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Used Onstar For The First Time Tonight!

P

powersurg

Charter Member
Full Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2002
Messages
1,895
Location
Long Island, New York
Yep, Stupid me locked my keys in the car while in the Supermarket. Thank god I put the Onstar stickers on My windows. I called them and in 10 minutes I was on my way. It turns out that if your Avy is turned off that the Onstar Unit sleeps for 9 minutes and is awake for 1. They have to wait for the sleep cycle to complete before they can communicate with your truck. Good thing I wasn't in a bad neighborhood.

Ha Ha
 
I have the phone service with 30 free trial minutes. I haven't used them yet. I'll tell you, I have a lot of respect for Onstar. When my free year runs out I am going to get the deluxe package. I like what they have to offer.
 
I've used the phone. It is a bit of hassle dialing a number that you haven't stored as a speed dial. You have to say the numbers to dial very slowly.
 
Yes, dialing by number is a pain. Once you store the number under a tag, it's much easier "Call...Home." I've set up but have yet to use the Virtual Advisor. Looks awesome. I still haven't gotten used to my wife calling me in the truck: the music mutes and you hear a ring over the speaker.
 
Virtual Advisor ROCKS! I love it and I use traffic frequently. The next thing I use is weather. I've used news just a couple of times.

When my daughter got sick the pre-programmed voice tags on the phone were a God send. I keep saying I'm going to write a story about that and I need to - maybe for the May issue of CAFCNA Magazine...
 
I have used Onstar in my Av and my Monte Carlo. Works quite well. Apparently it work on analog cellular. I have tested the door unlock feature and it does work. Also keep in mind they can track your vehicle. I called them one night and they told me I was in my driveway.

Gary
 
I used Remote Diagnostics after having my Av for a week. I'd told the wife it had automatic headlights, meaning she didn't have to worry about them. She thought that meant she didn't have to turn them off after turning them on!

She went to the mall, left them on, battery was dead. I went and jumped it, but didn't know they were on (it was dark) so I called OnStar to run remote diagnostics. They didn't see anything wrong so I kept searching and found the switch on.

At least OnStar told me there wasn't a problem. (except for my wife who is now properly trained on the use of automatic headlights)

Fred
 
FredRose said:
I'd told the wife it had automatic headlights, meaning she didn't have to worry about them. ?She thought that meant she didn't have to turn them off after turning them on!
Click to expand...

Fred, I don't turn my lights on or off. They are always on. When it is day time the DRL's are on with the Amber lights above the head light. When it becomes dark just the head lights are on. When I shut my car off the lights also go off.
 
Powersurg-
You know that, I know that, and NOW my wife knows that. She was used to my old Suby that turned the lights off with the ignition and assumed that's what I meant by automatic lights.

She also claimed that she didn't turn them on, must have bumped the switch as she was getting in. No harm done regardless, I got to jump the truck, use remote diags, and tdeach her about the lights.

Fred
 
Anyone know when the OnStar phone/Virtual advisor is going to be available in Canada? Those were the options I liked, but when I activated my OnStar, they said it wasn't available here :mad:

Trash
 
Trash, I sent On-star an email asking them the same question for my area and here is their reply:


"Thank you for taking the time to e-mail OnStar.

OnStar Personal Calling is not available in the zip codes you have provided. A release date for Personal Calling in your area is not available at this time. You may check the
availability of Personal Calling in your area on our website at www.OnStar.com. In the bottom right corner of the
home page in the gray box titled NEW SERVICES, click on "FIND OUT IF THESE NEW SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA." You would then enter your zip code to determine if Personal Calling is available in your area.

Thank you for contacting OnStar. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need further assistance.

Sincerely,

Krista Maday
Information Specialist, OnStar"



Original message follows:
------------------------
Message: I would like to know when Personal Calling wil be available in my area. I live outside of Jacksonville Florida which has a population of over 1 million. Why is Personal Calling not avalible in this area?

 
I've gone as far as to test it to make sure it was functional....never had to use it in an emergency...thank god.....

I will renew the contract at the end of the year, because it gives me piece of mind....

 
FredRose, the battery died? I wonder why the Battery Protection Circuit didn't cut in? I can't find the circuit described in the Owners Manual or the CAFCNA FAQ area.
 
BruceCr_ms

That's what I was thinking too, but I couldn't find anything in a quick scan. But yes, leaving the headlights in the on position for 4 hours killed the battery to the point where the closck needed to be reset, OnStar and the remote locks ddn't work.

Will mention it next time it goes in.

Fred
 
Used mine on the road trip during my vacation. Before I even finished my cnversation with the operator, they had it unlocked.
Fred you should take your Av in and have it checked. All vehicles sold by GM now have the battery rundown protection, meaning that your lights should have turned off after 20 min.
 
I was in Tampa yesterday and Onstar had a booth at the conference.
Here are 2 things I have learned from OnStar.
1. The phone service is provided thru Verizon, so if you live in a area not served by Verizon then you and I are out of luck. I live in Lafayette, La. It is available in Baton Rouge and other areas of the state but not yet in Laf.
2. The theft system is not tied directly into OnStar. If your vehicle is stolen, OnStar is not notified until you notice it and place a call to them. The rep stated that they changed that feature because of the large number of false alarms they were receiving and it was causing problems with law enforcement. Silly me...I thought it was the job of the police to find stolen property.
I was under the impression that OnStar was notified as soon as the alarm was activated., I guess I was mistaken.
 
FredRose said:
Powersurg-
You know that, I know that, and NOW my wife knows that.
Click to expand...

Fred sometimes it takes me awhile but I finally got it. :cautious: SHe thought she had to turn the knob. ;D I like driving during the day with my ambers on top of the headlights on. I beleive this is the first turn of the knob.
 
I'm glad their not notified every time the alarm goes off. That's seems logical. Can't count the times I've accidently set mine off or the kid gets the keys and thinks it's funny to set off the alarm. Plus the theft feature is centered around satilite coverage.
I drove from Ca to Mo on I-40 and back on I-80 and had service the whole time. Verizon can always use other cellular towers to bounce signals off of to get service.
 
So, what you are saying is, if you are in trouble in an area without Verizon, you are SOL.... it seems they should have the whole contry covered...
 
Bruce-crms and Chevylover,

I just reread the owners manual, it appears the 20 minute battery saving turn off is just for interior lights, not the headlights. I'll still ask at my next service but that's what the manual says.

Fred
 
spork_av said:
So, what you are saying is, if you are in trouble in an area without Verizon, you are SOL.... ?it seems they should have the whole contry covered...
Click to expand...
Spork not only that but if your parked underground in a garage or somewhere where there is something thick above your truck, Onstar will not be able to communicate with it at all
 
The theft portion may not work like the last post said but on vacation I was driving in the sticks and places where my regular cell couldn't get service. But my Onstar was always good to go. Let's put another way, I've put almost 10k miles on it driving in the city and country, mid-west and west coast and everything in between and I've always had service.
 
I was told by a Chevy employee that the OnStar trace works even when the vehicle is in an underground parkade. Certainly the phone contact part of it works, but the vehicle needs to be "seen" by a satelite doesn't it? Interesting. I see another experiment coming on. Owning an AV can be so entertaining.
 
It is my understanding that Onstar uses ground based analog cellular to use the phone and vehicle locate. Satellites are not used for tracking.. My house in the mountains does not have analog or digital cellular service and I can not reach Onstar from that location.

Gary
 
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