Remote Starter kit for 02 Forester?

I used the Bulldog unit available at Walmart for $42.88----if you have a transponder key you will also have to order the kit for that at about $19. I also suggest Bulldogs "T" harness. TG

I would have to recommend Compustar, Avital or Crimestopper in regards to good remote starters. Bulldog is JUNK, Autocommand is Ok, Viper/DEI stuff is good, Astrostart is very good but harder to install. I have been installing remote starters for over 10 years and this is just my opinion of what I like, others may disagree with me, that's fine. Just make sure you get a unit that is designed for manual transmission, otherwise there will be liability issues should it accidentally start in gear.

Here is a list of which wires may need to be tapped for the starter to work, as always test all wires before making final connections, having said that, I remove myself from all liability for improper installation of this device.

Function Vehicle Color Location ============================================================================ =============== Start Wire: (Power while cranking ONLY) White/Black Ignition Switch Harness Ignition #1: (Power while cranking & when in ON position) Yellow Ignition Switch Harness Ignition #2: (Same as Ignition #1) Green/Orange Igntion Switch Harness Accessory: (Power when in on position, NOT while cranking) Green Ignition Switch Harness Brake Wire:(+12 Volts when brake pedal depressed) White/Black Switch Above Brake Pedal Tach Signal: (AC Pulsed output when motor is running) Blue 3 Pin Plug at Ignition Coil Parking Lights: (+12 Volts when parking lights are on) Purple 10 Pin White Conn in Drivers Kick Panel Constant +12 Volts: White Ignition Switch Harness OEM Horn (-12 Volts when horn depressed) Yellow Blue 28 Pin Conn. Abover Steering Column Power Lock (-12 Volt Signal when Lock button depressed) Red/White In 10 pin Connector in drivers kick panel Power Unlock (-12 Volt Signal when Unlock button depressed) Yellow/Red In 10 pin Connector in drivers kick panel

I am not sure what color the clutch bypass wires are, but they will be on a switch above the clutch pedal. You will probably also have to have the parking brake wire hooked up as a bypass, again I am not sure of the color, but there should be a single wire coming from the parking brake handle that while go from an "open" condition to a -12 Volt (grounded) condition when the parking brake has been applied. Another thing to consider is if the vehicle has a factory alarm system, in which case the -12volt "OEM Alarm Disarm" output from the remote starter can be used to trigger the UNLOCK wire thereby temporarily bypassing the alarm and allowing the vehicle to remote start, the remote starter will then automatically relock the doors (assuming you have that function programmed to do so, read your instruction manual for further information).

Feel free to contact me in this NG if you have any questions regarding the installation or any other remote start applications, I will be happy to try and assist

"Mike" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

I live in Montana and have no idea what is legal in your state. However if a remote starter was illegal here I would have one anyway. TG

OK, my $42.88 Bulldog is "junk" I don't want to argue but why is it junk? Works great and was easy to install plus had the features I wanted (it remotely starts the car) for a great price. Been working for 2 years...WHY is it junk? TG

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Green

instruction

I have attempted to install several of these (admittedly over 3 years ago so things may have changed) and had major problems with range of operation, and overall quality (I had to return it 3 times before I finally got one that worked, all the others were dead on arrival.) The one I did put in that worked has worked for three years (with about 150 foot range of operation), so maybe I just had bad luck, but I know of several other shops in ND that won't touch them with a ten foot pole due to the headaches that they have had with these. Like I said before, just my opinion based on my experiences. Others out there hate Crimestopper, some dislike Avital, Me...well I don't like Bulldog or Astrostart (astro is just a pain to install IMHO)

For a novice to install a remote starter Autocommand (Designtech) and Compustar may be the route to go (for manual transmissions, I would recommend Crimestopper for ease of installation in an auto transmission.)

