OnStar Disabling
 

Hello, I just purchased a new HHR, traded in my old one so I could get the solid rear quarter panel.
Now I would like to know if anyone has located the onstar unit on the hhr's yet.

I have seen posts on other forums for different vehicles, some say behind the glove box, some say in the trunk.
I will go searching all over if I have to but I would prefer to avoid all that.If anyone has found it, it sure would be appreciated.

RE: OnStar Disabling
 

As stated in GM's Service Information: Right side of the rear compartment, behind the right rear wheel well

If you don't mind me asking, why would you want to disable the onstar system?

RE: OnStar Disabling
 

figures GM has nothing better to do then watch him drive around all day and moniter him I guess.....

RE: OnStar Disabling
 

Greetings,
I'm here simply looking for information, with no other agenda beyond removing an undesirable feature in a new car.

This week we bought an '08 HHR. For various reasons, non of which are either illegal or paranoid, my wife & I both want the OnStar gone. We are both in our mid-50s, I'm a retired cop and she's been with her PD for 34 years. We are law-abiding people, but come from an older generation & backgrounds that leave us unimpressed by most of the extraneous frills on the car. We like the HHR, had to pay extra to have the one with most of the configuration we wanted shipped in from 500 miles south in another state.
I am not knocking the car.

But- we never wanted anything to do with OnStar, and while we did know a free one-year subscription was included, we understood we would be the ones to activate it. That meant we could (and did) choose not to activate it. Today, in going through the OnStar papers that came with the manual, I found several items in the "agreement" that we do not agree with, and called OnStar to make sure they cancel any form of connection with us and our car, officially. That's when I found out the dealer had kindly activated it for us, and further that OnStar will not de-activate it until the introductory period of one year has ended. Period.
I was hung up on twice, despite using a civil tone of voice, and told there was no supervisor available to speak to about this apparently unchangeable OnStar policy.

We specified clearly with our Chebby dealer about what we wanted & did not want in this new car, and passed on other options such as satellite radio that we couldn't care less about. We were told OnStar came standard on all GMs & we'd be stuck with it. Based on our understanding that we'd be able to not use it, we reluctantly accepted it and bought the HHR.

It's just kinda a personal quirk. I don't like people tiptoing through my vehicles, either physically or electronically, and want OnStar out of it. The fact that they exhibit such arrogance in telling me they'll maintain contact with my car whether I want them to or not only increases my desire to avoid them completely.

Preliminary to getting an attorney involved, I'm hoping somebody here can give me some simple tips on how to disable OnStar in an '08 HHR. In looking through the Internet for more info, I find a number of entries about disconnecting this or that in other model GMs, and a couple suggestions on re-wiring & soldering the module, but I don't want to get into anything that requires snipping, cutting, soldering or other physical alterations.
I've seen a fuse removal mentioned for other GM models, but I'm never sure what's integrated with what in current cars & reluctant to try that for fear it may cause the transmission to drop out. I've seen mention of one GM owner who removed the OnStar antenna (leaving a non-weather-resistant hole I don't want) but the OnStar system still apparently functioned without it.

It may be hard for some to understand, but we simply do not want this in our car, and if anybody can tell me how to disable it without either damaging wiring or affecting other systems, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks.
Denis

RE: OnStar Disabling
 

The best way to make sure its d\c and in no way can anyone from OnStar communicate with your vehicle would be to simply pull the plugs from the OnStar Module(VCIM). This will not affect any other moudles in the vehicle. The only thing the dealer will notice is when they try to communicate with it using a scan tool, they will recieve a message saying "Could not communicate with VCIM"
Also rememebr when you d\c the VCIM, you will not be able to use the hands free calling feature as it is built into the VCIM.
If you can turn a screw driver you shouldn't have too much problem getting at the module.
Also If you want to d\c the XM radio, you can simply pull the connectors off the digital radio reciever while your in there. Again with no adverse affect to any other component in the car


Right side of the rear compartment, behind the right rear wheel well


http://gsi.xw.gm.com/image_en_us/gif...51/1651902.gif






(1)
Digital Radio Receiver (U2K)

