Remote Car Starter

[madmax26]

Hi

Was wondering if anyone has had a remote car starter installed in their car?

If so what year and model 93 or 95? Has it caused any problem? Would you recommend it?

Mark

[sgould]

Could be difficult on a manual.  The car locks in reverse.

But it's not really necessary these days as modern oils can handle cold weather without increasing friction so much.

If you just want to get things warm before you drive off, why not fit an engine heater?

[madmax26]

It would be nice, when you don't have a garage or you're at work, to be able to warm up the car before leaving. Have the drivers seat heater and defrost come on!

Both my cars are automatics, so that's not an issue.

My main concern is any possible trouble with the electrical / wiring connection.

[Merve84]

Not sure how you would do this without bypassing the immobiliser unit (CIM on a 9-3 and TWICE on a 9-5) as the key needs to be in the ignition for the car to start. Maybe you can get a kit that has a 'magic box, that will plug in and bypass it?
In my opinion that would not be wise as it would leave your car vulnerable.

[Petemate]

This sounds a great idea from the angle of having a nice warm car to drive off in, but there has been a school of thought over the years that it is not a good idea to warm up an engine other than by driving off. Granted, one also has to avoid high revs when the engine is cold; easy for me to comment as both my commute journeys are made in such a way that the engine has the opportunity to warm up before I launch into .85 leptons on the motorways.
Interesting topic though.

[Max Headroom]

Unless you have a radiator blind, driving off in very cold weather is not a great idea as you are now exposing the radiator to wind-chill, and your engine will not necessarily warm up any quicker.

I have always allowed the engine a certain amount 'warming' with the recirc' fan on to de-mist/frost the windows. As soon as they are cleared then I'll go, moving off gently because you need to remember that although the engine may be warming up you are still moving off with a cold transmission and other components that also need to be warmed from actual useage.

I'm well aware that a cold engine emits a far higher percentage of unburned hydrocarbons than a warm engine but that is not the issue for me. If I was that concerned I would get some sort of engine block heating device.
I have thought that for defrosting purposes, a heater such as a ceramic fan type left in the car with the electric lead trailing to the house might be a good way of defrosting the cabin and allow for the heat developed by the engine to not be used up so quickly clearing the windows etc. Switch it on and by the time I'm ready to go out to the car the windows are all clear 

[Petemate]

Some good points you made there Trenchfoot. I am obviously lucky, as during last winter (I bought the car in Apr last year) I was OK driving through our village before getting up round the Oxford ring road; by the time I am on the A40 (heading for LHR) the car is well warmed up. The heater works well even soon after exiting the village. Same thing coming home, the few miles before the M25 and everything is working well. I have thought previously about getting an engine heater - that was when my previous car, a Rover 45 TDi, took ages to warm up, even after I had installed a winter 'stat.

[Audax]

Saab tell you to just start it and drive it immediately, I go with what they say. It's worth pointing out that some of the Saab accessories were what seemed to be fan heaters with a time switch to put in the cabin in winter along with all the other heating options (electric and fuel operated)

[Petemate]

Saab tell you to just start it and drive it immediately, I go with what they say. It's worth pointing out that some of the Saab accessories were what seemed to be fan heaters with a time switch to put in the cabin in winter along with all the other heating options (electric and fuel operated)

Yeah - I did read about all that somewhere early last year before buying the car; knowing my luck I would wake up to the sound of fire engine bells, having left valuables in the car for good measure 

[Max Headroom]

LOL - that's the main reason I have only ever thought about doing it - though the intention was to switch it on, have breakfast and by the time Im off to work the car is warm and defrosted. I then just have to warm the engine up a bit and go

[phoenix]

On cold mornings I start the car then do a window scrape. That allows just enough heat to get into the system to give useful clearing of the windscreen.

[Max Headroom]

That's my routine as well. Though I'm somewhat paranoid about ending up with the car keys in the ignition with the car running and the doors locking  - as happened to a colleague of mine with her Nissan

[Guyver1]

That's my routine as well. Though I'm somewhat paranoid about ending up with the car keys in the ignition with the car running and the doors locking  - as happened to a colleague of mine with her Nissan

My old man had the same issue, Nissan Almera, engine running, scraping the windows and the doors locked themselves for no reason, never had or happen to me with my Nissans but to bs 100% sure, I always have one window open when I de ice the car

[sgould]

The door locking time can be set by Tech@ at a dealer.  My local dealer says that he turns off the "lock after ..... secs" unless the customer specifically wants it left on.  They have had too many people complaining of being locked out.

It used to be set at 20 secs or 30 secs at the factory!!  Is it still?

[Petemate]

The door locking time can be set by Tech@ at a dealer.  My local dealer says that he turns off the "lock after ..... secs" unless the customer specifically wants it left on.  They have had too many people complaining of being locked out.

It used to be set at 20 secs or 30 secs at the factory!!  Is it still?

I think mine must have been turned off, as accidentally one night my OH forgot to lock the car and I got up the next morning to find the car (happily) still present outside the house but unlocked.