Autocommand is the only one I know of that has online tech support for free (ok, you have to "register as a dealer" at

but you don't have to order anything from them to get access to the wiring guides)

I wasn't trying to pick a fight with you TG (actually if I had read your post before I submitted my reply to the original, I wouldn't have called it junk, just would have put it on my not preferred list or something.) The electronics industry is just like the car industry, you will find people that like all sorts of different makes and models, me I don't like Chevy, had bad luck with every Chevy vehicle I have ever owned (3 new ones, 2 used ones), however Chevy must have some fans out there, they are still in business. And don't get me started on the Dodge Neon....LOL (2 motors, 1 transmission, 2 ECU's, 13 O2 sensors, 1 crank position sensor 2 nights stranded along the side of the Highway (2000 miles and 19000 miles on odometer) in the middle of North Dakota in the winter and 1000 CEL's in less than 36,000 miles)

CAS

I have another suggestion. The purpose of a car starter is to warm the car up so when you get in it in the winter, it's nice and warm and ready to drive. The problem I have is idling a car for long periods is not good for it.

I used to own two Dodge trucks and the last house I owned only had a 1 car garage that was to small for the trucks. So I installed a engine heater. It's a little device that installs into the engine block and warms the radiator fluid (and also the oil in the pan) around the block. At night I would plug it into the electrical outlet in the garage. In the morning I would get into the truck and within 2 minutes it was toasty warm. They are easy to install (I did it myself) and the cost was about ~$50 - $75ish for the device.

I believe this device is better cause it keeps the engine oil warm so on startup it does not starve the upper valves for oil. A remote engine starter does not do anything to fight the cold effects of the engine starting on a cold winter day. Plus, you can add a battery blanket (wraps around the battery) to keep it nice and warm.

I'm sure someone will say "A remote starter also helps defrost the windows". Well, What I did was buy a bottle of spray defrost antifreeze and sprayed it on the windows (when I got home as well as the morning) and that took care of that problem. The engine heater allowed the engine to remain warm all night and took no time for the defroster to do it's magic in the morning.

Hope this helps!

Not necessarily true, they can be set to start when engine temperatures drop below a certain point, some can also be programmed to start your vehicle every 1, 2, 3, or 4 hours and run the motor for 5 minutes (depends on model of starter) to help keep the motor warm and battery charged. I agree that idling for long periods of time can be hard on your motor, but 3-5 minutes isn't that bad on them. I run my company van (Gasoline Chevy Astro Van) for

8 hours straight during the coldest days of winter and we get over 120,000 miles on them with no problems...and this is Chevy (see previous post about my hatred/bad luck with Chevy)

Hello.... 90% of engine wear occures during startup and the first minute. So, everytime you start your car during winter places a lot of friction on the engine. I would NEVER recommend starting a car every few hours in winter time to keep it warm. Anyway, what's wrong with getting into a hot car in summer or a cold car in winter? I've done it thousands of times. I think using a remote starter to *only* warm up the car in the winter or cool it down in the summer is the sign of a lazy driver (sorry, don't mean to be that harsh. But you get the gist of what I'm saying).

So, if your reason for a remote starter is to make the car comfortable for you so you never sweat in summer or get a chill in winter, then I guess a remote starter is the way to go. This is why they make them, to pamper the driver by place more stress on the car.

However, if you want your car to last a long time and don't want to abuse the engine, then a block heater/battery blanket is the way to go. The only draw back to this method is if you park in an area that does not have an electrical outlet (mall parking lot, work, apartment complex).

I have flown a lot of airplanes in winter and can tell you that the stress of starting a cold engine in winter is bad. In fact, if the temp is below 20degrees, we always pre-heat the engine with a kerosene heater and duct work into the engine compartment. Why? Because oil starvation on a cold day will take many hours (miles in car terms) off the life span on an engine.

I would like to hear the opinion from our friends in Canada or Alaska. Which would you use?

Get a block heater and battery warmer if your going to be able to use it (if there are places to plug in where your car will be parked most of the time). Remote starters are completely up to the driver, but I'd never use it to cut on/off to keep my car from freezing.

I recently moved up to Anchorage and while I know plenty of people who have a remote starter, almost all of them have block heaters too. I've decided to go with neither. I rarely see a working electrical outlet at work and I have a heated garage.

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Mark) wrote in news:ed491c8b.0309260553.46bdd468 @posting.google.com:

Block heaters are pretty standard in most of Canada. I typically plug in the car if the temperature is going to drop below -20C.

