Need to know about remote starters on cars.

December 6, 2006 11:16 AM

My mother-in-law is in a contest with my wife that involves waking up early in the morning to go to the gym. Now that winter is finally starting to rear its ugly head, my mother-in-law is interested in getting a remote start setup for her car. She has a 2003 Subaru Forrester with automatic transmission, remote door locks on a key fob, and no alarm. She also has a few questions about the whole remote-start thing.

1) Would it be better to get such a system, bought and installed, at the dealership or at the local car stereo/car alarm shop. And this would be the highly reputable car stereo/car alarm shop that people mention when anyone says "car stereo" rather than the little fly-by-night ones.
2) While we were discussing the question, a co-worker mentioned that a remote start decreases the value of a car. Is this true, and if so, why?
3) The same co-worker also mentioned something vague about transmission problems. Anyone heard of such a thing? Are these last two questions a product of the dark ancient days of remote car start technology?
4) If the best way to go with a remote start is aftermarket, rather than dealer-installed, do you have any recommendations for brand/model of remote start? All she's looking for is something to start the car and the less bells and whistles, the better. Car alarm's not needed as she rarely locks the car anyway.
5) If she gets one, I expect the arms race will begin and my wife will need one. Her car has a manual transmission. Anything special about a remote starter for one of those?

posted by Moondoggie to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

I'm going to suggest that Item 5 on your list cancels out the possibility for a safe remote starter installation. I've read about owners of manual cars with remote starters forgetting to leave their transmission in neutral, then starting them remotely and running the vehicle into another car.

That said, if you still want to go ahead with this, I think you'd be better off with a shop that specializes in auto electronics, rather than the dealer.
posted by SteveInMaine at 11:28 AM on December 6, 2006

Wait a minute, I misunderstood the last point to mean that your mother-in-law had the manual transmission. HER auto transmission car should be okay with a remote starter, though I wouldn't put on on your wife's manual.

And no, I don't see how this could negatively effect the value of the vehicle.
posted by SteveInMaine at 11:33 AM on December 6, 2006

I just got one installed up here in Minnesota and its already been a lifesaver...nothing like starting my car from apt before I head downstairs. As far as car problems go, the car shop actually did some extra work on my car and it starts better than ever.
Word of caution: I would suggest getting a good one with a wide range on it. Mine has a half-mile distance and transmits via an FM signal. It has yet to fail me from a good 1/4 mile away. Problem is that if you start going with 1/4 mile distance starters, you can run into line-of-site issues and an overall weaker signal.
Plus, once, you buy the equipment, you can have it transferred to future vehicles for only labor.
posted by jmd82 at 12:10 PM on December 6, 2006

1) I went with the reputable auto-sound company. No problems; reasonable cost.

2) Can't imagine what the co-worker is on about. It's a desirable feature.

3) Same response as 2).

4) I have an Astrostart (by Astroflex Industries) on my Forester. If I'd paid $100 more, I could still use the factory alarm when using the remote start. I didn't. This means I have to leave the alarm system in valet mode when I plan to use the remote start, but there's still a red light blinking on the dash. Range on the remote is excellent - I can start the car from the middle of the second floor of a steel-and-concrete building that's 100 feet from the car.

5) Don't know.

The installation has survived two windshield replacements. (The receiver antenna is glued to the windshield.)
posted by Kirth Gerson at 12:15 PM on December 6, 2006

It is possible (and has been done) to install a remote starter on a manual by overriding the clutch-in-to-start sensor that all Subarus have, but its a Very Bad Idea and no reputable shop will do it for you.

I have absolutely no grounds for this, but I would be concerned about the security of the system and the presence of an automatic engine-stop timer. If these things aren't well secured, an errant signal may start your car without you knowing, and coming back to an empty tank would ruin my day. I would be astonished if these were problems on all but the most yum-cha 99-cent equipment, but it's something to think about.
posted by Skorgu at 1:01 PM on December 6, 2006

You'll just need a switch to ensure that the transmission is in neutral.

You can prolly google up the user's manual for any remote security system you're considering, but most will have a timer that limits the remote-start running duration.
posted by LordSludge at 1:59 PM on December 6, 2006

One thing to check possibly is whether a remote starter would affect any warranty that may be left on the car.

I was going to install one on a girlfriend's car, which was brand new, and was told to have it done at the dealership or not at all or they may balk at warranty work.

Now, this wasn't the actual dealership that told me this, so it may not be true (or may not be true where you live) but I thought you may want to check into it.
posted by skinnydipp at 2:54 PM on December 6, 2006

My Subaru has an immobiliser chip built into the key. This requires the key to be next to the ignition to start the car.
While a great security feature, it would tend to make the remote starter unworkable.
From trying to get a spare key, it seems only Subaru dealers can make them, so presumably any remote system would need the dealer to install it, if such an immobiliser is fitted.
From your question, I assume you are in the northern hemisphere, so you should check whether your model has an immobiliser, as these have been standard equipment in Australia for some years.
posted by bystander at 8:17 PM on December 6, 2006

I have had warranty work done since having the remote-starter installed, and the dealer said nothing about it. As I said, the antenna is glued to the windshield, and while it's not obtrusive, nobody who's that familiar with Subarus would fail to notice it.

If there is an immobilizer, the installer will be able to say if it's a problem, and what, if anything, to do about it.

The system I have shuts the engine off after 15 minutes. I believe there are optional settings for longer periods, but if I'm not in the car by then, I want it to shut down.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:44 AM on December 7, 2006

I have a remote starter on my 01 forester. I love it, but the previous owner cheeped out and didn't get the little module that unifies the factory remote with the starter, so if you lock the car via the factory remote, the starter will set off the car alarm. If you use the remote starter to lock the doors, you get no alarm, but then the remote start works fine.

On my wife's car, I opted for the cheapest remote start/alarm combo. I really regret it. We had to replace ALL the keychain remotes within 2 years and have had constant adjustment problems. Pay for a good system, its not worth the hassle to be cheap on this.


It is possible to get remote starters for manuals that depress the break, and clutch, to make it safer; but it seems to be illegal in most states in the US, so its not widely available.

Both of our starters are a life-saver here in Minnesota, both summers and winters.
posted by rubin at 7:43 PM on June 7, 2007