Alexsphoto

I have 2014 Advance Model and since day 1 I have had issue with Remote Engine Start and Keyless entry.
Sometimes it works and other time it does not it even does lock or unlock the Doors. It is suppose to work up to 325 feet away from your car and I have always been in range and sometimes few feet away from the car.
-Yes I do hit the Lock Button before.

Has anyone had any similar Problems or have any pointers?

Flame3g

I have as well, I can lock the vehicle from a good distance but when I try to start I get the red light (out of range).

Alexsphoto

I have Scheduled an Appt with Acura Service and will see what is going to Happen.
-They told me to bring both of the remotes

blackman

Will be picking my 14 mdx soon. Just a question. Is the remote engine start design to be 2-way.

snookssec

Yes the remote provides feedback on whether the start was successful or not.

blackman

That's great. Thanks.

LKC

Having the same issue. Was the dealership able to fix the problem?

Alexsphoto

Have not had a Chance to take the Car in yet. They want me to Leave the Car for 2 hours and that is a Problem. So I'm waiting on Fog Lights and Once they come in and they install them I will have them Take care this as well

fun2drive

Alex,

I did have some issues initially and took it to the dealer. They didn't find any issues but did provide some guidance and since then, I haven't had any issues. Here's what they told me as well as my own lessons learned

1. after pressing the lock button, wait for the green light before pressing any other button
2. make sure that the remote is NOWHERE near your cell phone. I have found really bad interference between my iPhone 4s and the remote. To the point that if it was next to the remote, then I couldn't even unlock the doors if I was next to the car
3. The remote start will ONLY start the MDX twice before you will have to go into the MDX and press the brakes/start button to essentially get it out of the remote start mode. At that point the remote start system is reset and will allow for remote start again
4. You have to press and hold the remote start button until you get the second and third orange flashes. At that point you can release and it will flash a few more times as it starts the car before it blinks green to confirm that the car has started

Couple notes.
All the doors have to be closed.
You can't remote start from within the car
The car must be completely off (and not in accessory mode)

Hope this helps.

Mmacura

I've been experiencing the same problems. Have to be a couple of feet away for the remote start to work, which essentially defeats the purpose of remote start. Anyone get a fix for this yet?

I don't have an iPhone, nor is my phone anywhere near the key when I attempt remote start.

Colin

I haven't heard of any official statement from Acura on this, but I can confirm that it does seem to be quite finicky on at least two of our MDXs.

Edward'TLS

Alexsphoto, now that you have the dealer installed the LED foglights, did they fix your remote starter problems ?

Flame3g

I have not been having the problem if I hit the lock button first.

Alexsphoto

The Dealer Reprogramed the Remotes and it worked great for 2 days and then it started to do the same thing again.
So I'm little bit frustrated.

free598

have any1 install the remote start them self

Pinoy MDX

Great Info guys!
I bought a remote starter kit online from ACURA dealer in Arizona for $299 compared to $598 here in Canada. I will have it installed at my acura dealer when I receive it next week. Any idea how much will it cost or how much has anyone paid for the install? Thanks!

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

The reason that the Canadian pricing is so much expensive is that the US dealer price is "parts only", but the Canadian dealer price is "parts + installation".

So if you subtract the Canadian price from the US price, what remains is more or less the installation cost and Canadian dealer markup.

PhiQuanTu

Has anybody tried to install the remote starter himself? I read the DIY instruction and the process seems easy, except the "programing" part. It says connect the datalink system to HDS or something that got me confused. Also, the instruction asks you to enter some code. What is this code and where can we obtain it?

Clubhops10

I told my local dealer that I'll supply the parts and was looking for labor only. They said $133 installed.

Edward'TLS

HDS = Honda Diagnostic System

It is the programming tool and costs ~$130 on eBay.

PhiQuanTu

Thanks, Edward. Seems like remote starter is not doable by ourselves then.

Edward'TLS

Well, if Clubhops10 said that his local dealer would charge $133 for installation, then it isn't worth the trouble to buy the HDS for about the same price plus all the hassle of doing the installation by yourselves.

I seem to read it somewhere that only dealer installed accessories are covered by full factory warranty with Honda/Acura.

