Costar Bluestar Hands Free Bluetooth Kit for GM Vehicles

Great product and very easy to install. The most time consuming part is the radio trim removal - use proper trim tool and not a screw driver to prevent damage. I installed this in my 2008 Chevy Avalanche LTZ with ease. I do not use Onstar and figure that since I have the Onstar features (handsfree, steering wheel controls etc), why not use it with my Android phone and it work seemlessly - for example, I can use the call\talk button on the steering wheel or on the rear-view mirror to make or end calls, the existing mic is excellent as people can hear me perfectly without having to talk loud, the call volume is great and it mutes the radio or other builtin entertainment\NAV feature while on a call, and call information is displayed on the dash. After using this for several weeks now, I found one more cool feature that you retain with the Costar integration is that the original Onstar have a feature that lowers the cabin fan speed automatically to reduce the vent noise when the system is in use, so now with Costar when I answer a call or make a call, the fan noise is lowered when on medium to high settings. I am not sure if this is a feature on all vehicles with Onstar so it may depend on your vehicle specs. However this is an example of the features you retain with the Costar integration for Bluetooth functionality.In addition to Costar integration, I read a previous review where a guy added the iSimple Dual Auxillary port so that you can get stereo audio instead of mono which is a limitation of the Onstar system and not the Costar unit. I used the iSimple Gateway Audio Input Interface (ISGM571 for 29bit GM vehicles) to supplement Costar addition via the included 3.5mm audio stereo output jack. You simply connect the Costar unit audio Aux output jack to the iSimple Aux In jack, This redirects audio from the Costar unit through stereo input of iSimple Gateway which in turn feeds to the radio head unit. I used this unit because I also wanted to have a direct IPod connection to the existing head unit with IPod controls. There are other models you can get based on the interface you are looking for.

Very pleased with how well the device functions. The install wasn't what I could call simple, but it wasn't extremely hard either. The hardest part was reaching the wires on the old onstar box to get them unplugged. I also added the 3.5 cable to be able to stream other audio (music). The sound quality for both the calls and the music is superb. I initially had to change the settings to enable to music streaming side by hooking the box up to my laptop, but that was pretty painless. The bluetooth is pretty quick to automatically connect when I turn my vehicle on. Works great in my 07 suburban!

I'm really happy with the unit. The installation was simple- unplug the harness from the onstar, plug them into the Bluestar, pair the phone and it's done. Now my Onstar button on the steering wheel links to the phone- i press it, and it opens Siri. I can then give Siri any voice command it accepts- like "Call home" and the call connects. Simple. Since siri will also accept voice to text, I can use the talk button to send a quick message as well.My Onstar unit is mounted to the top of my trunk (09 G8) so to hold the Bluestar in place I added strips of Velcro to the unit and to the steel under the trunkdeck. Unit is secure, and hidden from sight.

I purchased a 2006 Rainier that came equipped with OnStar but not Bluetooth. Since the factory Bose system was top of the line, I did not want to replace it to add Bluetooth functionality and the addon kits were definitely not what I wanted.Enter the Bluestar. This little box replaces your OnStar unit and provides your vehicle with Bluetooth instead. Installation was a breeze. I loaded their program on my computer to update the device's firmware, unplugged two wires from the OnStar unit, and plugged the wires into the Bluestar unit. Because of the way the OnStar box is designed, I can't tell if the other connections are required, so I left the existing box in place and secured the Bluestar next to it under the rear passenger seat.So far, I have made and received calls on my Galaxy S5 and used the unit to listen to audiobooks streamed through Bluetooth. Unfortunately, because OnStar is mono and only supports the left channel, streaming music does not work well in my particular vehicle. The Bluestar has an audio-out port that could be connected to an auxiliary port, which my Rainier does not have. I am looking to see if I can possibly run a wire directly to the stereo without having to drill holes for an actual port.My only complaint about the unit is its connection to the computer for updates. It uses a mini-USB cord rather than a micro, and I had to do considerable scrounging around the house to find one of these older cords. For the price, I would have liked to see a cord included with the unit.EDIT: If you are not an extreme audiophile, you can adjust your phone to output music on a single channel (mono) rather than stereo. The setting is usually under Accessibility on your phone. This will allow you to use the Bluestar to listen to music with pretty good audio quality.EDIT again: After almost two years of use, I have found that the Bluestar has an extremely annoying tendency to reset its volume to its default level. When this happens, I cannot hear my audiobooks or calls over the road noise, even with the stereo volume maxed. The Rainier OnStar system does not have the standard buttons that allow me to manually adjust its volume in situ, so, when the volume drops, I have to pull the unit out, hook it up to the computer, and reset its volume to max. It happens every month or two, almost like it schedules its volume drops. Not a huge inconvenience, but I do worry that I might eventually break on of the OnStar plugs, as they are quite stiff and starting to get brittle with age. Overall, it's a good solution, but this issue has caused me to drop it down to four stars instead of five.

When it works, I really like it. However, sometimes it connects to my phone ok, sometimes not. When this happens it will answer the call, but the voice coming in is jumbled. I can disconnect the bluetooth connection on my phone and use the handset fine and it will work, but thats not the point of this device. I have sent it in for service, but no change has been noted.