So I signed up for OnStar last week...

"LJ909" (lj909) 02/16/2016 at 19:22 • Filed to: None

1

14

And it kind of sucks. I've had my car for over a year now and the only thing that made me decide to get it was an offer I got in the mail. Honestly it sucks. Not the service itself but the fact that they are still around. Modern smartphone technology has made most of the features useless. If I want directions to my favorite restaurant in L.A. I can get it on my phone within seconds. With OnStar I have to press the blue button, wait for it to connect,wait for the computer to tell me my call is connecting, talk to an actual representative and ask for directions, wait for it to be sent to my car and then and I can get directions. Takes about 5-7 minutes. The only thing good about OnStar is the emergency services. Other than that get rid of them GM.

DoYouEvenShift > LJ909 02/16/2016 at 19:37

1

Emergency serices is the only reason to have it really. When people on the phone rear end the car in front of them, it can call an ambulance for you.

deekster_caddy > LJ909 02/16/2016 at 20:01

0

I can’t believe they want $20/month for it. The only thing of value is the airbag deployment emergency calls. I had a “3 year free” from when I bought my car that expired in December. No hard feelings, GM, but I use my phone for all of that stuff.

deekster_caddy > DoYouEvenShift 02/16/2016 at 20:02

1

Not for $20 a month. I’m taking the odds that if my airbags deploy either somebody else will be around to call it in, or I’ll be someplace where there is no cell signal anyway so Onstar wouldn’t work.

Big Bubba Ray > LJ909 02/16/2016 at 20:08

0

Just wait until you get locked out of your car and don’t have access to the spare key! Then you’ll be thanking OnStar more than you can imagine.

I work at a carwash and the new Escalades have a terrible habit of locking themselves for some reason. For example, yesterday I pulled a car out of the wash, turned it off, unlocked all the doors, jumped out and checked both driver’s side doors to make sure they were unlocked. They were. I began drying off the car, it honked 30 seconds later and immediately locked all the doors with the key fob in the car for whatever reason. Luckily the owner had OnStar and they instantly unlocked his car when he called. Pretty cool stuff if you ask me.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Big Bubba Ray 02/16/2016 at 20:12

0

I prefer the Ford keypad. It's handy when you can purposely lock your keys in the vehicle and then punch in the code to unlock it. Keeps you from worrying that the keys will fall out of your gear when skiing or biking.

Big Bubba Ray > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 02/16/2016 at 20:22

0

The Ford keypad definitely trumps OnStar but you’d be surprised how many Ford owners don’t know the code to get back into their cars! Long explanation here, but here goes because I have experience with this at work haha

Sometimes the employees, like myself, have to ride cars through the car wash. Teslas, any hybrid Toyota/Lexus, and cars with the ZF 8 Speed Auto (JGC SRT-8, Chrysler 300/SRT-8, etc.), Maseratis, a whole slew of cars. At least once every day we will have to ride a Ford through the wash. The first question I ask the owner of the car as to why I have to ride their car through is, “do you know the code in case you get locked out?” The answer is always a “no.” The Ford keypad would be a winner if people weren’t so fucking lazy haha

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Big Bubba Ray 02/16/2016 at 20:40

0

Wow, it’s so convenient I don’t know how people don’t use it. I use mine almost every day.

What is the reason for having to ride cars through the car wash?

Big Bubba Ray > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 02/16/2016 at 21:09

0

The Ford could and should be a hit but people are too stupid to remember their codes!

We ride cars through the wash depending on the make/model/drive train. Some cars (Toyota/Lexus hybrids/Teslas) are notorious for throwing themselves in park in the tunnel and cause accidents when they jump the track dollies. Having an employee ride the car through the tunnel has massively reduced the number of accidents. If the car throws itself in park, the employee watching the tunnel hits the emergency stop button when the person riding the car through honks the horn repeatedly. It’s a pretty good system.

The cars with the ZF transmissions literally won’t turn off when they’re in neutral. Chryslers 300's, a ton of Dodge’s, too many Jeeps to count and a few Chrysler cars. It’s a total pain in the ass and I know too many people who have gotten fired due to not paying attention to the type of car going through the wash, as absurd as that sounds.

LJ909 > Big Bubba Ray 02/16/2016 at 21:10

0

That could come in handy. But I tie that in with the emergency services. Also the remot diagnostics are helpful too.

LJ909 > deekster_caddy 02/16/2016 at 21:12

1

I can't believe it either. And that's just the basic one. If you add turn by turn and the hands free calling ( which is even more pointless) it just like almost 20 bucks a month on top of what your already paying.

Big Bubba Ray > LJ909 02/16/2016 at 21:19

0

Emergency services are great. My grandma’s previous Cadillac SRX was totaled when she was t-boned. OnStar was on it and had police/whatever else headed her direction just seconds after the accident. She’ll never buy another car without OnStar again.

LJ909 > Big Bubba Ray 02/16/2016 at 21:25

0

Being a former GM sales person myself, I noticed that a lot of seniors are completely sold on OnStar my own grandmother being one of them. She swears by Buick and OnStar and probably wouldn't have bought another one if it didn't have OnStar.

Big Bubba Ray > LJ909 02/16/2016 at 22:02

1

Yep yep. My grandmother is 87 and refuses to buy another car without OnStart. She has actually talked a few of her friends into buyings cars with it as well haha

MonkeePuzzle > LJ909 02/17/2016 at 09:58

1

I recall an onstar ad where they show a cell phone flying through the air during a crash, that was their big point against your argument that a cell phone does all that they do.

I thought it was a stupid commercial with an unconvincing point.