chappyja

I'm in Raleigh and have really only dealt with Hendrick Acura in Durham and Leith Acura in Cary. Hendrick is who has done my regular maintenance under the maintenance plan. I recently bought the OEM Remote Engine Starter kit and thought I would maybe pay a dealer to install it. The install estimate for a dealer is 1.3 hours and Hendrick gave me an install quote of $360!!! That's like ~$250/hour!!! Does anyone have experience with how much a dealer should charge for a 1.3 hour install that doesn't require any parts that aren't already included in an OEM kit????

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Well, that aren't called "stealerships" for fun.
and if you do go to a dealer, you should always bring lube.
Because they will bend you backwards

chappyja

I did get a "significantly" less estimate from Leith in Cary - I guess I'll be switching my vehicle maintenance over to them!!!

NooYawkuh

What exactly is included in that quote? That sounds like just installation, not including the kit or programming.

First of all, I don't see how the job can be done in 1.3 hours. They have to gut half the interior of the car just to install a little transponder in the headliner back near the shark fin antenna.

The kit alone is about $400 if you buy it and do it yourself. But then you have to go to the dealer anyway to have them program the remotes. That will run anywhere from $100-200.

Estimates I've gotten range from $600-800 for the whole shebang. So, I just use the app.

JB in AZ

The OP mentioned he had bought the OEM Remote Engine Starter Kit.

AcuraGuy2016

Living in a place with unbearably hot summers, some form of remote start is essential. Has anyone successfully negotiated this as part of the deal, or does the app work good enough? I'd think the app you'd be able to start it sooner, if it actually works.

JB in AZ

I think there have been some posts reporting the success of having it included in the deal, you'd have to search to find them.

Personally, I believe it is a poor decision for Acura to have made it an accessory, our previous '18 CR-V and now '20 CR-V both had/have it from the FOB from the factory. I'm sure the reason was, considering the Acura is an "upscale " vehicle, that buyers would not hesitate to subscribe to the Acura Link suite of electronic capabilities. And there may in fact be a higher "take" rate in this class of vehicle. I really don't know.

With that said, and living in one of the hottest places in the country, (southern Arizona, expecting ~112 today!), all of my vehicles have had the capability from the FOB going back many years, and I have only used it once or twice, as a novelty. I personally don't miss it. To make it worth while for me, I would need to be able to start the vehicle from inside the mall or restaurant, (farther than the range from the remote FOB) well before I approached the car, to be able to cool it enough to have made a difference...OH!....the Acura Link will do that! What do you now! Still don't need it. If I DID, I would suck it up and pay for the Acura link Subscription.

chappyja

I'm in NC and the heat in the Summer is killer. One reason I don't have the Acuralink sub any more is because where I spend a lot of time in the Western NC mountains, mobile service is spotty at best, if not non-existent. So, coming back from a sweaty hike or mountain biking in Dupont Forest when my car has been baking in the sun for hours, I'd love to hit the key fab and have it start with me having to get in it while sweaty nasty. Its a want, not a need.

So, dealership #2 that I called said they do it for $232, estimating 1.5 hours, which includes the programming of the new keys. I don't know if there is another way to have the keys programmed by a third party for cheaper?

I watched a YouTube video y'day of a guy doing the install himself and it is true, you have to basically dismantle the entire rear of your car LOL. I guess the other thing about the $232 is all of those parts and trim pieces that get yanked around, pulled and popped would be covered in the event that the dealer broke one. Not to mention the guy in the video stated that it took him FOUR HOURS for the install and that didn't include the key programming...

One odd thing the guy at the dealership said was since I didn't buy the kit through them he couldn't warranty it? My car is a 2019 w/25k miles on it and is covered under the factory warranty. I spoke to Acura about a different accessory that I purchased and they told me that all Acura accessories are covered under the same warranty as the vehicle itself, so I'm not sure how the dealership who installs the OEM kit can deny the Acura warranty?

NooYawkuh

Duh. How'd I miss that? A dislexic moment.

I'd say, if the OP has the kit already and the price quoted includes programming, that doesn't sound too bad. Dealers don't program fobs for free. It can be outrageous what some charge.

Someone posted a DIY installation video. It was ambitious, to say the least, unless you're really good at tearing apart and reinstalling car interiors. I've never had good experience with interiors.

JB in AZ

I say, have it installed for the $232 quote, and don't look back. Sounds like a deal to me!

WunderWagen

I thought someone had posted a short cut way of installing this that did not require removing all of the interior panels. If I remember correctly you just had to pull the rear panel clips out on the side panels which allowed you to remove the rear roof trim and from there you could lower the headliner down enough to install the kit. Less than 30 minutes of work as I recall.

I am sure you can find their post searching for it.

Dereileak

yep I posted that, there is a short cut way that you can do in about 30-60 minutes, just need to be careful not to scratch stuff, there is no way around having the dealer add the new keys, cost me $90, bring both your normal keys so they can verify they all work after programming

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rdx-.../#post16477157