Anyone get a check engine light? I just got one on mine and when I got out of the car, all I could smell was cat. converter. Any ideas?

bet the dealership would know... LOL

Anyone get a check engine light? I just got one on mine and when I got out of the car, all I could smell was cat. converter. Any ideas?


Possible misfire on one of the cylinders or more better get that light check over and see what is the problem. If not could be the cat is defective causing to reduce the engine power.

Press the onstar button and have them do a vehicle check for you.

That sure didn't take long.

Press the onstar button and have them do a vehicle check for you.


LOL, I forgot about that. Wow, something to keep in mind.

yeah thats a good idea use onstar! might as well

Anyone get a check engine light? I just got one on mine and when I got out of the car, all I could smell was cat. converter. Any ideas?

So did you press onstar? whats the problem?

can onstar tell me MPG and HP ahaha?

I get a weekly or monthly email from them updateing me on my car.

I just got off the phone with my dealer. They're gonna take it in tomorrow. I get the monthly diagnostics also. Just got one monday with no problems.

A non-critical DTC will clear itself and turn off your "Check Engine"/MIL and be put into the history file after three consecutive successful operating cycles after the initial fault. Stuff that is generally considered "non-critical" would be simple EVAP (I.E. Gas cap), type of stuff.

Critical ones will stay current until 40 (I believe it's 40) consecutive successful operating cycles after initial failure. Something like misfires, catalyst below/above threshold, major failures, etc are the critical items.

Press the onstar button and have them do a vehicle check for you.

I had the same issue, called OnStar, and got an "vapor collection system warning" or something similar, meaning the gas cap was loose. Tightened it up and no issues since.

OnStar > *.

Onstar is your robot friend ;)

When I activated OnStar a few days ago, I was connected to some stoned black guy who kept trying to sell me minutes for my carphone service. It was annoying.

I'm sure if people were around they would have thought I was nuts, what we me talking to no one in my car.

Onstar is your robot friend ;)

This has me borderline rolling on the ground laughing. I have no idea why, but its hilarious.

It is, its like nightrider.

How about this one. I pulled out of my garage the other day and my radio cut out, and the "onstar lady" came on and told me I had to press the blue button and contact On-Star to complete my set-up. Very K.I.T.T like.

When I activated OnStar a few days ago, I was connected to some stoned black guy who kept trying to sell me minutes for my carphone service. It was annoying.

I'm sure if people were around they would have thought I was nuts, what we me talking to no one in my car.

how did you know he was black........ :gr_jest: oh man... I had the same thing .... black lady and she was reading off her page word for word and adding in some creative transition words which had me laughing my a$$ off. No thank you ... no thank you.... uh huh... by by now!!

How about this one. I pulled out of my garage the other day and my radio cut out, and the "onstar lady" came on and told me I had to press the blue button and contact On-Start to complete my set-up. Very K.I.T.T like.

I had this the other night. It was kind of neat, but they do try to sell you stuff. But its a good idea to have it set up so they can email you about the cars status. I got my first email from my car the other day.

OnStar is great and all, but don't be singing their praises just yet.

The next step of this, and is a rumoured by-product of OBDIII (we're on OBDII/CAN now), is that anytime your car throws a DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) which turns on your "check engine"/MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp as it is technically called in GM speak), it will report it to your local governing EPA and they will mail you a notice to get it fixed, ASAP.

This may not seem like a big issue to the occasional EVAP code or someone who gets a code once a year with their car, but it will be a real PITA to those of us who modify stuff and may trigger a DTC upon modification until we sort all issues out.

OnStar is great and all, but don't be singing their praises just yet.

The next step of this, and is a rumoured by-product of OBDIII (we're on OBDII/CAN now), is that anytime your car throws a DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) which turns on your "check engine"/MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp as it is technically called in GM speak), it will report it to your local governing EPA and they will mail you a notice to get it fixed, ASAP.

This may not seem like a big issue to the occasional EVAP code or someone who gets a code once a year with their car, but it will be a real PITA to those of us who modify stuff and may trigger a DTC upon modification until we sort all issues out.

Which is when skilled people just figure out a means around it. For every system setup to police you, there is a means found to avoid detection.