A side note on remote starters. I was asking a lady at the gas station how she liked her '02 Outback Sport. She said she loved it, 'when it starts'. She has nothing but problems since installing a remote starter. I think there can be serious issues on standard transmission vehicles.

Remote starting a car and letting it run 2-4 minutes before you get in on a cold MT winter morning places NO extra stress on the car.

"This is why they make them, to pamper the driver by place more stress on the car."

----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark" Newsgroups: alt.autos.subaru Sent: Friday, September 26, 2003 8:53 AM Subject: Re: Remote Starter kit for 02 Forester?

Nothing, unless you have bad arthritis/joint pain/back pain, a small child that will be riding with you, or a cold or other illness.

I've

How about an opinion from North Dakota? I have a block heater as well as a remote starter. I personally do not use the preprogrammed start (every hour or 2 or 3...etc..) unless it is VERY cold (-50 degrees Farrenheit or colder) and I will be away from my car for a day or so. I do however use it to warm/defrost my cars for about 3-4 minutes as I am getting ready to leave the house. I have had 7 cars in the past 10 years that have this feature on them and have had ZERO problems getting them to 100,000 miles+ with no major problems (My neon that I listed in an earlier post never had a remote start on it just for the record.) I wouldn't use a starter to run the vehicle more than 10 minutes or so, but I will use it to start the motor and get things going for a couple of minutes before I drive off. I also use the "idle-down" feature on mine to act as a turbo timer.

As I stated before, I have installed them for over 10 years and have installed well over 2000 units on various different vehicles and haven't seen any bad effects on the motors of these vehicles yet, and trust me my customers would let me hear about it if there was even a hint of a problem (I've had people accuse me of affecting the ride characteristics of a vehicle due to the installation, been accused of signal lights not working, and decrease in gas mileage.....the gas mileage one is the only one I consider real, the more you idle, the less mpg you get) Of course this is all just my opinion based on my experiences, I would never "force" someone to get one, but I sure wouldn't advise against it either.

Hi, Voice from Alberta. I have remote starter on all 4 vehicles in my family which I installed myself. Hmmm, getting into cold car in cold winter? Like from N. Dakota, this guy may never have lived in real cold winter! We need all the help we can get. Battery blanket, block heater(two if it is V8), remote starter.... We park the cars in the garage at home but many places don't have parkade parking. Just open parking lot. Who cares about little tear and wear on engine. Car is consumable. When it gets used up, buy another new one. Let the ecconomy circulate. Tony P.S. In 1970, I started my car, Plymouth Fury Sports with 383 V8 in cold winter night after X-mas party to come home. Car started alright, timing chain got partially damaged making hell of clanking noise. needed new chain the next day.

I do agree that in this part of the country, the coldest we usually see is around zero degrees F. So i'm sure people that see real cold weather knows how to deal with it.

I've always have done what's best for the car engine. I always try to pamper my car to get the most out of it. This is why I don't like remote starters. However, I can see in some circumstances it might be the best choice.

Usually the coldest time comes at night. And at night I'm usually home and have access to an electrial outlet. During the day we usually ONLY see temp in the low teens. So when I'm at work and leave for the day and it's this cold. I start the car and let it idle for a few minutes to get the oil circulating, then drive using low RPM's as possible until the car starts to warm up.

I can't image really cold temp like people see in Canada. My goal in life is to live somewhere where the only ice I see is on the mug of my beer. ;-)

Hi, You're not real man then. LOL. Begining to dislike cold weather as I age. Becoming snow bird. I think human is designed to be a tropical animal. Tony

I'm pretty sure the damage he was referring to was that caused by people setting their car to cut on/off throughout the night/day instead of using a block heater. The continuous starting and stopping of the engine just to keep the engine compartment warm is extremely harsh. I think everyone can agree that if you start it with a key or push a button on a remote, starting the car is starting the car. It makes no difference. No one said that it'll be hard on your engine to start it with a remote starter (at least that I read)...

It has always been regarded as bad practice to leave an engine idling to warm up, though. Much better to drive it gently until the oil is up to temperature.

David Betts snipped-for-privacy@motorsport.org.uk