# Disabling GPS monitoring



## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Do you have something to hide?

Personally, I don't see what the big deal is with the car. Unless you're planning on murdering your family. As has been happening lately.


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## Fireworks234 (Jan 4, 2018)

17Hatch6MT said:


> I am concerned about privacy. I believe the car's GPS is sending my location data to OnStar/GM, even though I don't subscribe. I don't have Sirius and if I need nav, I will use my phone (car doesn't have nav anyway). I understand my phone is always transmitting location data. I can deal with that separately.
> 
> Is there a way to disable location monitoring without degrading the normal functions of the car (HVAC, terrestrial radio, ?).
> 
> What do I need to do to accomplish that?


If you contact OnStar they can completely deactivate it on the car, but what I was told by OnStar (when I sold them) is that the OnStar cannot be reconnected ever again after they cut it off on their end. Not saying it's a good or bad thing, just something you might want to know.


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## WillL84 (Aug 5, 2019)

17Hatch6MT said:


> I am concerned about privacy. I believe the car's GPS is sending my location data to OnStar/GM, even though I don't subscribe. I don't have Sirius and if I need nav, I will use my phone (car doesn't have nav anyway). I understand my phone is always transmitting location data. I can deal with that separately.
> 
> Is there a way to disable location monitoring without degrading the normal functions of the car (HVAC, terrestrial radio, ?).
> 
> What do I need to do to accomplish that?


If you really want to you can remove the radio and unplug the GPS antenna from it I believe


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Here's an interesting philosophical thought:

Do you have an expectation of privacy in your car? You're sharing the road in what's perhaps the largest experiment in shared resources ever performed. Do you expect privacy while doing this?


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

obermd said:


> Here's an interesting philosophical thought:
> 
> Do you have an expectation of privacy in your car? You're sharing the road in what's perhaps the largest experiment in shared resources ever performed. Do you expect privacy while doing this?


You've just made me imagine a wonderful scenario where nobody else is on the road when I am, and thus, I am free to drive as one was meant to. What a utopia.


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## 6speedTi (May 18, 2018)

Pull the onstar fuse out.
Problem solved. You can verify gps tracking is deactivated by looking at your compass. It should be a --- displayed since it no longer has a geographical reference.


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## WillL84 (Aug 5, 2019)

6speedTi said:


> Pull the onstar fuse out.
> Problem solved. You can verify gps tracking is deactivated by looking at your compass. It should be a --- displayed since it no longer has a geographical reference.


Is the compass through GPS? It wasn't on both my 99 and 02 Silverado's. It was built into the mirror


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

I believe the compass uses gps direction of travel. Like on the phone.


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## StLouisCPhT (Sep 13, 2015)

MP81 said:


> You've just made me imagine a wonderful scenario where nobody else is on the road when I am, and thus, I am free to drive as one was meant to. What a utopia.


It's called Montana. Although you might still have to share the road with non-human wildlife there.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

StLouisCPhT said:


> It's called Montana. Although you might still have to share the road with non-human wildlife there.


This I have done - the Montana part, thankfully not anything resembling the size or shape of caribou, especially at 4AM in the morning driving to Bozeman airport from out in Emigrant.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

MP81 said:


> You've just made me imagine a wonderful scenario where nobody else is on the road when I am, and thus, I am free to drive as one was meant to. What a utopia.


I know the feeling. Late 80s (pre-marriage and kids) in my Fiero GT I was on the eastern plains of Colorado one morning. The speedometer was pegged and the car was still accelerating. Just me and the jack rabbits. There's too much traffic on most roads anymore to really open up the throttle like this now.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

StLouisCPhT said:


> It's called Montana. Although you might still have to share the road with non-human wildlife there.





MP81 said:


> This I have done - the Montana part, thankfully not anything resembling the size or shape of caribou, especially at 4AM in the morning driving to Bozeman airport from out in Emigrant.


Right after I returned from Germany, We traveled over the Montanabahn, what a wonderful experience! Now it's gone


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

17Hatch6MT said:


> I am concerned about privacy. I believe the car's GPS is sending my location data to OnStar/GM, even though I don't subscribe. I don't have Sirius and if I need nav, I will use my phone (car doesn't have nav anyway). I understand my phone is always transmitting location data. I can deal with that separately.
> 
> Is there a way to disable location monitoring without degrading the normal functions of the car (HVAC, terrestrial radio, ?).
> 
> What do I need to do to accomplish that?


IIRC on the Gen I's it was determined that by disabling On-star you end up disabling the GPS and I believe the compass as well. If you browse this subject in the Gen I side you should find it.


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## StLouisCPhT (Sep 13, 2015)

The best way to disable the gps on the Gen 2 Cruze without affecting the other systems is at the antenna itself. It has 3 dedicated cables on it - am/fm, xm & gps. Unfortunately, I’m not 100% certain if the gps is the single cable connector or is the dual cable connector; and it’s way too wet out for me to go look at the one I retrofitted to my 2011.

Late 90’s/early 2000s vehicles had self contained compasses in the rear view mirror. I was able to add it to my 2001 Blazer by just swapping the mirror. It became part of the Onstar system in the mid to late 2000s.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Blasirl said:


> Right after I returned from Germany, We traveled over the Montanabahn, what a wonderful experience! Now it's gone


I know my dad made mention of, _way back_ in the day, the sign used to simply say "Resume Safe Speed" out in Montana.


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