Because the system is considered "closed", I highly doubt GM uses encryption on the CANbus. A simple inline interceptor/filter could remove all those troublesome codes from even getting to the OnStar computer.

Its the same principle as how a network firewall works. It isn't rocket science, just requires some work. For those who never modify, it isn't a big deal. For those who do, it'll just be another supporting mod.

Never said it wasn't overcomable (if that's word even fits). Just one more hurdle someone is going to have to go through because Big Brother will be watching.

Some of us are just used to avoiding big brother at all costs :)

I agree, Big brother will eventually rule us all. It might sound like a conspiracy theory, but I wouldn't be surprised if in the future all car speeds are monitored by an onstar type system and they just send you a ticket in the mail. :(

I agree, Big brother will eventually rule us all. It might sound like a conspiracy theory, but I wouldn't be surprised if in the future all car speeds are monitored by an onstar type system and they just send you a ticket in the mail. :(

Haha good point! I think that is a real possibility. That would suck!:judge:

in the future all car speeds are monitored by an onstar type system and they just send you a ticket in the mail. :(

Well, considering red light cams are being deemed illegal in most states, I doubt this will happen any time soon. Unless they can prove it was you driving (because the driver is ticketed, not the car), it won't hold up in court.

However, Hertz got in trouble for having GPS loggers in their cars without telling people they were being tracked. They were tagging people for speeding and travelling out of state.

Well, considering red light cams are being deemed illegal in most states, I doubt this will happen any time soon. Unless they can prove it was you driving (because the driver is ticketed, not the car), it won't hold up in court.

However, Hertz got in trouble for having GPS loggers in their cars without telling people they were being tracked. They were tagging people for speeding and travelling out of state.


I remember hearing about that. But since the patriot act, they can pretty much say anything like vehicle monitoring is for the purpose of national security.

I remember hearing about that. But since the patriot act, they can pretty much say anything like vehicle monitoring is for the purpose of national security.

I hear all of you about Onstar, but right now the benefits outweigh the potential risks for me. Also, we can be tracked right now without Onstar if the "authorities" really wanted to. Anyone have an electronic toll collection device? Pretty simple math to divide distance between toll collection points by time to get speed....

I remember hearing about that. But since the patriot act, they can pretty much say anything like vehicle monitoring is for the purpose of national security.

Which only holds true at a federal level and only for criminal acts. Speeding is a civil violation and the patriot act has zero to do with that.

I hear all of you about Onstar, but right now the benefits outweigh the potential risks for me. Also, we can be tracked right now without Onstar if the "authorities" really wanted to. Anyone have an electronic toll collection device? Pretty simple math to divide distance between toll collection points by time to get speed....

Except EZ-Pass is known to be inaccurate and not always trigger when its supposed to. Massachusetts was thinking of doing just what you're talking about, but it got shot down pretty quickly.

Funny story. I had a friend back in college, he was from Bahrain. Lots of money, he bought a Z06, cash. Well, he was taking a quick "jaunt" down the highway at 180mph and passed a cop. Thinking he could get away, he kept going, got off the highway, and went to a Dunkin Donuts (he didn't know about cops and their donuts, not being from the US). Well... The state police activated his lowjack and tracked him down. He was arrested, then deported.

Except EZ-Pass is known to be inaccurate and not always trigger when its supposed to. Massachusetts was thinking of doing just what you're talking about, but it got shot down pretty quickly.

Funny story. I had a friend back in college, he was from Bahrain. Lots of money, he bought a Z06, cash. Well, he was taking a quick "jaunt" down the highway at 180mph and passed a cop. Thinking he could get away, he kept going, got off the highway, and went to a Dunkin Donuts (he didn't know about cops and their donuts, not being from the US). Well... The state police activated his lowjack and tracked him down. He was arrested, then deported.

Damn that is a sure nuff horror story. Yep, its pretty much impossible to get away from cops these days with newer cars. OnStar makes a police officers job really easy if they think about using it. Although I have seen plenty of friends leave cops while they were on a streetbike.
Not that I condone that type of behavior. ;)

I still haven't pushed the Onstar button to "set it up or decline service" like the dealer tells you to. Nor do I ever plan to. It's been over a month and a half since I bought it and nobody has said jack about it and I haven't gotten a bill so no reason to.

