2012 Equinoxes Are Not Shipping With MyLink Infotainment System And Will Not Be Upgradeable
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You may be well aware that the Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system (not to be confused with OnStar MyLink RemoteLink) was initially announced in February 2011 and was to become “available beginning with the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and Equinox this fall before expanding to other vehicles in the Chevy lineup over the next 18 months” (from GM’s official press release). So why is it that we’ve received an extraordinary amount of emails and comments on the blog and the forum claiming this is not the case?
Well, as 2012 Equinoxes and Volts began to arrive at dealerships across the country in the summer of 2011, people began purchasing them, fully expectating that they were buying a vehicle equipped with MyLink. As they took the cars home with them, the new owners discovered certain missing features in the infotainment systems of their new rides, including the ability to use Bluetooth Audio Streaming (A2DP) as well as the Pandora and Stitcher apps. It wasn’t that the features didn’t work… instead, they seemed to have been left out of the system altogether. That’s when the comments and questions really started pouring in to GM Authority. And they poured in heavy.
After contacting GM’s communications team, GM Authority was told that the 2012 Volts and Equinoxes currently in production do not include MyLink. Furthermore, we learned that a software update will not be available for these units — since they use entirely different hardware than the forthcoming MyLink units. According to GM, MyLink will officially begin shipping sometime in December on the Equinox and in February (of 2012) on the Volt.
The GM Authority Take
What we have here is a number of buyers who thought that they were getting MyLink when purchasing a 2012 Equinox or Volt, but actually weren’t. And it’s easy to see why: for starters, both MyLink as well as the units currently shipping in 1LT and higher trim levels have large color touchscreens — making their external appearance synonymous. What’s more, GM’s official announcement clearly stated that MyLink would be available on the 2012 Equinox and Volt “this fall”. And the fact that several GM Authority readers were told by dealers that the 2012 Equinoxes were equipped with MyLink didn’t help matters one bit.
At the end of the day, there’s a right way to treat customers — and there’s a wrong way. We hope that GM will take care of those buyers who were mislead into purchasing a 2012 Equinox or Volt due to incorrect information. How these customers will be taken care of, however, is anyone’s guess at this time.
What do you think GM should do here?
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My thinking is obviously leans more toward Alex’s than Levi’s. I can respect that Levi approaches these transactions much more “professionally” but he is the exceptional consumer, not the norm, aware of nuances regular folks won’t be. And like most here we believe that we ought not to have to be like NSA analysts, trying to deduce if “Fall” means one thing and did they use weasel words that plain old folks thinks means one thing while insiders know might mean something else. I read the material on the Chevy web site, I looked at the brochures, then I see the press releases and the Youtube videos and it’s clear to me that I just bought MyLink. How can any average consumer do that and not come away with that?
After I bought my car, I found here that there were reports that people did not have MyLink in their 2012s but there were also reports that GM said it’d be a software upgrade. I think Alex got that from GM at one point, no? .So you know, I’m OK with a software upgrade. I do software, I get delayed releases or point upgrades. It happens..
What I don’t get is the current stance of GM. The “Sorry, you lose. Go away.” response that seems to be the position at the moment. Wait, they issued no press releases that explain that the announced 2012 Equinox MyLink was going to be delayed into later in the model year? So real people are to “know” the status of MyLink how?
So I’ve written to GM/Chevy Customer Service requesting an explanation and their plans. Haven’t heard back, will share when I do. But you know, if they said they wanted some reasonable fee to do a hardware swap, I’d be good with that (I;m sure many wouldn’t be, but I’d rather have what I want than fight for a principal and have nothing….) But if they continue with the “Sorry” and “no upgrade for you” and hide behind the weasel words and follow blame the victim approach (ref Levi above) than I think we speak with consumer affairs people in various states and see who agrees with us and who might want to discuss this with Chevy. I can be reasonable, here’s to hoping GM believes in that as well.
Right on, bud. One should’ve have to follow the industry and/or GM every hour to understand what’s happening with a real-world product. And even if you do (like we do here at GM Authority), there wasn’t a peep from GM publicly or privately to dealers about whether MyLink was delayed or available.
It wasn’t until I reached out to GM via PR contacts that I was set straight!
More than likely the unexplained MyLink delay is a result of disasters in Japan and/or Thailand that affected parts suppliers. Other car manufactures are also missing features. The 8 inch screen that was supposed to be standard on many 2012 Chrysler vehicles was substituted with a 4 inch screen on many vehicles due to supply issues.
