On Star????

[import2nr]

is it only available on GM vehicle and the Honda Accord..... if so are there other types of services available that could be installed aftermarket

[DryHeat]

OnStar is only available on GMs and Acuras. OnStar is just a cell phone connection that you communicate to an OnStar operator through your car stereo. Yeah it's cool that the operator can unlock your car, but so can a locksmith. Just get a cell phone, a hands free kit and a AAA subscription for road-side assistance.

[rays05titanse]

OnStar does a lot more than just unlock your doors. But for most folks, DRYHEAT has the perfect recommendation. For instance, it takes a really lazy person to hit the onstar button to ask the operator where the nearest fuel station is or to ask them to make dinner reservations. I've seen this in person. My friend does it in his Chevy Avalanche just to sound cool. If you're not lazy, go with DRYHEAT's recommendation. I think I will.

[import2nr]

i thought that onstar also could sense if the airbags deployed or if there was some kind of crash/impact and if it were sensed then they would send emergency services to your location (GPS)...... what good is AAA or a cell phone or a hands free kit if your knocked out

[P's Titan]

OnStar is only for GM and acuras like dryheat said. Yea it would be nice to have a service that does alert police/fire for accidents but nothing that I know is available for Nissan's.

You also have to remember that these come from factory already installed. It is not something you can take to a place and have put on if you wanted it later.

[import2nr]

checked onstars site for vehicles equiped with onstar
here is what i found
.....is there another SERVICE availbale out there available that does the same things as onstar... like another brand...

CHEVROLET
PONTIAC
BUICK
CADILLAC
GMC
SATURN
HUMMER

Acura®
RL MDX

Audi®
A8

Isuzu®
Ascender

Volkswagen®
New Beetle GOLF GTI Jetta
Jetta Wagon Passat Passat Wagon Phaeton
Touareg

Lexus Licenses GM's OnStar GPS Service
Impact on year-end sales hard to predict

OCTOBER 09, 2000 (COMPUTERWORLD) - After years of quiet talks with General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. this week will unveil its 2001 Lexus luxury sedans equipped with its rival's OnStar in-vehicle communications service.

[Vector]

The wonderful thing about onstar is that its a GPS unit in your vehicle. You can be tracked and located at any time. Case in point, I worked with an individual (an ex GM exec.) who's identity was stolen. The people used his information to purchase a new Cadillac Escilade. The payment book showed up at his house and he did not own a Escilade, so he called GM finance. They adamantly insisted that he owned the Cadillac. He called the dealership it was sold through and was able to get a hold of the sales individual who sold the Escilade. The individual described the people that he sold the vehicle to, they did not look anything like the person whose name was used to buy the vehicle. The police were immediately called. The police approached my friend and said, your Cadillac Escilade has ON STAR in it, would you like us to activate it for you. He responded with "its not my car" .The police said "sir your vehicle has ON STAR in it. WOULD YOU LIKE US TO ACTIVATE IT TO LOCATE YOUR CAR". He then said yes realizing that they were going to use it to find the truck. They activated ON STAR and were able to pinpoint the vehicles exact location and arrest the people who stole my friend’s identity. Good for him, a great example of BIG BROTHER AT WORK. No thanks. I don’t need to give anyone that type of access to me or my vehicle.

[skyhammer]

I feel the same way as Vector. There is no way I want someone to be able to track me where ever I go. If I were to buy a new car, and it had onstar on it I would make them take it out. Not activating on star would not be good enough. I am sure the government would like everyone to have onstar. IMO being paranoid in this case is a good thing.

[import2nr]

vector i guess i would feel the same way but what if (just an example) you were in a lone accident airbags had gone off and you were knocked out and bleeding out ..... no one around to help .. and you are out cold and cant use your cell phone.....and by the time some one found you, you had blead to death(just an example)

same scenario w/ Onstar .... airbags deploy and onstar will automaticaly send someone out to your location via GPS ... the bleeding is stopped in time and you are saved.......

now i know there are accidents where the airbags dont deploy in which the onstar would not be contacted and you could still be in real trouble if you were knocked out and bleeding out .. but you never know.... even if you only had enough strength and conciousness to just push the onstar button for emergency but could not repond to the onstar operator they would still send someone out....

i do see the privacy issues but imo the benefits outway the privacy issues

so does anyone know of another company other than onstar

[KTMNealio]

Originally Posted by import2nr

is it only available on GM vehicle and the Honda Accord..... if so are there other types of services available that could be installed aftermarket

My buddy has OnStar. Sure its cool, but for the price you could hire someone to ride with you and call if you get into trouble..
- Nealio

[HackinHound]

Originally Posted by DryHeat

Just get a cell phone, a hands free kit and a
AAA subscription for road-side assistance.

I agree, that's what I've been using for years.

and if you want GPS theft protection system . . .
Try LoJack - they guarantees to recover your vehicle within 24 hours after it's been reported stolen to the police, or they will give you a refund.

Pesonally I feel OnStar is way too invasive.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by DryHeat

OnStar is just a cell phone connection that you communicate to an OnStar operator through your car stereo.

OnStar is a satellite connection not a cell phone connection. It works anywhere and everywhere unlike a cell phone.

A few years ago my friends Blazer broke a fuel line out in the middle of nowhere in the mountains in Montana. If it wasn't for OnStar he would haven't been able to contact anyone since his cell phone didn't work. OnStar GPS'd his location, sent a tow truck and hooked him up with the nearest Chevy dealer to get it fixed.

For those paranoid about it, just remember the police can plug into the computer on most newer cars today (for investigative purposes) and tell how fast you were driving on a certain date and time.

[Yomama]

I wonder how well this Onstar works when the vehicle is blocked, either by a building or tunnel, under a bridge? I bet you get the same coverage then as you do on a cell phone

Yomama

[Maryland Hunter]

We have it on the wife's Tahoe, and I really wanted it on my new truck, but of course, Nissan doesn't offer it. It almost pulled me to Chevy, but the Titan just edged out in useable features for me, so that's what I bought.
I think it's a great feature, if for nothing else but piece of mind.
I don't buy into the government conspiracy paranoia, I'd rather my family and I be safe. Don't do anything wrong, and you won't have to worry about being watched.

MH

[DryHeat]

Originally Posted by flyguy

OnStar is a satellite connection not a cell phone connection. It works anywhere and everywhere unlike a cell phone.

It is a cellular based system. Straight from the OnStar website:

OnStar Equipment
All OnStar-equipped vehicles have one of three types of equipment, based on wireless network technologies:
Analog-only
Available on most 2003 model-year and earlier vehicles.
Analog/Digital-Ready
Available on select 2003 and 2004 model-year GM vehicles, which have been prepared for conversion to analog/digital (dual-mode) equipment when it is offered
Analog/Digital (Dual Mode)
Available on select 2004 and future OnStar-equipped GM vehicles