They can shove the whole system as far as I'm concerned. I'm half tempted to remove the antenna and make a cover to streamline the area. Let it try phoning home then.:wink2:

Well, considering red light cams are being deemed illegal in most states, I doubt this will happen any time soon. Unless they can prove it was you driving (because the driver is ticketed, not the car), it won't hold up in court.

However, Hertz got in trouble for having GPS loggers in their cars without telling people they were being tracked. They were tagging people for speeding and travelling out of state.

Red light cams Illegal? LOL! Many municipalities around here are now adopting this form of traffic control and are adding them faster than the the producer of them can make and distribute them. And to the best part, they're partially funded by the State of Illinois itself. Kinda hard to be illegal when your own government backs them.

I just read in the Daily Herald about a week ago that Elgin is having 3 or 4 "trouble" intersections slated for installation of red light cams within the next month or two, including Shales Parkway and Route 20, eastbound McLean entrance ramp to Route 20, as well as Randall Rd. @ Bowes Rd. All three of which are intersections I go through daily.

I still haven't pushed the Onstar button to "set it up or decline service" like the dealer tells you to. Nor do I ever plan to. It's been over a month and a half since I bought it and nobody has said jack about it and I haven't gotten a bill so no reason to.

They can shove the whole system as far as I'm concerned. I'm half tempted to remove the antenna and make a cover to streamline the area. Let it try phoning home then.:wink2:


You tell 'em!!! And the horse they rode in on!!! Those On-Star Bastards!!! You should rip the On-Star Box out of the trunk and put it though your dealer's showroom window!!! The nerve of them!!!:(:judge:

Damn that is a sure nuff horror story. Yep, its pretty much impossible to get away from cops these days with newer cars. OnStar makes a police officers job really easy if they think about using it. Although I have seen plenty of friends leave cops while they were on a streetbike.
Not that I condone that type of behavior. ;)

Worried about OnStar and big brother, check this out:http://community.myride.com/kickapps/_OnStar-Stolen-Vehicle-Slowdown/VIDEO/94131/3898.html;jsessionid=389CDDD1E8EA3E4581812FFA91504 DBB?as=3898

Red light cams Illegal? LOL! Many municipalities around here are now adopting this form of traffic control and are adding them faster than the the producer of them can make and distribute them. And to the best part, they're partially funded by the State of Illinois itself. Kinda hard to be illegal when your own government backs them.

I just read in the Daily Herald about a week ago that Elgin is having 3 or 4 "trouble" intersections slated for installation of red light cams within the next month or two, including Shales Parkway and Route 20, eastbound McLean entrance ramp to Route 20, as well as Randall Rd. @ Bowes Rd. All three of which are intersections I go through daily.

Isn't Chicago the more corrupt city in the US?

Anyone get a check engine light? I just got one on mine and when I got out of the car, all I could smell was cat. converter. Any ideas?

:judge::judge::judge:
:oldfogey::oldfogey::oldfogey:

Enough thread jacking...

Did you find out the problem???

Isn't Chicago the more corrupt city in the US?

Chicago is the "City that works"...

The dealer got my car tonight, will pick up tomorrow hopefully.

Isn't Chicago the more corrupt city in the US?

Chicago, Commisar Daley, and his democratic "machine" are. As are many of the close in suburbs like Cicero.

Red light cams Illegal? LOL! Many municipalities around here are now adopting this form of traffic control and are adding them faster than the the producer of them can make and distribute them. And to the best part, they're partially funded by the State of Illinois itself. Kinda hard to be illegal when your own government backs them.

I just read in the Daily Herald about a week ago that Elgin is having 3 or 4 "trouble" intersections slated for installation of red light cams within the next month or two, including Shales Parkway and Route 20, eastbound McLean entrance ramp to Route 20, as well as Randall Rd. @ Bowes Rd. All three of which are intersections I go through daily.

Here's the problem. The feds are going after 6 states right now, because they've changed the period of time the yellow light is on, BELOW the federal level, to increase ticket revenue. The yellow lights aren't on long enough for a car to make it through the intersection, which means, auto ticket.

