We had the remote starter installed in a brand new TL, and were surprised to see an add'l (large) fob for it. the 2nd fob also controls doors/trunk, but big deal because the original fob does that.

Is the remote starter supposed to be integrated into the original factory fob?

 

Looking through the build and price on acura.com it appears to be seperate.

 

this is the acura rs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysqKrAi1NdE

 

If this system would replace my current key and not require the shut-down of the vehicle once you get in I would have it installed on my car immediately. As it stands I am not interested though, which is unfortunate as i really like the idea of it.

 

Wow Acura can kiss my ass on this remote. I rather go with my 5902 Color OLED Viper.

 

That is NOT good news. When I bought my 2010 TL the remote start was not available. Now that it is, this is what I'm hearing? That sucks.
I have a remote start on my 97 4Runner & 03 Maxima both on one key fob. What is up with Acura and remote starts?

 

I have the remote start on my '12... so what's the big deal? So they didn't integrate it into one key fob?

The system works like it is supposed to. At about 10 minutes before I leave the office, I push the button, it starts up.. it can run for 10 or 20 minutes. If someone tries to open the door, the car shuts off, like it's supposed to in order to prevent someone from stealing the car.

If you go with the viper, you still have the second remote and the car will still shut off before you can drive it (unless someone goes around the safety).

What's the big deal with restarting it? Just reach up and push the button!

The RS fob does not control the trunk or doors. It just starts and stops the engine. The second key fob the OP is talking about must be driver 2 fob.

BTW, I love the RS feature and use it daily.

 

If you don't mind, how much did the remote start cost you or did you negotiate it with the sale of the car? I've seen the prices listed on Acura's site but didn't know if the dealers were sticking to those or offering any discounts. You can PM me if you would like. I'm legitimately curious. You are right about the car turning off when you get in, it just seems like unneeded wear and tear on the starter if it could just sense the key fob like the rest of the car can.

 

It's not that much more on the wear/tear on the starter... but yeah, it would be nice if they made it smart enough to sense the key fob.

The dealer didn't itemize the add-ons. I got the RS, body side mouldings and body kit all for $2900

 

With the viper you can go around it safely. I had it on my TL 07, and all i did was go inside the car, turn the key to the on position and push the break so the car would say on. If i got in and pressed on the break the car would shut off.

You can program it however you want. Lock the doors or not lock the doors.

That viper can completely replace the OEM key fob having it properly installed and with a bypass module.

 

And why would you want to leave your car vulnerable to thieves?

The system will work differently with the keyless entry, by the way.

 

I agree.

What measure(s) is used by the Viper system to prevents thieves, not the car owner, from driving away the remote-started car ?

 

I don't know about the tl-tech, but on my mdx the viper has an alarm which can keep the doors locked when started. Then when I unlock the car and get in I insert the key to the on position and drive away. If I don't have a key the engine turns off when I step on the brake to select a gear.

https://acurazine.com/forums/1-2g-mdx-2001-2013-166/my-remote-start-video-808513/

The Acura oem rs does what most people want from it, to heat or cool the car before entering. The aftermarket systems are a little more convienent that you don't have to re start the engine but no one has confirmed them working on an acura with a smart key.

 

Really? Thieves?

The car doesn't just start moving when you get in it while running, you need to put your key in the ignition and set it to the proper position. If you don't put the key in and try to shift the car/set the break, the car shuts off.

How it would work with our keyless system, no idea. I am sure that the local electronics specialists have it figured out.

 

ok...i (the op) just played with it...

i can start the car remotely and the doors stay locked (assuming i'm just far enough from the car). When i approach the car, the doors unlock, but the engine keeps running. When i open the door, the engine stops and i then need to restart it.

too bad that it needs to be restarted, but again the issue to me is 2 key fobs. the acura remote starter fob does everything the factory fob does, but (i assume) it will not let u drive the car w/o the factory fob. (it's also not as cool or nice looking as the factory fob).

 

My remote start fob has only 3 buttons, activate, off and on. It doesn't lock or unlock the door. I can get a pic of it is needed.

 

drothman, If your RS can unlock the doors it is not an Acura RS. I don't like the fact that I have to carry 2 fobs as well but it is what it is. I prefer it over hot interior during the Arizona summer.

 

See now I wish I had your problem. If I lived in your part of the country I wouldn't even get a remote start. Living in the Northeast though the winter is killer and that's when having a RS is really sweet.
I don't need another key fob for sure. Maybe I'll just live without the RS.

 

Once the car is has been started, the factory key-fob is not required to drive the vehicle.

 

imho, this RS that acura made is just completely pointless.

