OT Remote Car Starter Need Advice!

[Trader]

Hi,

I bought a remote car starter about a week ago. The car starts from the house but I can't get my car to start from the inside two different bowling alleys, the grocery store, inside a restaurant or from inside the building at work. I'm very close to the car in all instances. I bought an Avital from Best Buy. I understand that DEI makes Avital, Clifford, Viper and a few other brands. In all the literature it never states what the range of the remotes are. I'm wondering if anyone out there has a remote car starter and how it works from inside building like I described? Also, what brand do you own? Another gripe is that I lost my panic button, interior lights and audible beep when you leave the lights on and try to leave the car.. Thanks in advance.

[Jim Elbrecht]

When we bought our Impala a couple years ago I promised my wife we'd get a remote starter. Then I called three dealerships to see which one they recommended & what they would get to install it. All 3 had the same answer--- don't put a remote starter on that car! All were friendly enough & mentioned a brand if I insisted that I wanted one, but they wouldn't install it. They all said that it might work fine for a week, a month, or a year, but that they would eventually interfere with the anti-theft device already on the car & I'd have a no-start situation that would require a major fix.

I don't know anything about those remotes, but my point is, that it is probably important to know what make,model, year car you have.

-snip-

I could do without the panic button, and my car turns off its own lights-- but no interior lights would have me talking to the factory. [just a WAG, here, but since the lights should have nothing to do with your starting system, is there a possibility that you crossed a wire someplace & the power is bleeding off into those circuits?]

Jim

[Randd01]

Ok listen up!! There is nothing wrong with the remote starters . the problems arise from the goons doing the installations. They don't know what they are doing for the most part. The range should be about 800 ft. I have three of them and they all work thru walls, maybe you need a new battery. You lost you panic button because you opted for the remote starter and not security system. All remote starters render the OEM security feature useless unless you carry both the original remote and the car start remote. The only way around this is to disable the OEM security system and pay for the security system that goes with remote starter. If you push the door look on the remote starter control your are not setting the security on. To test this lock the doors with the original OEM door lock control. Then without starting the car open the door with the remote starter control. Your alarm should go off. YOu can get around this by always starting the car with the remote starter this makes the cars computer think the key is in the ignition and turns off the alarm then you can use the remote control to open the doors. They aren't perfect because they are not OEM they are aftermarket. The important thing to remember is to go to a reputable installer not a radio guy. I use Tweeter here in the Northeast. I have had probably 10 ubits installed for myself and for gifts and havent had any trouble. Good luck

[Trader]

Randd01:

With further research I'm discovering that I would need the remote start and alarm for the panic button and chirp to work. However, would I have less chance of having problems with a new alarm vs. keeping my factory alarm. Also, what brands do you like for remote starters?

Thanks

[John McGaw]

Every problem I've experience with auto alarms working well in some areas but not in others has turned out to be localized RF (radio frequency) interference. So far as I can tell the starter dongles use the same frequency band as do alarm dongles so your problem might be the same as I've experienced. Sad thing is that there is little if anything to be done about it short of hacking the transmitter circuitry to force it to emit a stronger signal and you can only go so far there because of the puny battery power available.

[Jim Thompson]

Move to Arizona ?:-)

...Jim Thompson

[Trader]

I don't garage my vehicles so it's not an issue. I just want and warm car on frigid days and a cool car on hot days.

[AJScott]

Sorry, but I don't think this falls under the purview of home repair even for those of us with Winnebagos. Perhaps posing the question to an automotive help group might be more useful in the near term, maybe?

AJS

[Jim Thompson]

[snip]

[snip]

I disassembled my remote (Infiniti Q45) and cut down the stubs on the back of the rubber diaphragm so that the buttons became depressed. (I was perpetually finding my trunk open :-(

...Jim Thompson

[Jim Elbrecht]

Jim Thompson wrote: [after Ron G wrote of his experience with remotes in pockets]

-snip-

Someone should really make a flip-cover for remotes. I have a garage door opener that is constantly going off and an 2001 Impala remote whose panic button went off frequently until I gave it a drop of super glue to shut it up forever.

Jim

[Ron G]

Hi---sounds like we think alike. :-)

I've seen you on the electronics design group, and hold your posts in high regard (credibility)

Best--- R>

[Trader]

I had the car looked at today and all the little problems I was having were fixed. They even installed a new antenna and repositioned it. Unfortunately, I can't get the car to start inside most stores. I tried CVS, the grocery store, a bowling alley and inside a school. My car was close in all instances. I'm thinking that the Avital starter doesn't have a good range. Does anyone else have this problem with remote starters. I would hate to have the unit pulled out and then get the Audiovox Presitge unit at another shop to discover that all the units don't work in most commercial buildings.