OnStar: GM’s Concierge Service Gets Even Better
Nicole Wakelin
|
On Star Adds Insurance Discounts, Hotel Booking, and Improved Maintenance Notifications.
OnStar has been around for 15 years now and in that time has grown to become what many people think of as an essential service in their cars. Available exclusively on General Motors vehicles, it can provide directions at the touch of a button and, even more importantly, help during an emergency.
OnStar recently announced expansion of their service to include three new features that will make your life easier and maybe even help save you a little cash.
With Predictive Technology, OnStar improves maintenance notifications.
It’s one thing to have a warning light for low oil, low washer fluid, or that dreaded check engine light, but now OnStar can help you know about a potential problem before it actually causes an issue. New predictive technology uses OnStar’s 4G LTE connectivity to provide data streams from sensors within your car. If it senses something is not as it should be, it can send you a notification in plenty of time for you to address the problem.
The new service will also expand your ability to monitor car maintenance like tire pressure and oil levels. Rather than just the monthly summary available now, these things will be able to be monitored around the clock. This rolls out starting with the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, Tahoe, Suburban, Corvette, Silverado and Silverado HD in select models.
OnStar Advanced Vehicle Diagnostics can let you know about a problem before it even happens.
Onstar’s Driver Feedback calculates safe driving habits for discounted insurance rates.
Another new OnStar feature that will be available on all 2016 and even some 2015 and earlier model years is Driver Feedback which will let you take advantage of possible insurance discounts through Progressive Insurance.
With your consent, OnStar will compile a report with driving metrics that evaluate your driving style over the course of 90 days. They will then share this with Progressive which may be able to offer driving discounts based on safe driving habits.
Book your hotel? OnStar can do that!
Lastly OnStar AtYourService provides a host of features that includes the ability for OnStar agents to assist with finding hotels and even booking a reservation. A partnership with Priceline will not only find a nearby hotel, but also help get a better rate than you might find on your own.
Additional partnerships with RetailMeNot and Entertainment Book will give you digital coupons for retailers in your area. They’ll even help you find a place to park with Parkopedia and provide something to pass the time on road trips with Audiobooks.com.
These are just the first partnerships in a service they expect to grow over time to help you find what you need, when you need it. This service will roll out throughout the year.
You may think of OnStar as your emergency backup plan or your instant source of directions, but these new services aim to make OnStar your source for anything and everything when you’re on the road.