First of all, our cars do not need to pre-heat anything.. we can just start and drive off no problem..

secondly.. isnt the point of getting remote start is to have the ability to jump in your car without actually starting it.. at least to a consumers point of view. i mean come on.. you have to turn the car off then turn it back on.. doesnt it seem kind of ridiculous..


now if acura made it to where you can stick in your FOB key into the slot given to you without turning the car off to drive away then its worth it.. but as it sits.. no..

now some of you guys (with advance package) might say "oh in a hot day we can turn on our cars and have cooled seats, etc etc." good for you, it works best for you then, but not all of us or should i say a large percentage of us have advance package.

Some of you might also say to cool the car with A/C before you get in... it takes about 2 mins of driving to completely cool your car with your ac from the time you turn your car on and drive off.

not worth the extra effort to turn car off and on and top of that carry another fob key around.
items like this is made to make it more convenient for you to drive the car, but i dont see it that way..

 

Why do you keep posing in this thread when YOU'VE made it clear that YOU see no value in the RS? Why continue to beat the dead horse??? It's sounding to me like you have buyers remorse rather than not liking the RS.

Those of us that do have it will continue to enjoy using it. I mean, who wouldn't like the ability to push a button on the remote at about 5 minutes before quitting time to come out to a nicely cooled or heated car.

As if it takes the SLIGHTEST bit of effort to reach up and push the start button to restart.. OMFG!!! it's such a fricken bother... It just kills you that the car has to be restarted for some reason.. I can't figure that part out. So please, we know you are SOOO against this little BS piece of equipment..

 

i keep posting on this thread? please check again before you state something like that.. ive only posted once.... please double check!

and no i havent made my point yet as that was my first posting on this thread..

i havent read one good thing in this thread about remote start besides your comments.. its all negative things about the RS


it might not bother you, but why are people here posting that they dont like that feature and that carrying an extra key is such a bitch to do..

not everyone thinks like you buddy, realize that.

who is we? its only you

 

Let me change that. I am happy to have RS even though I have to carry 2 fobs and have to go so far out of my way and reach up and push a button to restart the car. When the interior car temp is a well above 120F in the middle of the summer here in AZ it makes it worth it just as it would if I still lived in KC and had some sub zero temps in the winter.

 

Thanks for the back up, not that we have to PROVE anything to Potzmilk. There is, no doubt, others that use this feature too. It's not a popular add-on as most people don't want to spend the money.

Car temps here is Houston reach 140. Like you said, I would use this if I still lived in St. Louis, Spokane WA or SOCAL.

Potzmilk, buddy , if it makes you happy to do your best to convince people not to get the RS, then carry on but when someone comes in and asks about the RS, I will ALWAYS tell them that the negatives (2 fobs, having to hurt your arm to push START and the huge extra work the starter has to do by being restarted) are FAR outweighed by the convenience of the unit. Carry on your civic duty, buddy. The Acura RS system may not be perfect but it works well.

 

A remote start is a "convenience feature" of which you pay for. You pay for convenience. There is alot of security features built in to these new vehicles that need to be bypassed to enable this technology - which comes at a price. Sure, there are aftermarket units that can be had at a lower cost, but that's typical when contrasting aftermarket to OEM accessories.

To me (and rightfully so) the convenience is being able to start the car to warm it up when it is -40C (yes, that is Celsius!) here in Canada.

The Acura RS is not perfect, but there will always be pros and cons.

My , eh!

 

Kinda wish I have the RS for my TL here in TX (25 days straigh 100F+) but just dont like the fact you have to restart your car and carry around a extra fob.

 

It's not as bad as you might think to do it but I certainly understand... a convenience offset by an inconvenience.

 

I'm totally glad I came to this forum before adding the remote start for the 2012 I just bought today. Never once was it mentioned to me that you would need to carry a 2nd FOB or have to restart the car before driving off. Those two facts are deal breakers for me, especially at a price of $750 w/ installation.

I am very surprised that a 2012 car with all the technology present couldn't get this one right. My 2005 Pontiac had a factory key with remote start on the same FOB. I'm going to miss the feature but having to carry around a 2nd, bulky FOB is just not worth that luxury for me.

 

I completely agree that this is a dumb solution. When initially had my auto I negotiated a remote start into the deal; however once I found out it was a separate remote I decided against it. I love my keyless start because I always leave my keys in my pocket and I can't imagine leaving another key that size in my pocket. Many manufactures have built a rs into the main fob; no reason Acura can't as well.

The having to turn the car off and then on is also annoying. Why can't they just make it in such a way where if it detects the fob in the car you don't have to turn the car off? Ie; you remote start it. Car still locked and if somehow somebody gets inside and puts it in gear it shuts off if it doesn't detect the key inside the car. However if you walk up to the car you get in and go since it detects your key. Just ideas for Acura to improve their system

 

I don't find that a very attractive idea, either, although I understand it. Even in 2012, I don't think I'd want this.

