Remote Start Units

A few thoughts on this.

When I lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, (one of the coldest climates actually inhabited), tens of thousands of these remote starters were installed. They were almost a necessity. Not once can I remember any issues with these devices contributing to a runaway vehicle, or a car theft, (Winnipeg also had a very high car theft rate, usually GM's with the steering lock broken out). There were plenty of vehicle fires due to poor installation practice and many vehicle failures traced to installation of the remote starter. I had a Lincoln LS that actually had an OEM Ford remote start as part of the remote vehicle entry package. Properly installed, there are no safety concerns with this type of device. AT applications are routed thru the neutral safety switch and manual transmissions are interlocked with the parking brake.

Installation of these devices is a PITA. Carbed applications are out of the question and you really need to know what you are doing when tying into EFI systems. Usually the game is your friends want to save a couple bucks on the installation and you are stuck with several hours of work to save them $100. Coded keys just add to the nightmare. It all can be done, but highly labour intensive. Pay the shop to do it, but insist on inspecting their work before they button everything up.