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New OnStar Connected Services Bring 10 Years Of Leads To GM Dealers


GM has extended its OnStar Connected Services support to 10 years after initial vehicle purchase, providing GM dealers with a valuable tool to ensure customers return for regular service and maintenance.

Within the array of OnStar Connected Services features, two specific products are in place to ensure the vehicle is well-maintained and serviceable. On the customer-facing side, there’s OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics (OVD), which will send the vehicle owner a monthly emailed report on the vehicle’s condition, including service recommendations for everything from the engine and transmission to the brakes, and even the engine oil’s life.

Buick GMC Dealer Renovation

Meanwhile, on the GM dealer-facing side, there’s OnStar Dealer Maintenance Notification (DMN), which is similar to OVD in that it monitors the overall health of vehicle. However, DMN will automatically send alerts to a designated dealer as soon as an issue is detected, allowing the dealer to track potential problems and call the customer to set up a service appointment.

The DMN system is critical for GM dealers, as it not only enables proper troubleshooting, but gives the dealer a valuable tool to get the customer back into the shop, thus providing an additional opportunity to sell auxiliary services.

Prior to 2015, OVD and DMN were only enabled during the six-month OnStar trial period. As such, system utilization was low, which makes sense given a brand-new vehicle typically doesn’t require extensive maintenance. What’s more, if the customer declined to renew the OnStar service, GM dealers would lose the touchpoint.

OnStar RemoteLink

That changed in 2015, when GM introduced the OnStar Basic Plan in conjunction with a faster 4G LTE wireless connection. Prior to 2015, the OnStar system used a 2G connection.

OnStar Basic connected the car for five years at no charge, and was included with every single vehicle purchase in which OnStar was available. This extended to OVD and a number of remote features through the myBrand (myChevrolet, myBuick, etc.) mobile app, which offered remote engine start, remote door lock/unlock, remote horn and light activation, and more.

Critically, the new plan lengthened the connection to DMN as well. Now, GM dealers had five years of service leads at their fingertips, an exponential increase compared to the leads generated in six months with the prior system.

Chevrolet Service

Fast forward to May of 2018. Now, the Connected Access OnStar plan is free for 10 years with the purchase of a new vehicle, and includes a host of benefits, including extended DMN access for GM dealers. However, customers will now have to pay to use the features associated with the OnStar RemoteLink app.

OnStar Connected Services Availability
Time Period Cost
Pre-2015 OVD 6 months Free – Trial
Pre-2015 DMN 6 months Free – Trial
2015-18 OVD 5 years Free – OnStar Basic Plan
2015-18 DMN 5 years Free – OnStar Basic Plan
2018+ OVD 10 years Varies by plan
2018+ DMN 10 years Free – Connected Access

This represents another huge jump in information available to service centers, and provides even further opportunities to get the customer back into the dealer.

In addition to providing top-notch vehicle maintenance and dealer leads, the extended DMN connection solves a third problem as well—out-of-warranty service. With 10 years of access, GM dealers can now ensure that the customer returns to the dealer even when the warranty on their vehicle is expired, rather than lose business to third-party shops.

It’s a good move on GM’s part, and puts the power back in the hands of dealers moving forward. Smart stuff all around.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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