What's Wrong With This Picture: Big Brother Central Casting Edition

@ Lug Nuts: The only satellite system in play is GPS. Marginal Bond films notwithstanding, the chances of that system being compromised are rather on the slim side. All the "satellite" component does is tell the OnStar computer where the car is. All of the communication data is sent over a cellular channel. That means that if the vehicle is taken into an area with little or no cellular coverage, or an enterprising thief brings a small cellular jammer with him, the whole thing stops working. And I don't just mean the ignition disabling feature, I mean the whole thing. The box still might know where it is, but the people at OnStar won't. Also, snipping or disconnecting the satellite antenna on the roof isn't all one needs to do to disable the system. There are two antennas, one for the satellite, and one for the cellular channel. That one is often hidden in the bowels of the dash or in an A pillar or something. None of this stuff is in any way new or magical. Various aftermarket alarm manufacturers, like Clifford / Viper / DEI, have had similar GPS systems on the market for years that function in exactly the same way. The difference being, with those systems, the owner of the vehicle controls the system. What a thought.

Next steps: Obese? Ignition won't work. Gone over your monthly mileage allotment? Ignition won't work. Dispute with the IRS? Ignition won't work. Haven't fulfilled your Federally mandated community service obligation this month? Ignition won't work. Own a registered handgun? Ignition permanently disabled.

Nice thief uniform. Every month I get a OnStar report on my Z06's health. One month I located and pulled the fuse. Between scrolling through the various parameters on the DIC, and not seeing any fault codes, I was able to see everything that the OnStar email would tell me. Once I reinstalled the fuse, my faithful OnStar told me what I already knew. It seems like a well educated thief would be smart enough to know the OnStar fuse's location and pull it as the first step in his/her car stealing process. At $18.95 a month, OnStar is expensive and I imagine lots of people let it lapse after the free subscription is up. So unless the system allows one way communication to cars owned by people that refuse to pay for OnStar, the hype about OnStar seems to outweigh its real world value. At any rate, all education courses evolve and I'm sure Car Thievery 101 already includes a process to disable OnStar when stealing GM cars.

@Robert.Walter: Nope, just when he's setting up routers or making pizzas.