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I would be hesitant in messing with the onstar system . as eric mentioned it is tied into the cars computer. if you truly want it removed I would recommend having the dealer do it.
I have a feeling that you would be hard pressed to find a dealer that would remove this system for you. I’ve heard conspiracy theories that the on-star system is used as a black box like on an airplane, and the dealers would probably not be allowed to remove the “SPY BOX” as you put it.
i was thinking of asking the dealer. but i figured about the same thing. they wouldnt be too helpful. i have heard that the older ones can be removed without any problem at all. but after about 2006 it could cause some issues… im not sure though. id like to find out, because i just dont feel comfortable having this crap in my car!
also. without the on star coming into play at all, the ecm of most all vehicles these days are like black boxes. havent you heard about the thing that progressive insurance has now? its a device they give you and you plug into into you car. it downloads all the information like speeds, how many miles, distances driven… all kinds of stuff. and then they take that information from the device and depending on how you drive your car, your insurance can be cheaper… now i dont know about how any of the rest of you feel. but anything like that just freaks me out. and i dont want any part of it.
so ill figure a way to get the on star out sooner or later. i guess ill just have to rip my dash apart and try and find it. then un plug it and see what happens. if the car wont run right ill keep it plugged in till i figure out how to bypass it… either way its gotta go.
Honestly I don’t know where that is on that vehicle, I would think that all you would need to do is unplug it but since it’s tied into the engine computer I don’t know if you’re going to suffer any ill effects from removing it from the system but you might.
This is an interesting debate to be sure but to the point I don’t think it’s a question of if the dealer will or won’t remove the system I don’t think they CAN. The reason is as mentioned that system is tied into the engine computer, ABS, SRS, as well as some of the other systems in the car, remove it and you’re removing a key part of that system and as a result the vehicle may not be able to run at all. I don’t know for sure on your particular application but from what I know of those systems they are pretty tied in.
As for being ‘tracked’ forget about it. If you have a cell phone on your person you can be tracked by ANYONE that knows your number that has access to a computer, the days of ‘personal privacy’ are long gone.
Quoted From EricTheCarGuy:
As for being ‘tracked’ forget about it. If you have a cell phone on your person you can be tracked by ANYONE that knows your number that has access to a computer, the days of ‘personal privacy’ are long gone.
^^This is soooo true. If I didn’t have a kid, I would leave my electronic leash at home most of the time.
well Eric, i dont have a cell phone, i dont need one. and i think they are kinda stupid. and as far as safety. i am an adult man. i dont feel i need a nanny state to be there in case i get in trouble. if i cant get myself out of trouble, than what ever happens happens. and it should be my right to go through life being able to live that way… we keep relying on more and more of this crap. and people there for have no skills or sense of self reliance any longer. and i personally do not want any part in it. and i feel that in a country that claims to be so concerned with freedom ,i should be able to make the choice whether i want an agency tracking my every movement or not (among other things, such as possibly listening to my conversations, and seeing how fast i drive)… i am not trying to turn this into a debate. but thats how i strongly feel. and that is my motivation on why i want to get the on star out of my car. because it is after all MY car. i should have the right to do so. i suppose its a good thing i like old cars so much. because when everyone else is being driven around by there cars, i will still be DRIVING mine. it will be that way soon too. they are already parking and stopping themselves..
i have the 07 uplander mostly to just drive in the winter. because i dont want my old chryslers rotted out by the western new york state salt. but its a sad thing that i dont feel comfortable being in my own car. and i might not be able to do anything about it…
[SOAPBOX] There’s an interesting case at the Supreme Court right now to decide whether the police can attach a GPS tracker to your car without a warrant– but in many cases that isn’t even necessary as with OnStar– it’s tracking you all the time anyway. I think it becomes an incremental thing– first is the benign use, like helping you in an accident or sending you an email when your car needs service– but what will follow are things like pre-accident data being used against you in a driver liability action (already happens), the “miles-driven tax” where you pay a tax on each mile you drive, automatic speeding tickets generated by the black box when you tick over the limit, automatic fines for emissions non-compliance if your check-engine light stays on too long and as you point out, the ability of the On Star type system to transmit your personal conversations inside the vehicle as well as location. Personally, I don’t think we should have to accept that we no longer have any privacy– we should have strict laws to protect us. I have to say, it amazes me the way Progressive is promoting their device– they even have a creepy segment of the advertisement that shows a “Flo” in the passenger seat of every car taking notes! I amazes me that people are so numb to it. [/SOAPBOX]
On the lighter side, I have to appreciate this joke article entitled “IPhone Secretly Tracking How Dull Your Life Is”:
http://www.satirewire.com/content1/?p=2787
As for your question– I’m sorry I don’t have the information you’re looking for, but you should try to get ahold of the factory service manual– either a hard copy or subscribe to alldatadiy.com. Find out where the box is located and try disconnecting it to see what happens– worst case is you’ll just have to hook it up again. If the box has to stay plugged in, you could probably find a way to make it deaf, blind and mute by disconnecting the microphone and antenna.
Good luck!
I understand your feelings and respect them and I believe I have a solution for you now that I think about it. This may set a ‘code’ but it won’t harm any of the other systems and I believe it will still take you off the ‘grid’ as you desire. Locate the onstar box and disconnect the antenna lead (it should be marked), this way it won’t be able to communicate but the other parts of the system should still work fine. Give that a try and see if that works.
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