Remote Car Starters

[KrisZ]

They are great and the beauty of them is that you can use them as often or as little as you want. Although some factory implementations are quite bad and make the remote starting pointless. Like Toyota had a brilliant idea to shut the engine down when the door is opened.


My Mazda's starter has a neat feature where if you started the car normally, or the key is already in the ignition and the car is not running on remote start anymore, you can still activate the remote start, remove the key from the ignition and leave the car running. Very useful for those very cold mornings when you have to run back into the house for whatever reason after starting the vehicle, less strain on the battery.

Also, remotes starters work best with automatic climate controls because you don't have to remember to leave the HVAC system in the proper settings for the next remote start.

 

[tcp71]

My new truck just happened to have factory remote start. Wasn’t looking for it, but has been very useful this last week with temperatures in the -30s. Gives fluids a chance to warm up a bit before go time. I can start it, unlock the doors with the remote, then have to turn the key to on before the dash gauges and controls work. I never thought it would be useful, but really like the convenience.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
Not having the kids get into a complete frozen car is worth every penny to me.


True because car seat straps are supposed to go over a thin jumper not a thick down parka for safety. Even if you put a blanket over the kid the cold car seat will conduct into his/her backside.

 

[ZZman]

My wife likes hers. I don't like wasting the fuel.

 

[redhat]

I have a manual and this is how it works.

When you park the car, in neutral, you apply the parking brake. This sends a signal to the remote stater to activate. It takes over running the car. You then turn the key off, remove your keys from the ignition and the engine stays running. You then exit the car and upon closing the door, the engine turns off.

The system figures that the only way you could've gotten out of the car, with the parking brake set, and the engine running normally is if the car is not in gear. Sure this could be defeated if you left windows open and threw it in a gear with the system "armed". But the likelihood of the happening is pretty slim unless you're trying to make a scene.

If you don't go through that sequence, it will not remote start the engine.

I went to a shop in Harborcreek, PA and have taken multiple vehicles of mine down there. Excellent work, and after 5 years, no issues whatsoever. They even have on their wall of info a remote start wiring install that they do and then "works of art" they pull from other installs by other shops.

 

[SevenBizzos]

Yes. Everyone at my work has one and it's funny to go out at 4:31pm and see 10 cars at idle. These are also quite useful in the summer to cool down the interior before entering.

 

[xxch4osxx]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
We love ours especially my wife!
I made sure that the next car we bought('15 Altima SV in signature) had it from the factory ONLY! I did not want one from an installation shop as most(or too many) units are not compatible with every make/model.

Even though many folks have good success with the aftermarket units, 50% of folks have electrical/electronic issues later on...and can't figure out that the problem is the aftermarket remote engine starter(RES).

I would consider a dealer installed unit that is made exactly for that vehicle mainly because it's just a "plug & play" unit.

I definitely agree. Mine was installed at the factory, the only way to have it done. I have heard many horror stories of aftermarket hackjobs causing electrical issues.

 

[Ducked]

I hired a scooter once here that had one.

Really can't see the point in that, unless there are a lot of scooter-riding ex wise guys here on some kind of international witness protection program.

 

[oldmaninsc]

The Impala came with a factory installed remote start. Wasn't looking for it and figured I'd never use it. Wrong! Occasionally use it in summer when it's a 110+ outside to cool the car a little, but use it mostly when there is ice on the windshield in the morning. I don't see how it's "wasting" fuel - I'd have to wait for the defroster to work anyhow. And really - cars do not use that much fuel at idle. Not like the old days when they would run at very high idle for several minutes.

No worries about the car being stolen. First - even if I left the door unlocked, a thief could not drive the car off without the key. You can't put it in gear or even turn the steering wheel until the correct key is in the ignition. Plus, it shuts off within 10 minutes the engine shuts off.

 

[exranger06]

I've never had a vehicle with remote start, and I've never wished I had it. I'm not a wuss; I can deal with being too hot or too cold for the first few minutes.

My sister in law just received an aftermarket remote start kit for her car. Her boyfriend asked if I could help install it. I agreed. I've never installed one and I'm interested in finding out what's involved in it.

 

[eljefino]

I installed a "Bulldog" (LOL) remote starter in a 95 saturn automatic. It piggybacked on the existing wiring, as in, I never had to unplug anything.

Sure, it was all scotch-locked together (widely derided) but it was under the dash where moisture won't wreck the wiring.

I can imagine it getting funkier with the aftermarket trying to cheat OE security systems but this car was old-school hot-wire-able.

Security is fine as when you touch the brake pedal it stalls the car unless you've put your key in to the run position. And you can't get it out of park without hitting the brake.

 

[MNgopher]

Never had a car with remote start until we bought our used Explorer that had one installed.

Its become a mandatory item for a car purchase in our family now.

They are making lots of teenagers sad since we don't send them out to start cars in the cold at family gatherings now... And I don't have to worry about someone taking my car with the keys in it anymore either.

And the comments about the interior not warming up also are moot with things like electric seat warmers - that are automatically on on a remote start below freezing in my truck

 

[ernied]

would not be without one.-17f this morning. nice and warm when I got in.

 

[Trav]

I don't like them at all, this is what I use when possible. I get good used units that have been removed carefully and are complete from Germany for most German/Euro cars. They heat the engine and the cabin without running the engine, they use a very small amount of fuel.

https://www.webasto.com/us/markets-produ...s/thermo-top-c/

I get them cheaper than this from a local yard and can pull it myself when I am there to ship back, its a lot easier this way, I can take pictures, keep all the mounting hardware which makes it a lot easier to install. I put a nice one in my Beetle with remote and timer for under $200 and a few hours labor.

Webasto

 

[HowAboutThis]

I drove in ND/MN for over 2 decades and everyone I knew had one... Except me. I mean, you're already wearing every article of clothing you have, why spend an extra $50 in a month just to have a warm car. Total first world problem.


Originally Posted By: Warstud
Does anyone else think these Remote Car Starters are a waste of money and gas just to have a warm car to get into.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
We love ours especially my wife!
I made sure that the next car we bought('15 Altima SV in signature) had it from the factory ONLY! I did not want one from an installation shop as most(or too many) units are not compatible with every make/model.

Even though many folks have good success with the aftermarket units, 50% of folks have electrical/electronic issues later on...and can't figure out that the problem is the aftermarket remote engine starter(RES).

I would consider a dealer installed unit that is made exactly for that vehicle mainly because it's just a "plug & play" unit.

I definitely agree. Mine was installed at the factory, the only way to have it done. I have heard many horror stories of aftermarket hackjobs causing electrical issues.


50% of folks whom I know that have had aftermarket RES installed, have had electrical issues with their vehicle. I even know folks who have had them removed and the electrical gremlins have gone away. This is why I only want factory RES in my vehicles.

On the other hand, I even know one person that loved their aftermarket unit so much in one vehicle that, they had it uninstalled from that vehicle and installed in another. Not my choice, I would have left it there and moved on!