OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics¹ emails contain valuable information that can help save you time and money. Every month there’s new information about your vehicle. You can track things like your engine and braking systems, oil life and — if your vehicle is equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System — the air pressure of each tire. Be sure to read your report and take advantage of money-saving tips like these:

Tire Pressure

Properly inflated tires can help improve your gas mileage by up to 3 percent.² Using data retrieved from your Tire Pressure Monitoring System, your OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics report lets you know if your tire pressure needs attention. Check out how Mary Hall’s diagnostic report alerted her to a tire with low pressure: “That OnStar email was a lifesaver.”

Oil Life

Monitor your vehicle’s oil life through your report. Thanks to advanced technology, if your vehicle is equipped with the GM Oil Life System, your “Change Oil” light comes on only when you actually need an oil change and not simply after 3,000 miles. By having your oil changed only when it’s needed, you’ll save time, money and oil — which is good for the environment. Check out how much Elijah Scott saved on oil changes by following his diagnostics reports: OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics helps save time and money.

Regular maintenance

If something needs your attention, it will be flagged on your monthly diagnostic report — letting you know if “action is suggested” or “immediate attention required.” Read how Butch Grafton was alerted to a potential problem: Finding a road hazard under the hood.

On-Demand Diagnostics, anytime

If the “Check Engine” light should come on or you have any kind of concern while you’re driving, you can push the blue OnStar button and ask the Advisor to run an On-Demand Diagnostics check immediately. Read what happened to Debbie Yaeger when she and her daughter were traveling far from home: On-Demand Diagnostics to the rescue.

If you haven’t signed up for your monthly diagnostic emails, do it now. There’s no additional cost — it’s part of your OnStar subscription. And it’s easy. Enroll online at onstar.com or push your blue button anytime and talk to an OnStar Advisor.

¹ Capabilities vary by model. Visit onstar.com for details and system limitations.
² Estimates based on U.S. EPA information (see www.fueleconomy.gov).

Missing information?

OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics emails track a vehicle’s key systems, but what other information do you wish your car could share with you? Let us know in the OnStar Connections forums.

Debbie Yaeger and her 9-year-old daughter had a long drive in front of them with very little time to spare. They left their home in Florida in pouring rain to travel to a funeral in Ohio. A few hours into the trip, Debbie started noticing her car didn’t feel quite right. She pushed her OnStar button and asked the Advisor to run an On-Demand Diagnostic¹ check while she was driving.

“The Advisor told me there was a problem with my drivetrain. She said I could continue to drive but when I told her how far we were going, she agreed it would be best to have it looked at right away. She stayed on the line with me while I drove to the nearest dealership in the area. She was just wonderful.”

Debbie was also impressed with the dealership, which went to great lengths to get her back on her way as quickly as possible, even making a special trip to pick up the part she needed for the repair. Debbie was back on her way less than two hours after she called OnStar.

“What a comfort it was to just be able to push the button and know I’d find help at the other end. I bought my car used, and when I saw it had OnStar I couldn’t wait to subscribe. My daughter and I love to travel and OnStar provides us with peace of mind on the road and the freedom to explore, all at the same time. I’m grateful to OnStar for being there.”

Push the button anytime for On-Demand Diagnostics

In addition to your monthly OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics emails, you can ask OnStar for an immediate diagnostic check anytime. Just push the blue OnStar button and an Advisor can run an On-Demand Diagnostic check while you’re driving. If there is a problem, an immediate diagnostic check can help alert you, possibly saving you further damage and helping save you money on higher repair costs.

¹ On-Demand Diagnostic Services vary by model and model year. For details, call 1.888.4.ONSTAR (1.888.466.7827).

Cha-chunk, cha-chunk, cha-chunk: Do you remember the last time your car suffered a problem that your OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics report identified? Can you describe the sound your car made and how OVD helped you? Share your answer with others in our OnStar Connections forum.

Elijah and Nicole Scott have owned their 2008 Saturn VUE for just over two years, and they’ve already put 60,000 miles on it. To say they drive a lot would be an understatement. But Elijah, who also owns a couple of classic cars and loves working on them, takes pride in keeping all his cars in tip-top shape. In fact, he just got his oil changed on the VUE — for only the fifth time.

“My monthly OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics emails have saved me a lot of money over the last two years,” says Elijah. “I figure I’ve saved $450 on oil changes alone. Thanks to the GM Oil Life System, I’ve been averaging 12,000 miles between oil changes. If I had been getting my oil changed every 3,000 miles like I used to, I would have been getting my 20th oil change at 60,000 miles instead of my fifth.” Elijah’s 12,000 miles between oil changes and savings are not typical. Actual mileage will vary based on vehicle/engine combination, driving conditions and driver habits.

