largely useless. Aside from sending a control (lock, unlock, or start / cancel commands), it has little value. 


The tire pressure info is typically wrong as is the fuel level. Distance to empty is similarly often incorrect. The location data is not precise and this leads to problems in actually locating the vehicle if you need to. Most folks with a diesel are unable to see the DEF level. It won't tell you if the vehicle is currently locked or unlocked, running or not, etc.

 

The whole "Trusted Device" function they tried to add is largely worthless if you want CarPlay or Android Auto to work properly because launching either screen mirroring product kills the NFC functionality on the device to be able to auto-unlock your driver profile. The fact that they REQUIRE a driver profile now to make certain settings in the vehicle available (max volume at startup, for example) is another aberration on GM's part of genuinely not understanding how to write software. That's another whole topic to itself, though.

Gangly Senior Enthusiast

Gangly

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Phantom 4D said:

My 2023 came with 3 years of paid up ONSTAR with the mobile hot spot. 

That's what I am referring to.  I believe a severe decline in electing this as an option created a situation wherein GM made it "standard" on the purchase sheet now, and included it in the price of the purchase.

Edited by Gangly
ember1205 Senior Enthusiast

ember1205

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Phantom 4D said:

My 2023 came with 3 years of paid up ONSTAR with the mobile hot spot. 

And my 2024 cost at least as much as yours but I got none of that. They forced it down everyone's throat and showed the price. People bitched. They hid the price and removed the service. No more griping but the price of the truck didn't go down even though the actual service was removed.

 

Bikerjon Enthusiast

Bikerjon

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Phantom 4D said:

My 2023 came with 3 years of paid up ONSTAR with the mobile hot spot. 

My sticker shows 3 YEARS REMOTE ACCESS PLAN: ONSTAR AND WI-FI DATA CAPABLE.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • asilverblazer
      Intermittent no-code issues on 2022.5+ V8 trucks — what did the shop fail to capture?

      By asilverblazer · Posted

      Length/amount of data capture will be important to consider, sifting through 5 minutes of a data log can be enormous when it is stored in milliseconds. Being able to find the 'event' let alone decipher it.   Presumably the driver would notice something and hit a button to capture the 'window' of data. That window has to be large enough for the operator to recognize the event and react accordingly.    The data has to be able to be retrieved easily.   The data has to be able to be understood. Which is the biggest challenge, dealer techs won't even know what most of it is and would likely not even look at it if an owner brought it to them. Meaning the owner, the least educated/qualified, trying to understand it.    How will the data be presented? Could specific PIDs be selected and a timelapse graph be watched? How will a specific value be noted as abnormal? Additionally, a good data logger would be able to 'learn' normal values for a specific vehicle and flag abnormalities automatically. It could in theory watch parameters degrade over time and suggest maintenance as needed. (If the MAF reading begins tapering off for a given set of other readings - MAP, throttle position, Ambient, etc.. a flag to check air filter.) With the amount of data available, a device (really the vehicle rather than an additional accessory) should be able to do more than issue a DTC. It should be able to run the full diagnostic suite automatically and present a solution rather than a code. (It's not the 90's anymore). The technology is available for the vehicle to not just say "P0087", it should know low fuel pressure, check other PIDs to narrow down the problem itself, and determine if it is a lift pump, high pressure pump, regulator, leak in the fuel line, clogged filter, etc. Even if it can't narrow it down, it should be able to guide the user to the likely problems.   This would be a major problem for dealer service departments, which are the manufacturers customers it is in their collective best interest to NOT have this available to the consumer.   Further, if the owner is going to be the primary consumer of the data, it's got to be at a consumer price point vs. dealer only specialty tool price.   This group is more 'involved' in their vehicle than general public/consumer and will have knowledge, experience, needs and desires that are quite different from the market at large.   
    • KARNUT
      OCI, not when but why?

      By KARNUT · Posted

      I put the prof up. If you read what I posted. You can see that housing, cars and income are in line with the era we were talking about. It’s harder in some places easier in others. Let’s agree to disagree and put this back on track, OK? We both are pretty stubborn and hard headed. But I bring receipts. If you wish I will not respond to you in the future. 
    • Grumpy Bear
      OCI, not when but why?

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      Lets see if I can sum up two pages of nothing useful.    You want to refute your own governments data of the "Purchasing Power" Index FOR THE ENTIRE USA and its territories replacing it with the experience of a single family and its business and label that reality?  Then pound on that for a week hoping it will find traction?    Stan, I've told you several times. I don't do irrational. There are more people in the USA than your family.    I'm pretty sure this tread is so blown up. I'll give you a few days or months if need be to post yourself silent then I'll see if I can find enough parts of the train to reassemble it. 
    • asilverblazer
      VSE CCV Bypass - Anyone have this installed in their L5P?

      By asilverblazer · Posted

      Facebook groups hate VSE, poor customer service; their responses to criticisms are pretty poor for a reputable company. I'm not a customer, haven't bought anything from them, but how they handle themselves on social media is a definite "No" for me. 
    • asilverblazer
      Transmission Woes :-(

      By asilverblazer · Posted

      $10,000 for a transmission?   Pretty sure I could buy all the parts, tools, and education to rebuild it myself for a quarter of that amount.   or swap it out with a new one...

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...