DSmith1178

New member here from South Jersey. We are turning in the wifes 2020 RDX Tech lease in early and getting quite a but of equity due to the market. Came to terms on a 2022 A spec in white with ebony interior. Should be in end of March or early April. Question about remote start. Whats a good deal for the acura installed remote start with two key fobs? Wife had it on her RDX. I would just use the acura link but its probably cheaper in the long term just having it installed at dealer rather then pay year after year. In addition, I dont know how reliable Acura Link is. I had a similar system in my Ram called UConnect and it was beyond horrible. Worked maybe 20% of the time and took at least 3 mins when it did. I didnt renew. We are excited for the new car!

Dave

A&Hsince90

If you purchase the remote start online at acurapartsforless (a central Jersey dealer) it’s about 350 for the fobs and the transponder. An hour for the dealer to program it if you install it yourself. You do not need to tear apart the rear interior of the car to install it like the directions say. I’ve done it myself it’s not hard. Even the technicians I spoke to say the same thing. It’s a module that simply plugs into a harness at the rear roof. I have the APP as well and sometimes it doesn’t work because the phone doesn’t have cell service. That’s why I got the fobs.

DSmith1178

Thats an option too. Im pretty handy and usually do most of work and maintenance on my cars. Ill look for some install videos

suzysparks

I paid $800 to have it installed on my ‘22 A-Spec. My understanding is that it is more labor intensive on the 4th gen than it was on the previous models.

A&Hsince90

The directions make it more labor intensive than it needs to be. Took me literally 15 minutes. Even the tech I spoke to can’t believe Acuras “book” time for it. $800 is a quick money grab.

ILM-MDX

Why would anyone pay for the fob remote start when it's able to be done through AcuraLink on your smartphone? 4 years of remote start through AcuraLink is far less expensive than $800.

suzysparks

One of the arguments is what if you are somewhere without cell service? That is one of the reasons I’ve seen mentioned. Not only that, the app, believe it or not, has its glitches. Everyone has their personal preferences for what they prefer. I used the remote start on my Volvo using the app all the time and I loved it. My husband wanted it with the key fob. Do I think it was worth the money? NO!!! But it was the one thing he asked for; and that was easy enough. Go figure…we are trading it in for an MDX Type S Advance where the remote start is standard.

A&Hsince90

Thank the marketing genius at Acura who decided it shouldn’t be standard on all trims on a luxury brand.

Gonzo23

AcuraLink worked great when I had my 2020 RDX but wouldn’t work at all on my 2022 MDX. So had to go with remote start and it was $900 after taxes

ray1968

I am about to do the remote start install. Can you tell me what needs to be done to do this in 15min please. If there is a time saving option that will be helpful. Thank you

A&Hsince90

If you look at the instructions starting at step 9 where the center trim piece is removed, take out the rear ceiling map light, and only loosen the left and right trim pieces. It’s a tight fit but be careful and there is just enough room to get the transponder in. You can pull down on the headliner just a little bit.

ray1968

Thank you for the tips. I will tackle this next weekend

Red89gt

I figured that whole interior didn't need to be taken apart.
Supposed to get pick up a 1200 mile mdx from a friend soon and wife wants remote start installed, not taking whole interior apart is great news.

Red89gt

Can't win, Kit Remote Start - Acura (38015-TZ3-X10), is $650 and up just for the parts online for a 2022 with technology package.

paule2601

I just installed the remote start system in my 2022 MDX tech package and it took me about 30 minutes to install the system. I took the rubber seal around the back gate door loose. I removed the rear dorm light and remove ONE panel. Just the centerpiece panel in between the side panels in the rear ceiling. YOU DO NOT need to take any side panels off. Very gently pull the ceiling down just enough for your hand to go through.When you put a flashlight facing the rear toward the gate you will see the 2 wires for the sensor are right next to each other. very convenient. I just unclipped them off and clipped them to the sensor and use the bolt to secure it and that it.
PS: for the programming, take the car to your ACURA dealership. If the locksmith tech tries and failed. you just lost 2 key fobs. Locksmith charged me $125 and the dealership charged me $85 and they work like a charm. Hope this help

Red89gt

If I pulled the headliner down more than a few inches the headliner was creasing all over and I didn't want any permanent creases with just center top panel off and dome light removed. Ended up loosening side panels on driver side and then getting enough drop in the headliner to get my hands in there. Also one of the harness' was taped to another so I needed enough room to get in there and cut the tape carefully with a blade. Still wasn't a horrible job but ended up not working out as easily as others for me.

davisbrook

Can a locksmith program a car key at a reasonable cost? I am waiting for your reply.

paule2601

Hello Davis, Sorry I have had no power for days. I live in Florida. There is no dough that a locksmith can do it. But if they fail, you just lost a key or keys. Because once a key is programmed whether it's properly or improperly programmed it cannot be reprogramed. That's according to Acura Dealership in Tampa Florida. To me, it was cheaper at the dealership than at the locksmith.

moomeacow

man how the f ... I removed the back trim the light and some of the left side trim and I still can't get my hand in there. How did you do it?

moomeacow

how did you install it I removed back middle panel the light and some of the left and I can barely get my hand in and I can't see anything in there.