(2)
Vehicle Communication Interface Module (VCIM) (UE1)

(3)
G403

(4)
Battery Current Sensor

(5)
Battery

(6)
Inline Fuse 50 AMP

RE: OnStar Disabling
 

Thanks Shawn, that helps a bunch.
I'd already looked inside the small access panel on the right rear side & found it was only for the taillights, didn't see anything that looked remotely like a removable module. Just printed your diagram & went out to look again. Didn't evenknow the battery's by the spare tire.
Guess I'll wait till tomorrow & get the toolbox out, didn't realize I'd have to remove that entire plastic side panel to get at it.
Just unplug any & all leads attached to the box?
I'm wondering what affect this'll have on warrantee issues with the dealer. I did check the manual & the fuse box layout, it appears one fuse works both the satellite radio (which we don't have) and the OnStar, removed it. That doesn't seem to affect anything with the standard AM/FM/CD player. If that circuit only carries those two components, would it be safe to assume the easiest way to disable the OnStar would be to just pull the fuse & let the service department replace it as necessary for regular servicing so their diagnostic system won't scream too loud?
Don't care about losing the in-car cellphone Hands Free whatever, we'll never use it.
Denis

RE: OnStar Disabling
 

Shawn,
In further talks with OnStar today that got nowhere, and then with the dealer to see what might be involved in disabling the box at their end, the service department had no answer at first & then called back later saying they couldn't disable it without affecting other systems. Exactly what other systems might be tied together wasn't clear, except for "It might do..." and "It could do..."
I don't know what your level of GM involvement or expertise might be with the '08 HHR, but are you aware of any other systems that might be affected by unplugging all cables in & out of the OnStar box?
Thanks.
Denis

RE: OnStar Disabling
 

In my line of work, I specialize in diagnosing and repairing OnStar systems, as well as other electronics in GM Vehicles. I can assure you that the ONLY way that Onstar is integrated into the car is through the radio. It has the ability to mute the radio, and send its own audio through the speakers. Onstar also has the ability to scan the vehicle for codes, and be able to call for help if the airbags deploy. There will be no adverse affects of disabling the Onstar system. The dealer is hesitant to do it becuase they could be held liable if there was ever an accident, and you needed help but Onstar could not contact you. That being said, there is a waiver you can sign to have them do it, or you can just do it yourself.

RE: OnStar Disabling
 

Thanks, Shawn.
Sent you an email.
Denis

RE: OnStar Disabling
 

Anybody else had this go-round in getting rid of OnStar?
Denis

RE: OnStar Disabling
 

To close it up, after more phone calls to OnStar & the dealer, I was faxed a waiver from the dealerthat allowed the dealer to "assist" in disabling the system "at their discretion".
After further talking with their sales manager and some discussion of what "assist" really means (his interpretation was that the dealer had "assisted" me merely by getting the waiver, my position was that the "assist" in theparagraph wordingreferred tophysically disabling the on-boardsystem), he finally tentatively agreed that the dealer could do it, after first telling me twice it'd be OnStar who would disable the system at their end. Since I had no reason at that point to rely on OnStar's word (they'd first refused to cancel the account at all& then told me only the dealer could cancel on MY CAR), I pushed for the dealer to physically disable the box in the car. When he told me they would not pay for it & didn't even know how to do it, I ended by telling him it was the final straw in a bad deal from the beginning, I'd disconnect it myself, after buying three Chevs from that dealership in 8 years they'd never sell us another car & it's the last GM product we'll buy.

Despite requiring us to pay for hardware we didn't wantas the only way to buya car my wife's been interested in since they came out, lying to us about optional activation when the OnStar was already activated, failure to provide full disclosure up front on the agreement OnStar considers binding merely by purchasing the vehicle (no warrantee, can't sue, and OnStar can sell any personal info they have on us, including VIN number, to anybody they want to) and the fact that OnStar told me once activated the system cannot be de-activated ("Didn't your dealer explain that to you?"), giving us mis-information from the service department about disconnecting the box affecting other areas of vehicle operation, OnStar's incredible arrogance in refusing to cancel the account we didn't create for a year, and the dealer trying to charge us to disconnect the box we didn't want in the first place, his ending statementwas "I don't think we did anything wrong."

