Happy New Year guys!!

So my girlfriend got me a remote starter for Christmas, an Autopage RS 900, and its really sweet however, i am having one issue with it. It won't start up when in the morning when its cold and hasn't been on over night. It i try and start it any other time when its slightly warm, it starts up just fine which sucks cause i only really want it when its really cold. I already increased the crank time via the prgramming manual once and it still hasn't worked.

So now, i could easily increase the crank time however, when the car is already warm or slightly warm, it is over cranking a little bit, which is not good! So i don't want to increase the crank time just to get started in the morning and then i pretty much can't use it again all day long because it over cranks.

Here are the two features i have in question that my alarm/remote starter came with:

· Selectable RPM / Voltage Start

· RPM / Voltage / Hi-Low level check

Now to me, that says the car should be able to try and start itself and then stop when it starts and adjust it self based on engine temperature, voltage, etc....am i wrong in assuming this?

The guy that did the installation is booked solid for the next 2-3 weeks but is willing to take a look and told me in the mean time to set it as Disel start which will turn everything on for 5, 10, 15 or 20 seconds before starting. He also mentioned that he doesn't like to use the voltage starte and such for some reason but didn't really explain why, so i'm not sure what to do in the mean time.

I'm sure he will help me out but i guess i am just looking for some advice in the mean time as well as more information to go back to him with to ask. So, if you guys could give me some suggestions and explain to me how the above two options work, i would really appreciate it!!


Jwood

 

Mine seems to turn the ignition on for a sec or two, then starts just fine, hot or cold. Not sure what your problem could be. How does your car start when you start it?

 

Well, every morning when i would go out to start it to let it warm up for a min, it would take a little longer than normal anyway so its not he start system its self. However, if the system tries to start the car twice, i shut it down and then go out to start it myself and its takes a few more tries to get it started since it already tried and didn't. Any other time i try and start the car its like 2-3 cranks but in the cold mornings it seems like its 5-6 cranks.

I think my installer when "tachless" and he set the start time to 1 second, which works prefect for all cases except the one in the morning. The morning it seems to need 1.6 and i'm only at like 1.2 seconds right now so i need to increase it. However, when its warm and i use the remote start, it now will over crank for that .6 seconds. So i'm just wondering if our cars should be using the tach monitored ability.....

Also, remember my commute is only like 3 miles to the train station, so i think my car has to do all its battery recharging on the weekends since its never on long enough much during the week to do so!!

 

Go back to the installer he can fix the start timing.

 

Well i can change the "crank time" via the programming manual, i already increased it once and probably need to do it again. However, i can't do the engine rpm learning/tach learning because i don't think he installed it......

Do you think its better to go tachless or have him install the rpm learning/tach learning? He made a comment about how many cars don't even have this feature anymore?......i may have mis heard him or something so i'm not sure.


I guess i just can't imagine with all the technology out there that there isn't a way to have the car start itself and sense when its started and stop AND keep going until it starts......hence, rpm learning.....right? (i don't really understand how it works though)

 

I think you need the tach connected. My remote does not have this situation at all.It always cranks whatever time it needs. Always perfect. So it seems something that needs to be connected is not.

 

So i take it yours is setup on the voltage start and tach monitored then? I guess i'm just confused with the three options...

rpm learning
tach learning
voltage check

How exactly does it work?

I guess i'll have to have him connect it so it works that way.....i'm surprised he didn't do it that way the first time. He is an awesome guy and does a great job, the install was really clean and i only really have this one issue.

 

Well, i officially have bad luck with this car and extremely pissed off! I had the install hook up the tach wire and the car starts fine when its warm but it will not start when its cold. the car tries to start, then stops and sends a signal to the remote that it started, even though it doesn't start. I reprogramed the tach learning thing 3 different times and none of them have seemed to work.

I think i'm going to just have the guy take it out unless any one has any suggestions i can try before doing so.


I'm ready to just sell the stupid car and get something that i won't mod cause its just not worth it.....

 

It's gotta be oen of two things: Bad brain unit, or bad install.

both of which should be resolved at your installers' expense. Go back and tell him it's still not working right. If he gives a lot of resistance to tryign anything else, contact the manufacturer and see if they can help you out or recommend an authorized installer in the area.

