BETTER PARTSOnline Services for Karl and all the other
Luton ( England ), August 27, 2015
When the invitation to Opel's Onstar event flutters in the editorial, we are first skeptical. Wi-Fi hotspot in the car, a concierge desk, mobile and remote SOS button: What should be new? Has not Peugeot for ages an emergency button in his car, BMW does not offer may also include telephone aids for the motorist? And a mobile phone as a remote control for the door lock is also available in the Mercedes C-Class, a Wi-Fi hotspot is available even in the accessory list of the Toyota Yaris. So what has Opel, which others do not have? We have informed us in our English Onstar center.
In the US for a long time successfully
Who have long been familiar with Onstar, is probably American and has as we hung around for years at US auto shows. Because in the States is the service in the vehicles of General Motors have been available for 19 years, and is also used by more than 50 percent of the owners. Now Onstar also comes to Germany. It is available in all Opel models, from the end of 2015 even in very small cars Karl.
The Onstar box and Emergency Service
To use the service, you need a Onstar box that contains a SIM card and a GPS module. The service is standard on the higher equipment in the entry-level versions, you pay 490 euros for activation. To call for assistance, you press one of the buttons on the roof. With the SOS button to quickly bring in an accident help, but also, for example, if the child was stung by a wasp in the tongue in the back, or if you witness a crash. The call center employee asks for the type of accident and gets the ambulance. He may notify the paramedics the exact location of the vehicle through the GPS module. If the sensors of the vehicle in an accident with airbag deployment, a speech connection is established automatically, and if no one answers, the call center employee sends a Subsidiary.
For less urgent cases
You can get help in less urgent cases, via a second button. For example, when any warning lamp burning in the car, and you want to know whether you can continue anyway. Or if you have a breakdown and towing needs. Or because you're looking for the next McDonalds and has no desire, to dig through the menus of the navigation system. The service employee sends on request the requested Retaurant address to the Navi in the car and you can drive off right away. When your vehicle is stolen, you can be carried out with a phone call in a call center location and report the results of the police. It is even possible to prevent the car from starting. Both, however, assumes that you have reported the theft to the police. The reduction in vehicle performance is possible only in the US ?? this is not allowed with us for security reasons.
Remote diagnostics and remote control
You can also carry out remote diagnostics via the service button. The service center can easily check whether the oil must be changed, as the attendant claims. One can let the air pressure of all four tires announcements. And every month automatically goes an email with information about the health of the car to the workshop. Also includes a mobile app to Onstar, with obtaining a kind of remote control for your own vehicle: Man, the vehicle can be locked and unlocked ?? For example, if you look is no longer sure if you have locked the car. You can also locate its Opel or have horns because they no longer find it on the giant supermarket place. Or check fuel level and tire pressure from any location, and more.
No concierge service
What Onstar not offer, is a real concierge service, so best to get services such as a train ticket or to order theater tickets. Also recommendations about the best restaurants in the vicinity are not possible. For these services Opel missing data. Because the Service Employees must strive to Google Maps or the TripAdvisor for legal reasons not easy ?? which are private users only.
Wi-Fi hotspot and free internet access
In addition to the various call center services and the app you get even a Wi-Fi hotspot, which allows to connect up to seven devices in the car with the Internet. The European LTE internet connection with unlimited data is included. Here a particularly powerful roof antenna is used, which will enable significantly better transfer rates than with the phone. For the first twelve months, both the use of Onstar and the hotspot is free. Then Opel calls for Onstar a fee of 99 euros per year. What will it cost the Internet connection is not yet clear.
The special feature is the width of the offer
So what is so special about Onstar? The individual services are known, but only the brand of Rüsselsheim provides the whole range of services described for all their vehicles. Desirable from the perspective of the driver would be an enlargement to a concierge services, as they exist at other brands. And maybe a better flow control. So you can, for example, in the Connect-me services from Mercedes, the individual functions by other website and get away ?? for example, because you do not want that the workshop like with every little problem, because you prefer to go to the cheaper no-name workshop. Whether the use of the hotspot 's interesting, depends on the price, we would for an internet access which is available only in the car, not like as much as pay for mobile access, which is available to a constantly . ( sl )