Remote Engine Start

[aswearing]

i know one or two buddys at collegehave recently had an alarm fitted, and paid for the remote start option.

and i thought it's cool at first, but has anyone got one? do you have any trouble with it?

i know there are advantages, but are there any unseen disadvantages?

wondering if its worth buying, any feedback much appreciated

[waynne]

Its tempting to start the car on a cold morning and let it warm up but this is really bad for the engine. A car should never idle for long periods especially on a cold day. They are cool but do seem a bit pointless as you really want to be in the car when you start the engine. A push button engine start would also be cooler, cheaper, more practical.

[kinau]

(First post!)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not illegal to leave your car unattended, with the engine running?

Kin

[dshankar]

I think he is referring to starting a car that is in your garage. A car randomly in a parking lot running is just plain stupid but I don't know about it being illegal.

[waynne]

If it's not illegal it should be kinau. If a car was stolen that had been left unattended with the engine running you will NOT BE PAID OUT by your insurers as you failed to take reasonable steps to make the car secure. In winter my neighbours all seem to leave engines running on their drives to warm it up and demist/deice the screen

kinau - Welcome to the site, I hope that is the first post of many.

[the codfather]

These remote starts are like most things,you get what you pay for.A lot of members in our club now have them installed.Myself included. Very very .If you go for the cheaper e-bay versions ( as little as £30 ),these are very basic models.
The dearer ones ( from the States) have seperate control buttons on the fobs.For instance,I can start my car without unlocking the doors.Another great function is they can be wired into the gear selector unit/sender,so that the car cannot be started if it is in gear.
Yes,I do know of a couple of owners who have bought the cheaper versions,then watched as their pride and joy set off across a crowded carpark .Not .

[aswearing]

it is a decent system, with loads of inbuilt safety features. you only really need to put the keys in the ignition to turn on your power steering, and you can stll have the doors locked with the engine running.

don't think it is illegal, just silly...

[waynne]

Now a button on the remote that unparks the car and brings it to find you like Kitt would be really cool!

[dshankar]

or a remote control that parallel parks

:cough: lexus :cough:

[waynne]

I can blame my bad parking on the car - GREAT!

[HDi fun]

Not sure that warming up is bad for the engine as long as it then is going to be driven a decent distance to clear out condensation etc.

It's surely silly to drive off when you can;t see a bloody thing through the frozen screen.

[aswearing]

would be brilliant in winter, i hated waiting for the car to heat up. i wear those thin(ish) shirts for college and my nipples could have removed the ice it was that cold.

i suppose it would be like jumping back into bed

[waynne]

Now I know why men have nipples

[Vear]

why is leaving your engine to idle harmful?

[waynne]

Some interesting pointers in here

http://www.zerowaste.ca/articles/column171.html

Basically the engine is not operating at peak temperature, the oil dies more quickly and you risk a build up of acids and water unless you take it for a long run afterwards.