 

Well the installer may or may not decide to try something again but i already contacted Autopage tech support and he walked me through a series of things to set it up right, and it still didn't work. So he told me that either the installer missed something or that there is something wrong with my car that it doesn't start up quickly when its cold out. But, isn't that the nature of the TSX? My car takes like 2 cranks before starting when its warm and about 4-5 when its cold.....my commute also doesn't let me charge the battery all that long so that might contribute to it but seriously, i doubt there could be something wrong with me, i haven't even hit 12k miles yet!!!

 

you need to run tach

 

I took it back to the installer and he did run the tach. I have tried t learn the tach when its cold idling at 1500 rpms and i have tired it at normal 800rpms and neither setup has worked. If the car is warm, then the car starts perfectly fine but when its cold and requires more of a crank, the car tries to starts and doesn't but the remote tells me it started until the dome lights come on, then it attempts a second time but only for like a second and the shuts off again.

 

Hm thats the only problem i can think of.. we had that problem when we were installing mine, but we use dei products and my friend had to install and program tach.

 

When he did the tach learning process, was the car cold or at a lower idle? I think because our cars start up so high in the rpm's to help warm up the car, it has a problem. When i got the car it was setup at normal low idle, which didn't work, so i changed it to be the 1500 rpm idle, but that still isn't working.....i have no idea. It was a gift from my g/f too and i really want it to work but it just doesnt look good

 

it was installed when i use to work at circuit city in the bay, so it was semi room temp. but the car itself was 'cold'. it took from around 10pm to 3am for him to finish

 

I have a Viper 771XV on mine and on EXTREMELY cold mornings mine, has trouble cranking up the first time, but when it tries the second time it always cranks. So does the Remote start work at all now (cold or warm temperature)? I don't know if it's like DEI RS/Alarms but if you change the car from reading voltage to tach, you have to update the brain also.

 

do you still have your stock battery jwood? A battery with more CCAs, like an Optima maybe of assistance to the cranking process. So the unit is fine, but subsequent other systems involved are creating an issue. Just a thought since I saw your stereo equipment listed and everything else. I would have to crank the crap out of my car in cold mornings with the stock battery. Now with my redtop, it cranks in the cold like it used to in the warm with the stock battery.

 

If the car is warm, the car starts up just fine with no problems at all. This is why i and the installer are dumb-founded. I started it with the key this morning and it startup just just fine but i know if i would have used the remote starter, it probably would have worked because it hasn't since i got it.

 

Yea i still have the stock battery but i only have 11,400 miles on my car, it should still be fine shouldn't it? I do have a stereo system but i have even tried to turn that off purposely, since its connected straight up the battery, and it doesn't change anything. Again, if the car is warm or slightly warm, it starts up just fine just not in the morning or when i get off the train when i want it to.

AND, the installer told me to take it the dealer because he is insisting that is my car and not his install and says that if i end up taking it out, it will cost a $52 restocking fee (ok, fine with that) AND $200 labor for putting it and taking it out. So i get $200 back of my $400....well my g/f's money which i don't think is right since it hasn't worked right yet.

I plan on having the dealership take a look just to make sure everything is working properly, ie, battery, fuel pump, etc and if it is i am going to fight the installer to take it out without charging me cause then i will know its his install, not my car.

Any suggestions on what to tell the dealer? My dealer is pretty good with aftermarket stuff so i was just going to be honest and tell them it still struggles to start in the morning off the key as well, which is does and go from there.

 

I think there is something wrong with the remote system you have. As I have said before, mine works perfect., even with a weak battery. My car sits a lot as I have 3 06's. My TSX is sitting now because of the snow( I have chrome wheels). After a long sit, it usually turns over slow, but the remote start still starts the car with no problem. If it were me, I would have the installer take the system out, try to get my money back, get another brand and installer. I had mine installed at the Acura dealer, by a contractor. I had trouble at first with the remote alarm not interfacing with the OEm alarm. That has been corrected and the system has been trouble free ever since. I believe the unit I have is made by audiovox. It is a two way alarm, and while not the darling brand, it works with no issues.

