has anyone seen this ad in the paper or anywhere else? it's by gm referring to some new service called 'onstar vehicle diagnostics'. the onstar system basically records all the information on your car and then emails u what is going on. doesn't it seem kind of crazy what kind of information this thing is pushing over the airwaves. for example it shows your engine status, current oil life and odomoter reading. we already know that some dealerships go **** over people doing their own oil changes.... and truth be told i'm sure there's a vast majority of people that don't even change their oil at the proper intervals. could u imagine the amount of clout a dealer could have over giving warranty service if they could track this kind of information? can u imagine if u were modding your car and this thing recorded new variances in the engine management system (for example), flagged it and then recorded it on a database for all dealer's to see? a simple swap back to stock may not be enough anymore to get that tsb done! i sometimes wonder with all this technology today as to who really benefits in the long rung... us or the stealership?

 

Yeah, BB is watching for sure... Seems to be a sign of the times, what with onboard monitors, data systems, and now vehicle tracking.

My new Honda has a maintenance system on it that tracks items for you, and prompts you to get service.
It's a small step to 'outside' monitoring of this system (such as GM's Onstar, or even transfer by my navigation- ) .

Whatever happened to our right to privacy?
C.

 

Whatever happened to our right to privacy?
C.
Right you are Colin. I remember a news story about a rental company charging customers thousands of dollars as a result of them going outside of the rental state. Additional charges resulted from out of state use. The cars were tracked via satelite. Everywhere they went so did the rental company. Scarry makes ya wonder where they hid the mics

 

What the HELL!! Where can I find a paranoid computer geek around here with tin foil wrapped around his head so aliens can't probe his brain.

This is absolutely a clear violation of our privacy rights, I think. We bought our cars and in know way states in the warranty that devices are included in the active monitoring of the vehicle to report back to its manufacturer.

Just a bunch of HOOOOEEY!!!

E.