New MY25.5 Defender owner. Can I ask if anyone leaves their dog(s) in the car with the engine and a/c running? I'm all set up with remote access. With that, I can hypothetically leave the car, and auto start for up to 30 minutes with the climate temperature selected. I assume having dogs inside won't trigger the alarm but not 100% on that. Curious if this is something others in hot climates like myself have done. Thanks!

 

I don't know but I would definitely test this with not leaving them in the car for the first time by themselves. Also, I'm not sure if you can turn the auto start back on for a second time. I live in Texas and last year a dog walker used remote start, went inside to talk with a friend. She was unaware the auto start was timed for 15 mins. So when she went outside the dogs were dead. I don't think I could risk it, I would start the car fully and just leave them in there.

 

Thank you. I would never risk it w/o being 100%. I read somewhere, incorrectly, that LR had this Dog Mode similar to Tesla and a few other brands. Just picked up the car, learning the Pivi functionality and see there is no such setting.

 

Last summer I had my dog in the back and did a remote start to keep the A/C on as I went into the store, came out a few minutes later and the car for whatever reason was blasting the heat on a 90 degree day. I had the a/c on when the vehicle was last turned on and I had the app set to a/c cool all summer. Still not sure why that happened but I'll never trust it again.

 

As a person who has a new pet company launching in a month, has a pet focused 501c3, is on the board of the largest dobie rescue in the nation, and has saved over 400 Dobies in the last 2 years...this and any thing like it scares the crap out of me. Even Tesla's version has failed if the battery gets too low. I would not trust my dog's life with a LR.

I have dogs transported all over the US and Canada...and the #1 issue is heat, followed by cold during the winter.

I would never risk the life of a dog in a running car, timed or otherwise. Just my unsolicited .02.

 

Thanks for the responses. Have not nor will not ever leave the dogs in the car unattended in hot weather. (On another note, I do notice the Defender designers sliced some space from the cargo area to give the second row more legroom, least compared to my LR4. Its a bit tight back there for two huskies.)

 

Yes, you are correct. JLR admit they prioritize rear seat room at the expense of cargo space. My old LR4 and D5 had a much more usable trunk. I can't fit my golf bag sideways, it has to be set down diagonally or I have to fold down the seat. Kind of ridiculous that my friend can set his golf bags sideways in his Aston DB9 and his C8 Z06 and I can't in my mid-size SUV. Really is my biggest complaint about the 110.

 

Pay attention to the local laws as well. Here in Toronto / GTA is illegal to leave pets alone in the car: if somebody will see it, can call fire fighters, animal protection, etc, and they will break in the car (smashing the window is ok), get the pet, and even sue you for negligence.

 

Using the LR Remote App to do the "Remote Climate Start" (start the car at a set temp) will only keep the car running for 30 minutes. Once the 30 min runs out, you cannot re-activate the climate start remotely, you have to go to the car and start/stop the car in person.

Try this for more flexibility (assuming you don't mind burning through gas running the engine/AC for as long as you need to):
1) Engine is running, Defender is in Park, climate controls set for whatever temperature/fan speed/recirculation/vent configuration/etc. Car is parked in a safe spot that is well ventilated/open area so that CO accumulation is not an issue.
2) Open the driver's window all the way.
3) Exit the car making sure you have the key on you(!) and reach in through the window to hit the door lock button on the driver's door grab handle.
4) Pull the driver window control switch up to get the window to auto close and pull your arm out of the car/out of the way.

There, the car is now locked with the engine and AC/Heat running and it won't go to sleep in just 30 minutes. The car is locked up tight and even pushing the door handle buttons while holding the remote shouldn't unlock the door.
**You can get back into the car by using the unlock button on your remote (the car won't let you lock it with the engine running, you'll have to do the window down/lock/window up sequence again to re-lock the car w/ the engine running).

Doing things this way, you can still get into the trunk/boot and the car/AC stays running (IIRC with the remote climate start, accessing the boot shuts down the engine/AC right away, someone double check me on that one).

That should work and be safer than solely relying on the app to start the car at a certain temperature. Also, you can use the Remote App to monitor the car's temperature while you're away from the car.

Hope that helps.