you can get incoming calls. your cars get a specific phone number for it and people can call into it.

or i don't know if they still do it but if you have verizon i was told you can tie it into your verizon account, but it's like adding another line, so it's like 10 bucks extra a month but then works off of your plan.

 

Good point,,, I'm not sure

 

Probably, can't see why that one service wouldn't stay active.

However, big thing here! My buddies grandparents were driving their fairly new Tahoe around, something happened and they ended up flipping the vehicle, the Onstar antenna was ripped off and onstar was unable to contact them through the vehicle, and to my understanding Onstar never sent help because they did not know anything was wrong.

However, isn't it that if the signal goes out they have the location of the car within the last couple seconds? They still wouldn't know you were in an accident, but wouldn't they at least have your location?

 

No they won't know anything until either you manually or the car (after an accident) initiates the connection and sends the information. If the Onstar Equipment is damaged during the accident then there would be no connection and no way for anybody to know.

 

I use the phone, directions, and a diagnostic was done when I had CEL. With medical problems I wanted OnStar.

 

In the 1st couple of weeks of owning, my wife was 500 miles away in the car and called me saying some sort of "check" light was on. I told her to use Onstar to run a diagnostic check. Gas tank top wasn't tight and the clutch was about to send a no start signal to the motor because of a sensor needing to be reset. Also I did just receive my 2nd regularly scheduled diagnotic emails which I like. I also sprang for the extra 100 minutes of phone time for $15 buck. Read or saw somewhere that Onstar phone will work sometimes where there might not normally be service. Unsure about the Onstar though when I have to start paying for it.

 

We have it and like the security it brings if something was to happen. We also purchased minutes to use the phone (even though we have a cell) and it has come in handy a few times already. The turn by turn directions are nice but don't try having 9 other cars following you If you miss a turn it does take a couple minutes to get new directions.

 

Way too much money. Bluetooth would have been a better solution but then GM would not have the cashcow of OS. My advice is stay away and rely on your cell phone which by the way is all OS is. Your cell phone, if not more then three years old, has GPS location in it so if you have a accident the emergency folk can find you. Friends don't let friends pay for on star.

 

OnStar is far more than just a cell phone and GPS built into a car. Expensive? that depends on what it happens to be worth to you and is entirely debatable. OnStar can call for help even if you can't, OnStar operates at a full 3 watts of Power, most cell phone operate at just a fraction of a watt. Because of the higher powered signal OnStar will connect when a cell phone might not receive service. OnStar has GPS built in, While more and more phone being produced today have this feature it is far from being universal it is not a mandated requirement. a majority of low end phones even current models do not have GPS.

See this article http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/cellping.asp

 

As far as I know the phone feature uses a satillite not regular cell towers so it is more than just a cell phone, thats why you get better signal in areas where cells dont work or are limited.