2 gripes today - buckle up

[ap19063]

The first one... and I may get push back on this from those that think ONSTAR is some ANGEL looking over them or their love ones.

Do you remember when you bought your equinox the sales guy telling you how you would get 8 years of service, etc. Let's be clear, he/she was telling you the truth and you would have been a fool, to think that this was some plan with all the bells and whistles, but what he didn't tell you is that built into the plan, by default mind you, is a 20.00 a month (for those of you who do not want to do math, that's 240.00 a year) ONSTAR/ATT service which is needed in order to use the built in GOOGLE, ALEXA, WAZE, SIRI, etc. in the infotainment (please allow me to laugh here) LOL. Yes, that is correct.... if you want to say "hey google" you need to have wifi. I guess this makes sense, except we've grown used to having our phones connected to the car and using it for the ability of maps, spotify, etc. and someone should have made us aware that GM and ONSTAR was going to withdrawl 20.00 a month for a cell plan must of us would not buy because we already have a CELL PLAN. Also keep in mind that this is not unlimited. If you want that one... so that the kiddies can play on their tablets (depending on the coverage) that plan is 35.00 dollars a month . What if ATT doesn't offer good coverage where you live? It doesn't matter... 20.00 a month. Ok, so the redeeming value of this, is that if you're reading this, you've been informed and you can cancel before the 3 month trial is up. Now, for the good stuff - if, you connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth as we've been doing for years, you can use your phones cell plan and not have to pay ONSTAR for this extra plan. BTW, removing this wifi plan did not prevent you from using the 8 year basic service you were given for free. ONSTAR will still send am ambulance, police in the event of an accident. All the 20 a month does is give the infotainment wifi in the car. Now fit my second gripe, or maybe I'm doing something wrong???

Now that is winter, I've noticed that if you turn on the heater in the car too soon after you started your engine, the fan still kicks on and now you're treated to... yes - cold air. Really? Maybe I'm confused, but this is 2024, do all cars not wait until the car is warm to begin blowing air all over your face? I have never had a really expensive car, but I've had my share of new cars (it's one of my vices) and I can safely say that most if not all others have waited for the engine to warm up before spewing air all over the car... what his is child air going to do? Sigh.. Again, 37k car and i have to wait 5 minutes or drive cold 5 minutes before I can turn the heater on. Unless, you can enlighten me on how I'm doing something wrong.

Stay toasty!

 

[RIT333]

Use the heated seat and steering wheel for the first 5 minutes.

 

[CocoaJeff]

I have my climate control set to fully automatic, and when using the heat it does wait a couple of minutes before the fan speeds up.

 

[ap19063]

Thank you Cocoa. I will give that a shot.

 

[penright]

I am unsure about the 2024, but our 2025 auto has a fan speed option in the settings. My climate control issues were fixed on Saturday, and the temperature now works on auto. However I noticed the fan did not slow down after reaching the temperature, that is when I found the setting. At this point, I am guessing you can have the fan's speed stay at higher speeds, in auto, if you like.

 

[PoManNox]

I got zero pressure to sign up for onstar when I purchased my 2021 Equinox LT AWD used back in June 2024. Not even a mention of it, because I bought it from a Mazda dealership.

My 2021 Traverse was a different story. I bought it used from a GMC/Cadillac/Buick dealer. My salesman actually told me I was "required" to sign up for onstar as it was a "liability concern" for the dealership if I didn't. "All customers HAVE to sign up for at least the trial period". He actually sat in the car with me to start the sign up process over the phone. As soon as he stepped out of the car, I told onstar no thanks and didn't sign up. For what ever reason, now a year later, onstar still shows active on my traverse and I still get monthly vehicle checkup reports by email.

In terms of you car blowing cold air in your face when the car is cold and can't produce heat yet, since when has this not been the case in the past 100years?