Not to prolong unduly, but just FYI for those interested or who may be considering disabling the in-car hardware, my wife has been driving the thing (Ino longer want anything to do with it) to work all week with the fuse out & has detected no signs of anything unusual in displays or car performance. The green OnStar light on the right side of the mirror is out, but that's the only detectable difference.

As for the insurancequestion I've seenbrought upon other forums by responders toother dissatisfied OnStar "customers" who were asking about disabling the system, I called our State Farm agent & asked if the presence or absence of OnStar made any difference whatever, and if it expiring at the end of a year would affect our rates in any way, and the answer to both was "No."

Also, as far as warrantee issues go, there's no verbiage in the waiver that saysdisabling the hardwarewould affect the warrantee. The only mention of the warrantee in either of the two pages is that disabling the system in the car is not covered by the warrantee and any costs involved would have to be paid by me. Does not say doing so would violate it.
One area of concern, though, is that by signing the waiver I agree to hold the dealer harmless "...from any and all consequential damages and costs that may result." While I doubt that the simple process involved in removingthe box or pulling cableswould involve much chance of damage in getting in & out to do it in this case, I'm always leary of relinquishing legal recourse in blanket releases. The rest of the release I have no problem with.

One final note, just as an advisory- letting the "free" year expire only terminates your use of OnStar services. It does not de-activate anything in your vehicle, your hardware will remain perfectly functional and capable of both transmitting data (without your knowledge) and interacting with OnStar (without your knowledge)should they decide to do so.

I mention the above as useful info in making decisions regarding buying OnStar, and/or understanding what you get yourself into in buying a GM vehicle so equipped. The majority of OnStar users are satisfied with the system, and that's perfectly fine.
My position is that it should be a choice, not a forced money-maker in hardware and data miningfor GM whether new car buyers want it or not. Full disclosure up front should be mandatory, at the very least.

Shawn, I'll probably get around to digging into the side panel & disconnecting the box this weekend, just to be absolutely certain, and I appreciate your help very much.

Denis

New member here. I just bought an 09 Silverado. You can disable onstar by removing the Driver Information Center fuse, # 22 (10amp) from the driver's side fuse box inside the cab. This will cause your auto dim mirror to be dim all the time. However XM will still work, and all the info for tire pressure, trip computer, is still displayed in on the instrument panel. I don't know about the blue tooth wireless calling though. Haven't tried that yet. If you really need blue tooth, you can use an earpiece.

Thanks for your help Shawnvw!!

Welcome to the forum,
my only concern about removing the fuse is that a tech with well intentions putting it back.
I think if you are certain you don't want On-star is to hunt down the module and kill it (remove power) as shawn described...

I have not had to use On-star personally but have used it to have help send help to a accident location, Hit the On-Star button told them there was an accident and I needed police and EMS on the spot where I was, told the operator I was getting out of the vehicle to assist, she was still jabbering something when I got out, EMS was on the spot in no time. I didn't need to describe a location or nearest intersection.

Bluetooth will not work....it is an integral part of the Onstar module

Correction, auto dim mirror appears to be working.

Shawn, in your diagram, when I saw a 50 amp fuse for this device, I nearly fell out of my chair! Anything that transmits with that much juice makes me nervous too. Oh, and that BS about lawsuits and car accidents is the usual corporate party line. And DPris, I totally agree with you and your bride about privacy. Trouble is most of these younger folks didn't grow up when we did and don't prize their privacy. My older brother is a retired federal cop and we haven't been able to find him for years (he's alive,we just don't know where). So stick to your guns and welcome to the forum.

