I did a search on the forum about onstar and the thread goes to XM radio infomation. or what ever we have in our cars. My car is a 2017 base vert 2lt. Its time to pay for onstar if I keep it 378.67 a year to cover the Guidance plan. I may use onstar once a year for navigation. but my car has navigation I thought you had to have onstar to work with the factory nav. Can someone give this dummy some information about onstar vs what come with our car.

 

IMHO, if you have the NAV, you don't need OnStar guidance.

Elmer

 

If you have a 2016 and above you could just use Android Auto or Car Play. They're must better systems anyway.

 

On my '17,I believe we get 5 yrs of the free plan...which isn't much.

I went with the Protection Plan because it has the Automatic Crash Response at the lowest price.Less than $200 yr.

I have a pal that was in a crash and the car was overturned...which means phones were out of reach and he was hurt.This possibly saved his life.

These cars don't bend much,they break in a crash.
Just a little added security and just my opinion.

\db2

 

Onstar guidance and the nav system are completely separate. If you only use onstar once a year, then I would say it's not worth it. I personally would say that anyway, I'm not a big fan of onstar.

 

I use Waze app for guidance. Not a fan of On star. But to specifically answer your question, Nav system and On Star are separate systems.

 

I have Nav. I won't keep that but I will keep the accident deal. When my C6 was totaled by being rear ended and pushed under a Mercedes in front of me, what flashed thru was I wished I had the accident response. Fortunately I didn't need it but now I won't go without it.

 

^^^This. OnStar has several plans. Guidance, the most expensive, is IMO the least useful. You're asking OnStar to do what you could do yourself in any Nav System: Type in the address. "Security," the second tier, could be considered useful. OnStar can locate and disable your car of it is stolen. The basic plan still has crash detection and all that. XM Radio is an entirely different system. It does have traffic info, but IMO it's not that useful. It just tells you the obvious. Yup, there's a lot of traffic. Waze can do that. I'll never use it, even in the first year when it's free.

 

I never use it. Have it on five cars and I'm slowly letting it expire.

 

OnStar is a technology first developed in 1996 when cell phones were analogue. It probably was a good idea then, but most of its content since has been superceded by smartphone technology you can link to via Android Auto or Apple Carplay on your 2017 C7. The OnStar turn by turn nav is different than the optional nav system, but most people find neither is as useful as using GoogleMaps or Waze on one's own smartphone.

Since you already have the in-car nav you can use it instead of your smartphone nav if you wish. You don't need OnStar for that.

 

Technically, no one NEEDS OnStar unless one gets into an horrific enough accident that you cannot call for help, and the people around you have no cell phone coverage.

And before you all say "That could NEVER happen!" It does, and I was part of such.

I was on I25 south of Raton, NM, and encountered a very horrific one car accident, where many people had already stopped, and were providing assistance. I called OnStar via their red button, and was immediately hooked up with them. I told them what happened, and they informed me that mine was the first call that had gotten through to the authorities. There were many people with phones out and trying to use them, btw.

I stayed and coordinated with them regarding rescue needs until they showed up, which was over 30 minutes for the first truck to show up, and another 15 minutes for an ambulance.

I do not regret my OnStar subscription one bit.

 

I don't subscribe to OnStar's guidance plan because I don't need its navigation function. But I do have the lower level plan which is an OK deal because the automatic crash response can be a lifesaver. If you keep an OnStar plan in place you will probably qualify for an insurance discount which somewhat reduces the overall cost; I am not referring to the OnStar "driving behavior" reporting plan which I would NOT enable but most companies provide a discount because of the security features of OnStar. Check with your carrier if you aren't already claiming this discount.

 

My Insurance is less expensive due to having OnStar.

 

Have had my Grand Sport 3 weeks. I am not signing up for OnStar. In fact cut two round disks with a hole punch from black electrical tap to cover the red and blue lights! Since I had done the same and did not have to see them in my 2014 for 3 1/2 years, when I automatically scan all mirrors they made me think a cop was behind!

I have still not finally decided but don't think I will sign up for XM that in my 2LT I believe I get free for a year. I got used to using a thumb drive with ~1000 songs that play in shuffle mode automatically when I start the car. They are songs I pick, not back sides of records of "oldies" songs and if I want to skip one a flip of the left lever on the steering wheel goes to the next. Occasionally I want to hear one again so a flip of the other left steering wheel lever just before it ends and it repeats!

Enough noise in the Vette from tires and little sound deadening I use the radio to drown it out! The sub woofer in the rear and the NPP set at "always Track" is a help!

I'm not into wrap and if there is a new song I want to put on the list I may buy it or find it on Youtube, convert to an MP3 and put in on the flush mount thumb drive. The US based YouTube program I was using for years to do that been removed as they were being sued! However there is a program from Germany that still works (or did.)

Did not buy NAV, am using my Garmin that I mounted in the Cubby behind the LED screen. This is a PDF of the aluminum base frame I made to mount it without removing the felt covering: http://netwelding.com/GPS_In_Cubby.pdf

Works great and has FREE updates. Fine I am using it on MAP so I can see the "speed limit," the one thing I miss that my 2014 3LT with NAV did have.




Cubby is covered with fine felt so suction cup mount won't work. Used an 1/8 inch thick aluminum base with side that press in the top so the Garmin doesn't move over bumps.

 

That works if you have an address. But if all you have is a place name. On star works.

Now if I wasn't rich, I wouldn't have it, but I just don't care so I have it.

And that's the truth...lol

 

Not worth the money.

 

Jerry, I just gotta say this-while I appreciate the skill set/ingenuity and savings in dollars in setting that garmen behind the screen, you have a gorgeous new GS and that just appears to be an eyesore to look at compared to an OEM navi or using apple play on the full screen for the navi. Just my opinion and I will take in good spirit whatever flames come my way.

 

I have the OnStar Protection plan on all 3 of my vehicles. Even the 2003 Tahoe which I had updated to the digital technology about 10 years ago. I get diagnostics help, the ability to purchase minutes for the OnStar phone which can reach cell towers a hand held unit can't reach and provide coverage in what would otherwise be a no service area for most providers.

One thing I did find out about the Navigation Plan is it can help update the in car Nav once info is downloaded to it from OnStar. I have two 2015 vehicles and neither has my home address which didn't exist before 2014 or a section of one of the local interstates since it didn't open until June 2015. When I used OnStar to download directions to the Nav unit it included routing across that part of interstate and my home location. Suddenly my Terrain Nav unit knew where things were and kept that information.

Bill

 

OnStar is going the way of buggy whips for obvious reasons.

 

The only thing OnStar gives me that I'm interest in is the phone app and monthly diagnostics. I could live without the latter, but the app is useful if you get locked out of your car (unlikely but not impossible). Both are part of the basic plan that's free for five years. Nav and phone services are of no interest to me. I didn't use them at all in my 2015 that I owned for two years and won't use either in my new GS, as I'll let the three-month intro expire in one month.