 

[ap19063]

Pomannox - i can't speak for chevrolet or equinox since this is my first rodeo with it, but I guarantee you there are other cars, manufacturers that keep the car from blowing until they've reached the desired temperature. I can also guarantee you those cars are not special in any way because I have never owned any special cars. As well, I remember owning a vehicle (i think Honda or kia) that slowed the fan down to a trickle if receive a call, so not to disturb you while your talking using bluetooth.

As far as ONSTAR. Forcing people to have or even implying they need to have it, is (&^%$#@) not to mention the cost at 240 a year. I said something, because I know there are probably thousands of people who don't know they are being charged every month for something they don't need. To be clear, this is not needed for basic functions... not even controlling your car remotely (i advice that you read your ONSTAR package, so that you understand) but, it understand if you choose to keep the wifi out any other package from them... so as long as you know and weren't tricked into it by the dealer. Also, keep in mind that ONSTAR and all other cars remote services track your behavior in the car. This can be an extensive conversation and i don't want to get into it, but yes behavior... how you drive, the stuff you listen to on the radio, and the list goes on... and they sell this information to insurance co, etc. This is not a conspiracy theory it's the truth and sadly there's little any one can do to protect themselves from it if you want a new car these days, so don't fret about it, just be aware that the more toys you have in your car the more someone else is violating your privacy and profiting from you.... which is part of the reason the dealer pushes ONSTAR without a clear disclosure. They make money on it, the same as selling you an extended warranty must of us would never use.

 

[Billh]

I save money with the Wi-Fi on my car. My AT&T cell phone upgraded to unlimited would cost much more. As far as the climate control, I have it set to "Auto" during winter and with the heated seats and steering wheel I feel spoiled.

 

[ap19063]

That's why the saying "different strokes for different folks". I tried the same suggestion from someone else, it's not the same for me.. Auto, does not prevent the fan from blowing the minute the car turns on, it just blows cold until the temp warms up. My point was that auto holding the fan until the temp in the car warms up is not a new trick. I have a 23 nissan rogue and it does that, instead of blowing cold air in your face the minute you turn on the car. My intent and the purpose of the forum (although it is a gripe on my end), is to keep people informed. Most people will always do whatever they want regardless of how others feel.

The same to be said about whether you want wifi in the car or not. To your point "billh", i don't know how paying att wifi in your car would be a replacement to your att cell service

 

[penright]

does not prevent the fan from blowing the minute the car turns on,

I hear you, a 2025 should be smarter than what it is. My same argument for Lane Keep Asaist, my 2016 Civic runs circles around a 2025. In view of trying to make a bad situation better ...


What speed is your default set to inside settings, not climate control? I don't remember mine, but I set it to low. That way you don't start out with cold air on you. Also, the steering wheel and seats make it comfortable till the heater kicks in. As you said different strokes, but it works for me. You can always change the speed with climate controls once it warms up.

 

[ap19063]

I'll try that. Thank you. And Merry Christmas to all.

 

[Lazy Bones]

I completely agree with ap19063 about Onstar, and penright about how unintelligent the 2025 'Nox is. My two previous Hondas (2018 & 2020) were light-years better than this car. I am not sure why GM sold out to Google for the infotainment and voice control systems. The car drives fine, but it is very old technology. Heat - in this cold weather, I always remote-start my car so the heat (air, seat & wheel) is up to warm.

 

[Autoworker 74]

The first one... and I may get push back on this from those that think ONSTAR is some ANGEL looking over them or their love ones.

