24RiptideBlue

That sucks if you are being overcharged because gm made a buck grading and selling your cars telematics….

I generally don’t like insurance companies….. for many reasons but I have had good experience with Amica… they are a “mutual insurance co” which means they are owned by the policy holders. Does that matter? No idea but arbitrary profit targets by executives in some companies makes them behave badly.

Amica offers car insurance in every state except Hawaii. And they claimed when I called a few weeks ago that they do not use LN driver scoring reports.

However….. nothing is simple….. They also said they use LN reports but only to retrieve DMV/RMV information (tickets, suspended license…) which LN also obtains and collates for sale to anyone interested…. This makes sense when an insurance company wants to know if you have had your license suspended in your current or any other state… not practical to contact every DMV/RMV in the country to check on your driving record (your real driving record…. tickets etc) not some made up gm nonsense….

whalepirot

Great info in most of this thread, from a multi-Vette owner considering a C8..This data collection was a nail in the new Vette purchase coffin for me back when it started.
The report I read [distrust] siad had stopped the data collection which also occurs with Jeep, etc. [as if I trust ANY media]

My recent ins. rates hikes [100%+] had me cancelling American Family, for Armed Forces coop. Sadly ArmedForces underwrites Progressive on auto policies. I never considered USAA after they lied to me the third time, during a supposedly guraanteed-forever redo of shoddy paint work on a prior Corvette, repaired at their recommended[ however lousy] shop. That was atop recent double-the-others quotes for coverage. Geico was equally dishonest in coverage amount and purchase trial period coverage onset. FWIW, they stated 10 grace days, while USAA had 30 day, regardless of state. Their new CEO is not exMilitary and it shows.

I appreciate the rates comment about Corvette Museum collector policies [having cars insued with them]. Hagerty was never cost-competitive and far more onerous is annual mileage reporting than Grundy.

I go to some extremes to protect my privacy but it is more and more a losing battle, even if protesting with my wallet. I may well stick with my uber-low miles '87 Callaway versus getting a C8. My driving reecord is excellent, but I do need some full-throttle-therapy now and then.

24RiptideBlue

Why I’m so glad I cancelled Onstar….

Been reading my manual, more like skimming but regardless….

On page 345….. of a 348 page manual…. there is the Onstar information regarding privacy and software updates…. On the third to the last page 🙄…. It says

”Onstar or gm may remotely deliver software updates or changes to the vehicle without further notice or consent….. These updates or changes may also collect personal information. Such collection is described in the Onstar privacy statement at the time of installation (which you don’t hear if Onstar is activated by the dealer before delivery as mine was…)…. An active Onstar agreement constitutes consent….”

Hopefully Onstar honors its commitment to disconnect me but at a minimum Onstar no longer has my consent to collect personal information 🙄.

EvanZR1

I finally got my Verisk response and their response was that while the vehicle listed was from a brand that reports driving behavior, they have found no driving behavior records for the VIN I provided. So at least for me, opting out of Smart Driver worked properly.

bearone2

sorry, picking this up from a newer thread!!

maybe open wi-fi but my wi-fi's secured, car isn't paired.....is onstar still connecting....will shark app show anything??

Andybump

The car will not connect to an external wifi network unless you ask it to connect (if that is what you are asking). It does not matter if the network is password protected or not. But, if you do ask it to connect (and give the car the password if the network requires one), then the car will remember the network and it will connect. If you are asking if the car can secretly connect to an open WiFi network (no password) that you have not asked to connect to, I'm thinking not. There are cautions in the manual about the security risk of connecting to an unknown network.

Onstar also connects directly via the 4g cell capability, unless you have found a way to disable that (which has been discussed in several threads).

bearone2

thanks

payne7744

When I get my C8, told dealer No Onstar or phone app. Will this hinder me in any way?

Andybump

What does "no OnStar" mean? You can decline the subscription service, and I think you can decline the free trial. Maybe. But, as far as I know, you can't shut down the 4G connection to the telematics module. If it was that easy, seems like that would have come up in the lengthy discussions to disable/disconnect the 4G antenna.

I think the app is needed to access and verify that the smart driver feature is off - of course its a moot point if its possible to prevent communication with OnStar.

