One of the best additions that you can do to your vehicle is a remote starter. However, purchasing a remote car starter isn’t as straight forward as most people would assume. There are some common mistakes that people make when in the market for a remote car starter.
Tips on Remote Car Starter Shopping
- Buying a Remote Car Starter With Too Small a Range: Range is unimportant for most people because not many need to start their vehicles from more than 1,000 feet away. But almost everyone wants to start their vehicle from inside a building. This is where transmitter power becomes an important factor. Don’t shortchange yourself with transmitter range. You are going to use your starter in more places than your home or workplace. Stadiums, malls, hospitals, parking garages, and many other public places will most likely require a much longer range. If in doubt, pay a little more to get a more powerful unit. The last thing you would want is a remote car starter that can’t be activated from the comfort of the indoors.
Not Getting the Remote Car Starter Professionally Installed: Professional installation is the key to a quality remote car starter performance. Do not determine the installer by choosing the lowest price. Remote starters involve complicated installs in today’s vehicles, so it is important that the installation be done properly. One mistake can cost thousands of dollars in damage if it;s not covered under your vehicle’s warranty. A properly installed remote car starter will not void your vehicle’s warranty. Unless someone has real-world training and experience as a professional installer, do not trust them for the job.- Purchasing a Bad-quality Remote Car Starter: You can buy a remote car starter at the local auto parts store for around $80. It comes with an instructional DVD that claims that you can install it yourself. In reality, you probably can’t! These remote starters are usually of lower quality than the units that you would buy at a specialty retailer. In most cases, a quality manufacturer of remote car starters will require professional installation. The odds of failure decrease exponentially when a professional does the work. Unfortunately most people do not know a high-quality brand from a low-quality brand when it comes to remote car starters. You can do some research and ask a specialty shop about top quality brands.
- Remote Car Starter Without the Proper Feature Set: Remote car starters offer a lot of convenience options. Be sure to ask the right questions when buying your starter. Some models are simply what they sound like (a remote car starter, and nothing more). They start and stop the vehicle from a distance. Others have multiple functions, ranging from keyless entry and trunk release to heated seats and rear window defrost. Certain features have to be specifically added to almost all installs. Another common mistake is not adding keyless entry on newer vehicles. On most newer vehicles, the factory keyless entry does not function when the vehicle is running. This means that the factory keyless will not unlock the doors when you’ve remote started your vehicle and walked up to it.
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Buying a Remote Car Starter at One Place and Getting It Installed at Another: Never buy a remote car starter at one shop and have it installed somewhere else. That is the biggest mistake you can make. You always want to have your starter installed at the very same place where you bought it. Most quality shops will not install a remote starter that was purchased elsewhere. You will be left with the second and third-tier shops that might agree to do this.
About Viper SmartStart – High End Remote Starters
As stated above, you can now start your car from an app on your Apple or Android smartphone! Viper SmartStart gives you unlimited range and allows you to lock, unlock, open your trunk, remote start your car, and use the panic feature all from a simple to use app. Also available is an upgraded version of Viper SmartStart that offers GPS tracking. With all of these awesome perks, Viper is one of the leading remote starter brands.
About Compustar Remote Starters
How They Work:
Compustar remote starters are fairly complex products that require professional installation. In simple terms, a standard Compustar remote start system includes two main components:
- A controller, or module that is installed inside of your vehicle.
- A remote that you attach to your keychain and use to start your car.
These two items work together to start your car so that your car’s heating or A/C system can kick in before you start driving.
Safe for Your Vehicle:
Compustar remote starters are compatible with over 90% of vehicles on the road, including manual-transmissions, diesels, select hybrids, and luxury makes. On top of that, installing Compustar remote start systems will not affect your vehicle’s manufacturers warranty.
Not only are they safe for your car, but Compustar remote starters also have built-in safety features that prevent 100% of car theft. When you remote start your car, your engine is on, but the car cannot be driven unless you have the key physically inside of the vehicle. Otherwise, the moment someone touches the brakes, the vehicle will shut down.
Self Installation:
If either you or your friend are MECP-certified, professionally-trained 12-volt electricians, then you can absolutely install it yourself! Otherwise, leave it to the pros. Compustar has many retailers nation-wide.
Looking for Quality Remote Starters & Installation Services
AutoWorks is an authorized remote car starter dealer and certified installation facility that has been in business for over 20 years! Contact us today to get one for yourself or someone you love and give the gift that is sure to keep you warm this winter and for many years to come!
For more on our great auto products and services, call us today at 732-671-0225 or visit our website.
Buying a remote starter without a keyless entry feature. A common mistake is not buying a remote starter with a keyless entry feature. This means that with this kind of remote starter you would have to use the old fashioned key to unlock your car. The solution to this is to choose a remote starter that has a keyless entry feature that automatically unlocks the doors when you approach your car.
Comfort – The biggest benefit of a remote start set up in your vehicle is the comfort of having a car that is warm or cool before you get in. Leaving the heater or air conditioning switch “On”, you can activate the remote start inside and then wait several minutes as the climate control runs. Because the car is operating without the keys in the ignition or the driver present, most remote start systems also include controls for locking the doors to secure the car remotely.
Keyless Entry