PgLgGrg

Specifically regarding our cars and trying to make them toasty in the mornings. On many occasions, i have remote started (well, tell my brother to turn it on when he leaves for school lol) the car and left it for 5 minutes. when i get in, it is still cold, even with the heated seats on and fan turned up. Cold seats, no warm air. We are Talking about near 0 deg here, so cant imagine how it will be when its actual winter with weather in the -double digits. I am parked outdoors, so cant do a garage/underground.

I know modern cars heat up quicker and 5 mins should be more than fine, so is it just that remote start would not be effective for our cars, given they are almost 20 years old now? Idling to a comfy temp would probably take 10 mins, which is a little more than I want to sacrifice everyday, so if its not orth it, i might skip an actual remote start.

peter6

If you really don't like the idea of idling the car but want it warmed up consider block heater. I have no experience using it, but I've installed one that simply glues to the oil pan (client brought it and requested to install it). Easy to install just no idea how effective it is. I wouldn't bother with that unless you're seeing really low temperatures tho.

Leave the climate control on auto. It will keep the fan on low/off until car warms up enough to actually blow the warm air from the vents. Having fan on high and blowing cold air will make it feel worse.

Also, what about just dressing for the weather? I know driving with winter gloves is not comfortable but it beats having cold hands.

BROlando

Leave the climate control on auto and set the temp you want...don't just blast the fan. Blasting the fan is inefficient. The coolant has to first heat up for the air to be hot. So if you're just blasting all the heat away from it constantly, it won't get hot as quickly.


Your climate is 0 deg F? Or C?

Even a modern car isn't gonna be toasty warm in 5 mins at 0F.

twokexlv6coupe

A remote start will not make your car warm up faster. There's literally zero difference between an aftermarket electronic remote start that you get installed, and having your brother go start your car; they're identical, because they're doing the same exact thing (starting the engine)

The reason you get heat in the car is the heater core essentially steals or robs the heat from the coolant. If the coolant isn't hot enough, no heat. How does the coolant get heated up? Running the engine....

PgLgGrg

Yes, I am considering remote start, but since my brother doing it really isnt making a difference in 5 minutes, im not sure.
Canada, so currently below 5 degrees C, and obviously dropping as time goes by.

The block heater would useful if i had the access and proper driveway. i am parking on the street, so not an option unfortunately. The fastest way (but not the comfiest), is to idle for 30 secs and then just drive gently. Eventually the engine will warm up faster of course, and gets toasty in about 5 mins. But first few minutes are darn cold.

Im considering getting a 12v heater instead, but hope that wont drain my battery upon startup or anything.

wizurd

Layer warmer clothes and take them off as needed as the car warms up lol

MyGuti

I've gone back and forth about getting one for my 6spd as well. located in lower mainland bc.
honestly, i dont think I will ever do it, for a few reasons:
-car has been and will be parked in a garage for the majority of its life. only time I experience a cold start with the vehicle being outside is usually after my work day.
-I like to turn ignition on for a few seconds, let the fuel pump prime before cranking the vehicle. installing a remote start will not do this on start ups.
-Its only cold for the first 3 minutes, I layer up clothing and wear gloves while driving. Nothing worse than having to shift with an ice cold shift knob.

The first one doesnt apply to your case, since you mentioned your parked on the street.
But I would be more inclined to just start the car a bit longer, use luke warm water in the cold mornings to "de-ice" it and then get moving.
we only really experience the cold cold for maybe 2-3 months here.

my wifes car has an auto starter and I only use it when im being lazy. but honestly going out to the car, starting it correctly and letting it idle isnt hard at all.

peter6

That's probably the best idea for "instant heat". There are ~$30 12v heaters on Amazon, one labeled as 150W. If it actually draws that much it should be safe, as power outlets are fused with 15A (so at 12V theoretically you can draw up to 180W from all power outlets in the car).
Just don't run this thing if engine is not running.

If I remember correctly my remote starter allowed to specify how long it should wait before on and cranking, right now set to ~2 seconds?

But at the same time remote starter in manual might be not that good of an idea. Especially for me since I've been taught to not trust parking brake and always leave car in gear.