Elijah says he really relies on his monthly diagnostic email. “Because all your key systems are monitored regularly, it can help head off some expensive repairs down the road.

“Two weeks ago, my wife was driving the VUE when the tire pressure warning light came on. She pushed the OnStar button and the Advisor immediately checked the last diagnostics report and let Nicole know which tire was low and its pressure, and advised her to have the tire checked as soon as possible. When Nicole got home, I found a nail embedded in the tire. People don’t realize how important tire pressure is and how much damage can occur if the tire shreds. We might not have noticed the tire pressure was low until it was too late.”

When Elijah and Nicole were shopping for their VUE two years ago and the salesman was explaining how OnStar worked, Elijah admits he didn’t pay much attention. He says he figured it was something they’d probably never use. Now he says he’ll never have another car without it.

“We feel like we’re really getting what we’re paying for. It’s there if we need it, it has helped save us money and it lets us know that our car’s key systems are in good working order. And when you drive as much and as far as we do, that little extra peace of mind can be very important.”

Sign up for your monthly emails

OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics¹ lessens the worry of maintaining your vehicle by performing regular checks for you and sending you a monthly diagnostics email. Your vehicle can let you know what it needs. Sign up for OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics to get your monthly email diagnostic report at no extra cost. To sign up, just go online or press your blue button.

¹ Capabilities vary by model and model year. Visit onstar.com for details and system limitations.

¹ Capabilities vary by model. Visit onstar.com for details and system limitations.

Butch Grafton has been around technology all of his adult life, first as an Army helicopter pilot and now as a flight instructor for military personnel. Still, he doesn’t pretend to be an expert on cars. He likes to leave these matters to his dealership’s service department … with more than just a little help from OnStar.

On a recent Friday afternoon, Butch received his monthly e-mail from OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics¹ telling him that there was a problem with his Envoy’s cooling system. He started the car and heard an odd noise coming from under the hood. Unfortunately, the dealership was closed for the weekend, so Butch took the vehicle to a friend’s shop the next morning.

Finding the problem

Pulling into his friend’s shop, Butch initially assumed a broken fan belt might be causing the problem and could be easily fixed. They popped the hood and immediately noticed that the cooling fan, which in an Envoy is powered by an electric motor, wasn’t turning.

“I asked my friend what he thought would cause that, and he said he’d never seen a fan that did not turn when the engine was running,” Butch recalls. “I turned the car off while he reached in and manually turned the fan — and while he was doing that, I caught a glimpse of something between the fan and radiator.”

It was a squirrel — trapped under the fan blades.

“To say we were surprised would be an understatement,” says Butch.

After they removed the squirrel, the fan blades could turn and the cooling system was working again. And Butch was relieved.

“I’m so thankful that OnStar sent that e-mail, because my wife or I would have probably jumped in the car, hit the highway and the Envoy would have overheated.”

OnStar to the rescue

The incident not only saved Butch a big repair bill, it also reinforced the entire OnStar experience for him — from OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics to Emergency Services to Roadside Assistance.²

Working within the high-tech environment of today’s military, Grafton often discusses technology with the soldiers he trains for helicopter pilot duty. He relates media reports he hears or reads about OnStar and how the service has saved lives. Hearing about these incidents, many of the pilots began subscribing to OnStar, which frees them from such worries during long deployments.

“These guys really do understand technology, and they couldn’t be more impressed by OnStar. When they’re serving in places like Iraq, they say OnStar gives them peace of mind because they know someone will be on the way quickly if their wives and families are in a crash or their car breaks down.”

Monthly e-mail reports

OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics helps take the worry out of maintaining vehicles for busy people. The system checks in regularly to monitor key operating systems and make sure your car is ready for the road.

Has anything odd ever gotten under your hood? Has OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics saved you trouble on the road?

¹ Capabilities vary by model and model year. Visit onstar.com for details and
system limitations.
² Roadside service provided by Cross Country.

We recently sent the 100-millionth OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics¹ email. It marked a milestone for the service, which gives subscribers peace of mind and can also help save them money on vehicle maintenance and fuel costs.

Like a Physical Exam for Your Vehicle

Each month we send an email to millions of OnStar subscribers. These monthly emails include status alerts for key operating systems such as engine, transmission, antilock brakes, StabiliTrak (that helps you avoid a crash), and potentially injury-reducing air bags. It helps provide peace of mind, knowing that your vehicle’s key systems are ready for the road.

Tire Pressure Alerts Could Help Save Money and the Environment

Additionally, the Vehicle Diagnostics email lets subscribers know if their tire pressure is low or needs attention. By keeping tires properly inflated, OnStar subscribers can get better fuel economy and save more than $70 on fuel per year per subscriber.² Among all subscribers, that comes out to more than $350 million per year on fuel.

