One of the most popular purchases to be made in the automotive aftermarket industry this winter will be remote starters. Remote starters have become more and more popular each year, with most sales occurring between October and February. Sales peak around the holidays and many people buy them for their loved ones at Christmas.
Remote starters allow a vehicle owner to start their vehicle’s engine with a wireless remote or key fob. This has many advantages, such as warming up your car on a cold morning, unlocking your car doors, automatically starting your car in extremely cold temperatures to prevent your gasoline and oil from freezing, and even cooling down your car in a hot temperature. day. Simply turn on your heater or air conditioner before getting out of your car, start the car with the remote control, and get into a vehicle that is already hot or cold. Remote starters can be programmed to allow your car to run for a predetermined amount of time, anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes. These units can also be configured to unlock your car doors, roll down the windows, turn on the defroster, open the sunroof, open the truck, sound the horn, as well as a variety of other functions.
There are two main varieties of remote starters: one-way and two-way units. There is a main difference between the two: one-way provides the user with no feedback, while two-way provides the user with feedback. The one-way units will allow the user to unlock the doors (if equipped), start the car, and perform other optional tasks. In order for the user to know if the car has been unlocked or started, they need to be able to see the car while the button is pressed or after the button is pressed to verify that what they tried to do was successful. Most units will turn the lights on when locking and unlocking, as well as turn the parking lights on or stay on to let the owner know the vehicle is remote start.
The bi-directional remote starter uses a remote control with an LCD display or alert lights to inform the user of what is happening. The most popular two-way units use an LCD screen with a digital image of a car. When the user presses the button to activate the remote start and start the car, the car will provide information to the user via the remote to let the user know whether the car started or not. If the car has started, units with an LCD will usually display a puff of digital smoke coming from the rear of the car letting the user know the car is running and the remote start activation was successful. Two-way remote controls or key fobs can inform the user if the car is running and also if it is locked or unlocked.
A popular version of the remote starter is a combo unit that also features a car alarm. These units will perform all the functions of the standard remote starter, plus protect your car from theft and theft. Two-way remote start/alarm controls can provide information to the user through visual and audible alerts. The remote can alert you if a door has been opened, if the shock sensor has been triggered, or if any other sensor has detected a fault. This is designed to inform the user if someone is trying to get into their car while they are not present. These units have a variety of service ranges from 200 feet to 6,000 feet. That means you can be hundreds or in some cases thousands of feet away and be alerted if your car is being broken into. A new unit even uses a car-mounted camera, and in the event of theft, it will take a picture of the car’s interior and transmit it to the full-color, two-way LCD remote control, so the owner can even see who’s breaking into their car. .
Remote starters are not something a hobbyist installer should attempt to install. These units are getting more and more complicated and someone who has never installed one will be pulling their hair out in a few hours. There are many safety and liability issues involved with wiring something this complex into your car and interfacing with increasingly complicated computer systems and factory wiring. Just a small error in probing a wire can cause an airbag to deploy or an engine or body computer to explode, any of which would cost thousands of dollars to repair. For the nominal installation fee, using your local 12 volt store is the only way to go. What would take an inexperienced installer a few days to install, an experienced installer can usually have you back on the road in less than a business day, saving you time, money and headaches.
On vehicles produced from 1995-1996 through newer 2008 models, a variety of additional parts may be required to install your remote starter. Vehicles with a factory immobilizer system will require a bypass module to bypass the immobilizer system during remote starter activation to allow the remote starter to start the engine. These bypass modules are designed for vehicles that contain a chip in their keys. The bypass module contains the same chip or program as the key chip and tricks the vehicle into thinking the key is in the ignition, allowing the remote starter to engage and start the car. If your car has an immobilizer system you will need to purchase this part as the remote start will not work without it. Also, some vehicles require additional modules to activate keyless entry. If you want your unit to roll down the windows, this also requires a control module to do it. Many installations also require additional wiring and relays, which can increase the cost of the installation depending on the make and model of the vehicle. If your car is newer, be prepared to spend extra money on the additional parts that will be required to get your remote starter to work on your vehicle. These parts can range from $50 to $200 or more depending on the year, make and model of the vehicle.
Every year there is a unit that will do something that the previous ones could not, including the aforementioned alarm camera. These days buying just a car alarm or just a keyless entry system is not worth your money. For anywhere between $150 and $300 and up, you can have a remote start in addition to your alarm or keyless entry, and it’s well worth the extra money. Remote starters continue to grow in popularity, especially in cold weather areas, and once you have one in your car, you’ll never want to be without one!