Same type of thing is going on right now with some other car makers vehicles.
Chrysler was much more clear with their issue. First you can obviously see the screen is not 8 inches and secondly the factory sticker specifically notes the change and shows an itemized price credit for the deleted item. GM’s silent “hope you don’t notice” is sleazy.
Just dropping my hat in. Was mislead by marketing materials about it being available in 12 models as well as the dealer (software updates bait and switch “it’s not in there yet but will be available in an update you can put on one of those, you know, little USB thingies”). Had no idea of these discussions until just recently and I find it odd because Siri works and the screen even shows my full contact list so voice and data are flying over Bluetooth.
Window sticker says 7″ color touch radio and lists Bluetooth right there. I guess kiiiinda misleading for the purposes of this discussion? Figured I had nothing to worry about. Even have the backup cam so figured this was the top radio.
Not terribly concerned about pandora etc tho something tells me other support and upgrades down the line for the vehicle will be missed out on not having the link radio which makes me sad.. Things like making Siri a bit more seamless. It does strange things and disconnects intermittently making it almost useless. (say bluetooth then voice triggers Siri.. says calling then the radio says goodby then reconnects the call over Bluetooth?! Annoying. If they make the link radio do this better, I hope we get this too.
All aside, loving all the other amazing things about my new red 1lt ’12
Side note: lists remote start but that’s not working. Any ideas?
Hey Jay — I’m right there with you on your take of MyLink and its availability. It’s no good that its delay was pushed ‘Under the table” rather than being brought into the open. For instance, Chrysler (I believe) made an actual deduction on the sticker of its vehicles for not including their promised new infotainment option. There was an actual credit to the consumer for the lack of the system!
The Bluetooth passthrough works, but — as you said — it’s a bit counterintuitive. The “goodbye” thing, especially.
Re Remote Start: it will only work twice while the car is in park. And you have to press the lock button once and then hold the remote start button until the vehicle starts. Have you tried that?
Ok, When I posted my original comments to this issue, I may have been somewhat off base. I also agree that the company should have done a better job explaining My Link. At the dealership level, we can only do what Chevy allows us to. As for myself, I pride myself on my honesty when demonstrating and selling vehicles. I personally have never promised someone their vehicle will do something it can’t, although obviously I can’t speak for other sales consultants. It is a tragedy that GM & Chevy specifically dropped the ball on the My Link, and even more so that so many dealers make empty promises.
To all of you who have got an Equinox without the system, I am terribly sorry that you were misinformed or even down-right lied to. To anyone considering an Equinox in the future, they are still an amzing vehicle, with or without the entertianment apps, although I do hope Chevy gets going with the apps they promised soon-it would make sales consultant’s lives much easier.
I am not always right in my opinions, but I do believe in being totally honest in selling/leasing vehicles. My Customer Service scores illustrate that. I do hope that if anyone is at all interested in an Equinox, that you will consider the merits and benefits the vehicle does have, and I sincerely hope Chevy will remedy the My Link issue quickly.
Please find the enclosed email from Chevy Marketing to all its dealers nationwide:
The purpose of this message is to notify you of a recent change in the planned availability of Chevrolet MyLink on the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. The catalog shipped to you last Fall indicates that the Chevrolet MyLink Touch Radio will be standard beginning in the Spring of 2012 on the 2LT and LTZ trim levels and included in the Driver Convenience Package on the 1LT. This is no longer accurate. When the MyLink radio is available on the 2012 Equinox, currently scheduled for Spring 2012, MyLink will be an optional feature only on the 2LT and LTZ trims.
As a result of this change, the information in the 2012 Equinox catalog regarding MyLink availability is no longer accurate. The 2012 Chevrolet Equinox catalog will be reprinted to provide up-to-date information. The new catalogs will be sent to you toward the end of January and more details will follow on replacement of the catalogs at that time.
We need your assistance as follows:
Be sure you counsel with all 2012 Equinox customers concerning the availability of Chevrolet MyLink. In this regard, please note that Chevrolet MyLink is not available with Navigation for the 2012 model year. Also, vehicles originally equipped with the Color Touch Radio (standard on LT and LTZ) without Chevrolet MyLink cannot be retrofitted later with MyLink.
This email just came out last week. The information dealers had was false.
As a reminder, you can learn more about the Color Touch Family of Radios, including MyLink, on gmproductsource.com.
