pretty general question. my girlfriend is thinking about getting me one for christmas. i really would like one because my job i work until 6AM and we cant run out to our cars before we get off so im stuck sitting in my car for 10 minutes after work letting it defrost.

so is it ok to install one of these or would it be unwise on a rotary? i havent done much research but it seems as though you can adjust the crank time on the unit itself but i dont know if you can do much more than that.

i did a google search and i searched the forums and i coudnt find anything that helped much. so any help would be great

 

Is it a manual or auto?

 

im sorry, i figured it was assumed that it was manual. just about every kit that i have looked at says that they are compatable with either an auto or manual car

 

It's not a terrible idea. Just remember that you can't leave the car in gear, then auto start it because it will try to drive through your garage.

 

It would be fine, just never leave it in gear. You are going to be in a world of trouble if its in gear. If you ever doubt yourself if its in gear or not, always check. Other than that, its fine. Im going to install one next week.

 

why are you sitting for 10 minutes?

 

yea I dont understand that too. whats the problem with start it then get inside?

 

He said he's sitting for 10 minutes waiting for it to defrost. Maybe he should just invest in a scraper.

One thing to watch out for with auto-starters is that it's usually illegal to leave an unattended car running. Usually not a problem with warming a car in your own driveway, but there are jurisdictions where the police like to trawl neighborhoods on cold winter mornings for some easy pickings.

Ken

 

i prefer to not drive my car when its only 8 degrees outside, so by the time the ice is melted i like to consider that a safe time to start driving. to leave my building you have to walk a good 50 yards to a security gate then another 50-60 yards to our cars so not very fn to start the car then have to walk all the way back again...

and my apartment has a private parking lot as well as my work which is in bumble f*** so im not to worried about the po-po.

i always leave my car in neutral anyways so im not worried about leaing it in gear while trying to crank, im just wondering is there any other issues i might be over looking pertaining to the car itself?

 

I installed a remote start on my diesel truck. It's an automatic though. I got a Clifford 50.7x The remote start had a tach input wire or voltage sensing learning setting. I used the tach input, once you program it, the remote start will learn the rpm value so I didn't have to adjust the cranking time manually. Voltage sensing just senses when the alternator starts charging, hence the car started. I don't think you even need an extra wire for that option, since the alarm already is connected to battery. I didn't use this option cause the diesel has a weird alternator delay built in, I'm not sure about the RX-8, but I don't think so.

On remote starts, I'm sure there is a way but I didn't do it, you have to remember to set your blower and heater to where you want it because the remote start only starts your car. It doesn't control your heater setting, fan speed, or blower position from the remote. You just set it the night before and then remote start it and let it warm up. I'm sure you can tap into the rear defrost relay to turn that on with an aux. out if you want it to do that though.

 

yeah i ended up getting the viper smart start on my rx8. anywhere i have a phone signal i can start car, lock, unlock, and even turn the alarm on from my iphone...

technology...fck yes

 

haha ^^^ i have seen that before on youtube! it looks so cool, i wonder if they make it for the new HTC evo? and both my parents have always had auto start so i know you have to already have your setting preset. well it looks like it shouldnt be to big of a problem to get installed. minus now i think my girlfriends has moved on to other gifts instead!! looks like this one is on me

 

They make it for androids too so yeah.

http://www.viper.com/SmartStart/Android/

 

I have the viper 5901 (last years model 2way remote start / alarm). It has a clutch bypass for manual. I know a lot of installers don't want to install them on our cars because of where our ignition kit is located. A lot get lazy and install a "virtual tach reader", not a terrible solution but if you ever discovery your battery it will reset the memory and you will need to get it re-programed. I have the BHR kit so I was lucky and I got a normal bypass kit and it reads my voltage from my ground wire that was easy to get to. I love my remote start, havnt had any issues yet. The only thing I'd be weary of is making sure you don't push the remote start button twice, the first one turns it on and the second time will turn your car off. Common sense, second one turning your car off cold........ Not the best idea haha

 

just don't leave in gear......or a scraper works too....

 

Everyone keeps saying things like "don't leave it in gear or you will be in trouble" I'm surprised that no one mentioned this but pretty much any auto start system for a manual car will check that the car is in neutral and will not start otherwise. Of course it needs to be installed correctly but as long as it is done right you should not have to worry about any potential lawsuits

 

I thought the 2006 models has that as an option?

 

I have a friend who owns a shop that sells stereos, tint, details, and alarms and r-starts and I have helped him in the past. All I can tell you is that I will never ever have one on any of my cars.

I have seen more headaches w/ those stupid things than they are worth. When the battery goes dead in the remote it has to be reprogrammed. When the battery in the car is changed the remote has to be reprogrammed. Some of the newer cars security features will fight w/ the r-start and cause more problems, you got it reprogram it again.

Clifford, python, viper are all the same company made by DEI. Good luck in your efforts but in my experience they are more trouble than they are worth.

 

don't you need to leave a programmed key in the car too?

 

interesting.... im not doubting your word at all, im just going off of my parents cars and i have yet to see or hear of them having a problem. although im sure some do have problems, they do seem like a rather technical system to work with.

to the people who would know, is this something that i could install on my own? im not scared about ripping apart the dash and what not as i have been doing stereo work and wiring for years now, and i am pretty savvy with my hands. or should i save the hassle and just pay for the install? how much did the install run you guys?

 

i have an auto start from python, they put in a clutch over ride, to allow for manual models like mine. For mine, i have to hit a button before i get out the car, this tells the car its set and in "neutral" then i take the key out, and it stays running. If the Brakes not up, the alarm on the keypad with geve me an error beep, remind me, and i set it. Once outside the car, i hit the lock button, this shuts off the car and sets the alarm, the keypad plays a little tone to say im working. If i go back in the car, as in unlock it and enter, the close the door, the auto start will not work, if i unlock the car, then lock it without ever going in it, the auto start wont work. The alarm is very sensitive, and a little annoying actually, but overall a great system. a little pricey, like 700bucks, But well worth it. The only real extra step is hitting a button before exiting the car, then you lock it like normal with the keypad, so its really not confusing. Never had a problem, no special key needed in the car, but when they install it, they have to buy another key, it takes two to program the thing, and no probs. and considering the clutch override, and the fact the system actually changes temp and has a timer, to start everyday at a certain time like 5:30 like mine, i really would not recommend trying the install on your own, with install it ran 700, and a 3year warranty. NO REGRETS, regardless others complaints.