My wife wants one in her car and I think it would make a good Christmas gift. But I've never installed or used one. What's a decent kit? She has an '02 Ford Taurus ses. Anything important to know about them?

12/2/2009 5:56:07 PM

Not a good gift.

12/2/2009 6:14:51 PM

I personally dislike remote start. Why does she want it?

12/2/2009 6:23:09 PM

Real helpful.

Because we live in Wisconsin and her parking space is right outside her office, and it gets really cold here. So with one of these, instead of sitting in the car for 10 minutes while it warms up enough to use the heater and defrost the windows, she can start it from her office.

12/2/2009 7:10:18 PM

i bought a cheapo one from walmart once

do not recommend

i'll google some names in a minute. there are brands that will integrate with her existing remote control. they work basically by having you hit the lock button 3 times or something like that and it'll start the car when it detects it. def look into one that can use the existing remote..one less thing to keep up with

12/2/2009 7:19:28 PM

it can get pretty complicated if the car has a chipped key.

12/2/2009 7:28:41 PM

check out crutchfield. they typically have quality equipment (save dual and valor)

12/2/2009 7:30:48 PM

viper makes a good one, and it is a pain in the ass to install, and if you don't know what your doing you can fuck alot of shit up, best to get it installed, i know best buy sells em and installs em.

12/2/2009 8:14:28 PM

I got the cheap one at kmart by bulldog security or some shit like that. Extremely tedious install, especially on a car as old as my grandmother's (1986). I would not recommend it on a car with existing keyless entry

12/2/2009 8:24:20 PM

forgot to add, everyone keeps talking about the chipped key, theres and extra box you need (about $80) and you need to put the spare key in it, so make sure you have an extra key

12/2/2009 8:30:39 PM

^^ an 1986 what??

12/2/2009 9:42:15 PM

Viper is a good remote start. They sell them at best buy. They are actually pretty decent units.

12/2/2009 10:01:15 PM

Her Taurus does have a chipped key, and we don't have the spare (her mom borrowed the car years ago and lost the spare key), so this could be an issue.

12/2/2009 11:26:14 PM

Won't really be an issue, you'll just have to get another key made. I'd recommend something with a two-way transmitter, so you know that your car did actually start without having to go look. Also, the more range the better.

12/3/2009 12:47:59 AM

curious as to why everyone is hating on them?

12/3/2009 1:45:16 AM

Quote :

"^^ an 1986 what??"

oops, 1986 volvo 740

12/3/2009 9:07:23 AM

I love my remote start with two way paging. That shit works from my office to the parking garage. Amazing range. I only use it when it's cold as shit or super hot. Worth it.

Viper 5902 Responder HD Color SuperCode SST 2-Way Security and Remote Start System

You will need an extra key, if you don't already have one. I had one programmed and not cut.

[Edited on December 3, 2009 at 9:38 AM. Reason : It wasn't msrp either. I watched the installers like a hawk.]

12/3/2009 9:38:08 AM

So with a remote start system that requires a programmed key in a box in the car, does this mean the car is now susceptible to standard hot-wiring or do the manufacturers of the remote starter have some special anti-theft system?

12/3/2009 7:52:09 PM

meh..what are the chances that someone a. even decides to steal your car, b. knows that it has a remote starer system with a key in it, c. finds the remote starter key, etc.

typically i would imagine thieves go after easy to steal cars that don't have that security to begin with.

[Edited on December 3, 2009 at 8:00 PM. Reason : a]

12/3/2009 8:00:27 PM

Quote :

"So with a remote start system that requires a programmed key in a box in the car, does this mean the car is now susceptible to standard hot-wiring or do the manufacturers of the remote starter have some special anti-theft system?"

first you have to have the remote or find the kill switch to deactivate the alarm.

the good systems require a key be used and turned to on (not start) to keep the car running.
if not, it turns the engine off.

that doesn't mean you couldn't jam a screwdriver into the ignition lock cylinder (with the alarm off)...

so their system isn't foolproof at all, but it will keep the uninformed at bay.

12/3/2009 10:17:50 PM

there's a decent chance you are going to get in over your head if it's a chipped key. there may be a lot of inaccessible wires to tap, and your splices may fail if you don't have significant experience

12/4/2009 12:58:50 PM

^ I'm curious in what ways you can fuck up splicing wires. I've only done it a handful of times with no one directing me and haven't had any problems.

12/5/2009 10:09:28 AM

-- Vampire taps that come undone, if vampire taps are used

-- electrical tape (if used) that's not wrapped tightly enough and starts to unravel over time , especially when the wire is in an inaccessible place under the dash or the tape is lower quality.

-- bad solder joints (if solder is used) causing all sorts of intermittent problems like a bad tach signal a lot of people don't heat the joint up correctly and turn the wire into a big, brittle, failure-prone mess

and then just basic shit that can go wrong from inexperience or from rushing the install because the car needs to run the next day

-- tapping the wrong wire because the wire colors are faded or otherwise hard to tell apart

-- trying to tap a wire and you cut it instead of stripping it, especially when it's buried under the dash

-- improper factory alarm bypasses (if necessary) causing the alarm to randomly go off

-- not cutting the wires to length so you have a rat's nest everywhere, and shit becomes very difficult to service if something goes wrong

-- wiring something to constant instead of switched power, resulting in a battery drain

what it comes down to is that it's not easy to make clean, reliable connections to wires in tight, inaccessible spaces--especially if you are working on a daily driver and time is tight. Again on a 92 Corolla you probably can't fuck it up too bad. But the newer the car, the more connections you will have to make and the more troubleshooting that may be required.

http://www.modifiedlife.com/2000-ford-taurus-car-alarm-wiring-information/

supposedly these are some of the wire colors, but there's always a chance this is wrong and some tracing will have to be done. I'm not saying don't do it, but have a contingency plan if it takes a week to get the car running right.

12/5/2009 11:24:45 AM

lol, i'd actually like to put keyless entry into my new pimp ride

the 1995 civic that is

any suggestions for something cheap/decent? Remote start features would be cool as well.

12/5/2009 12:19:14 PM

ttt for suggestions.. there are almost no viper remote starters on ebay for some reason. or i'm looking in the wrong place. i really hate the huge ass gaudy remotes that most kits come from. i want something small that looks factory..no crazy ass lcd screens or anything

12/10/2009 1:00:01 PM

^^ you're being serious?

12/10/2009 4:34:25 PM

yea. only because it's cold as fucking balls in the mornings and i'd like to be able to start my car from inside. not to mention i have no keyless entry so if i could get both at once for a cheap price that'd be great

12/10/2009 9:26:42 PM

[Edited on December 10, 2009 at 10:45 PM. Reason : ]

12/10/2009 10:44:47 PM