question for the northern guys

chuck t · Dec 10, 2014

Santa may bring a remote starter for my new truck. Is there a best one, or ones to avoid?

Alan K · Dec 10, 2014

Usually the street corner Santas are the ones to stay away from. They aren't the real one. He is at the north pole. (Just some humor. Sorry I just had to lol)

buickanddeere · Dec 10, 2014

We plug in the block heater instead of wasting fuel and wearing out the engine.

fixerupper · Dec 10, 2014

(quoted from post at 09:36:08 12/10/14) Santa may bring a remote starter for my new truck. Is there a best one, or ones to avoid?

I cant vouch for any one brand. What i do want to warn against is butchered wiring during installation. Son bought a car that had an aftermarket remote installed by an electronics dealer that was supposed to be real good according to the previous owner. The car started dying on my son. After many hours of frustrating searching he found corroded wires where the remote start harness had been spliced in.

NEBeef · Dec 10, 2014

The Vipers seem to work pretty well. Lots of options from very simple to real fancy. Will be getting one for my daughter for xmas.

FWIW, Best Buy sells them in a package deal with the installation included. Normally I don't go for big box stores installs, but my daughter isn't local and Best Buy guarantees it for life.

SW3 · Dec 10, 2014

AstroStart is very popular up here in N Minnesota.
Most people opt for the 2-way versions now which
will tell you if the car is running. However,
these will go through more remote batteries
because it is talking back and forth with the car.
I have also had a couple DEI brand starters in the
past with good luck.
Get one with at least the 2000' range!! Keep in
mind this range is line-of-sight with no
obstructions! Longer range = better inside
buildings, it will penetrate walls, etc. I had a
low end AstroStart with 1000' range that would not
start the car from inside the house when I was
looking at the car.
Have fun!

VicS · Dec 10, 2014

Prestige. The name on the clicker.
Will work from our seat in church.
Neat in summer as well. We have a guy
who sells and installs. Vic

JF in MI · Dec 10, 2014

My type of remote starter doesn't require any
altered wiring but I do have to shove her out the
door about 15 minutes before I want to leave.
Operates much like my garage door opener.

Ken Macfarlane · Dec 10, 2014

Yup. 30 min costing 15 cents saving $ of wear vs idling a cold
engine.

1130Leo · Dec 10, 2014

I have a Viper, works great, they do highly
recommend one of their trained installers though.
Mine came with a free install included.

Mike M · Dec 10, 2014

I'd stay clear of aftermarket and go with one made by your vehicle manufacture. OEM usually plug in with no hacking needed. Many of those aftermarket joints will ruin your factory wiring harness.

Dave H (MI) · Dec 10, 2014

I agree with that completely. Won't have one.

Bob · Dec 10, 2014

LOL!

A friend of mine tells the story about how his Mom had Auto Start MANY years before they were commonly available, way back in the 50's

Actually it was "Otto Start", as in "Otto, go start the car"!

Otto (obviously) was her husband's name.

pete 23 · Dec 10, 2014

Daughter and son in law have them on both of their cars. I always tell them one of these days they will come out to find their car with a hole in the hood for extra ventilation. I actually haven't heard of any runaways but I have had my own pickup engine run up over 3000 rpms while I was outside of it getting a shed door open and once while I was sitting in it talking to someone along the road. Doesn't have remote start but that old computer controls a ton of different actions that take place with the engine. Makes you kind of leary.

Bob · Dec 10, 2014

I agree with Mike 100%.

We have an electronics GURU here in town who does A-1 work, and is meticulous in what he does.

He has sold and installed the units for MANY years, and while there are many success stories, I personally know of two vehicles in which he installed them that were never the same afterwards (randomly locked doors and/or randomly dead batteries).

gab · Dec 10, 2014

The best one would be a factory kit from your dealer if available, no cut twisted together wiring that's going to fall apart after a couple potholes. It's pretty much plug and play and a reprogram of the body control mod. and a new hood latch with switch.
I had one installed in my wife's Chevy Equinox last Tuesday, she likes it.

60 acre hillside · Dec 10, 2014

If you have been good, Santa will bring you one proportionally as good as you have been. If you have been bad he will bring you NONE. Never question Santa's judgment!

oldtanker · Dec 10, 2014

I don't know if I'd let Best Buy do it. They put a stereo in my BIL's car a few years back. When he had problems I took a look at it. Cut and splice job with masking tape on the splices.

Rick

JMS/.MN · Dec 10, 2014

I don"t want one. Waste of gas, too undependable, especially aftermarket units. I put out the word to the kids- don"t ever surprise us with one for Christmas. Just another wussing down of America- who can"t sit in a cold car for the first three miles of a trip? And heated seats and steering wheel????

old harv · Dec 10, 2014

A teenager works best for me. Cleans the snow off to. Unfortunately he isn't a teenager anymore and isn't around anymore either.

farmboy48 · Dec 10, 2014

I have Astrostart on two vehicles, Ford dealer installed on F-250, Astrostat dealer installed on Chev Trailblazer, both work great.

Wemedeeres · Dec 10, 2014

Astrostart, my work pickup has one, the wife's past two cars had them my last pickup had one and now my new one does as well. The wife's 2010 equinox came with the GM factory one and it's basically crap, you almost need to be in the car to get it to work, it shuts off after 7 minutes and can only be restarted twice. Luckily she has a window in her office at work and her parking spot is right outside.

My work pickup is plugged in from the minute I get home at night until I leave in the morning, both our other vehicles are in heated garages, the only time the remote start is used is when we are out. It's nice to get into a warm vehicle, after having them I'd never go back!

I know a lot of people that have them and have not heard any horror stories about them. If you go to a reputable dealer you shouldn't have any problems. The place I've had mine installed puts a one year warranty on their installation so that's worth something in itself.

Russ from MN · Dec 10, 2014

That's where an insulated garage is best, not necessarily heated, but insulated. Get in it and go!

Russ from MN · Dec 10, 2014

Yes by all means, if you have to park outside! Our
tractor is in a cold garage and it gets plugged in.

omahagreg · Dec 10, 2014

A friend used to sell aftermarket remote starters-don't recall brand. He would NOT recommend any aftermarket model! What was happening to his customers was the vehicle would not start, tow it to mechanic who promptly saw the remote starter and said it is that, cant work on it. Tow it to my friends shop, nothing wrong with the remote starter, tow it back to the mechanic. He sold them and told me he couldn't figure out, for the life of him, why anyone would want that aggravation!

26Red · Dec 10, 2014

Factory kit if your truck is new.

rusty6 · Dec 10, 2014

(quoted from post at 17:58:16 12/10/14) That's where an insulated garage is best, not necessarily heated, but insulated. Get in it and go!

That is true. Plus you don't have to sweep the snow off the vehicle or scrape the windshield. I know it won't work for everybody but, given a choice that is the way I do it.

question for the northern guys

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