Keeping tires properly inflated can also help the environment. By following tire pressure alerts in the monthly email, subscribers could save more than 12.5 million gallons of fuel per month. Among all subscribers, that comes out to a collective savings of more than:

• • 150 million gallons of gas per year
• • 7.5 million barrels of crude oil per year

Save Oil, Time and Money with OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics

The Vehicle Diagnostics emails let subscribers know exactly when it’s time for an oil change. The GM Oil Life System monitors a vehicle’s oil and tells when to change it based on how each subscriber drives.

By following oil life alerts in the monthly email, OnStar subscribers need fewer oil changes every year and could save more than $30 per subscriber.³ Collectively among all subscribers, that’s more than $150 million per year on oil changes. And our subscribers could collectively conserve more than 48 million quarts of oil per year by following the oil life alerts in their emails.

No Extra Charge

OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics emails are part of your OnStar subscription — there is no extra charge. Sign up for OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics today and let it start making a difference for you. To sign up, just push the blue button and talk to an Advisor, or visit onstar.com.

Share your OnStar story.
Talk to other OnStar enthusiasts.

¹ Capabilities vary by model and model year. Visit onstar.com for details and
system limitations.
² Assumes price of $2.50/gallon (reg. unleaded gas).
³ Vehicle must be equipped with the GM Oil Life System. Assumes price of $3.00/quart (5 qts. per change).

Bob Kelly drives 40,000 miles a year. He values his monthly OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics¹ report — a lot.

“I find it absolutely incredible that I get e-mails telling me how much air is in my tires. That’s a big thing for me. I’m in sales and construction and I travel all over New Jersey. Here comes this OnStar report and — with my car sitting in the garage — they can tell me how much air I have in all four tires. I get the reports, I read them and I pay a lot of attention to them.

“I’ve also used On-Demand Diagnostics² for quick checks. One day the Service Engine Soon light on my dash came on. I pulled over, pushed the blue button and told the Advisor about the light. They ran a diagnostic check and she came back in about two minutes and told me what was wrong and to go to the dealership immediately.

“It’s amazing to me that an Advisor sitting somewhere probably hundreds of miles away can tell me what’s wrong with my car in just a couple minutes. I went to the dealership and told the technician what OnStar told me. They went right to work and had me out of there in an hour or so and on my way again. It really was fabulous.”

Sign up for OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics to get your monthly e-mail report — at no extra cost.

Share your OnStar story.
Talk to other OnStar enthusiasts.

¹ Capabilities vary by model. Visit onstar.com for details and system limitations.
² Services vary by model and model year. For details, call 1.888.4ONSTAR (1.888.466.7827).

With OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics,¹ your vehicle can tell you its story automatically every month. Provide OnStar with your email address and you can get the scoop on the health of your vehicle regularly, at no extra cost.

Takes the worry out of maintaining your vehicle.

You’ll get an email that includes a check of your key operating systems — including engine, transmission, antilock brakes and more — and it even lets you know when your oil needs changing or whether your tire pressure is low (if equipped).

Serves as a maintenance record.

Emails alerts like this can help save you money by keeping your car in tip-top shape and also serve as a maintenance record of your vehicle if you print and keep them. You can even use the service to schedule maintenance appointments with your GM dealer. All you have to do is push the blue button and sign up for your monthly diagnostic email — the service is included with your subscription.

On-Demand Diagnostics.

If you have an immediate concern while you’re driving, OnStar can run a diagnostic check right from the road anytime. Just push the blue OnStar button and an Advisor can run an On-Demand Diagnostic check while you’re driving and give you the results. This service is available whenever you need it.

Find out how OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics helped Mary Hall.
Share your OnStar story.
Talk to other OnStar enthusiasts.

¹ Capabilities vary by model. Visit onstar.com for details and system limitations.

Mary Hall was surprised to see a yellow alert when she received her monthly OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics¹ email for her 2008 Buick Enclave. It showed that the air pressure on the left rear tire was low.

Mary and her husband, Cliff, went out to the car and looked over all four tires carefully, but couldn’t notice any difference. They decided to take their car in to have it checked out anyway. They told the technician what the
OnStar email had reported and, within a few minutes, he came out with the nail and screw he found embedded in the tire.

The experience has made Mary value her monthly emails even more. She was so relieved they had the tire checked. “Without the diagnostics report, we wouldn’t have known about the problem until it was too late. We could have been traveling on the highway when the tire finally blew, and it could have been a disaster.”

Find out how OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics works.
Share your OnStar story.
Talk to other OnStar enthusiasts.

¹ Capabilities vary by model. Visit onstar.com for details and system limitations.