Morbid's a spitter and Z28x's DIC has size issues...

Yeesh...

This thread is chock-full of information you never needed to know.

 

Can On-Star tell if someone is picking their nose while driving?

 

It is only a matter of time. I bet in a few years the car will have sensor to detect if a pre-fart condition exists in any of the occupants, and open a window automatically to correct for it.

Seriously, I don't know how I feel about having all of these electronic gizmos watching me. I am not usually a big brother conspiracy theorist, but when will this stuff start getting out of hand.

 

I say as long as it's not enabled by default and only enabled if the user wants it enabled then there'd be no reason for anyone to complain. Of course I'm not sure if that's the case or not?

 

Here is where my concern comes into play. Yes you have the option to sign up for it, but if you opt out, is something still aquiring the information on your vehicle. I have wondered that about basic Onstar as well. Even if you don't sign up for it, and you choose not to use the service, can you still be tracked? When you pay for it, are you actually enabling Onstar, or are you just paying for the privelage to use information they are already receiving?

 

if its enabled by remote then its a moot point


the big brother aspect is getting quite interesting ... world's largest automaker with the world's largest domestic spy operation called OnStar.

very interesting in deed...

 

You can only be tracked if your car can call home. The GPS and computer can gather all kinds of data, but it can't get to anyone unless the onboard cell phone can send it out. So the easy solution is to unscrew the antenna and then you absolutely cannot be tracked.

 

Why cant I get the flippin' car to display whats wrong with it to ME, instead of some remote service?

You know, not have to drag out the laptop and auto-tap every time I want to see what the damned check engine light is bitching about?

THAT would be something I'd buy. On the other side, if my new Camaro has onstar, that thing is getting disconnected before the plastic comes off the seats. If I wanted an electronic nanny to monitor me, Id move to Europe.

 

i'm with you on this one. hopefully GM WON"T make onstar standard on the new Camaro, or else i'll be doing some serious rewiring the night i pick it up.

 

it puzzles me this hasn't been implemented yet. I'm sure it went something like this at an engineering meeting...

Engineer 1: Hey, so now that we have those nifty nav screens standard, we can interface them with the onboard PCM.
Engineer 2: Yeah! So the user can just browse to the diagnostic menu and find out what's wrong with the car!
Marketing: Won't happen. Service is where our dealers make thier profit. They'll bitch that the owners will have too much useful information about their vehicles and demand fair service.


Get this, my sister just got murdered on her Jetta's 80k mile service. It was $700 for "inspections" and "checks". Half the things they "inspected" didn't even get looked at I bet. If the car could report to me directly (uncensored) what the status was of items due for "inspection", guess my chances of coming in for a $700 service unless something shows up WAAAAY out of the norm?

 

You'd still think they'd make a profit anyways. They'd lose out on "checks" but they'd also just have people bringing it in for these minor things. Only gearheads and backyard mechanics like us would just look at it and do the work ourselves.

 

I guess I'm in the minority, but I really like the idea of Onstar, and this new email thing.
If an email tells you there is something wrong with your car, and your car is still under warranty, no problems. Even if it isn't under warranty, you can always fix it yourself, or take it to a mechanic you trust if you don't trust the dealership.