I recently purchased a 19 stingray which i am very happy with , just got the plates on it the other day, it was nice out the roads were clean from a rainstorm so off we went . Bingo the check engine light pops on (15 miles on car) ! Drive back home and put it away this was friday i think. Called 3 dealerships to get it looked at first one within walking distance they are booked till next week called second they say we'll call you back , called third one they will call back. Never heard back from second or third dealership so they are off my list . So i figure hey i'll go up to auto parts store and they will read it for me ( i need to get this done so i can get a sticker 10 days has already passed and need it yesterday ! )So i go down and unwrap the car start it up and bingo the check engine light goes out ! just like that ! So off i go and i get my inspection sticker no problem . Today i get a notification from onstar diagnostics report that my engine/ transmission needs immediate attention ! , press the blue button or call us . ok so i call onstar the guy starts trying to sell me more services ,i tell him im calling about the notice he says onstar didnt send it the dealership did, although it says they did in fact send the email! So after this annoying experience i check out my emails and i find out that the complimentary onstar service had expired on january 29th the very same day that the check engine light went out ! What a coincidence ! Or was it ? Did onstar somehow turn the check engine light on to get me to call them so they could try and sign me up for their service ? This guy i talked to had absolutely ZERO interest in answering why i was being told to get immediate attention to my engine/transmission and just kept trying to sell me the subscription , anyone else experience this bulls-it ?

 

Yes. OnStar risked ruining your perception of your brand new car by faking a problem to get you to sign up for a subscription.

Are you being serious?

 

I think it's a coincidence.

 

I tend to agree with ya but it just seems strange to me that nothing showed up when i went for my sticker .Cause they plug ya right into their computer

 

I think this is a coincidence, I didn't have this problem when the trial ran out.

 

Here's my rationale as being a coincidence. While GMs ethics are questionable when you consider bent / cracked rims where there is big money in play. I can't see an executive putting such seedy (illegal) practices in play for something so small.

 

Ya know i agree with your way of thinking , This could very well be a coincidence but if it were intentional im sure it could affect more than just corvettes and affect all gm products that offer onstar to its customers Im the type that doesnt trust any corporations they stop at nothing to bring up the bottom line . And although this is a small thing it could very well add up

 

I think it was a coincidence.
One thing you might consider doing is taking the car to your parts store to get them to check for history codes. When the SES light went out, the active code that caused the light to go on, would have changed to a history code. I suspect that the inspection only looks for current/active codes and that why there were no issues.

 

You might be right fireRoc ill have to check into that with my mechanic , could also have been a glitch who knows i did do some research and some have claimed after taking their car to the dealership that no records were found in the history after experiencing the cel ,thanks for the input

 

I am not saying that this is the case with your car but I have had similar occurrences soon after delivery on Corvettes and Camaros that require premium fuel, recommended 93 octane. The porter filled the tank with 87 octane regular gas that cause a check engine warning. The shop foreman was not happy when I insisted they drain the fuel before they caused engine damage due to improper fuel. The foreman tried to BS his way out of the situation by saying "they computer will learn and adjust to the fuel in the tank." The manufacturer's warranty specifically excludes engine damage due to improper fuel. Your problem may be something else but you might check into that possibility.

 

I don't want to involve myself in any argument here but Onstar has engaged in questionable solicitation and enrollment practices. I currently own eight late model GM vehicles and I have no active OnStar subscriptions on any of them. On six prior occasions OnStar slammed me for phone minute charges I refused, utilized a credit card from a previously owned vehicle to enroll and double bill me for annual and monthly subscriptions, including credit card monthly surcharges, without my knowledge or consent. Having cancelled subscriptions OnStar continued to bill for services that were cancelled in writing. I used to send a check annually but somehow OnStar was able to contact Chase and bill my Visa debit card that was never on file with them. I refused to provide information, enroll, sign paperwork for a "free trial" or push the blue button the involve myself with OnStar in any way. They keep calling, mailing and emailing "push your blue button" offers but I won't involve myself with them. A close friend who is the GM at the local dealership where I buy most of my vehicles thought I was exaggerating about OnStar until it happened to him. I spent hours on the phone with OnStar personnel trying to unravel the phony bills, complete with late fees. Similar situations have been the subject of litigation involving OnStar. I have not yet been successful in disenrolling my current 2017- 2019 vehicles from OnStar's "limited services." I know how and when to service my own vehicles, fill my tires, change my oil and diagnose problems either myself or at the dealer. I hate when my wife comes to me at 6:00 a.m. to put air in her tires because OnStar emailed her that she is 2 lbs. low on air. OnStar is just another profit generator, a marketing tool for GM to get you into the dealership for service, often when service is not needed. Some people like OnStar's services. OnStar is also an "intelligence" device for GM to keep detailed records on the condition of your vehicle, when you performed maintenance or not. In the event of a mechanical failure, GM will use OnStar data logging to challenge a questionable warranty claim if they can. I am not some conspiracy nutcase, this has been my experience

