Are remote starters right for you?

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON, Maine — Picture the scene. The snow is piling up, it is 20 degrees below zero and you have to shovel a path in order to get your car door open.    The engine groans, but eventually turns over, only to blast you in the face with a wave of cold air. You are faced with a decision. Do you drive the vehicle as is, risking whatever damage may occur? Or do you sit, in the cold, and wait patiently for the vehicle to warm up enough to defrost the windshield, and your hands?
Now picture the same scene in a slightly different manner as a simple push of a button starts your vehicle from the warmth of your home, while you enjoy your morning coffee or breakfast. By the time you enter your vehicle, the automobile is toasty warm and ready to go.
Remote automobile starters are not new technology. The starters are devices that have been around for at least the past two decades, and are one of the most convenient features a person can add to their vehicle.
Dan Soucy, owner of Soucy’s Auto Repair in Houlton, has installed hundreds of automobile starters over the years. And while there is the obvious advantage of having a car warm upon entry, there is another reason to have one installed in your automobile.
“Car starters are basically used to warm up your vehicle on cold mornings, but they also warm up the fluids in your car or truck,” he said. “You should never drive a vehicle in the winter until it has warmed up properly.”
By driving a vehicle that has not properly warmed up, serious damage to the vehicle’s engine could happen, Soucy said. The engine oil and transmission fluid should both be sufficiently warmed up, so that they perform their intended functions
“If the fluids are still thick, they are not flowing correctly,” he added. “You can wind up with premature failure. The upper end of the engine can be damaged by cold, thick oil. And your transmission can be damaged because they rely on hydraulic pressure. The newer vehicles have lower tolerances and need to have those fluids pumping through them.”
Installing a remote starter is a relatively simple process. Depending on the vehicle, the first step is to bypass whatever security system came with the vehicle.
“It’s about a two- to three-hour job,” he said. “The hardest thing is finding a way to defeat the security. Every year, cars come out with more sophisticated security systems. But I have been able to install a starter in just about every type of vehicle you can imagine.”
The lower part of the dash must be removed, he explained, and sometimes part of the steering column must be removed to get to the ignition switch wires.
Depending on the model, starters have a range between 800-1,200-feet. Starters can also be set to run for anywhere from five minutes to 30 minutes before shutting off.
“There are some that simply start and stop your engine, while there are others that will run your key or pop your trunk,” Soucy added.
A vehicle does not necessarily have to have power door locks to have a car starter installed. However, if a vehicle does not have power door locks, that feature cannot be added to the starter without first installing an auto door lock feature in the vehicle.
“If your vehicle has no power options, you basically have to go with just a start and stop model,” Soucy explained. “As long as it’s a fuel injected engine, you can put one in.”
Fall is the time that many people start thinking about installing a remote starter, he added.
“The first year I was in business, I probably put in 40 starters,” Soucy said. “Last year, before winter, I put in about 60 of them. This year, it’s already surpassed that amount.”
Because each vehicle has its own unique frequency, there are no concerns with vehicles being broken into because a remote starter was installed, he added.
“Without the key, nobody can steal your vehicle,” Soucy said. “Once a person touches the brake, it kills the engine. And you can’t shift a vehicle into gear without pressing the brake. Plus, you can’t steer the car without the key in the ignition.”