I think were are treading into new waters here. I know its been around but not installed on the D II probably in fear of the electrical system. I have researched this high and low and have not found much topic of it. Soon hopefully i will be able to experiment with it and make a conclusion.

 

Good point!!
I didnt think about that.
My wive's van has a remote start, our very first one, she loves it but you have to be within 50ft and direct sight, at least with hers, it came on the van, we did not buy it, we got the van used and I have no idea the brand.
Make sure you get one with the anti grind feature so you dont grind the teeth off of your flywheel.
If you use the remote start, and then jump in and try to start the engine without the anti grind you will grind the starter.

 

Our 2003 came with a ComupStar remote start and we have been please with the results. Starting the winter is nice as we can clean the vehicle as the vehicle warms up. Also locks/ unlocks doors.

2003 Discovery 131K with high miles service complete.

 

They still come with regular alarm remotes. The smartphone app just adds the ability to remote start/lock/unlock from anywhere beyond remote range.

 

Water cooled engines actually warm up faster under load, and have better oil circulation. Starting a cold engine and letting it idle, for more than a minute or two at most, is harder on an engine than driving it.

 

Thanks but That's okay, its worse for me to go out to my truck when its 0 degrees or below than it is to let my truck warm up for five minutes. And we all have different beliefs i let my truck warm up to operating temperature before I put it in gear. I have from day one were at 104,000 and never had a single engine problem. Some let their cars warm up some don't .

 

True. But I wasn't talking about beliefs, I was talking established facts. If you choose to disregard them, that's your choice, but that doesn't suddenly make them untrue or merely a matter of belief.

 

I am starting to look into this. Why? Simple. My Solihull-pub special ignition switch is broken and I'm down to the last keyfob (others are lost by PO's). For less than the price of the LR keyfob alone I can get a complete remote start system with two keyfobs that will roll down my windows, lock and unlock, and remote start the car. I was just going to wire a start button, but if I get a wireless start button then I get new doorlock keyfobs as well, and I can even roll down the windows (so I can hear what the busted roller on the regulator sounds like snapping from 50ft away!) Instead of replacing the ignition lock, I can just spend that money and buy an extra 20 keyfobs and put them all over the place so I will always have one nearby. I just have to figure out how to bypass the steering column and shift interlock. I figure that will just put me two steps ahead of the next busted thing.

 

Unrelated but my boss had a aftermarket remote start system installed on his 2004 Saab 9-5 and it cost an upwords of $900+. Ive used his key and it works great. Can start the car from across the parking-lot from inside a building! Dont remember the name of the company though but ill look into it.

 

The cost does depend on what vehicle you're interfacing with and how sophisticated it is. The DII has chip keys which virtually all cars in the last 10 years do, and you'd need an immobilizer bypass unit. I am sure all that can be done for less than $200 in components. Even your boss's $900 ticket was probably 75% installation labor.

For my D1, I can get an Avital remote start control unit and two four-button remotes for $42 on Amazon. Avital is by DEI which makes Clifford, Viper, Python, etc. It's like their DIY brand versus some of the other names which they orient toward installation by channel partners. Should be good.

My busted ignition lock is $695 at Atlantic or North, and LR remotes are over $100. I could go junk-yard but then I'd have to re-key and the worn part will bust again soon. I'd rather just do a start button, but for $42, remote start, unlock, and extra fobs, sounds great.

The other thing that's kind of cool about remote start control systems is they can sense rpm from odbii so you can push the start button and the controller will do the rest. I recently drove a 2013 car and it works the same way, as I'm sure many later model cars do. You don't have to hold the ignition switch cranked over to keep the starter turning until the engine starts. The control module will close the circuit on the starter solenoid until the rpm sensor detects the engine has started even if your hand isn't even on the key anymore. Likewise, it stops cranking once the engine starts so you don't keep grinding the starter motor on the flexplate, and you can't grind it if you're absent minded and try to start it when it's already running. I don't know how they handle a failure to start, but I imagine they will only crank the motor over for so long before the control module is programmed to stop. Either way, the system should be easier on the starter motor and the flexplate than the old-school contact switches on the end of the column lock.