The feds are pissed about this, as it is causing unsafe conditions. My city has just installed the cameras, but they are not ticketing from them. They are taking pictures however, but its more for police use later. They're also being used for traffic studies, instead of those awesome rubber hose setups they used to use.

And Chicago isn't nearly as corrupt as Providence, RI.

I guess we should have made a new thread for this but since it has been officially hijacked, what about those speed cameras? They take a picture of your license plate, (like the ones they tested on mythbusters) but the thing is, how do they know YOU were driving? They ticket the driver, not the car or the owner...

I guess we should have made a new thread for this but since it has been officially hijacked, what about those speed cameras? They take a picture of your license plate, (like the ones they tested on mythbusters) but the thing is, how do they know YOU were driving? They ticket the driver, not the car or the owner...

That's why they're easy to fight. In almost every state, the driver is ticketed, not the car. If they can't prove it was you driving, they don't hold a case. Problem is, MOST people don't fight tickets as they should.

Got a new gas cap and is as good as new.

I can also, unfortunately, confirm that a loose gas cap WILL cause a check engine light...

Yes has to do with the EVAP system not being able to pressureize correctly.

Yep, I went to the dealer to find this out, and they say only 1 time is for this code is covered by the warranty. Thankfully, I have a Dashhawk now so I can check and clear my own codes. :)

Got a new gas cap and is as good as new.


Post #46 FTW!

the cap was on plenty tight, so they gave me a new cap and it took care of it.

Yep, I went to the dealer to find this out, and they say only 1 time is for this code is covered by the warranty. Thankfully, I have a Dashhawk now so I can check and clear my own codes. :)

I'm not sure what you're saying here... Do you mean they told you that they're going to charge you if you bring the car in again with that code?

I still haven't pushed the Onstar button to "set it up or decline service" like the dealer tells you to. Nor do I ever plan to. It's been over a month and a half since I bought it and nobody has said jack about it and I haven't gotten a bill so no reason to.

They can shove the whole system as far as I'm concerned. I'm half tempted to remove the antenna and make a cover to streamline the area. Let it try phoning home then.:wink2:

The good thing about waiting, is that your free year doesn't start till you call and activate it. If you wait till the second year before you activate it, you'll have that second year covered by onstar (of course you don't have it for the first year)

The good thing about waiting, is that your free year doesn't start till you call and activate it. If you wait till the second year before you activate it, you'll have that second year covered by on star (of course you don't have it for the first year)

You better check that out because from what I have seen your free year is from date of purchase I activated mine 2 months after I purchased it and when I got my e-mail it showed the end date as 1 year from my purchase date

Your Onstar is activated by the dealer you purchased the car from. You need to dial them up and set your PIN and such, at which point you can actually use your service. When I bought my G8, the dealer gave me a piece of paper with my Onstar information. So please don't sit on it thinking you'll gain something for later, assuming your dealer did their job.

Got an unusual one here - I'll try to be brief:

Filled up with gas
Drove 90+ miles
Got a CEL
Autozone checked the code as EVAP-large leak
I tightened the cap, he cleared the code
Drove another 90+ miles, had dinner and got in the car to go to the gym and another CEL comes on (had not touched the cap, now at a half tank of gas)
Also, remote start stopped working (due to the CEL?)

Any ideas? Going to the dealer this afternoon, just curious if anyone had this happen before. BTW, I have 1100 miles on it.

gas tank?

Got an unusual one here - I'll try to be brief:

Filled up with gas
Drove 90+ miles
Got a CEL
Autozone checked the code as EVAP-large leak
I tightened the cap, he cleared the code
Drove another 90+ miles, had dinner and got in the car to go to the gym and another CEL comes on (had not touched the cap, now at a half tank of gas)
Also, remote start stopped working (due to the CEL?)

Any ideas? Going to the dealer this afternoon, just curious if anyone had this happen before. BTW, I have 1100 miles on it.

Same thing happened to me when I purchased my car. 300 miles later it was in the shop for a new gas tank -- warranty work. It is a known problem. The dealer can check it out and tell you if it is the gas tank.

Apparently even though I put the cap back on and clicked it 3 times it wasn't seated properly and caused a CEL which also disables remote start. This fuel system is sensitive.