When the “check engine” light in George Bjelovuk’s Chevy Volt lit up, he happened to be driving down an Ohio highway with a colleague.

After pushing the blue OnStar button and explaining his situation, George and his colleague looked at each other in surprise as the Advisor said she would run an On Demand Diagnostics check* of his vehicle while they were driving.

“The fact that she could run a diagnostic check was totally amazing,” says the suburban Columbus, Ohio, resident. “We’re both IT guys, so it’s not like we haven’t seen technology in action before.”

After the diagnostics check, the Advisor explained the check engine light was for a “soft body code” that didn’t indicate an emergency, but that George should take his vehicle to a dealership for maintenance in the next few days.

George, a consultant and 30-year veteran employee of an electric utility, was grateful for the quick response and was about to disconnect when the Advisor asked if he would like her to connect him to the dealership to make an appointment.

“I said, ‘Sure, but do you know what dealership?’ When she replied with the correct information, I was even more surprised.” George scheduled his service appointment — for what turned out to be a minor problem — as he continued safely on with his trip.

OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics* can check your vehicle’s engine, transmission, antilock brakes and more, then generates a report that can be sent to you each month by email. It also can send you an alert if there’s an issue with your vehicle, and on some newer models, let you know in advance if maintenance is required even before there’s an issue.*

George says he didn’t realize his OnStar service included Vehicle Diagnostics until that event. Before that, he primarily used OnStar for navigation* since his job requires a fair amount of travel. Downloading directions directly to his vehicle and Hands-Free Calling* have been time-savers, he says.

“In addition to providing me and my wife with directions, OnStar always gives us the restaurant’s phone number so we can make a reservation or find out how long the wait is.”

Whether directions are to a new golf course or to a store selling the hardware needed for one of the built-in cabinets he made for his family