Comments on: Cold Remedy: Valiant’s Remote Car Starter

By: Keno

Keno — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:19:31 +0000

If you live anywhere there are cold extremes you should probably have an engine heater any ways. I have both an engine heater and remote start. I think i would rather have my truck warm up a bit before i start putting a larger load on the engine and trans by driving it when cold. Plus and engine heater does no good for most people at work where there is no plug in available…

By: Chet

Chet — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:48:37 +0000

A remote car starter was one of my best purchases of all time. I agree with the argument about engine wear but that’s minor compared to the verbal beatings I would take from my wife when she had to start the car in sub-freezing temperatures.

You think below 32 is frigid, you haven’t seen my wife pissed off. Forget about the car…it can’t complain about engine wear and I was the best husband on the block after installing a remote starter (for like a whole seven days).

By: berettaguy

berettaguy — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:51:40 +0000

Is there a remote start that works with a carb’d car? In the winter my Jeep needs quite a bit of pedal juggling before it wants to idle correctly. Any suggestions?

By: pencilneck

pencilneck — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:33:25 +0000

IMHO, these things are bad news. On top of the fact that most for the last 5+ years have had some sort of Immobilizer system in then (VW for example since 2000 in the US market). So in order for the car to run you have to add something that bypasses the Immobilizer (piggy back) and this can then cause another problem… an Immobilizer that gets confused and won’t allow your car to start one day. I’ve seen this first hand.

For my 2 diesels, I’ve installed “TDI Heaters” which are made by Webasto. They heat the coolant. Our windshields don’t frost over and there is heat out of the dash as soon as we start our cars. If you own a TDI and live in an area with cold weather, you should really get one of the TDI heaters.

By: Toolaremia

Toolaremia — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:52:03 +0000

@Art Andr: OK, the Webasto and Eberspacher things are cool, but they are hugely expensive at $1800+, and only work on diesel vehicles with enough room to install them. Scratch 90% of American vehicles. (Had an Eberspacher in a sailboat once. Cozy.)

Most people get rid of their vehicles within 5-7 years, and warranties cover catalytic converters, which means any possible premature wear caused by use of a remote starter will have no effect on the first owner. So they won’t give a crap.

Me, I’m usually the third or fourth owner, so it matters to me, but I’ve never looked at a car that had one of these installed.

By: KMR

KMR — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:46:39 +0000

Another option would be to install aftermarket heated seat kits. It will cost about $100 per seat, and you’ll have to do the install yourself (any true Toolmonger should find it very easy - getting both seats done in an afternoon). The good kits will warm both the bottom and back elements up to ~140 degrees in about a minute. Kits use about 10A per seat, so make sure your alternator has enough output at idle to cover both seat kits, headlights (highbeams too), your radio, gps and anything else you need to run. Most modern vehicles today have alternators with close to over 100A rated outputs, and while that isn’t at idle speeds, that size alternator will work just fine for most people wanting to install heated seats with their other electronic gizmos.

By: KMR

KMR — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:38:47 +0000

I agree with Art… remote starters in cold climates will accelerate engine wear. I also agree that a coolant or oil pan heater is a better option, not only will it help reduce startup wear (especially when cold) but as they are heating the fluids of the motor, your motor will warm up more quickly once started.

By: Art Andr

Art Andr — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:25:14 +0000

Usually it is not a good idea to start a freezing car and let it go idle until its interior is warm. The engine will not get sufficient lubrication as the oil’s temperature is far from being optimal. The catalistic converter degrades as well as it also will not reach optimal temperature as fast as possible. Here in Europe it is forbidden to let the engine idle in a lot of cities because of the polution this would generate. A heater (fx from webasto or Eberspächer or an electric one) does a much better job doing that.

By: Don

Don — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:11:56 +0000

I don’t know about standard trans but I LOVE my remote start. I have one in my truck and my wifes van. Two remote starters were way cheaper than a garage, and a house to go with it.

By: Patrick Austin

Patrick Austin — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:42:55 +0000

Where’s the plunger to depress my clutch? I park it in gear because ANYONE who has owned a european car in a northern climate knows you don’t use the stupid emergency brake in the winter. If it hasn’t stuck on you yet, it will.

By: Stephen Cooke

Stephen Cooke — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:17:41 +0000

Need one of those this morning as it was 7-degree when I left for work.