Just bring your cell phone and save some money.
OnStar's Recent Performance
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 282
Likes: 40
From: Seattle WA
Okay I must be misinformed...
Doesn't the On-Star system use satellites for communication with the vehicle? Once you add a Verizon line to your Vette to use via the On-Star service doesn't it use those same satellite comunications? I thought that was the whole idea of either pre-paying On-Star for phone minutes, or adding a Verizon line to the car. I was under the impression there shouldn't be any "Dead Areas" using either one of these communication options.
Does On-Star's phone minutes utilize standard cell towers?
U.M.
Doesn't the On-Star system use satellites for communication with the vehicle? Once you add a Verizon line to your Vette to use via the On-Star service doesn't it use those same satellite comunications? I thought that was the whole idea of either pre-paying On-Star for phone minutes, or adding a Verizon line to the car. I was under the impression there shouldn't be any "Dead Areas" using either one of these communication options.
Does On-Star's phone minutes utilize standard cell towers?
U.M.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,639
Likes: 8
From: Madison Wisconsin
St. Jude Donor '08
I've had some troubles recently just using the phone part of it. After telling it who to call it says it's calling and then just goes dead. usually it will work if I try it again once or twice more. I called and told them it was an intermittant problem. They told me to try calling them with it when I got home (didn't have the car when I called them). I forgot to call and they called my house to remind me. Been working ok lately.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 647
Likes: 0
From: Minnetrista MN
I am not sure about that...I have used my onstar with a verizon plan many times when I had no reception on my cell. Maybe the car just gets better reception than my phone, but I have used it many times in the middle of nowhere (montana, northern mn) where i am almost sure there is no cell service. I have never once not had service from the onstar phone.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,619
Likes: 101
From: Prattville Alabama
Learn something new every day!
U.M.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,610
Likes: 12
Dealer said bill to replace unit would be $3,628 out-of-pocket. Screw it. I called OnStar and canceled subscription. They'll send refund for several months, which I'll put towards either a roadside assistance insurance add-on, or AAA whichever offers a better deal.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,610
Likes: 12
I've been out of warranty for a 1 1/2 years. Dealer said I had to pay for parts/labor etc and there would still be no guarantee that it would solve the problem. And when OnStar says their tech dept is closed for the weekend, how do you solve that? And when they don't answer their phone, how do you solve that? That's why I canceled service.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 19,574
Likes: 167
From: Frederick, MD
Has it EVER worked since you had the upgrade? This is a good story for RunFlats since an air pump or fix-a-flat couldn't fix this while a run flat owner would just go to the next garage. At least you found out your OnStar was broke.
Your car's phone is more powerful than your normal cell phone so it has better range. There are still a bunch of holes, especially out west. I ops checked it a few times in the middle of nowhere. It worked at times when my cell phone didn't, othertimes it was useless.
Then it is a good time to have a HAM radio with you. Find a repeater and you'll find someone out there.
Your car's phone is more powerful than your normal cell phone so it has better range. There are still a bunch of holes, especially out west. I ops checked it a few times in the middle of nowhere. It worked at times when my cell phone didn't, othertimes it was useless.
Then it is a good time to have a HAM radio with you. Find a repeater and you'll find someone out there.
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 684
Likes: 38
From: Sagle, Idaho
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
What performance? The performance and service was so bad I cancelled the account 2 months after I took delivery of my 08Z and never looked back. Everyone I know from my parents, brothers and friends have had serious problems. Just not worth it.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,446
Likes: 314
From: Tarpon Springs FL
FL Events Coordinator
Sorry for your troubles....but sometimes it isn't the best deal but the best service that is important....And for what it's worth, AAA seems to have the best service.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 164
Likes: 6
From: NJ
The main idea of Onstar is that they will contact police, fire, ems and be able to send them to your exact location. I had a client who fell alseep at the wheel and drove off rt 80 in PA down an embankment. unconscience in the vehicle he was unable to use his cell phone, however onstar contacted the vehicle and when they received no response they sent ems to his location. He would have bleed to death in the car because you could not see the vehicle from the highway or any signs that a vehicle drove off the road.
That's the piece of mind that $199 buys you per year. Hopefully we never need to use them.
That's the piece of mind that $199 buys you per year. Hopefully we never need to use them.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 174,312
Likes: 1,217
From: Here
Pilot of Beer Force 1
Tampa Regional Coordinator
CI 4-5-6-7-8 Veteran
Organizer St. Jude Fundraiser
I believe in the Beer Fairy
The flip side...
My wife had an accident a week ago last Thursday that may have totalled her new Malibu. There was a deployment of the airbag and when she called me I could hear OnStar asking if she needed assistance. She told them yes and I overheard them telling her exactly where she was. Needless to say, I was out the door and on my way. The whole thing was exactly like an OnStar commercial and I was extremely impressed.
My wife had an accident a week ago last Thursday that may have totalled her new Malibu. There was a deployment of the airbag and when she called me I could hear OnStar asking if she needed assistance. She told them yes and I overheard them telling her exactly where she was. Needless to say, I was out the door and on my way. The whole thing was exactly like an OnStar commercial and I was extremely impressed.
hope she is OK
Instructor
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
From: Katy Texas
She's fine, just bummed about her Malibu. It was 5 months old.
I understand the reasons surrounding wanting a phone connected to the car, but I strongly believe the "real" reason for OnStar has nothing to do with calling "Friends and Family". It's a safety feature and frankly - it's damn good. Within a minute of the air bag deployment in the wife's car - before the powder smoke cleared, OnStar was calling. As I said earlier, she had called me on her cell phone and I could hear her talking with OnStar. She was disorientated and shaken, but OnStar knew exactly where she was. They told her the address - which I overheard - and I was out the door of my office and on my way.
I'm not sure at what point I'd feel the service was too expensive, but $199 a year ain't it. I pay $150 a MONTH for my BlackBerry and if I'm wadded up in a wreck it ain't calling no one. And the only way the BlackBerry will open a locked car is if I use it to bust a window (and I'm not real sure it could do that).
I understand the reasons surrounding wanting a phone connected to the car, but I strongly believe the "real" reason for OnStar has nothing to do with calling "Friends and Family". It's a safety feature and frankly - it's damn good. Within a minute of the air bag deployment in the wife's car - before the powder smoke cleared, OnStar was calling. As I said earlier, she had called me on her cell phone and I could hear her talking with OnStar. She was disorientated and shaken, but OnStar knew exactly where she was. They told her the address - which I overheard - and I was out the door of my office and on my way.
I'm not sure at what point I'd feel the service was too expensive, but $199 a year ain't it. I pay $150 a MONTH for my BlackBerry and if I'm wadded up in a wreck it ain't calling no one. And the only way the BlackBerry will open a locked car is if I use it to bust a window (and I'm not real sure it could do that).