We published a new article with an update on the subject:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2011/12/chevy-delays-mylink-infotainment-system-to-spring-2012/
Thanks for the heads up, Michael!
Michael,
Thanks for posting that. Too bad GM is a few months late (and how many 2012’s sold in the interim)? Seriously, would have closed on the Ford had GM been straight that the car had no Mylink nor a chance to be so upgraded. The $$ difference between the two was not that much given the Synch functionality available on the Ford.
Guess I’ll get some letter from GM customer service in response to my written complaint telling me in polite terms that I’m SOL. I’ll remember that when asked about the car by others. Perhaps my letter helped them realize they needed to say something rather than let this drag on any more? Who knows.
This might be the first time I don’t drive a car for years but instead sell it in a couple of years. Whether I’ll buy GM again is a very uncertain question. Right now, if asked, the answer would be no.
I’m glad the issue seems to be resolving, just not happy that the resolution leaves folks like me apparently holding our *****.
Alex- thanks! Missed that on the remote start. Thanks!
Michael- that sucks. A lot. Time for a letter I guess. If not a slew of them. As I states before.. Lied to or misled by dealerships, printed materials and online materials.
This issue is 80% GMs fault for providing bad information and not notifying dealers about this early and immediately updating their documentation.
However, the buyers are not completely blameless if they signed the papers at the dealership without checking for it if MyLink was a make or break feature to them.
This would have never happened to me because I would have tested to make sure the MyLink features worked properly with my phone before signing any papers and I would have discovered it was missing at that point.
Joe — by saying that it would seem that you’ve never purchased a vehicle… Have you?
Joe-
How can you say that if the materials say its part of the “Driver Convenience Package on the 1LT on 2012 models” which I what I got and it lists all kinds of misleading things under radio including Bluetooth for phone specifically. Do you look under the hood and make sure every hose is marked with the right serial number for everything they’re rated for? Or do you trust that your bew american car has the things the brochure says it ahould?
As a buyer, I asked and was told it would be available as a software update just for the bluetooth pandora stuff. Complete bait and switch in light of this recent announcement of no retrofitting. I fully expect to be taken care of by gm on this one
As for testing, using the new iPhone, I’m not concerned about it not being supported.
iPhone or not, I would still test to make sure it was not only supported, but worked as expected. These things can be buggy and not work properly. See MyFordTouch issues.
I also would not believe what a salesman told me verbally or even in writing unless the in-writing documentation included a remedy for it not happening. Such as if the dealer promised a software update, they would also have to have a remedy or compensation for what to do if the update didn’t come by a certain date. If they aren’t willing to do that, then it clearly is not something that’s a sure thing to be counted on.
You cannot blindly believe what a salesman tells you about things like that.
First off, your conditions would result in you not buying any car… And likely being laughed out of a store. How the hell is the dealer supposed to know when the update (if there were one), would be made available? For instance, Ford itself didn’t know when it would issue the latest MFT update until two weeks ago!
GM just clearly stated that it provided incorrect information. This information was used to make purchase decisions. Simple as pie as to who is at fault here. But playing the blame game isn’t very useful, as GM needs to stand up to its mistake and set things right.
You aren’t getting it.
If this is a feature you must have, don’t rely on what a salesman tells you. Their promises are meaningless and they shouldn’t make promises they can’t back up in the first place.
If this was a deal breaking feature, I absolutely would not go ahead with a purchase based on the salesman promising a software update with no way to remedy the situation if the update didn’t come within the time frame promised.
Someone posted here they would have bought a Ford with Sync instead if they knew this was happening.
If you must have this feature, don’t buy the vehicle until you see it working with your own eyes.
Oh no, I’m getting it alright. Let’s not even bring the salesman into the equation. Instead, let’s focus on Chevy as the salesman…
Primarily, its website and the vehicle brochures — both of which state that MyLink will come to market Fall 2012. At that point, I don’t even need to ask the salesman about it, since I just read it in Chevy’s own and official materials!
Why should I go double, triple, quadruple check what I read on Chevy’s own website and vehicle catalogue?
See the problem?
Why not just test it to make sure it worked the way you expected it to work before sealing the deal? I would. As soon as you tried to test it, you would then notice it isn’t there with no need to check any websites.
It would then make sense to ask the salesman about it and they could verify that the car was built without it for whatever reason and they could research whether or not it could be added on later and you can then decide if you still want the vehicle enough to do without it or if you wanted to shop for a different vehicle or if you wanted to postpone the purchase and wait for the availability.
