I'm just surprised at how many email guys are here. I was starting to crack up when I saw SMTP brought in to the conversation :-).

We have three email guys now, it's like we brought a knife to a gunfight

 

Email is just an easy example and most people have had an email account at some time. I could have easily used say HTTP or web servers. It really doesn't matter. The point is that nothing happens unless you have code running.

 

So the crux of this I think, if I were to try to summarize from my perspective as a third party / mediator :-)

It sounds to me that the likely delivery of the valet code is via a local connection between the phone and the car (either bluetooth or cabled). The question is how the message is delivered (via the text "app" or via the Chevy app).

There is a potential delivery mechanism where the car could communicate via it's cellular data connection and then send it to the phone via SMS.

I think if it were to come via SMS texting, it would have to go through the cars cellular system.

I'll try to see if I can test it out myself and see what it does....

 

 

Well, doesn't mean it can't happen that way. Just means that if you didn't give the number and/or it can't pull it from your phone, then it would be impossible for it to work for you :-)

 

Or OS Service or something else

I would think that if it was dependent on the car's cellular data plan that it would have been specifically called out in the manual - something like "optional car cellular plan required". I can see no reason for them to hide that fact. Then again I can see no reason why they don't explain exactly what mechanism is being relied on.

Again, something easily documented in the manual wouldn't you think?

 

OK, so I screwed with it a little.

I first tried it with my phone not connected via Bluetooth. That immediately failed with the first picture below. According to the screen, the way I read it is you have to have previously connected with the car using BT AND that phone has to be in the vehicle.

So to me, the message certainly implies it is trying to do this over BT.

So then I unlocked it (key learning, you can't connect to the car with BT once it is in valet mode, another not very well thought out thing) and connected to BT. Then I locked it again and tried the recovery, that's when I got the second screen. Nothing on my phone.

Tried it again, this time with the Chevrolet app up and running, no message.

Tried it again, this time with it plugged in prior to locking (I know, it said BT, but figured I'd try it). Carplay came up, was connected that way, locked it, sent the recovery, nothing.

Went into my BT settings on my iPhone and turned on notifications for that connection. Nothing.

Now, a key message in the first screen I think is "this feature may not be supported by your phone". That would beg the question, what phones is it supported on! Would be nice if that was in the manual.

My manual and the infotainment guide says absolutely nothing about the recovery option, only how to enable valet. Haven't had much luck searching Google either.

Until someone can get some answers out of GM on this one I think it's a safe bet to make sure that you don't forget the valet key. Keep it simple, but wipe the screen so they can't see what numbers you pressed :-)

 

I would interpret "this feature may not be supported by your phone" to cover cases like ancient Android phones, phones that do not support BT at all, and perhaps phones like the iPhone, which I hear has never had a good relationship or implementation with BT.

I guess it may be possible on newer phones with OSes that fully support the complete BT chain required for this to work. I'm just question what's on the tail end, IOW in the phone, which is supposed to be responsible for showing that message to the user. Android OS? (Or IOS or whatever)? The default messaging app on the phone (whatever that is), the messaging app that was set as the default overriding the carriers version (e.g. Hangouts)? Or perhaps only works with OnStar's app. I don't know. So far I don't know of anybody that has even gotten this to work!

Maybe somebody should fake valet mode their car (IOW valet mode it and remember the code but say you forgot it), take their car to the dealer and say "OK how exactly do I use this Forgot Code option?".

 

Well, you excluded a lot of phones right from the get go :-)

My test was with an iPhone 7 Plus btw. To me, the logic of how they setup the recovery is flawed, but they didn't have a lot of choice. The code is plugged in by the user in the car, they're not going to transmit that code anywhere (many reasons not to do that) so it sits in the car. So to recover it, you need a trusted way to get it to you. Only thing that I can think of that would be trusted would be a paired phone, but the transports for doing that are limited...

There was another thread on valet mode where someone actually did forget the code. The dealer couldn't figure it out, called a couple other dealers, they didn't know, so they end up flashing the programming on the car and resetting everything!

I'll ask a dealer service contact that I hooked up with, knows vettes well...see what he says.

 

Before someone does this it would be helpful to know two things:

1. If you choose this option (the I forgot one), can you go back in and put it in after telling the car you forgot? I lost track if this is possible with all the tech talk.

2. How much would it cost if you took it to the dealer, and they unlocked it for you, because, unless your dealer is a really nice guy and likes you, I bet it won't be free.

 

I can answer the first question already because that is what I did in the testing. After saying I forgot it takes you back to the screen where you enter it and if you know the code you can unlock it.

In theory this needs to be the case because once the texted the code you (assuming that works in some reality) then you could enter it and unlock it.

 

The OP answered that. Yes you can. So that's not the point.

I would not let them. The question posed to the dealer was "How do you use the 'I Forgot code' option?". Any answer not directly addressing that or demonstrating that would be stopped with "No I really didn't forget the code but let's pretend that I did". It is literally that simple!

You need to learn how to be a little more assertive...

 

 

Everyone,

If we can't discuss this like adults, I'll just close the thread and hand out Spring vacations.


Please.....have we all stooped this low????

 

I should just let this go...But I had Fords from almost a decade ago that would run health reports, use my cell connected to sync to call Ford and upload. I then got a text telling me the report was in my email. This whole process took seconds and I would only know because status showed on the sync screen. This operation is very similar to me. But again, I am going to shut up now. No app is required.

 

It's even funnier when it is one smart guy and one stubborn guy.

 

Have you tried a Blackberry yet?

 

Chatted with a trusted dealer in regards to what they would need to do to reset the valet mode code. This was the response:
"We can erase the valet mode using GM's programming tool. We would need the car and both working remotes here to do it. The recovery process can be used only with a previously paired phone. You should be able to receive a text using a previously paired phone if you've lost the code or need it to be reset."

I told them that the paired phone thing seemed to be a mystery....but not sure they have any more details than what we already don't know! It does sound like the dealer recovery is pretty much a wipe/reload.