Pinoy MDX

Thanks for the info Edward"TLS!
I had my remote starter puchased through an Acura dealer from Texas as the Arizona dealer was out of stock! I had it installed at my local dealer for CDN$96. It came to a total of US$315 + CDN$96 compared to $598 per canadian acura dealership pricing. I guess I saved a little for the fog lights!!!

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

to your excellent installation deal, which is even cheaper than the $133 US installation price.

The LED foglight is starting to trickle into the Canadian dealerships. I just had mine installed 3 days ago.

Grab one quick before they're all gone.

alpacino

Alex,

Did your dealer provide you with a solution? I just had mine installed and it shows the same issue as yours.

RL06tech

All true
The 325 feet thing is utter BS. yep 325 feet in an open parking lot with no cars around in a perfect day with no electrical wire or radio interference whatsoever. More likely 50-100 feet in normal conditions. Don't even try it more than 20 feet if you're indoors and there is a wall between you and the car (I guess wifi interferes with it too)

tffm24

I have exactly the same problem as Alex ( see first post). The remote start works sometimes and does not most times.
Once it did not even work on the door locks! Then I was not even able to manually start the car. I got a message saying "keyless remote not detected" After about 20 minutes the car did start. then took the MDX to the dealership where I was told to bring it in when the problem recurs. They had no general answer as to why it happened.
Other than the remote engine starter I have had no problem and really love my 2014 MDX.

juztfurfun

is point 3 valid ONLY if car actually starts or for even attempts--but fail-- to start

I have tried all of alex's recs but range is unreliable and i have replaced batteries and used the second remote starter------the viper 5301 i had on my 2008 mdx was extremely reliable at long distances and it was a 2 way remote--but then i had to carry 2 key fabs---which i would do to get reliable starting

i have an appointment to visit dealer this week---maybe if it doesnt work i can get my old viper remote installed

tffm24

Still have problems with the Remote starter. It just does not seem to work 7 out of 10 times! It works sometimes from the inside of the house thru all the walls but sometimes it does not work even from a distance of 10 ft from the car! Maybe I will take it back to the dealer but fear that it may work then and they would say that they can't duplicate the problem.

juztfurfun

definitely DO NOT purchase the acura remote start
for 4-500 dollars save your money and get a viper remote start professionnally installed on your 2014 mdx when it becomes available this summer

www.xpresskit.com

tffm24

In your previous post you had mentioned going to the dealership about your problem. What did the dealership say?
How much does the viper cost with installation?

808tesh

Just to chime in - this is definitely a case of YMMV.

I use my remote starter daily, usually twice -

Mornings the car is parked about 70'-90' away, perpendicular to me, I click through 3 wood framed walls, two are lined with computer parts, one is 50% arch glass window - sometimes my initial click of lock registers a red led - after two or three consecutive lock clicks, I get a green, and I start her up.

Evenings - I'm anywhere from 45-75' away through some cubicles, 3-8" metal framed walls, and a solid concrete 8" thick wall, car's nearly parallel to me, back facing away. Again, if the first or second click may not register green, the third will and she'll start no problem.

Good luck with troubleshooting - it doesn't sound like anyone's tried replacing their remote batteries (you know, just to ensure and eliminate it as a cause).
There's also ensuring there's no keys in the car, I realized that at the dealer, spare keys inside the car will not allow remote start to work.

Tessieland

I just bought a 2014 MDX. I used the remote start successfully once but when I tried to use it the other day a most awful thing happened.... First it did not work, tried again, nothing and then when my vehicle was in sight- 30 feet away- I tried a third time. Nada.
So I walked up to my car and held my hand to the rear passenger handle, like normal to open it... Nothing. Hm I used the remote unlock. Nothing. I did not hear it unlock at all but when I tried the driver's door it was unlocked. So I got it and tried to start the car as usual. Nothing happened at all. I tried a few more times and there may have been a clicking noise that I missed over my swearing. The car was 4 days old!! Anyway- I tried one more time and this time I did head the clicking of the starter but then the car started making a consistent ticking noise from somewhere in the dash and a bunch of the warning lights started to flash. It kept going like this for about 20 minutes. I was freaking out! If I pressed the brake, the ticking would slow down, but not stop. I called acura roadside assistance to no avail- they knew nothing and all they did was send a tow. I was scared to boost the battery as I had no clue what was happening. My father in law works for Acura so he sent an employee over. He had no clue either. We risked it out and decided to try to boost it (nothing was working- tailgate, door unlock etc).
We tried to start it once- no go- but it fired up the second time with some serious gas.
So I drove it around for 30 minutes or so and it has started fine every since BUT I have not tried the remote start since- I'm too scared too. This happened on the long weekend and I am away on a trip now so I will be calling Acura upon my return. Hope no one else goes thru this. It was very unnerving.

