Many here will know I've always been an advocate for the value of OnStar services. I've always felt that for pennies a day, they offer quite a lot and since I am not a fan of runflats, the roadside service feature has been a "must have" for me.

I don't know if the recent events at GM have affected OnStar service performance and maybe my experience has been coincidental, but my opinion of OnStar has been significantly changed.

For a couple weeks I've been told by friends that when they try to call in to my OnStar phone, they get a message saying "the Verizon customer you're trying to reach is unavailable at this time." This is happening when I am in the car driving.

Yesterday, while driving on a San Diego freeway a tire valve stem blew (I recently change them out [poorly it seems]) and I pulled off to the shoulder. No other option but to call roadside service. I pressed the blue OnStar button, heard the prerecorded greeting but no one answered. I tried several times, no answer. I tried my hands-free phone and once again got the prerecorded greeting but no one answered.

I got out the manual and skimmed through to see if I was doing anything wrong. There it said to try the Emergency button if all else failed, so I pushed it but again - nothing.

So I put on the flashers, stood around for a while then decided to hike to a phone (no cell phone until next week.) Walked about a mile to a convenience store where after some discussion I was able to use his phone to call a tow truck which I paid for out-of-pocket. I also phoned OnStar several times and no one answered other than the prerecorded menu options.

Later in the day when the tire was fixed and I was home, I called OnStar again, this time from my home phone. I did get someone who after some discussion said I'd need to speak with the technical dept but they were closed on Sunday.

Today, after no success again with the buttons in the car, I called OnStar and spoke with someone in technical who acted as if he did not believe the events of the previous day. His diagnosis was to say I needed to bring my car into a Chevy dealer for repair.

I'd rather swallow broken glass than to take my car to a dealer. Got to find one that's still in operation now.

 

Try calling them from your car every day for the next couple of weeks. Maybe it was just a fluke that one day. I would be interested in hearing the results of that test. I just renewed 2 days ago for $149.00 and 100 minutes.

 

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.

 

Well there is a reason I don't pay for the renewal.

 

i would inundate them with calls for the next several weeks, always asking why they didn't answer when you needed them.

 

Push the blue button.

When they answer, ask, "Where is my car?"

The next part is worth all the money you pay.

 

Just checked my OnStar and it works fine.
Thanks for the heads up though

 

During the first year of ownership I kept the On Star running and more than half the time I attempted to use the telephone it was dead. Verizon does not cover the territory I drive it seems so I canceled the coverage. I now carry an AT&T cell phone and have better luck.

 

Contacted a dealer. Since my car is out of warranty, I will be billed for any repairs. This just gets better

 

I have a cell phone on me at all times and a friend that owns a huge body shop and will have a tow truck out to me in less than 15 mins (speaking of past experience).

 

Well duh, if they answered I wouldn't have a problem now would I?

 

I don't understand. A blown valve stem is no problem with runflats. You should have been able to keep driving to a safe location and simply had the stem repaired at your convenience.

Wonder what it would have been like on a dark, rainy night on a highway with more traffic? Well, at least you don't have to deal with all of the hyperbole about the perceived safety benefit of runflat technology.

 

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.

 

I'm interested too, I am ready to renew.

 

There is nothing wrong with your Onstar hardware.. they either set it up wrong or they just suck... I'm betting on the latter..

Makes me glad I dropped my service when it was up... I do see some value in it.. but it's mostly redundant when you have a mobile phone..

 

It does sound like a hardware problem with your OnStar module. I know that there is an open recall for the OnStar module on my '08 Cadillac CTS (built May '08) for a failure to connect problem but I don't know how widespread this issue is across the GM lineup. I haven't taken mine in yet but it is on my "to do" list; it is working fine at this point.

Depending upon how much time is left on your current OnStar contract you might contact them to cancel given it isn't working and perhaps they will be a bit more motivated to offer some assistance in getting the problem resolved.

I haven't used OnStar much but it has been well worth the cost when I needed it. I did lock myself outside of my pickup once while running errands in a snowstorm and was back inside in less than 5 minutes thanks to OnStar. Last year on a trip to the CO Rockies with my 5 year old daughter the check engine light came on as I was pulling back on the interstate. Since the pickup came up to speed fine I continued on the road and had OnStar pull and explain the code and it was due to insufficient EGR flow (Diesel engine with the EGR valve stuck closed). OnStar noted that I could continue the trip without concern and I should get it fixed within a few weeks (or before emissions testing). They also offered to set up an appointment with the nearest dealer if I still had concerns. Well handled and well worth the cost. Many insurance companies also offer some additional discount due to the stolen vehicle tracking capability through OnStar and this helps offset some of the cost of the service.

 

The cell phone installed in our cars does not use sattilite.

 

We had an OnStar unit fail in our '04 Yukon, dealer replaced it under warranty. Reconnecting it to Verizon was the 2nd day of that project.

Good luck.

 

He doesn't use runflats.

 

OnStar is strictly a cellphone connected to the car's computer. The car reports problems and uses GPS satellites to determine position but if you aren't in range of a cell tower, it can't call home.