GM cars (onstar) can stop your car??? (luxury car, vehicles, manual transmission)

[NHDave]

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

I thought someone else was driving OJ during that low-speed chase. I'm glad he is spending all his time in prison concentrating on finding the killer though. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

I don't really recall, didn't pay any attention to it at the time, but me being a car guy I do remember the Bronco

[ferretkona]

Yup, miss a payment and see if your truck will start.
I will bet dollars for donuts that if you do not pay for the suscription they will still be able to lock you out of your car when they want.

It would be like the old fuel injection on a VW beetle, everyone will soon be ripping them out.

[motormaker]

Onstar can shut your car off only after being authorized by a law enforcement agency and after the car owner confirms it.

GM to begin OnStar stolen vehicle slowdown rollout on 2009 models - MotorAuthority

[M3 Mitch]

Originally Posted by gman6974

Wow, another GM bash thread.

Well, GM (and Chrysler for that matter) get bashed because they have earned it.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

I thought someone else was driving OJ during that low-speed chase. I'm glad he is spending all his time in prison concentrating on finding the killer though. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

Yes, someone else was driving while OJ pointed a gun at his head while sitting in back so the cameras could focus on him. Again.

IMO OJ's Finest Hour was when he flew through airports doing the Hertz commercials. It's been downhill ever since, expecially for anyone stupid, gullible, or unfortunate enough to actually hang out with him.

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

Well, GM (and Chrysler for that matter) get bashed because they have earned it.

I just bought a Grand Prix GXP which has On*, which I activated. I'll see how I like it.
From what I've seen, the diagnostics are OK but nothing that anyone with an IQ or 60 or more couldn't do on their own.

To me the greatest plus is having commo when you're out in the boonies far from cell towers.
I have a 150 buck Garmin so I don't need their step-by-step nav.

BTW regarding GM, I've had many GMs over the years and I am saddened and angered by what chronic mismanagement has done to the corporation.

My GXP is a great car dynamically: the brakes are immensely powerful, the powertrain is great, the handling is excellent.

The electronics are pure junk. The nav is incredibly, unbelievably user-unfriendly.
Additionally, it's buried down at least two feet below line-of-sight. Now that was smart.

In case nobody at GM engineering actually field-tested the unit, it's exciting enough maneuvering in strange country with a nav unit in your line of sight. I bet it's really fun @ 70 MPH trying to eyeball something buried down toward the trannie tunnel. Brilliant.

The radio is crap, and also as user-unfriendly a unit as I've ever seen. We still haven't hacked how to make the pre-sets work, and we've had the car about 10 days now.

This nav-radio-CD unit is about a $2000 option I believe. Pure junk-crap-fecal matter.
A major corporation should be ashamed they put such junk in a $32,000 car (sticker).
But that's why they went bankrupt. Probably looked good in the engineering building.

My Kia Spectra is far superior in every respect regarding radio and nav (since my Costco-sourced Garmin is easy to operate), and I never play CDs much less six of them.
The pre-sets are obvious, the controls obvious and simple, and the Garmin took about 3 minutes to figure out from plug-in to drive-off.

Did I mention GM should be ashamed?

Sorry if this looks like a hijack. I haven't had much experience with the On* yet, I hope to heavens it's more satisfying than the other gadgetry I've panned here.

As for the On*, I will report back later.

[GTOlover]

Originally Posted by NHDave

Actually it wouldn't have, OJ was driving a Ford Bronco

LOL he would of had sync so he would of been able to make hands free calls to his lawyer via blue tooth wireless

[Zea mays]

Originally Posted by ferretkona

Yup, miss a payment and see if your truck will start.

You hit the nail on the head with that statement. Not just GM, but any car manufacturer. The potential to lock you out of your car if you miss a payment is in the palm of their hand. And don't think "the Law" is your friend.

BMW for years has recorded in its car's ECU the highest rpm the engine has reached. Blow an engine by downshifting at high speed and the BMW dealer has to send the ECU to Munich before he is authorized to replace the engine under warranty.

And how long will it be before car computer data is considered as admissible evidence in accident investigations? The future is rapidly approaching.

[GTOlover]

Originally Posted by Zea mays

You hit the nail on the head with that statement. Not just GM, but any car manufacturer. The potential to lock you out of your car if you miss a payment is in the palm of their hand. And don't think "the Law" is your friend.

BMW for years has recorded in its car's ECU the highest rpm the engine has reached. Blow an engine by downshifting at high speed and the BMW dealer has to send the ECU to Munich before he is authorized to replace the engine under warranty.

And how long will it be before car computer data is considered as admissible evidence in accident investigations? The future is rapidly approaching.

yeah but it will tell how fast the person was really going and when or if they applied the breaks and for how long it will give a better picture of the events leading up to and after the accident which is better than two diffrent people telling their side of the story and prevent scam artists from lying in court about what happend

[LateNight]

Can't help but think of it this way, but OnStar can shut down the vehicle after it's stolen, stopping a thief. So Mr.X can get his Escalade back and go back his legal thievery down at the bank.

They can keep the OnStar, I don't need a car that talks, thinks for me, or demands a monthly subscription, just one that puuurrrs.

[WFW&P]

Originally Posted by motormaker

Onstar can shut your car off only after being authorized by a law enforcement agency and after the car owner confirms it.

GM to begin OnStar stolen vehicle slowdown rollout on 2009 models - MotorAuthority

Originally Posted by ferretkona

Yup, miss a payment and see if your truck will start.
I will bet dollars for donuts that if you do not pay for the suscription they will still be able to lock you out of your car when they want.

It would be like the old fuel injection on a VW beetle, everyone will soon be ripping them out.

Originally Posted by jc76

Yes I am a little (or a lot) behind at times, but I just saw a commercial showing a thief steal a GM vehicle, then Onstar shuts it off for the cops. As nice/cute as this seems isn't it a bit scary to know that someone can shut your car down at any time? This would have changed the way the whole OJ chase went down.
Anyone else find this a little fishy? Maybe I'm too paranoid...but I don't like the whole deal. Glad I'm not a GM fan.

Mark my words; there will be another "OJ incident" where the police will be persuing a GM vehicle and Onstar will shut it down in spite of the fact the owner/vehicle did not have a subscription.