 

I certainly appreciate you coming forward with that info robwilker , im not a conspiracy nut job either but it does answer my question and seems to justify my op . In this day and age these corporations , especially the tech savvy ones have an upper hand when it comes to this bs . like my case i was advised by onstars diagnostic report sent from onstar that i needed immediate attention to my engine/ transmission and to push the blue button or call them and as i said before when i called all he wanted to do was get me enrolled and get my credit card # and had absolutely no info pertaining to the diagnostics report but told me to get it to the dealer , now the fact that the check engine light disappeared on the same day that my freebie expired may or may not have been a coincidence . I had onstar a few years back when i had my duramax pickup and the only time i used it was when i got locked out once. Like you said women could easily get rattled by something like this and immediately subscribe , but i question everything and trust no corporations especially GM. I could go on and on about the issues i had with that truck and their refusal to back up the warranty but thats on another forum , thanks rob for your input ! Good to know im not the only one who has had a suspicious experience with onstar

 

Most likely a glitch and nothing more... welcome to "electronic cars." Crap happens.

Don't assume correlation implied causality (OnStar doing something to cause the light simply because of timing. Such stuff happens all the time, but we seldom notice). It doesn't work that way. More importantly than OnStar (a minor hangnail would be more important than OnStar, imho), you may see a similar light next time you drive... or never again. I had one like that right after getting my new C5, and immediately got to the dealer who could find nothing--they too saw it flash on, but did not "set." In the intervening 18+ years I've not seen it since.

Forget about it... and OnStar... ENJOY!!!

 

OnStar can tell you what the codes are, you don't have to go to an auto parts store. Of course, you need an active subscription for that but if they were trying to sell you something they would have told you the code when you asked. The dealer can pull the codes when they do your first free oil change of it doesn't come on again before then.

 

my point exactly even though my subscription expired there should have been a record of it , they were in fact trying to sell or get me enrolled in a subscription thats all they were interested in ., i seriously doubt there was any issue to begin with period .

 

Guys! Cool your jets! A CEL is not a big deal at all unless it is FLASHING. It wasn't. Read your manual. I get frustrated with ALL NEW TECHNOLOGY which baffles many of my fellow 70 year olds, but new cars are SO FAR SUPERIOR in every way to cars even ten years old that it is not even comparable. We have a ten year old Jetta with 200,000 miles on it...and a new 19 Jetta with 30K trouble free miles. The new Jetta has a LOT more (reliable) features than our 19 2LT. AND the new VW gets 45 mpg on regular fuel!

As for the subscription hassle? Just say no.

I rest my case.

 

thanks for the info c7hooray

 

For what its worth number3 I purchased a Buick Encore back in November and I let the free trial for Onstar run out. I just received an email a few days ago from Onstar saying 3 mos for free eligible until 2/26/20. So I called and they said i could have it for both my Corvette and Buick and told me to cancel before the renewal date if I wanted to cancel. Maybe you can give them a call and see if they will offer it as a promotion for you to try with no obligation just in case the CEL shows up again. Hope this helps!

 

thanks grand wish !

 

It's not just women who become alarmed. My friend is a service director for GM and I have spoken with him and his predecessor about OnStar and the notifications customers receive. Both divulged that the entire OnStar system of monitoring and notification is part of a corporate strategy to increase customer visits to the dealer and provide more opportunity to sell additional products and services. Onstar/ GM also uses the system as a "big brother" of sorts to data log and use the information to their benefit. Read your agreement on the rights and privacy you give to OnStar/ GM when you agree to participate.OnStar hooks you with the so-called "free trials" when they get you sign agreements at delivery and record you CC info for services that I find totally unnecessary. I have navigation, google maps & direction, Android, Apple Car Play. cell phone etc. If you get locked out, call the local authorities. Most will obtain vehicle entry for you, sometimes by calling OnStar themselves. If your vehicle is stolen, report it to the police immediately. Police can contact OnStar themselves to locate a stolen vehicle or have the engine shut down while in pursuit. I know this for a fact being a retired thirty-five year LEO who has apprehended several felons and thieves in OnStar equipped vehicles. If having these services is important to someone, by all means they should subscribe. If someone is interested in the deceptive business practices that OnStar has been accused of, a little bit of online research, at the BBB, local bureaus of consumer affairs and Attorneys General will provide all the information on this subject you need. It is easy to find similar anecdotal information just look before you leap. Sales people at car dealers are told to repeatedly contact you to "push the blue button" until you "buy or die." That's my actual experience and I know it sounds extreme but my feelings regarding OnStar were entirely created by OnStars tenacious misconduct.