WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REMOTE STARTERS!
In the warm and pleasant winters we experience here in Central NY, there is little need for remote starters. (I hope I have your attention now)
Remote start helps warm your frozen vehicle, de-ice the windows, and even helps prolong the life of your engine by getting oil circulating in the engine block before driving away. Remote start is a year ‘round convenience as it also helps cool a hot car in the summer months. These things are great. That is why The Ultimate Edge has sold many thousands of them.
But remote starts also get a bad rap from some. Car dealerships criticize them (even though most of them sell and install them). Some people have had horror stories about them. While the vast majority of remote start owners would never be without them, there are facts you need to know in order to make an intelligent decision on whether or not to get one, and what to buy.
What follows is a simple straight forward guide to help you decide for yourself.
Up until the mid- 1990’s, installing a remote start in your vehicle was mostly about splicing some wires, doing a little programming on the remote start, and you were in business. The basic premise was to “fool” the car into thinking an authorized key was starting the car, and to run normally. The old remote starts were largely dependable, though with some glitches on some cars that caused them to be less than 100% dependable. The good news is that today’s remote starters are quite dependable providing you stick with a major brand from companies with the size and resources to keep them current. There are many dependable units out there. Like everything else, there are also many bargain basement products that save you a few bucks while risking the safety and integrity of your vehicle. In the end, it is up to you to decide whether saving $10 or $20 is worth the safety of your car, and the dependability of the remote start. The Ultimate Edge does not carry any bargain basement remote start. We carry Code Alarm, Compustar, and Omega. All LONG TIME quality and respected brands.
What follows here is the really important stuff!
Today’s vehicles are largely computer controlled (isn’t everything?). In some vehicles, as many as 7 on board computers control everything from engine, to door locks, to radio functions and then some. A technician cannot just “splice some wires and go” anymore. A remote start must properly communicate with vehicle computers in order to start the vehicle safely and without generating error codes (like that annoying “check engine” light). The challenge is increased by the fact that unlike PC’s versus Macs, there is more than one or two languages or protocols. In fact there are hundreds of protocols. It is simply not practical to put all of the required programming inside the remote start. And so the interface module was born. These essentially go between the remote start and the vehicle computers so that when you press the start button, or the “lock/unlock” buttons, the vehicle receives the correct command to do what you ask. This is all done safely, and without risk to your vehicle. Early interface modules were preprogrammed for particular vehicles and had intermittent issues on a small number of vehicles. Today, we have a smaller number of modules that are flash programmed online with vehicle specific information. Because they are programmable, they may be updated whenever needed, and used in multiple vehicles.
The nitty gritty; Yes, they add to the cost of the remote start. No way around it. When you see those down and dirty remote start prices, keep in mind that 9 out of 10 buyers will have to add anywhere from $75 to $130 to that price for the required interface module and installation. There are still some bargain basement companies using old school modules. They are cheaper. They are not nearly as dependable. The other bonus of the new programmable modules is that they also give you many options that we could not give you before, at little or no additional cost. This is particularly true on some GM vehicles, but there are others.
Make sure that when you get a quote, it is the complete NO BULL price. It has become a common practice to quote you a cheap price that gets jacked up when you actually show up to have the work done. The Ultimate Edge does not play that game with our customers. You deserve the truth, and you will always get it here!
There are tons of convenience options available. Ranges from up to 1000’ to over a mile. Keyless entry to lock/unlock doors from our remote. Trunk pop. Alarm systems (that actually protect vehicle and contents UNLIKE factory security systems). 2 way remotes so that you know what is happening with your car even if you can’t see or hear it. And much more!
There are 2 more points you need to consider. First is that many place cut corners and fail to connect all of the factory recommended safety features recommended on remote starts. They do this to save time and get more units out the door. Good for them. Not for you. Second is you should know who is working on your vehicle. Did they go to school to be trained? Are they certified and factory authorized to work on your vehicle? Do they adhere to MECP and MERA rules governing the way they do business? As you may have guessed, The Ultimate Edge does, on all counts. In fact, the owner of this business is the President of MERA, and trains retailers and installers nationwide to do what we do. We adhere to a higher standard.
We invite you to stop in to discuss your options with our certified expert technicians. You will get the right system for you and your vehicle. Your vehicle warranty will not be affected! (Ask us about this!) You will get a fair deal on an excellent quality system. The lowest price? Probably not. Have you ever known top quality to be the cheapest? Is “cheapest” really the priority for your car?
That’s my story. The same one I have told for the last 33 years I have been in business, and I am sticking to it!
Barry Vogel