Also, what if the hardware was installed, but turned out that the MyLink features you wanted use most dodn’t work for you? It could be your cell phone carrier or a phone OS update or back end server and network problems on the services you wanted to use or other things not within GM’s control that could made it useless to you.
If I really wanted this feature, I would test the most whichever MyLink feature I though was the most important to make sure I liked it during the test drive. Within a few seconds of playing with the radio buttons, I would notice MyLink was missing.
Joe-
They misled. By giving a radio that looks 100% identical to what I was expecting and sending me to register at the radio upgrade site etc.
I’m not one to usually complain but I do feel in this case that they messed up through neglecting the issue.
I’m one of those people that feels that hiding the truth or Lying about it are in par with each other.
Apple screwed up the iPhone 4 antenna design and while not officially acknowledging the issue they gave out free bumpers to resolve the issue and keep the customers happy. Thy also fixed the misleading overinflated signal strength readings. Hardware and software corrections.
While not Identical, I do expect that I’ll be back here at some point over the next year vindicated on some level.
There aren’t many of us an they can squash this quick by reaching out to us, or at least me.
Yes, as i said, it is at least 80% GMs fault if a buyer bought a car thinking that it had MyLink and not noticing it didn’t until after they completed the purchase. GM was way too slow to make it clear that they had postponed the feature.
However, the buyers should also look at the car and at least toggle through the radio display (and probably also test it out if they really cared about MyLink features working).
t would be listed on the car’s window sticker and would either be a standard feature or part of some option package you would have to order. Either way it would be itemized.
If I only wanted leather seats if they included seat heaters, I would check for the existence of the seat heater buttons before I purchased that specific vehicle even if it was summer on the purchase date.
MyLink is supposed to be a wow feature that you would expect to be highlighted on the window sticker and demoed by the salesman during the test drive and that should have been a clue to double check on it when it wasn’t, but I agree that GM should have announced the delay much more quickly than they did.
Joe-
Why keep referring to the salesman when I clearly stated that I was assured by them that this was the radio and it only needed a software update to get the other features?
Also, do you understand that the brochure says its included in the driver convince package which IS listed on the window sticker which I have?
The fact that they waited these 3 months and had un informed dealers selling it after they dropped the ball means that gm should do right by the few of us who were misled. No?
If the salesman told you that, then obviously the salesman was making that up or just guessing because there was never any announcement of a software upgrade. They lied to make the sale.
I would never believe that without actually seeing a current statement from GM that backed up the salesman’s claim about it. If they cannot guarantee it, then it is not smart to rely on an empty promise if MyLink is important or a must-have feature.
Of course, the majority of blame goes to GM for putting misleading information that was updated way too late, but warning bells were ringing loudly when the item was missing and you had nothing but a verbal promise about a supposed software update from your salesman who is in the process of getting a sale clesed.
Joe-
Don’t forget the my link site where you enter your Vin for my link and it finds my car and radio and will let me know when the “update” will be available. There was plenty of evidence that led me to believe this was coming.
I think the buying process, from the perspective of Levi and to some extent, Joe, is much more a caveat emptor experience than it is for many of us. Both these fellas sound like salesmen of some type. In the 21st century, with state and federal consumer law regarding advertising and claims plus past experience with dealing with car companies, I (and many others) do not see the need to verify product description materials from the manufacturer against the actual vehicle. If they say it is there, I will not accept blame from others that it was my duty to not believe GM but that instead somehow it became my burden to assume everything they said is a lie until I see it proven before my eyes. Nor does the “blame” shift from them to me because I do not make them prove something. They make the product, they decide the features, the pricing and work to convince me to purchase their product over their competitors.
Chevy published official product materials, these had feature descriptions, they had things available online including videos with dates in them. KBB and cars.com among others had reviews (many often just regurgitating GM press materials since few had actually driven the car) and nothing said that MyLink wasn’t part of the package or that it would be available later in the model year. Comparing cars and their features against a list of must have and nice to have features will for many be a paper exercise, because we trust that the manufacturer isn’t lying to us. 6 disc changer? I don’t bring 6 discs and insist on seeing them load.
You know, my dad has no cell phone, but if he bought a car that said it had built-in blue tooth, he’d say he doesn’t care because he doesn’t own a cellphone. But I’d expect that when he did buy a cell phone, that the feature would really be there, even if it was years later that he decided that it was now an important to him.