 

LOL... sorry but it just isn't as inconvenient as so many here let on. Let me put it this way, I use the RS every day. I carry both fobs and since I have a desk job, it isn't a problem, at all. I could see it being a PITA though.

I do wish they had combined the 2 fobs into one and believe they should have. I feel that what they do have is better than nothing!

 

Agree. Acura should have designed the keyless-entry/remote-control system with the remote starter (RS) in mind, rather than adding the RS to the accessory list as an after thought.

 

I wonder if this would work on the TL? It's a lot cheaper.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ENGIN...item2eb7a673c6

 

It still involves a second FOB though.

 

So my salesman just called me back to let me know that they could install an aftermarket remote start, on both factory key FOBs for $100 cheaper than the factory RS. There would no longer be a need to carry two FOBs and it is covered with 4-yr/50k mile warranty.

I think I am going that route. Any others get the same pitch from the salesman?

 

I know when I had a remote start installed in my previous car, when I stepped on the brake to start the car, it would stop. Have you tried just pushing the button without stepping on the brake? I could start my previous car with the key without stepping on the brake, and then when I went to put it in gear, I would step on the brake then and it would work totally fine. I don't know if it is possible or not in the TL.

On another side note, I had a new chrysler 300 as a loaner when my tl was in the shop, and they had the RS and everything in the one remote, and the car had the push button start as well. It is possible to have one fob, I prefer one fob, but it's not that big of a deal to have two if it's a feature you want.

I am thinking about adding remote start to my TL, but I am trying to see if I can use the viper smart start system from my iphone instead of having a second fob, but the response I'm getting right now from local installers is that I still have to turn off the viper alarm before I can open the door. Does anyone know if there is a way to just use the Viper for remote start ONLY, and not for the door locks or alarm?

 

Find out the name of the system and let us know if you go for it. I would be interested. If not one fob, I'm not going to bother doing it.

 

When I get the time (hopefully this week), I'm going to try out the Clifford Smart Start on my TL.

I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to carry a second remote with me and all I really want is the ability to start my car 5 minutes before I get to it.

The smart start hopefully will do the trick. You need an iPhone/Android/Blackberry phone to use it. But apparently, as long as your car is in an area that can get a cell phone signal, it will work.

I talked to a DEI tech and while he wasn't 100% sure, he said that all my factory keyless functions should remain unaffected by the remote start.

So essentially, I should be able to start my car with my iPhone, car should remain locked until I get to it, auto sense my key fob when I touch the handle, unlock and then all I have to do is push the start button so I can drive off. That's the plan anyways, we will see how that goes.

 

So any updates regarding your experience with the Clifford Smart Start slick 316?

Stew4HD you have the factory solution correct? Could you do me a favor and test the range of this device? I know they advertise 200'; I'm hoping that is somewhat conservative.

So my mother has been asking me for multiple years to get her a remote start for her 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD with Technology Package (keyless access system with push button ignition). While parties here have been debating the necessity of said device she wants it primarily to have the snow melted off the vehicle before entering (and otherwise have the vehicle ready for departure upon entering the vehicle). While having a separate FOB and vehicle shutoff are negative features, my real concern is the range. 200' may just not cut it considering her office building.

The Clifford and Viper Smart Start systems are enticing, particularly as she has a Blackberry. But do these require service plans (and thus annual fees)? More importantly though will these systems really seamlessly integrate with the Acura security, keyless entry, etc systems? Being an engineer that has some experience with systems integration I find myself highly skeptical...

 

Sorry for not updating this thread with whats been going on.

I had an issue with my xpresskit bypass module which caused all kinds of installation headaches (the module allows you to flash the correct firmware for your vehicle to it and apparently, the firmware for the 2012 TL was incorrectly labeled on xpresskits website. The 2009-2011 firmware was labeled as 2012.)

So for over a month, I have not had a remote start in my car. I will get the module flashed with the correct firmware next week and complete the installation, and at that point, I'll be able to give a proper review of the smartstart in the TL.

I will note this, my friend (installer) doesn't think that the remote start will work the way I want it to. I figured it would allow me to start the car, let the doors remain locked, unlock when I touch the handle, and instead of turning off when I push the start engine button, it should stay running. He doesn't believe this to be the case. Until I get it installed properly, I won't know, but he insists that at some point, the engine will turn off and I will have to start it again. A little disappointing, but I think it has to do with the push to start. My last two cars didn't have push to start and the remote starts worked seamlessly with them.

Hopefully all goes well and I have this darn thing installed in my car before it starts getting cold!