I'm wondering if the high current fuse is to provide a higher tolerance in an accident rather then for output wattage... otherwise that could put a mini microwave in the back....

i'm a bit confused...what diagram?
I've never seen a 50amp fuse an an onstar module before

what's even stranger is the 50amp fuse appears to be on the negative terminal...
its the diagram you have posted on page one of this tread....

in2pro, do you suppose they mistakenly got the "tundra" addition HHR? You know, the one equipped for camping and all that kind of stuff. I could see a portable generator....no, it's gotta be 5.0 amps

No, you wer right...it is a 50 amp fuse. But its not for the onstar. It just happens to be visible from that view. Probably going to feed most of the accessories in the car

You know they can track you through your cell phone, don't you.
I agree with privacy issues but they will watch one way or the other.

Shawn, you know, when you're trying to reach low orbit with a signal, maybe 50amps isn't too far off. I'm picturing a bolt of blue lightning going to outer space....

2006 Silverado Onstar Location
 

Can you assist me in finding the Onstar location in a 2006 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab?

behind the glove compartment. You can access the connectors through there, but the remove the unt you must remove the entire dash pad.
Look for a silver box with 2 - 3 connectors and a couple coax going to it

:cool:
There is no problem if you want to disable the OnStar in your HHR. You own it - period. OnStar does not tell their people the full facts, OnStar does not tell their dealers the full facts, OnStar is Big Brother in your HHR. I am about to start a new website (domain to be determined) where you can have my tech do it if you live in the N. West USA or Western Canada. We are also putting together a kit and instructions (price yet to be determined) as well. The work on your HHR will be done by a professional. The OnStar Unit contains a 3 Watt Cell Radio that is designed to work even if the antenna is destroyed in an accident - And it will ! This puppy will phone home under even the most serious of conditions. Does OnStar have the ability to track & trace you at will? Yes. Can they locate you? Yes. Think of your car as a computer and OnStar the GPS based modem. with our system you can disable it so that when you decide to sell the car we can re-enable it or if you are like me you can shut it down for good. You last known position can be a tree in the North woods! If you tamper with the device and do not know what you are doing you can prevent the car from starting. Feel free to email me. Why do it? Privacy - It is Our Right.

What are you trying to sell here? a glorified fuse puller? or just some jumper leads for the high speed lan?
What are you trying to offer that the average joe cannot do for themselves?

OnStar Update & Reply
 

The ave Joe you say? Five dealers with so called trained OnStar people could not figure out how to do this. Again five dealers. Then they called OnStar and were told it could not be done - I will repeat could not be done. Not that they did not want it done.

When you own the car you own the OnStar. Now to your point. The ave. Joe would have to use more than a screwdriver and the poor diag. shown to determine what needs to be done. The info talked about (2) plugs not (3) but (2) plugs that needed to be disconnected. The diag. does not even look like the unit in my HHR. There is no XM module but, no matter the OnStar unit has multiple connectors as in (3) not (2) and many people are told by OnStar (myself included) that there is a battery backup in the system (again more OnStar BS) OnStar the OFF Shore company. There was a metal bracket holding the unit in place. To get to it and pull the black plug was simple - RESULT: NO ABILITY TO START CAR. Hey you know that anyway if you work for GM. So do I risk an error code, computer damage? All the BS GM service managers claim. Then what connectors do you remove? If there is power backup the unit would still send GPS info. Oh, yes it would & does because I bench tested it.

Correct I opened the unit and examined the entire two piece design. No backup power. Wow OnStar if I wanted the over priced Big Brother service I expect to get the backup I was promised. But , hey - the units ability to understand English had not worked in 13 months of trying to get the dealer and OnStar to fix it. Lame tests over and over. Roll up the windows when you talk? Duh. I was told 17 times they were going to replace what is a very cheap set of circuit boards in a box. No replacement unit ever showed up. I have nothing to hide but, I do not need some unknown government or private business having the ability to track me without my permission. So I was motivated to de-active the unit. Of all the information I found the details you posted were not correct. I refer to the diag. the simple way to do this and and and. LAN connection? A monkey could change out the unit and resolve the issue but, we are talking about GM who went under on how many billions?

So folks get in your HHR or any thing with OnStar installed and I promise you there is the chance of fixing your car or truck so it will not start. At the very least you need to get to the unit and that required tools. Not just a screwdriver. Backup power? False.