BROlando

Did you just move to Canada from the tropics?

5C is 41F. That's not even particularly cold...

Are you wearing a bikini when you head out?

bluetl04

iTrader: (4)

Remote start will not start if car is in gear. there is a special procedure that needs to be done to activate the remote start and if the car is in gear, that will not happen. i install remote starts and alarms

peter6

I guess not all remote starters are created/installed equal. One example being client's car that was taken by couple guys from work to get lunch and ended up "starting" on the parking lot and driving itself until being hit by delivery truck.

Just of of curiosity, what's the procedure for systems that you install? I've heard from one guy that he needs to press the start button on the remote when key in ignition car running, then take key off and lock the car, engine still running, and then press remote start again to shut off the car. And only then car would remote start.

BROlando

Some remote starters require that, to work, the car has to be turned off via the remote...and the parking brake has to be on and clutch switch engaged.

Which means the car can ONLY be turned off when its in neutral.

If the shut off procedure isn't followed, the remote start won't start the car.

This doesn't help if someone puts the car in gear after its been shut off, though.

Not sure if now they have remote starters that can detect starter amp draw or something so that they ensure the starter won't crank over if the car is in gear? Idk how a remote start can fully prevent a car from starting in gear. Some sort of sensor that senses gear lever position?

Anyway, OP doesn't want the car to run for more than 5 mins...but wants the interior to be toasty warm when he/she gets in. Its unrealistic.

Just drive the car and let it warm up. At 5C, like 1 or 2 mins of driving will get warm air blowing out of the vents.

joe.abp

I've installed a remote starter myself from mypushcart.com on my 5AT. They give you everything you need to install, however if you're primary reason is for pre-heating the cab, be warned that you'll be burning through alot of premium gas to get it comfortably warm. The fastest way to warm it up is to just drive it. I myself just put a mini space heater in the passenger footwell whenever its below -20C and hook it up to a wifi plug that my block heater is also connected to. I time it to auto-turn on ~4 hours before I leave. I have a double benefit of coming to a warm cab + melted snow/ice on the windows. Using the block heater alone makes the engine strain less but doesn't do much to heat up the cab faster IMO.

Assuming you park beside your house on the road, I've seen many people just run a high-vis extension cable onto the sidewalk with cones on either end for added visibility. I've seen a few plug-in hybrids do this and unless you're in a high traffic pedestrian area it shouldn't be a problem. My main reasons for the remote starter were for the boosted range (OEM fob had like 6ft radius) and saving myself the 30 seconds letting the engine rev down after a cold start. I only use it to pre-heat the cab when its -40C/F and I know im going to be stuck in traffic (low engine revs).

I would advice against a 12V heater as it would put a significant additional load on the engine while its still cold on top of wearing out your alternator and S-belt faster. Furthermore the manual states not to leave the vehicle idling for extended periods with the seat warmers on as it pulls more current than the alternator supplies at idle. Adding a space heater would likely make the battery issue worse.
Hope this helps.

tl200879

I have a remote start on my 2008 installed at Best Buy year ago and I love it. I warm up my car for 5 mins. It’s much better when I get in but I start driving and within few mins it’s hot inside.

Prior to this I had remote start installed in my Camry that I had for 15 years. Worked flawlessly.

currently we have -ve freezing temps and will sure install engine block heater coming summer. Called Honda dealer and they recommend using part#08t44sna103. Was given a quote of $300 for install.

PgLgGrg

Peter, quick question. When you did your install with the compustar, was it truly plug and play with the harness? No soldering or wire stripping required? Just the remote start, lock unlock, and trunk button to work. no other security functions orthe other fancy stuff.
The main thing holding me back now is to have someone else do it for a good amount of money. But if its just take out the wire connector, plug into the harness, then plug harness back into OEM connector, i will give it a shot.

PgLgGrg

Hehe, it was probably closer to 0, and few degrees below that too. Want to get this done before real winter kicks in, which is probably soon. As long as its 5-7mins, and not soemthing like 20, ill probably go for it.

peter6

I think there are like 3 wires that you need to solder. Look through my thread, and the post #4.