I'm thinking about adding a remote car starter to my Nissan Altima (2000). Gain Electronics quoted me about $350.00. That includes a new remote that controls the existing remote locks. Mine includes a chip that prevents the car from starting without the proper key.

Anyway, any good or bad experiences with this setup? I've heard of cars mysteriously starting on their own. I'd rather pay more and have it done well.

-Mike

Seems expensive. I am assuming an automatic model. Having the new dongle control the locks and truck is nothing special. Even the $79 CT versions can do that.

Shop around. The prices vary a lot. PS: Don't go for the fancy remotes. This is your car you are starting not programming a universal learning remote. :D

Yes, it's an automatic. I guess I'll shop around a bit.

-Mike

Have you also factored in the cost of wasted gas and un-necessary wear and tear on your engine?

Well, right now I go out each morning and start the car up before driving to work (in the winter that is). I also have a long walk from where I work to where I park, so it would be nice to have the card ready to go before I get to it. I guess I would burn a bit more gas but not much.

-Mike

Idling a car for more than about 30 seconds to warm it is not recommended, for the engine, for the fuel use, or for the pollution.

If the car's parked outside in the winter, start the car and clear off any frost/snow, then get in and drive away. If the car's clear, consider yourself lucky, start the car, fasten your seatbelt and drive away without revving the engine too high. If the car's inside, no need for a remote starter either.

Mike, where are you located?

Just my $350.

Actually as far as pollution goes, that's mostly handled by the cat, which does nothing until it's heated up.

Get the starter, but don't abuse it. 1-2 minutes is all it needs to get everything going at even the coldest temps. Remember that altough the engine warms up, the tranny does not...

Like Hugh said, if she's garaged, do not bother, get in and go.

They also sell remote starters with an lcd. Tells you if the car actually started or not.

Actually as far as pollution goes, that's mostly handled by the cat, which does nothing until it's heated up.Although that's true for some pollutants, it's not at all true for CO2 emissions, which are related strictly to the amount of fuel used.

The cat also heats up a lot faster when the car is being driven, than when it's idling. (sorry for the short "sidetrack").

one of the important considerations on how long to idle a car is where you live.

I am in northern manitoba and if in a normal winter I started the truck cleaned off the snow then drove off I would be cleaning the frost off the inside about 10 times before I got to the highway.

Instead of saving gas I think the first consideration is safety. If the windows stay clear and you are not huddled over the steering wheel too cold to move thats much better than saving a little pollution.

If you live in the deep south like toronto then you can listen to this 30 seconds and drive off advice.


If you have no line of sight on the car you can get remotes with two way communication so you know its started.

Lastly unless you live in a cold climate with all the security systems on cars now they can cause problems. I have a new truck and the remote start/truck security system got confused and it had to be towed. This is very rare if installed by experienced people but they are not necessarily do it yourself.

I live in Grimsby (Niagara). I don't park in a garage at home or at work. Most mornings my windows are iced up enough that I can either sit in the car and wait for the defrosters to do their thing or sit inside and wait. I also think that on a cold morning, my car is much happier if I drive it away warm than cold. Anyway, I don't want to sound like a boob, to me it's more about the convenience. The remote locks are my favourite feature!

My concerns were more related to failures of the remote starter itself. Could a failure mean that I can't start my car? Would the key always overide that system? In the case of a fault, who would I take it to, the original installer or the dealer? I checked with the Nissan Dealer but unfortunately they don't install them. I would prefer to have them install it even if it meant paying more.

Thanks for your thoughts so far.

-Mike

My concerns were more related to failures of the remote starter itself. Could a failure mean that I can't start my car? Would the key always overide that system? In the case of a fault, who would I take it to, the original installer or the dealer?

Yes, if the system fails, you can start your car with the key.

If it breaks down, you take it to the shop that installed it.

Go to one of those places that sells and installs car stereo equiptment and let them install it for you. I don't think you need to worry too much about it failing on you if you get a decent one professionally installed. Spending $300 and getting it professionally installed seems reasonable to me.

I've had one on my Saturn for 6 years and I've never even had to change the battery on the remote. I got that one professionally installed at a car audio shop, a model they recommended.

The US National Center for Atmospheric Research states that the North's permafrost will be nearly all melted by 2100. The gradual process will release methane and Carbone dioxide which are 22% more damaging to the atmosphere than fossil fuels.

Read the story at:

http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2005/permafrost.shtml

and tell me if we can now make a difference whether we use remote car starters or not. My understanding is that it takes 50 years for any change in our behavior to have an impact.

People rarely think about the "small" impact that they have. They typically think that their small contribution will do nothing. Problem is, it's this "my contribution is unimportant" thinking that has brought us to this situation.

You read this argument in the papers every day - Canada's contribution to...ABC... is only xx%, what does it matter, etc etc. My contribution is only 1/30,000,000th of that, how could it be important...

It gets important when everyone does it and "everyone" drives larger vehicles, builds larger houses, runs A/C units at peak times, buys every new gadget that comes along whether they actually need it or not, etc etc.

Granted, a single person buying a remote starter is not going to change the world, but it's the attitude that does change the world.

This is not simply a question of rising temperature, or GHG, this is about consumption. If all 6 Billion people on the world "consumed" like North Americans, we'd run out of the world's resources so fast your head would spin.

We need "sustainable development" and even most company CEOs know this and realize that our current development is NOT sustainable.

Please scrooloose, we are not picking on you, it's the subject of the thread that's under discussion.

A block heater with a timer. That's what I've been using for the past 3 years and am completely happy with it. :)

Yip and I think they say 2-3 hours is all that is needed to bring the coolant temp up. That is all my 4L V6 seems to need.

Yip and I think they say 2-3 hours is all that is needed to bring the coolant temp up. That is all my 4L V6 seems to need.

would 2-3 minutes be more like it?

Raising the temperature of the coolant would require more time as they don't even have the power of a typical electric kettle. My approximate math figured out I would need at a minimum 0.5kwh to raise 8L of coolant 50°C.

would 2-3 minutes be more like it?

When it's -20C outside, I doubt it... I bought a cheap $10 timer for power outlets at Canadian Tire and use it to turn on the block heater on my car in the morning 2 hours before I go to work. I'm not using lately 'cause it's warm outside, but I will when it starts to dip below freezing. Makes a huge difference.

Just make sure to not forget to unplug your car before pulling out of the driveway. :(

Michel was probably thinking about the remote starter, rather then the block heater when he was questioning the 2-3 hours figure.

One trick to remember to unplug is to loop the extension over the driver's mirror. That way you won't forget. I drove off several times when I lived in Calgary, bending the prongs on the plug, then started the "loop over the mirror"...

I find no need for a block heater in Toronto, even though I wired a switch to inside the house (in Calgary and again in Toronto). Rather then using a timer, I used to flick the switch when I (or my wife) get up in the morning. I found the 30 minutes to 1 hour to be "adequate".