Same with MyLink. Believing GM’s own materials that it was available made a difference in analyzing and comparing different vehicles. If they had clearly said “not available until Spring 2012” then as an informed consumer, I’d have been able to take that into account. The fact that they clarified it after the purchase point is the issue.
As for the dealer, well, we may be more cynical about their representations, but if you have to verify everything the manufacturer says, then you have other issues. Myself, I like my dealer, my salesman and feel sorry for them that GM put them in a position to look bad. GM didn’t leave them in a good place either.
I can understand why salesmen may be more cynical about the sales process, but that isn’t the standard most of us use. And I respect how others will approach making a purchase, but I disagree that what they would do in this situation is now the basis for critiquing what I or others should have done.
People can try and shift the blame for this onto me and others but frankly, I don’t care because for them it’s an academic exercise while for me, it’s very real. I’m certainly not changing my position because someone says that the problem is mine because I trusted what I read.
johnmc,
Youre right its absolutely no way the buyers fault, as consumers we have come to trust companies and usually that trust is never broken, my only sticking point is that if mylink was such a make or break feature that the buyer would rather buy a ford if it wasnt there, then that buyer should have checked mylink before buying the vehicle, not because it might not be there, but because as with technology there tons of things that could go wrong with mylink, e.g. there phone might not be compatable and so on, and thre that checking they would have discovered mylink was not there. That said, I think the GM is completely at fault. salesman arent techies, they know how to sell not navigate new technology, they just believed whatever they were told by GM, GM should either offer to buyback the vehicles from the buyers who were misinformed or give some other compensation.
BTW: this is one of the reasons I never buy a first gen car or technology, and rather buy a “like new” used car, you save money and have peace of mind.
But see, that’s the sticky thing about this situation: MyLink looks identical (as far as we know) to what’s shipping now. So the only way for someone to actually test this out the way you recommend is to 1) pair their device with the vehicle 2) enable an app on the device and 3) try to find a way to use it with MyLink.
I don’t think many pair their phone during the purchase process, if any at all. If Ford says SYNC can do X, Y, and Z, no one really questions it. LIke you said, we trust the information provided to us by the companies.
Maybe all this points to a need to improve the auto shopping experience…
Did they list in on the window sticker? Even when bundled with an option group they would list MyLink out just like they list out AM/FM/CD XM Radio etc.. I have never seen a car with a feature like this that wasn’t on the sticker whether it was standard, an option or part of a package. If I didn’t see it itemized anywhere on the window sticker or any of the papers I signed and it wasn’t spelled out in the purchase contract that MyLink was included with the vehicle, that would be a red flag to me. Is there any Ford with Sync that doesn’t spell it out on the window sticker even if it’s standard on that vehicle?
By they way, again, I am not saying it’s not primarily GM’s fault since it was not made clear that the feature had been pulled until way too late and didn’t post a press release as soon as they made the decision to go ahead with building the cars without it. That was their PR screw up that will anger buyers, but hey generally have a fine print disclaimer saying something like “features listed subject to change” etc, so you have to watch out and check for every feature you care about when you buy.
I still don’t agree with you. I guess it’s a matter of customer service perspectives.
You speak of red flags and others mentioned “warning lights”… that’s fine for enthusiasts such as you and me. The lack of an itemized/line on the sticker may be a “red flag” for us. But not for the average consumer, who ultimately makes up 90% of sales in any industry (for the most part) and thereby drives those industries.
In other words, why does a consumer need to hunt, peck, and seek “red flags”? Is there no such thing as decent customer service anymore? You know, the ability to make purchase decisions without feeling like you’re forgetting something or haven’t checked [insert enthusiast/consumer watchdog website here in the last 15 minutes] or are, in some other way, getting screwed?
I guess my question is as follows: why is a regular consumer expected to become an expert on all things monrone [sticker]?
If that were the real-world expectation, and if Chevy/GM were after sales excellence on a store level, they would train their sales associates to review the window sticker with the customer at time of purchase line by line. Then there won’t be any questions or doubts, whatsoever.
So let’s see — to those who purchased your 2012 Equinoxes — did you sales person review the sticker with you?
The website now says MyLink “planned for” Spring 2012, so they are not promising anything as a sure thing anymore, they are only planning to have MYLink by then.
They could have saved themselves their PR issue headache if they had clearly said that from the beginning,
Yes sir; we pointed this out here:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2011/12/chevy-delays-mylink-infotainment-system-to-spring-2012