Remote Starter

[hauolihale]

I live in Phoenix, where the warm weather is quite brutal. As a real estate agent, I take my clients to show homes in my ES350. It would be great if I had my Lexus locked and still running so the AC keeps the car cool while we are looking at a home. Anyone have ideas on how I can have this feature....I understand I have to go to an off market car alarm service to have this feature installed. I don't want to do this and jeopardize the integrity and quality of my Lexus.

[Elan]

I live in Phoenix, where the warm weather is quite brutal. As a real estate agent, I take my clients to show homes in my ES350. It would be great if I had my Lexus locked and still running so the AC keeps the car cool while we are looking at a home. Anyone have ideas on how I can have this feature....I understand I have to go to an off market car alarm service to have this feature installed. I don't want to do this and jeopardize the integrity and quality of my Lexus.

In many places it is illegal to leave your car unattended with the engine running or the keys in the ignition.

[NJPaul]

When I bought my ES350 (last week), I inquired about a remote starter. The dealer said that they would install one for me and it was in the car when I picked it up Friday. I paid $595.00 for it after a little negotiation. It works fine. I'm sure that I'll get a lot of use from it this winter.

It is an after market product, but I felt more comfortable having Lexus install it. The manufacturer is Audiovox and the model number is Pro 9056 SMK. They specifically state in their literature that "Your vehicle cannot be driven away by a thief while it is remote started, opening the door or depressing the brake pedal will shut the engine off and it will not re-start without a valid Smart Key".

I really like the system but you have to be sure that your headlights and wipers are in the "off" position when you start it remotely, as they will go on automatically if it is dark or raining.

Let me know if you need any more info.

Paul

[nyuhsuk]

When I bought my ES350 (last week), I inquired about a remote starter. The dealer said that they would install one for me and it was in the car when I picked it up Friday. I paid $595.00 for it after a little negotiation. It works fine. I'm sure that I'll get a lot of use from it this winter.

It is an after market product, but I felt more comfortable having Lexus install it. The manufacturer is Audiovox and the model number is Pro 9056 SMK. They specifically state in their literature that "Your vehicle cannot be driven away by a thief while it is remote started, opening the door or depressing the brake pedal will shut the engine off and it will not re-start without a valid Smart Key".

I really like the system but you have to be sure that your headlights and wipers are in the "off" position when you start it remotely, as they will go on automatically if it is dark or raining.

Let me know if you need any more info.

Paul

FINALLY~ I posted this question months ago to have no one respond to it... :o/

I'm actually wondering a little about the functionality of your system...

1) What's the effective range of the system? It'd be nice to have it be at least 100 yards or so. I tested out the '08 Toyota Avalon remote start option and it works well but only has a stated range of 30 feet (wtf?). I tried to step back and try it a few more times but after about moving 30 yards away, it went dead. I know that some Viper products have the range of a mile or two? Insane.

2) Is the system integrated into the smart key or is a separate key fob necessary? If another is required, how large is it? I like to keep my keys on a carabiner hanging off a belt loop on my pants so minimizing the number of items on that thing would be nice.

3) I'm guessing once the car is started, you just get in and shift the car and drive off right?

4) Can the system be shut down from the remote?

5) The big kahuna: Does it affect your warranty in any way? That alone will keep me from even considering it...

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide!

[NJPaul]

nyuhsuk,

1) I don't really know the effective range, but it always started whenever I used it. I am usually about 30 feet away but I'm sure that it will work further away than that. The manual does not give this information. (Update) I just went outside and walked about 200 feet away from the car and it started. I then walked in the other direction about the same distance and it shut down without a problem even though the receiver was facing away from me. The neighbors think I'm nuts, :D but who cares.

2) The starter is activated by a separate control (fob) which is provided by the manufacturer of the system. It's pretty small - about 2" x 1/4 ". A small receiver is installed in the car to receive the signal from the control. In my case, it is high up on the inside of the windshield, on the driver's side.

3) In order to start the car you push down the button on the controller twice. The parking lights and brake lights blink and after about 30 seconds the car starts. The factory Smart Key system is inoperative while the engine is running. You must press and hold the Remote Starter button for 4 seconds to unlock the front door. The engine will automatically shut down when you open the door.

4) If you want to to shut it down remotely, you have to push the button twice again, and after another 30 seconds it shuts down. If you don't, it will run for 20 minutes and then will automatically shut down.