Final: I removed the RF model so that there is no way the 3 watt FCC approved Cell transmitter will ever send anything to OnStar again. If I sell the car I will just pop the board back in but, it was far from a simple Ave. Joe-Job.

wow...you are blowing up over some very minute information. 2 or 3 connectors? who cares how many there are, some vehicle have 2 some have 3, depending on the vehicle build. My diagram shows an xm module but you don't have one? boo hoo...again, vehicle build. Most vehicle now have back-up batteries, unless you work on them every day, you wouldn't know which unless you looked it up, whats the big deal?
And the pic didn't look like the module you pulled from your hhr?...the pics are meant for reference purposes only....not to be an exact replica...they are made for trained technicians. You CAN disable the Onstar system if you want, the Dealer CANNOT without having the customer sign a release form to relieve GM\Onstar of any legal issues, should you end up in a ditch, unconscious, and cannot reach your cell phone.

And I will say that I was mistaken in my statement that pulling the connectors will not cause adverse affects.....there are data lines that come in and go out of the VCIM that simply need to be jumpered once the conectors are off.

The best way to disable the system is to pull the fuse. Nothing more, nothing less....no need to buy whatever "kit" your selling. If the vehicle does indeed have a back-up power source, it will be depleted within the first day and the unit will be totally dead

So will this take care of my "service onstar" readout I keep getting, since they stopped servicing any vehicle that is older then an 05? Cause its always in my drivers message center. Also is the box in the same place there as well? Thanks.

Btw I have a 2002 Trailblazer LTZ 4wd. Thanks again.

the onstar is underneath the Right rear seat under a plastic cover. you may unplug the connectors from it if you like. that should turn off the light

My question for you is why does my onstar constantly say I am off route when I am not. I have told them this several times and I am wondering if there is a way to solve this problem. I am under warranty so worst case, I take it in, but I was hoping you would have an answer for me. Thanks.

I can only find my Bose amplifier under the passenger side rear seat, that and the other fuse box under the rear driver side. Is it not able to be disabled with a Bose system? Is it all integrated into it?:confused:

sandman...remove the onstar fuse for 1 hour....reinstall the fuse, and drive for 22km(miles??). Turn the vehicle off disable the rap, and wait for onstar LED to go out. start the car, download a destination from onstar, and that should fix you up

Mac....the onstar module is in the right rear quarter panel. If you are trying to disable it, remove the fuse only. And if you really want, you may remove the cell antenna oax and the GPS antenna coax from the module as well. But do not remove the connectors fromt he module. There are data lines that go in and out of the module. Removing the module will interupt this circuit

Thanks for the reply. Yea I just hate seeing the service OnStar flash on my drivers information display. So simply pulling the fuse should cure this right? Thanks again.

I have never seen this message before, but pulling the fuse should do the trick

Onstar Effects
 

What is interesting is hearing about why people want to disable onstar.
What many of you may not realize is that the Antenna (cellular) that is on when you turn on the ignition is right above your head. Has anyone done a health study here? What compounds the concern to me is that fact that 2008 and prior GM used 3 watt transmitters. Yes, similar ones were found in the old carry around phones that were deemed too powerful and potentially unsafe. So now current phone emit 0.6 watts and 2009 and above GM also uses a digital lower watt transmitter. But what about all of us who have been driving around with these things on above our heads for years? Is there any danger? With all the concerns about cellular radiation, has anyone done a study like this? That is the reason I would want to disconnect.

On some of the earlier models of TB's, the Antenna is on the back window.

Location of onstar unit
 

Could anyone tell me where the onstar unit is located in the 2009 malibu hybrid? I have pulled the liner in the trunk and see nothing but the batteries and a fuse box on the left side

mailbu onstar
 

GM doesn't want you tampering with onstar which is why there are incorrect locations written about where they are including incorrect fuse locations. Remember this is Big Brother where onstar will know where you've been from the moment you pull off the lot until your vehicle is dead. Check behind the radio in the dash. Pull the front panel and radio, if it's there like in the Suburbans and Tahoes, you can;t miss it. The small black chip (antenna) on the side is the bluetooth. Good luck