I am most definitely going to purchase a remote starter for my '04 F-150. But I have a couple questions. I'm very ignorant to the remote starter information.

I would like a Viper, but I do not know which model I should get. I don't want extra cr@p I don't need and since I already have auto door locks and an alarm, which do you recommend?

Is Viper a good option? I don't want to pay a *****load of money. I think that Viper, Python and Clifford are all the same ? Can anyone confirm that?

Does anyone know FOR SURE if you void any part of your warranty by getting an aftermarket starter installed? I've heard a bunch of people say, "I think." But nothing definite.

Does anyone think the Ford starter is a better option than a Viper? And if so, which one should I get, keeping in mind the features I already have (alarm, auto door locks)? There are a couple different ones on the Accessories site.

 

So nobody here has a remote starter? How odd.

 

i can't tell you about viper...but i have gotten installed valet 563t which i believe is the same company as viper & clifford.

mine is both a remote start and an alarm. mine is pretty much the bare minimum. remote start, lock, unlock--sets and unsets alarm, a feature to leave the truck running but take the keys out and go into the store. there's another model that has a two-way system but i just think that's a lot of extra. i suppose the only good thing about the two-way system is that it tells you if the truck is started.

all i have to say about the voiding warranty is that it best not or i'm going back to ford ranting. since i purchased mine through the dealer.

are you saying that you have a factory alarm or did you get an alarm installed aftermarket? i'm curious because if you are talking about the PATS system, i don't believe it's so much an alarm as a deterant from stealing the vehicle without a key.

feel free to correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm just giving my two cents.

 

i 've got one. can't think of the name right now but the wife got it at circuit city as a b-day present. just the basic remote start w/ keyless entry.

the one thing i don't like about mine is that i lost my spare key. it is under the dash in a little black box. they needed the key to trick the truck into thinking the key is in the ignition.

i have come to find out that there are other systems on the market that don't require using your spare key.

i can't imagine that a remote starter would void your warranty. what's to void? if you are concerned then go with the ford starter and if something goes wrong then they are responsible.

 

I have a Code Alarm. Installed at the dealer. And warrantied at the dealer also. I had one bypass fail. Took it to the dealer, 15 minute fix. They charged me $300 for the complete install. I went to Best Buy and he told me I was going to need a key to put in the dash, said see ya!

 

I'm just talking about the alarm that came standard on the truck from the factory.

I don't like that key idea either. I heard about it, but then it's another, what $60 to get a spare made? So that tacks on more to the price. I don't like the idea of just having one usable key.

 

There is no alarm in your truck from the factory....

I have the Viper 560XV alarm/starter... it works well.
The bypass module the installer used does not require the spare key.

I asked about it voiding any warranties and they said the dealer would have to prove it was the remote starter that caused the problem. A qualified installer should have no issues with warranty problems.

I really wish I bought the next model up (Viper) with the paging remote. It is definitely worth the extra money.
My truck was broken into with 700mi on it, and the alarm installed for 1 week.
I asked the store, where I bought the alarm, if I could trade up to the paging model...they said tough crap, they wouldn't take it back.

The kids went through the passenger window. I was 200 yards away, from the truck, on the other side of a building. Had I of had the paging alarm I would have made it back to the truck with in seconds and done some justice of my own

The paging remote also monitors the remotely started vehicle and some other useful functions.
Definitely think about the paging style...I really wish I did.

 

I feel it's better to have the system insalled by the dealer because they will do a proper install that won't require butchering your spare key to bypass the securilock. Having it installed someplace else should'nt affect warranty, but it can create headaches should there be a problem with the system. You will end up going back and forth between the dealer and whoever installed your remote start. The dealer will say it's the remote start and the install shop will say it's the securilock or whatever. If it's done at the dealer it's guaranteed warranty approved and if there's a problem it falls squarely on the dealer. It will take the dealer about 8 hours or so to install so you would have to clear a full day to have it done, and they have two or three choices in systems. Hope this helps.

 

8 hours at dealer labor cost!!! OUCH!

 

Call you dealer to see if they send out the work. My dealer has an installer that comes in and installs alarms and remote starters for them. They use the service as an add-on item at the time of the sale. Normally after the sale, they will just send you to them.

Have your salesperson find out for you, not the service manager.

 

I got the Viper 790 and love this alarm. Remote start works great and the 2 way transmitter has a display that lets me know the truck is running (remote), if a door is open, if the alarm goes off, etc.
Highly recommend.

 

There's no cost for labour, it's a flat rate. I think they start at about $300 installed at the dealer.

 

I went to another place tonight and they were pushing the Valet 562T on me for just under $400. It's nice, but I really want a remote with the LCD screen where I can view the vehicle status without physically seeing the truck.

So then they offered the Valet 554R for about $700. It is also very nice.

My problem is I don't know if I'm getting ripped off or not. $700 seems like a lot, but I've never purchased one before, so I don't know if these are the going prices.

I can't seem to find just a remote starter with the LCD screen. It looks like you have to get a security system with it to get that. Or maybe I'm just making too much of it. I've never had a vehicle stolen, but I've never given it a reason to get stolen. I think if I have it running in a parking lot somewhere it would be more tempting.

klassic said that there is no alarm on the truck now. So why does it honk if I open the doors from the inside with the windows down and doors locked? That is not an alarm?

Also, each place I've been to says that you do have to use a bypass module w/ spare key, for the '04 F-150.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Does you truck have the accessory alarm installed after at the dealer?

I just checked my FX4 doing what you said, and I have no alarm.... and I knew all along I had no alarm. Just a flashing red light
My wife's Explorer with the accessory alarm from the dealer does what you say though.

Your prices sound high to me... I paid $800 Canadian for my Viper installed.


Look for the Viper 790 like rubrnek has, that's the one I should have bought.

 

F-150's don't come with an alarm.


For $25 more than a remote starter, get the keyless entry so you don't have to carry two keyfobs everywhere. Your ignition cylinder will thank you in 5 years.

There are two options to bypass PATS. One that uses a spare key and one that doesn't. I recommend the latter. If your installer doesn't know of that type, find a different one. I believe most are using the Directed 555U.

I had a Valet on my 99 F-150. Same PATS system as 2004's. Worked perfectly for 69k miles and still works as I sold that truck to my father in law. I had no issues with it and it didn't void the OEM warranty or Premium Care ESP, that even repalced my instrument cluster.

I have an Ultrastart 2-way remote start/keyless entry on my 2003 F-150 that I also like.

Paid $225 for the Valet (Directed) basic keyless entry/remote start and $350 for the Ultrastart.

For lots of information on security and remote starters, check out www.the12volt.com install bay.