My year is up on my On Star. How many people have renewed their's? Do you think it's worth it? Just curious what everyone thinks!!

Chad

We renewed. We do so much traveling, and are on some pretty deserted roads and highways .... so we like the idea of the emergency service that OnStar provides. We have used it a couple of times .... once when Lola's battery died and I was by myself .... they sent out a Cadillac service tech ... was quick, efficient, kept in touch with me until help arrived .... that was worth every cent. Used it again to report an accident on a rural road ... They did all of the notifications to enforcement agencies ... again worth every dime. I renewed the car telephone minutes as well .... because sometimes I just forget my cell :crazy

Renewed my subscription also, including the phone.

Floyd

Renewed mine when I did the Analog to Digital upgrade. Because the upgrade only cost $15.00 vs. the +$600.00 it would have cost otherwise, I went for it. Like Lola's Mom, I like the idea of my wife having the emergency access. Also, we keep around 100 minutes on the system due to the stronger cell reception out in the country.

Has anyone seen this option?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3UGhRjPry4

Enjoy......................:jester

We have OnStar on both XLR and CTS. I like the idea of having instant access for the wife during her commutes; some wierd places she has to drive through. We've used OnStar several times for reporting accidents both ours (in our STS) and others we've witnessed. Great stuff.
Darrell

Bobo has renewed his, but not the full blown package and the phone in case my cell craps out..................One of the best features on On Star, they can find your vehicle in 2 seconds which is as good as any burglar alarm.
Bobo

I will not renew it. I have yet to need it on my STS or V as long as I have had either one of them. I do not travel by car that often (will be even less now) so for me the $20/mo is just not worth it.

Bob

We renewed. We do so much traveling, and are on some pretty deserted roads and highways .... so we like the idea of the emergency service that OnStar provides. We have used it a couple of times .... once when Lola's battery died and I was by myself .... they sent out a Cadillac service tech ... was quick, efficient, kept in touch with me until help arrived .... that was worth every cent. Used it again to report an accident on a rural road ... They did all of the notifications to enforcement agencies ... again worth every dime. I renewed the car telephone minutes as well .... because sometimes I just forget my cell :crazy

Just curious, how did OnStar work if the battery was dead?

Just curious, how did OnStar work if the battery was dead?

You know what? I don't know! The car wouldn't start, so I pushed the button and OnStar answered ..... maybe someone else knows????? :rolleyes

RA

It takes a LOTTA juice to start the car, but not a lot for OnStar. THere was probably enough to push the blue button to summon help.

The questions you have to ask yourself are, "How hard do I work for my money?" and "Have I really gotten a lot of practical use out of Onstar?" If you can answer No to the first, and Yes to the second, you should seriously consider renewing your subscription.

Reporting wrecks can be done via cell phone or handy road flare tossed (or shot) out the window; I don't need to pay extra to do that. Asking for directions is kind of redundant when I have a GPS navigation system. (If that isn't good enough, I probably shouldn't be driving anyway.) My car honks if I leave my fob in there, so getting locked out isn't an issue. Calling for a tow? Cellphone wins again. Car stolen and needs to be located? Not impossible, but difficult without a programmed FOB or flatbed hauler. Both unlikely for me. The only novelty service I can appreciate about Onstar is the ability to sense the airbags have gone off and have them call someone to haul me off in an ambulance or hearse without me lifting a bloody finger. (How convenient is that!?)

But is that "peace of mind" worth hundreds of dollars a year? Not for me. During ownership of three Cadillacs, the only time I've ever heard a voice on the other end of the Onstar speaker was the day it was activated. (They were very courteous.) Now, lower the price to something like XM and I might be more inclined to sign up, crash my car and wait . . . for that familiar, courteous voice that I might confuse for that of an angel. . .

Personally, I think Onstar panders toward fear to help sell the service. Read some of their testimonials; a lot of them read something like this: "Thank God for Onstar. It was dark, and my car died. I didn't know what to do! No one would help me. But Onstar cared. They sent the cavalry and saved me." If you're in Baltimore in the dead of night, with four flat tires and no cell phone, Onstar is indeed your best friend. For my money, (and I work hard for it) there are better ways to spend it. Your milage may vary.

CCC :yesnod

The new Onstar system will detect that your car is stolen and slowly disable the car and lock all doors, so when Onstar notifys the sheriff, the bad guy that stole your car is sitting in it waiting for the police, unless he can break out of it. The system slowly shuts the gas supply off and eventually the car comes to a stop.
Just some new news from Onstar.
BoboThe questions you have to ask yourself are, "How hard do I work for my money?" and "Have I really gotten a lot of practical use out of Onstar?" If you can answer No to the first, and Yes to the second, you should seriously consider renewing your subscription.