AzDave47

It is easy to access where you turn off Smart Driver in the App. I didn't want any of that either, but a couple weeks ago I used the App to verify and then shut off Smart Driver, that has been reporting on me for 15 months.

Car Junkie 24

Update on lawsuits:

https://pennrecord.com/stories/65787...dated-into-mdl

Looks like these are going to be consolidated into a nationwide class-action lawsuit.

RKCRLR

It will be interesting to see if GM and LexisNexis/Verisk start pointing fingers at each other. And if GM starts pointing fingers at the dealers. It appears that dealers were incentivised to sign customers up for OnStar. I wonder if the root of this problem it that dealers enabled SmartDriver without customer consent.

jcthorne

No, it was Onstar that enabled Smart Driver by default rather than asking for customer consent. AND even after turning it off, re-enabled it during software update. Nope, OnStar is fully on the hook for collection, selling and real damages to users for improper collection of private data. This lawsuit has plenty of meat but will be tied up in court for years. Each member will likely get $1.98 off a future GM car someday.

thunderstrike

Excally what happened to me -- MM signed me up to Onstar, even though I marked on the order paper NO ONSTAR.
________________________________________
Currently own:
2019 Mustang GT Premium 6MT Daily Driver
2023 Corvette Stingray 2LT
2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
2009 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

Andybump

I'm still not clear on this. I am under the impression that there are differences between activating OnStar, vs enabling smart driver, or enrolling in subscription service. One can decline to be enrolled in the trial subscription service -I suppose. But even without any OnStar services, the telematics module is still running, till has a 4G connection, and can still communicate with the OnStar center. Is it even possible to sell a car without "activating OnStar"? If it really is as simple as just not activating it, then why are we discussing disconnecting the antenna or covering etc. ? Just call OnStar and have them turn it off (but I don't think its that easy).

RKCRLR

GM is axing Smrt Driver:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antonio...h=150a0b7e46f1

24RiptideBlue

I hope this gets massive publicity and anyone who saw their insurance skyrocket gets compensation and punitive damages. I hope gm gets nailed to the wall for this.

What gm was doing would be illegal for the FBI to do…. Our laws are so far behind modern technology that private companies are actively still doing what would be and still is illegal if the FBI did the same thing. This is where something called “ethics” is supposed to kick in…. Apparently that is in short supply at gm senior management…. Shocking I know….

24RiptideBlue

You can call Onstar and ask if the Smartdriver feature is activated. My dealer who activated Onstar before I took delivery, told me it was off. Onstar told me it was on…. And turned it off for me….

The worst thing for me is as said above you cannot turn off the cars 4G connection. How gm pays for every car it sells to be permanently and continuously connected is staggering. AT&T is the gm provider and folks should complain that the connection they provide gm, with no means for owners to turn off, is maddening.

Among the far too much reading I have done on this subject it was recommended that owners NOT put the car app on their phone. I will never give a car company access to my phone. As I posted elsewhere the gm manual says an active Onstar account indicates “consent” to collect your information AND they do collect personal information. So gm isn’t just collecting your car’s information. It’s collecting your personal information. And through the app you give gm consent and access to everything on your phone.

Yea…. That’s a big negative ghost rider 😎

You can’t turn off the 4G connection, we need engineers to keep working on this because no one is truly safe until the transmissions stop. But canceling your Onstar and not having the app on your phone removes your “consent”. Does that matter? No idea but I was pondering sending a letter to gm HQ legal that says something to the effect of “I have cancelled Onstar and requested my vehicle VIN 123ABC be disconnected from the network…. Effective immediately I am canceling and revoking any consent gm/Onstar or any subsidiary believes I agreed to when purchasing this car”.

Will that make any difference? No idea but as gm makes “consent” something they seem to point to when people complain it can’t hurt to revoke any consent gm believes it has regarding my car.

JToddH

Mine took about 10 days and had no driving info.

whalepirot

Did you know that 'LN' reports ALL info, including 'free' glass chip repairs? Having just changed insurance, I discovered that, thus effectively, my driving record was downgraded, despite zero tix or accidents, but elevated my risk profile and rates.

After some online reading, I recently used a RainX kit [$12@WallyWorld, NAPA, etc.} on another car and my first-timer result is visibly superior to either of two 'professional' jobs.There are many brand choices, but RainX was rated higher than most. No, I neither work for have any $ relationship with them.