remote car starter

What is it that you're wanting to accomplish by doing this? Idling to warm up the heater maybe but to warm up the engine? This uses gas. If you have synthetic, it doesn't need as much warming up like petroleum based oils does. If you have it plugged in w/ a block heater, have you got a switch in your house to switch it off?

I put a remote start on my (Pontiac) van so the windsheild starts to defrost before I leave the driveway. I always removed all the snow from the windsheild and scraped off the ice before I drove, - with the engine running - but unless I warm it up a bit longer than it takes to scrape it, the windsheild is still cold enough that it fogs up when I get in. Driving into the morning (low) sun with a fogged windshield is a good way to get yourself killed - so I consider the fuel burned worth while. Yes, I COULD install a block heater - but then I have to deal with the cord - and I'd hate to get it tangled in the snow blower. Now after a good snow, I usually clear the windsheild, start the snowblower, and when I'm about 5 minutes from finished blowing snow I just reach into my pocket and start the van. Clear windshield and no frost on the steering wheel when I get in.

I have remote starters on all of my cars and have had the feature on all of may cars for many years. After one installs a remote starter they soon discover the REAL advantage of a remote starter is starting the air conditioner, not the heater. One seldom enters a car when not dressed for the cold weather. Entering a car that has been cooled is much better then entering one when the internal temperature is 120 degrees or more ;)

mike hunt

There are way too many on the market for me to even guess anymore. I've used AutoCommand in the past with good luck.... A friend installed a Bulldog on his 03 Explorer with minimal assistance from me - I'd check Bulldogs website... IIRC, my friends kit came with an installation video and some "piggyback connectors were available to make installation painless.

I will advise against installing a remote start in a manual trans vehicle., however, I do recommend adding features you may not have.... if you have power locks, remote keyless entry is available as is a "panic alarm/car finder". Others feature various "valet" modes that will run the car in the event of cold weather, battery voltage decay or other conditions. While long range is high on my list, I do like some of these valet features.

You can expect overall mileage to take a real hit depending on weather conditions and whether your wife drives and likes to "visit". Where I live, I can set the defroster up the night before and a few minutes of running softens the rime on the windshield for easier scraping.... by the time I've done that, the "edge" is off the air in the cab.... Those in warmer climes will not be able to appreciate these effects.

If you forge ahead with your project, I will caution against using Scotch-Lok type connectors. These are very intrusive and will reduce the wire guage at their point of installation and leave connections open to corrosion. While time consuming, soldering the connections is the surest way to troublefree operation. Make your installation in such a fashion as to avoid hampering any other repairs you may ever need to make. This will either reduce your frustration level, reduce hired shops time or both..... English translation - I've worked on some pretty scarey sh*t...