Reporting wrecks can be done via cell phone or handy road flare tossed (or shot) out the window; I don't need to pay extra to do that. Asking for directions is kind of redundant when I have a GPS navigation system. (If that isn't good enough, I probably shouldn't be driving anyway.) My car honks if I leave my fob in there, so getting locked out isn't an issue. Calling for a tow? Cellphone wins again. Car stolen and needs to be located? Not impossible, but difficult without a programmed FOB or flatbed hauler. Both unlikely for me. The only novelty service I can appreciate about Onstar is the ability to sense the airbags have gone off and have them call someone to haul me off in an ambulance or hearse without me lifting a bloody finger. (How convenient is that!?)

But is that "peace of mind" worth hundreds of dollars a year? Not for me. During ownership of three Cadillacs, the only time I've ever heard a voice on the other end of the Onstar speaker was the day it was activated. (They were very courteous.) Now, lower the price to something like XM and I might be more inclined to sign up, crash my car and wait . . . for that familiar, courteous voice that I might confuse for that of an angel. . .

Personally, I think Onstar panders toward fear to help sell the service. Read some of their testimonials; a lot of them read something like this: "Thank God for Onstar. It was dark, and my car died. I didn't know what to do! No one would help me. But Onstar cared. They sent the cavalry and saved me." If you're in Baltimore in the dead of night, with four flat tires and no cell phone, Onstar is indeed your best friend. For my money, (and I work hard for it) there are better ways to spend it. Your milage may vary.

CCC :yesnod

Your post got me to thinking, so I dove into the shop manual to learn more about the XLR's built-in Theft Deterrent System. It has two main systems, one that senses the vehicle has been entered (Content Theft Deterrent) and another (Vehicle Theft Deterrent) that challenges the fob when the ignition switch is depressed. If the correct code doesn't match up, the Engine Control Module prevents the engine from starting. (Similar to what Onstar is supposed to do.) Digging deeper, I found more than one way to defeat the system (and Onstar too.) Once disabled, the vehicle would need to be physcially moved to a secure location (flatbed hauler) and stripped of it's antennas before any chop work or fob emulation could be started. This is a real PITA for your basic car thief, and probably not worth it for a pro; there is much lower hanging fruit out there. If a thief grabs your fob and makes off with your car, Onstar would disable the vehicle; but for me, the odds of someone getting ahold of the fob are not high enough to purchase that level of peace of mind. (Your area crime level may vary.)

It would be interesting to find out how many XLRs have actually been stolen. I've yet to see a post from anyone regarding the loss (or recovery) of their vehicle via Onstar or a highly agitated lynch mob of XLR owners.

Anyone have an experience to share?

As for Onstar locking the thief inside, well, all they have to do (if they know how in the first place) is pull the manual door opener. Again, I'm not convinced that Onstar provides value added for its cost over anything that can't be accomplished otherwise, and for a substantial savings at that. Peace of mind is a relative thing. And for those that feel they need it, I'm sure Onstar provides it. I'll save my money for gas. :yesnod

This is a great point.................who in their right mind would want to steal an XLR and chop it up................to what means? For that matter who would want an 04 which had so many things wrong with it.
I had to lemon it and there are quite a few stories on this forum that tell of people who had buy backs or lemoned their treasure. Buy backs, lemon...........it's all the same. Heed the advice of the people that have offered this free advice. I have an 06-V and all an all it is a great car with minimal problems.
The reason I bought the V was because of the numbers 443 which I couldn't resist. At one time I had both cars in the garage at the same time.
See below
Bobo

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c302/standby7/Mygarage.jpg


It would be interesting to find out how many XLRs have actually been stolen. I've yet to see a post from anyone regarding the loss (or recovery) of their vehicle via Onstar or a highly agitated lynch mob of XLR owners.

Anyone have an experience to share?

Well everyone has brought up some good issues on this subject of on star renew or not to renew. Has anyone tried to get a discount, we have got one on the buick & xlr. I will be renewing next week 5-1. Like the securety for my wife, also get a lot of use from the phone which you can roll over the minutes
You are right it would be nice if they charged like xm radio but for now they don't, WHAT IF everyone started calling in to ask for discounts on renewal and was to say Im going to think about it, sounds kind of really doumb BUT just maybe on star will be the next to feel the effects of our economy. Maybe if onstar thought they may be losing a lot of customers they may start offering something a little better. We could all try to change it. Im going to do my part starting tomorrow. JUST A THOUGHT

If OnStar follows XM they just may give you a few shares of stock with each renewal.

I cancelled Onstar in my XLR and my Silverado. The $28 / mo CDN wasn't worth it and having to buy new minutes for the phone that I wasn't using fast enough clinched it for me. I called Onstar and told them to cancel. The immediately offered it at $19 / mo and I didn't have to buy more minutes. I still cancelled. I have never needed any of the Onstar features in any of my cars. The sales pitch is based on fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD). I can spend my money better else where.

you aren't alone in oyur thinking.

In today's world if you have a cell phone what do you need ONStar for???