Do you remember when you bought your equinox the sales guy telling you how you would get 8 years of service, etc. Let's be clear, he/she was telling you the truth and you would have been a fool, to think that this was some plan with all the bells and whistles, but what he didn't tell you is that built into the plan, by default mind you, is a 20.00 a month (for those of you who do not want to do math, that's 240.00 a year) ONSTAR/ATT service which is needed in order to use the built in GOOGLE, ALEXA, WAZE, SIRI, etc. in the infotainment (please allow me to laugh here) LOL. Yes, that is correct.... if you want to say "hey google" you need to have wifi. I guess this makes sense, except we've grown used to having our phones connected to the car and using it for the ability of maps, spotify, etc. and someone should have made us aware that GM and ONSTAR was going to withdrawl 20.00 a month for a cell plan must of us would not buy because we already have a CELL PLAN. Also keep in mind that this is not unlimited. If you want that one... so that the kiddies can play on their tablets (depending on the coverage) that plan is 35.00 dollars a month . What if ATT doesn't offer good coverage where you live? It doesn't matter... 20.00 a month. Ok, so the redeeming value of this, is that if you're reading this, you've been informed and you can cancel before the 3 month trial is up. Now, for the good stuff - if, you connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth as we've been doing for years, you can use your phones cell plan and not have to pay ONSTAR for this extra plan. BTW, removing this wifi plan did not prevent you from using the 8 year basic service you were given for free. ONSTAR will still send am ambulance, police in the event of an accident. All the 20 a month does is give the infotainment wifi in the car. Now fit my second gripe, or maybe I'm doing something wrong???

Now that is winter, I've noticed that if you turn on the heater in the car too soon after you started your engine, the fan still kicks on and now you're treated to... yes - cold air. Really? Maybe I'm confused, but this is 2024, do all cars not wait until the car is warm to begin blowing air all over your face? I have never had a really expensive car, but I've had my share of new cars (it's one of my vices) and I can safely say that most if not all others have waited for the engine to warm up before spewing air all over the car... what his is child air going to do? Sigh.. Again, 37k car and i have to wait 5 minutes or drive cold 5 minutes before I can turn the heater on. Unless, you can enlighten me on how I'm doing something wrong.

Stay toasty!

 

[Lazy Bones]

I posted on here quite some time ago about the fact that voice commands all occur outside the car, and they all require that expensive OnStar Wi-Fi program you’re talking about. And yes, you are absolutely correct in saying that the sales people did not say anything about it. When I asked about it after purchase, they acted like I was the first person to ever mention it. One thing I find interesting is that, if you are in a cell phone, dead area, and make a voice command, the first thing you hear is “I am not connected you can still navigate and change radio stations“. Good luck with that one. When I had that the other day, I tried to enter a navigation destination, and the response was “I’m not connected, etc. etc.“ Electronically, General Motors is selling us a car that is technologically 10 to 15 years old. And something should tell us about GM in this case in that they had to go outside the company to google to get anything done. And even then, Google has it all screwed up. Yes I know I’m griping.

 

[ap19063]

These are some difficult times for customer satisfaction. Going forward, I don't think it's going to change and I don't know how we got here, but now we have to deal with "good enough" at a time when corporate is making the most money ever. They just seem to be interested in getting richer by cutting corners, using substandard materials and raising the prices. Sorry to be such a karen.

 

[Autoworker 74]

The first one... and I may get push back on this from those that think ONSTAR is some ANGEL looking over them or their love ones.

Do you remember when you bought your equinox the sales guy telling you how you would get 8 years of service, etc. Let's be clear, he/she was telling you the truth and you would have been a fool, to think that this was some plan with all the bells and whistles, but what he didn't tell you is that built into the plan, by default mind you, is a 20.00 a month (for those of you who do not want to do math, that's 240.00 a year) ONSTAR/ATT service which is needed in order to use the built in GOOGLE, ALEXA, WAZE, SIRI, etc. in the infotainment (please allow me to laugh here) LOL. Yes, that is correct.... if you want to say "hey google" you need to have wifi. I guess this makes sense, except we've grown used to having our phones connected to the car and using it for the ability of maps, spotify, etc. and someone should have made us aware that GM and ONSTAR was going to withdrawl 20.00 a month for a cell plan must of us would not buy because we already have a CELL PLAN. Also keep in mind that this is not unlimited. If you want that one... so that the kiddies can play on their tablets (depending on the coverage) that plan is 35.00 dollars a month . What if ATT doesn't offer good coverage where you live? It doesn't matter... 20.00 a month. Ok, so the redeeming value of this, is that if you're reading this, you've been informed and you can cancel before the 3 month trial is up. Now, for the good stuff - if, you connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth as we've been doing for years, you can use your phones cell plan and not have to pay ONSTAR for this extra plan. BTW, removing this wifi plan did not prevent you from using the 8 year basic service you were given for free. ONSTAR will still send am ambulance, police in the event of an accident. All the 20 a month does is give the infotainment wifi in the car. Now fit my second gripe, or maybe I'm doing something wrong???