5) I had Lexus install it when I bought the car so I assume that it is their responsibility. I'm sure that I could have bought it for less, but I just felt safer having them put it in. It's actually a pretty simple system, especially with the push button starter. All it does is make the connection to activate the start button.

I really like the convenience of starting the car remotely. It will be even nicer when we get the crappy weather that we get in the northeast in the winter.

Paul

[nyuhsuk]

3) In order to start the car you push down the button on the controller twice. The parking lights and brake lights blink and after about 30 seconds the car starts. The factory Smart Key system is inoperative while the engine is running. You must press and hold the Remote Starter button for 4 seconds to unlock the front door. The engine will automatically shut down when you open the door.

Thanks for the info again. Just wanted to clarify on this answer you gave.

So after I start the car remotely, I have to hold a button on the remote starter FOB for 4 seconds just to unlock the door? So the car will not unlock automatically like it's supposed to when you bring the smart key near it and touch the door handle? Sounds like it sort of defeats a big advantage/convenience of the smart key system: not having to reach for your keys to unlock the door...

[NJPaul]

I quoted you from the manual, but when I went the car this morning the door was unlocked and the engine shut off when I opened the door. I was waiting for the alarm to go off but nothing happened. I wonder if anyone can get in, or whether it recognized the transponder in my pocket. I'll check it out. At any rate you still have to re start the car....no biggy.

[nyuhsuk]

I quoted you from the manual, but when I went the car this morning the door was unlocked and the engine shut off when I opened the door. I was waiting for the alarm to go off but nothing happened. I wonder if anyone can get in, or whether it recognized the transponder in my pocket. I'll check it out. At any rate you still have to re start the car....no biggy.

Ah... I have heard about the engine shutting off when you try getting in the car before from somewhere. That is somewhat of an annoying feature. I want to be able to get in the car and go. No pressing extra buttons, and definitely not having to restart the car again. I'll have to look into getting a professional Viper representative to take a look at installing the system and see if they can implement it that way.

Thanks~

[v8rwd]

Not sure if you still need an answer but I worked at a shop and have installed many remote start systems. We use to install Compustar Alarms which I like much better than Vipers. With a Compustar, you can lock and unlock the doors independently when the car is remote started. If you are driving and you park, you can remote start before you take the key out so that you can remove the key and exit the car and it will still be running. From there you can lock the doors from your remote as you walk away. I liked the two way systems because even if you can't see your car, you can still see what is going on, lock/unlock, start/turn off and recieve a confirmation so you don't have to look out the window to see if your car started or not. When you open the car door, after remote starting, the car will not turn off. If you step on the brake it will turn off but that can be bypassed. You still need to insert the key in the ignition and turn it to the on position to drive off. My experience with factory warranties: It did complicate things when a problem occured related to the alarm. The dealer may ask you to have the alarm removed temporarily to diagnose a serious problem but I have never heard of an alarm canceling a warranty. About jeopardizing the integrity and quality of your lexus: go to a shop that has done one on your model car before. I would only bring it to the best shop in you area period. Lexus has a very complex electrical system. I wouldn't pay less than 600.00

[nyuhsuk]

Not sure if you still need an answer but I worked at a shop and have installed many remote start systems. We use to install Compustar Alarms which I like much better than Vipers. With a Compustar, you can lock and unlock the doors independently when the car is remote started. If you are driving and you park, you can remote start before you take the key out so that you can remove the key and exit the car and it will still be running. From there you can lock the doors from your remote as you walk away. I liked the two way systems because even if you can't see your car, you can still see what is going on, lock/unlock, start/turn off and recieve a confirmation so you don't have to look out the window to see if your car started or not. When you open the car door, after remote starting, the car will not turn off. If you step on the brake it will turn off but that can be bypassed. You still need to insert the key in the ignition and turn it to the on position to drive off. My experience with factory warranties: It did complicate things when a problem occured related to the alarm. The dealer may ask you to have the alarm removed temporarily to diagnose a serious problem but I have never heard of an alarm canceling a warranty. About jeopardizing the integrity and quality of your lexus: go to a shop that has done one on your model car before. I would only bring it to the best shop in you area period. Lexus has a very complex electrical system. I wouldn't pay less than 600.00

The Lexus ES350 system comes with a Push-Start Ignition. Every dealer I've talked to has reminded me that reliable Push-Start compatible systems have not been released yet. Some say even Viper's products are not certified to work with Push-Start systems.

I have used a Viper System on a key ignition vehicle before and love the functionality. It would be nice if those companies will now modernize and accommodate the Push-Start systems...