Standard Equipment And Options

[WilliamH]

Push the button on your "OnStar" they run a remote diagnostic, then tell you if you can "keep driving", or "get off the road as soon as it's safe, when you're in a safe spot, turn off the vehicle, help is on it's way."
All brought to you by the Intel Cloud!

Guess you can tell I don't drive a GM or live where cell service is reliable.

 

[Frim]

The question is what do you do when a light comes on on the instrument panel in a new car that says "Check Engine" and you're 50 miles from the nearest service area?
1. Slow down and pray for the next 50 miles?
2. Pull over and call AAA?
3. Pull over, look under the hood and say "Yup, that's an engine".
4. Pull over, check your oil, water, tranny fluid and keep driving.
5. Some combination of the above.

#4

 

[Muzhik]

The question is what do you do when a light comes on on the instrument panel in a new car that says "Check Engine" and you're 50 miles from the nearest service area?
1. Slow down and pray for the next 50 miles?
2. Pull over and call AAA?
3. Pull over, look under the hood and say "Yup, that's an engine".
4. Pull over, check your oil, water, tranny fluid and keep driving.
5. Some combination of the above.

A few years back, Garrison Keillor on "A Prairie Home Companion" had a radio spot on this, where the car had a single indicator light to make it easier for the driver: when the light came on, you would pull over and a certified mechanic would come to your site (determined by the built-in GPS) to fix the issue. After a couple of hours, the mechanic showed up, plugged in the diagnostic computer, and said something like, "Ah, here's the problem. Your windshield wiper fluid is low."

 

[Elio Amazed]

You do know that in many of the cars that are on the road now, that light automatically comes on...
When the car mfg feels it's time for a scheduled check-up or routine maintenance, right?

6. Mumble "Damn computer", and be irritated for the next 20K miles.

 

[PhreighnQ]

I just use my Bluetooth odb adapter to check what code(s) there are. Bat is why I am driving with my check engine light on now, because the only code is for the fuel temperature sensor.

 

[Coss]

Guess you can tell I don't drive a GM or live where cell service is reliable.

OnStar runs on Satellite, satellite covers everywhere, even the out in the middle of nowhere locations.

 

[Chaz]

OnStar runs on Satellite, satellite covers everywhere, even the out in the middle of nowhere locations.

OnStar uses CDMA cellular technology for voice communications and data transmissions, it does not use satellites for anything else than GPS.
Here is a coverage map from their own website.

 

[Coss]

OnStar uses CDMA cellular technology for voice communications and data transmissions, it does not use satellites for anything else than GPS.
Here is a coverage map from their own website.

Hmm I though it did, or at least that's how it was advertised at one time.
But even on that coverage map, there's not a lot of space that isn't covered.

 

[Chaz]

Hmm I though it did, or at least that's how it was advertised at one time.
But even on that coverage map, there's not a lot of space that isn't covered.

There are some places I know it does not work around here in southwest Missouri. OnStar transmits at 3w compared to 0.6w of a normal cellphone so, it can get through when normal phones cannot.

 

[Coss]

There are some places I know it does not work around here in southwest Missouri. OnStar transmits at 3w compared to 0.6w of a normal cellphone so, it can get through when normal phones cannot.

Yes, the wattage does help. Friend of mine is a union painter, and he has to go out to these really out of the way places to paint towers for different things. When he's out in the boonies, he has an old bag phone (if you remember those) and I asked him why? All he said to me was 5 watts.
Yeah, no wonder he takes it with him, he can always get signal.