808tesh

real advice from a real car person:

Just based on what you've typed, it sounds like your car battery was weak or nearly dead - it can happen to a car before it leaves the factory floor, so it's no the car, but most probably the battery. (from experience)

using the remote start most certainly wouldn't have caused the issue.

driving around a bit at freeway speeds would help the alternator charge the battery on it's own or (since it sounds like you have a hookup) get the battery replaced. the employee who came to see the car was an idiot if they couldn't deduce the starer ticking noise as a dead battery.

'serious gas' had nothing to do with starting, it - it's a direct injected motor, so the throttle has no action on the car until there's a successful spark - the unsuccessful start attempts though would have over-injected the cylinders, so that's why it was a rough start.

you should personally learn how to jump start a battery, in emergency cases, you are the best tool in your toolkit. learn how to jump a battery, change a tire and manually open/lock the doors, the sunroof (there's a crank located under the cargo floor) and how to open the hatch from the inside without keys (there's a flap in the hatch lid) and how to start the car with a dead key battery (hold the key fob up to the starter button before pressing 'start')

you sound like a nice person, so I would highly suggest you become more comfortable with your car (and cars in general) before driving further than your phone can call.

Levelpar1

I just installed the remote start in my 2014 MDX. It took me about 20 minutes. I went to my Dealer and they programmed both remotes at no charge. I forgot to say I purchased the OEM Remote Start Kit on ebay for $170 shipped. Mine works great! I am very happy with the purchase. It come in handy when trying to cool down my MDX in the Florida heat.

advocate

I have had Many Problems with the 2014 Acura MDX (same as 2015) Remote Start. The Vehicle often does not start. Even worse, When I Remote Start it and then follow the User Manual and Car Display Instructions when I enter the Car, of Pressing Brake and the Car Button to get going, the Car Always Dies and Must be Restarted ARGH!!!! Valley Stream Acura (Very Nice) observed this and called Acura Techs who said that this is a Design Problem, and there is nothing that can be done. Buy a 3d Party Starter Instead.

advocate

I got it to work.
You have to come in and hold down the Brake and Start Button and hold it down for several seconds. The Car Goes Completely Quiet and the Fan Completely Shuts off, and it looks like it stalled, But it is Running. Remote is Ok, but it almost never operates from inside a house.

advocate

I also cannot Remote a Start the 2014 Acura MDX car often. It usually must be in Line of Site from more than 100 or at most 150 feet, and never from within a building. I called Acura and it seems that the remote start has limitations. I called the Acura
800-382-2238 number and they really couldn't help me. One tip, don't hold down the Lock Button, just press it quick and then hold down the Engine Button. You should consider a third party product, my concern was that it could void the warranty. Be aware of the limitations of this system.

RSLTSX09XMNAVWX

Leaving the San Diego Chargers game yesterday ,, I was about 250 feet away from my car. I first hit the lock button, got a green light confirmation, then held the start button for 4 flashes of the orange LED, and then released it and got a GREEN confirmation light back. Got to the car, running and already cool.. It was 100 deg in San Diego for the Chargers-Seahawks game at Quallcom stadium.. Maybee my MDX was happy with the outcome of the game so it was treating me nice! I should mention that the range on my remote has been just GREAT, I have remote started from inside resturants, stores and even in underground parking structures.. One thing I did was REPLACE the So Called New batteries with duracell batteries to give me the longest possible life. No telling how good the generic ones that come with it are, even if they are new, or older off the shelf ones when the remotes are assembled? 2015 MDX, SH-AWD, Advanced..

kamal123

Did it work?