[ChevyGuy]

It's not ready for the US - yet. Telia wants to connect your old car to the internet using 4G.

"According to Telia, Sense will allow real-time diagnostics on the vehicle while owners will be told when the car needs maintenance or repairs via a range of notifications. It will also provide a driver journal and a snapshot of routes taken, distance travelled and fuel efficiency.

"The app gives drivers an "eco grade" alongside how many litres of fuel per 100km they've used as well as a "green driving" score and feedback on whether a driver has caused a risk to themselves or others. Meanwhile, the always-on 4G wifi network should alleviate the hassles of tethering multiple tablets and devices during road trips."

It looks like there's already something similar in the US: Vinli.

 

[ChevyGuy]

Just saw an ad for another: Hum, from Verizon Wireless. $14.99/month.

 

[sparkman]

I saw that too. I was going to create a thread about it but forgot.


Big Brother is Watching You.

 

[spacedout]

I see allot of people like the vehicle diagnostics, problem for me is if you drive the car at all the info is readily available if you just read the gauges and say Have a OBDII dongle and torque app. Only one person I have talked to had a real argument for its use, to keep track of their wife's car since she neglected maintenance and all warnings.

 

[Jim Frye]

Ha Ha! Reminds me of a guy I worked with a long time ago. He took his wife's Camaro to put gas in it and discovered that she had put some tape over the CEL light because she was tired of looking at it.

 

[ChevyGuy]

Will Torque remind you about maintenance? I can see an advantage for that. Does can it run that function in the background, or does it have to be fired up each time you get in your car?

Most people are not technical enough to use a code reader, so I wouldn't under estimate the convenience.

I'd think the big thing is accident notification and directions (coming).

But I'm hoping the big effect will be to get OnStar to drop their prices.

 

[spacedout]

Will Torque remind you about maintenance?

Nope, it stays plugged into the OBDII port and via Bluetooth can access to read any CEL you have with your smart phone or tablet. If you can open an app, you can check any pending CEL so even the nontechnical person can learn to use it. I don't need any more maintenance reminders since the DIC already tells me if I need to change the oil, what else is there? Again if you drive the car these things should be easy to see on the instruments already included in the car and shouldn't require an email reminder.

I'd think the big thing is accident notification and directions (coming).

But I'm hoping the big effect will be to get OnStar to drop their prices.

Onstar rely's on the Verizon cell network so if you live in or get in an accident in a rural area you might be SOL on getting through. I have a garmin GPS permanently mounted in my car as well as a Nexus 7 with maps of the entire USA loaded so I already have directions covered. I got 10 airbags and haven't been in an accident in more than 25 years. If its my time to go its my time, I don't do business with company's that prey on peoples fears.

Onstar price drop would be a good thing, current pricing is ridiculous for something that offers little value. Talking with local LEO, whenever someone calls onstar in our area for something as simple as a tow, they end up waiting a few hours for a tow truck from a county away. Forget about getting though if your even a few mile outside a city.

You should see the local Chevy dealer salesmen squirm when you ask about onstar 4G and want a demonstration.... bet they love telling people it doesn't work even in their showroom.

 

[NickD]

Let's look at the basics in a self diagnostic system, the vehicle itself determines if there is a problem or not and in the Cruze you have B, C, P, and U codes. The only thing lacking is displaying what this code is, but instead of doing this, feed all these codes into one really big fat OR gate and switch on one check engine lamp.

You don't know if your oil or gas cap is loose or if your engine is about ready to burn itself up. With a vehicle like my 88 Supra, does offer a display to tell me exactly what this code it, but have a code book to learn exactly what the nature of this code means. Even for the cruise control, ABS, anti-thief, fuel evaporative system, MVAC system, suspension, and the engine itself. Only electronically requires a dirt cheap display.

But they don't do this anymore, want to charge you a small fortune to get this information with far more expensive crap to transmit it to a satellite in outer space.

Isn't this a bit crazy? And as consumers, why do we put up with this BS? Is it because we are not very smart?

Do we really need somebody to tell us we were involved in a fender bender type of accident? Guess if we were dead, wouldn't make any difference. Oh, if you drive off a bridge and land in the water, that communications link would be broken.

 

[Jim Frye]

In the three years I've owned this car, it's only thrown two CELs. Both were for pollution controls and it displayed the OBD code and an explanation of what was wrong on the iMID (DIC in the Cruze). Both times it was because I didn't tighten the gas cap tightly. I'm of the understanding that it will do this for most, if not all, codes the ECU triggers.

 

[ChevyGuy]

I once had the light come on with no additional information. I had to connect a scanner to get the code.

I wouldn't dismiss something easy for the techo-phobic. Or reminders of what's in the owner's manual.

 

[NickD]

In the three years I've owned this car, it's only thrown two CELs. Both were for pollution controls and it displayed the OBD code and an explanation of what was wrong on the iMID (DIC in the Cruze). Both times it was because I didn't tighten the gas cap tightly. I'm of the understanding that it will do this for most, if not all, codes the ECU triggers.

Ha, maybe for the gas cap, but not for the oil cap, a permanent CEL comes on that must be reset. If they can display a loose gas cap, can display all of them.