 

I've had remote starters in other cars with really weak batteries, and in -35*C temps, they always started up no problem. It's gotta be the remote start, as you said it cranks up no problem with the key on cool mornings, just never with the remote starter. That right there tells me that the car isn't the problem, it HAS TO BE the remote starter unit.

It's unfortunate that the installer won't admit this. Admitting it would get him farther in the long run with your trust, etc... but in the short run it'd cost him time and money and he can't see past that it seems.

 

That is what i was actually going to try and do but i don't think he is going to take it out without a fight. Hence, i'm going to try and have the dealer just look at it and prove that my car is ok. When i do that i will go from there and then see who the dealer recommends to do the install. I think they actually have used the guy that did mine but i'm just not happen with his customer service.

 

Yea i know and even when i told him the very first time about it, he blamed the car and said he has never had any problems with any of his cars before. He is a really nice guy but he is a BUSY guy and gets tons fo business which makes it hard for me to contact him and for him to perform good cutomer service. I think my game plan will be have the dealer look at the car and tell him there is nothing wrong and either have him take it out at no additional charge or look into fixing it ONE more time cause i'm so fed up with it not working the only time i really want it to work.

 

Had the dealership look at the car yesterday and they checked it out and said everything is fine, juts like i thought it was. So, now it mean it HAS to be the installers fault. Now i need to call the installer and have him take it out but he is trying to charge me the $52 restocking fee, ok i'll pay that, but then $100 for labor for putting it in AND taking it out. The whole fee was like $475 which means i would only get like $225 back for something that never worked, which is RIDICULOUS!

How should i go about this? I'm thinking tell him i'll give him the $52 restocking fee, and an extra $50 but i shouldn't have to pay anything else since it never worked right.....am i looking at this incorrectly? I def am not paying for him to take it out though....so maybe $52 plus the $100 for initial install but nothing more.

Opinions?!?

 

Go to a lawyer and have him draw up a note on his letterhead. That is usually a convincing enough arguement to get all your money back. Lawyers will usually not charge you anything for that small service.

 

First of all, how can you be charged a restocking fee for something that does not work and its not your fault? If they the cannot make it work properly then there should not be any labor to take it out. Try talking to the guy and explain to him, what I have just asked. If he is reasonable, he should come to he senses. Ask him what would he do if you were the installer.

 

Yea, i guess your right. I guess sometimes i just get worried that if i give him too much crap then he might do something to my car. He also already made it so the the plastic around the steering column doesn't fully stay together either.....

Will it hurt anything having him take it out at this point?....like electrically?

 

If it comes to that i may just have do something like that.

 

It shouldn't if they do it right.

 

So the guy has been testing my car since I proved to him that it wasn’t an issue with the car. He narrowed it down to the unit that is used to fake the car into thinking there is a key there. He said the unit is made in Canada but has an Autopage badge on it. He needs to talk to their tech to make sure he has it wired properly because it isn’t reading the key properly. The car never starts when its cold and only starts like 75% of the time when its warm. If he doesn’t hear back from the company by this weekend, he is going to use the old hide the key in the car trick and see if that works to makes sure its what he thinks it is. If this doesn’t work I am demanding that he just take it out. The electrical components under my dash board are a disaster now from him trying so many different things, it hurt to watch him work on it . Never again am I doing this to an everyday driving car….

SO, my question is, do you installers or electrical guys, is there a trick to installing these bypass units that I could mention to him??

Also, is hiding the key in the car really that bad and should I make him take it out if it comes to this?

 

^the bypass on mine works just fine. It's a shock to me that this guy can't figure it out and is making a mess of your wiring. Maybe the unit itself is bad.

As for hiding the key, make sure you separate the key from the chip (aka "breaking" the key). That's what I've known installers to do to other people's cars that didn't or couldn't use a bypass.

 

I don't know much about Autopage products, but in the DEI (Directed Electronics) world, you used to have to use a 556UW (with a key hidden in the module). There is a new module out now (XK05) that does the same thing but you don't have to hide a key in the car at all. I don't know if a DEI bypass module will work with an Autopage alarm, but if it will, then voila!

 

Thanks for the ideas and heads up guys. I will be calling him tonight to see if he talked to the tech guys. I will try and get the model in which he is trying to use to post up here to see if you've heard of it.