I'm thinking about this as a future mod however; I know VERY little about them.

So, with that being said, who has one? What brand? What are the things to look for on a remote start system? Are they tough to install? Any other insight/things that I should know?

I'm in the preliminary stages at this point but, I'm really thinking I want one...

Thanks for all the help in advance. I sincerely appreciate it!

RP

 

my father in law has a screw w/remote start, had the dealer install the factory unit, no problems what so ever, it is nice, he starts from his office, and in 5 minutes, you have cold air in the summer, and in about 15 minutes, you have warm air in the winter....

 

I just had one installed in my screw about 2 weeks ago. Its is a Marksman M11 by magnadyne. Combo alarm and starter. This thing has alot of features for the price. I had it installed by a local dealer so I could get a lifetime warranty. So far Im really happy with it. Truck is always nice and cool in this 100 degree weather. This has the LCD pager thats lets you know when the truck starts and how cool the interior is. Must buy optional temp sensor though. Also pages you when alarm goes off. Very good range. I beleive this same alarm is also made by autopage and commando alarms.

 

so does the door keypad still work?

 

I dont have a door keypad

 

I have had three Avital remote starter/keyless entry installed on my last truck, current truck and my wifes Camry, I have no complaints about them. Best Buy installed all three and they work fine up to 1/4 mile in good conditions. These seem to be the cheaper remote starters compared to other makes on the market but like I said no grips here about any of them. You will need to pay about $55.00 extra for a bypass module for the PATS chip inside the key and you will have to give up one of your keys to the truck., the key actually goes inside this componet to trigger the PATS system while remote starting the vehicle, my advice get a third key made and programmed before going to have the starter installed, you can find Ford key blanks on ebay for about $9.00 then go have them cut for about $2.00 more.
Search under "PATS Key" in Ebay

 

I have a Viper 550 ESP. I use it all the time. It is an alarm/remote start combo. It doesnt have a fancy lcd or pager, but it serves its purpose It was $400 installed. I would not suggest installing one of these yourself. It is a real supreme pain in the behind. My dad got a new E-250 and he and his buddy, both with some pretty good mechanical and electrical knowledge could not get it to work correctly, and he ended up going to our local alarm guy and having it installed. Usually, the keypad will not work with the alarm, mine doesnt, and i've heard that many others dont. The keypad will unlock the doors if you put the code in, but when you open the door the alarm will go off. So it still is functional and will be a lifesaver when you accidentally lock the keys in the car I'd say the best thing about my alarm is the passive mode. When the alarm is in passive mode (set to be on all the time) it arms itself after 30 seconds if you don't push the arm button. I think that all alarms have this feature but i'm not sure. I LOVE IT THOUGH. Sorry i was talking about the alarm and not the remote starter, but i thought i should. Now to the remote starter...you have to remember to turn on the a/c or heater before you leave your truck at night, in other words, never turn it off, or make sure you put it on high & max a/c before you get out of the truck, whether it be hot or cold. The one thing that i wish would work with it is the seat heater. Since the seat heater turns off when the truck goes off and doesnt turn on when you have pushed it, it wont work. There might be a way to mod the switch, and if there is, let me know! Sorry for the long post, but i was bored.


Joe

 

 

I had mine installed at the dealer before I picked it up, Around $280 and covered under the warranty. I made sure to get that in writing! I have a good amount of range with mine. They mounted the receiver at the top of my windshield.

 

Welfare wagon There is a PATS bypass module that doent use a key. Its programable like if you had to get a new key programmed for your truck. This way if someone did steal your truck your insurance will not deny a claim considering you put a key right under your dash. Closer to 32$ at commando alarms.

 

Looks like everything has been covered, but I'll just add my two cents. I have an Avital Avistart remote start/alarm (made by DEI who makes Viper, Clifford, etc., etc.) As brentswanton said there's no need for another key with DEI's PATS bypass module. Works great. I had it installed a week after I got the truck, and now I find it confusing to drive the GF's car, because it doesn't have the same features. The remote start is nice, and you can set it to run for any amount of time up to one hour, and/or start say every three hours (for nights when it's really cold up north). You can also hit a few buttons, and leave the truck running while you take your keys with you, leaving A/C or heater running, but alarm armed... and opening the hood, pressing the break or hitting the buttons on the fob will shut the engine off (unless you put the key in of course)...

I've got the window module: let's me roll down my windows from the key fob (2" at a time or all the way down), rolls the windows up when it arms, and gives me auto up/down for both windows. I have the alarm set to passive, so something like 60 seconds after the dome light goes off it locks the doors, rolls up the windows, and arms the alarm...

I've also got a proximity sensor. I have it set for just the area inside the truck. In case I should roll the windows down it will go off if someone sticks their arm in the window, a cat jumps in, etc...

Another cool thing is I've added the autolamps, so when I remote start it, the headlights come on if it's dark. Which is handy when I need light, but can't/don't want to walk over to my truck.

There's so many different options (with this) and choices of alarms. I'm more than happy with what I have, as I'm sure others are with theirs...

If you want to know anything more about DEI checko out www.directed.com

 

I had a Valet (made by www.directed.com]DEI remote start/keyless entry on my '99 truck. Paid $225 installed. Very good range, simple to use and rather suptl.e Just used the parking lights for verification. No annoying beeps or horns to wake up the neighbors in the morning.

For the new truck, I am considering 2-way model. The DEI Responder has received great reviews. I am really only interested in a remote start/keyless entry again, no alarm. The Autostart AS-2500TW looks nice and should be a little cheaper.

 

Yeah, I did Mike. And with the 'ton of info' already there, it was difficult to desypher everything out to plain english. Especially because I'm, somewhat, electrically challenged.

 

Thanks for all the great input guys. I really appreciate it. I guess another question I should be asking is about how much I should expect to pay for some of these?

Thanks, as usual, guys. I really appreciate it.

RP

 

Expect $400-550 for most of the two way systems installed.

Again, I highly recommend not installing it yourself. Too bad becuase I have seen them for $150 for parts only.