Now that is winter, I've noticed that if you turn on the heater in the car too soon after you started your engine, the fan still kicks on and now you're treated to... yes - cold air. Really? Maybe I'm confused, but this is 2024, do all cars not wait until the car is warm to begin blowing air all over your face? I have never had a really expensive car, but I've had my share of new cars (it's one of my vices) and I can safely say that most if not all others have waited for the engine to warm up before spewing air all over the car... what his is child air going to do? Sigh.. Again, 37k car and i have to wait 5 minutes or drive cold 5 minutes before I can turn the heater on. Unless, you can enlighten me on how I'm doing something wrong.

Stay toasty!

If its really cold I use my remote start, you won't have heat until the engine warms up. I don't use auto climate control but it seems like it should not come on until it warms up.
I have a good OnStar plan but I specifically eliminated the Internet. It was $15 per month but I didn't have much use for it. My hey Google still works and so does my maps. I don't know if it just use my phone or something else but I definitely don't have OnStar Internet.
I like everything about my 2025 but sometimes the radio/computer gets me frustrated.

 

[Lazy Bones]

The description of OnStar Basic - the 8-year plan we get - says that it includes turn-by-turn directions. Whether or not that means that it also supports the map is not disclosed.

 

[ap19063]

Yes... I have confirmed that, however it is doing it, not paying ONSTAR for any additional services, does not prevent you from using Google Maps and services. I am not running Android Auto either. When I joined this forum, my first issue was with the infotainment. It is not the worse, but it needs improvement. One issue I was having (maybe still do) was with my Samsung phone connecting to the system. It would continously connect and disconnect, making it impossible to use when calling. Shortly after trying different things, I found that by connecting it to bluetooth only, not wireless Android Auto, I could maintain a stable connection. I should pause here and explain that troubleshooting determined the problem was neither the phone or Android Auto. Explaining what I did to troubleshoot would take to much time, so you'll just have to accept that I spent 30 years in technology support and I have a fair idea of what I'm doing . That said, for ME, the only use of AA is maps, making calls, receiving and sending messages and Spotify. All of these can be used with the built in Google services in the infotainment (calls of course require your cell plan). So attaching the phone to bluetooth works 100%. To be clear, adding ONSTAR may have additional benefits you may want to consider, or use, or you feel would make you feel safer. My discussion regarding that, was that GM (or the dealers) make money from the many agreements people put in place with ONSTAR and it appears that "conveniently the sales people don't inform you that after a short free period, some of the ONSTAR services that come with the car (these are services added beyond the ones GM give you for 8 years free) will begin to cost you like a subscription. Sadly, I know that many (mostly seniors) have a tendency to disregard what is taking place with their money behind their backs, so I felt it was necessary to let everyone know that those additional services, like WIFI are not necessary to use the infotainment adequately.

 

[Lee]

When people get the 8 year plan on a 2025 GM vehicle there's not reason to give OnStar your credit card.
When I got the free 5 year plan on my 2018 it ran out after 5 years without any hassle. They didn't even try to get me to sign up to continue.
After about a year I decided to get the basic plan and it costs $12.83 a month.
OnStar has our credit card number so I need to remember to cancel the 3 month plan that has a bunch of extra stuff we don't need and continue on with the free 8 year Basic plan.
There is also 3 months of XM. If you're not interested in XM I'm guessing you can say no to that when getting things setup.

I don't know how other dealers do it but ours sat in the car with us while getting Onstar set up.

 

[dequardo]

OnStar always puts the hard sell on at activation and tries to assume you will want the $$$ add ons. Never give them a credit card number and just say you only want the trial period. Unless of course you want to pay through the nose for that stuff.