A Ford dealer told me that using a non- Ford remote starter will cause the car to have problems.That will void the warranty .
Is there any truth that having a aftermarket remote starter will cause problems???
Recently, someone posted about the problems that she experienced with her 2008 CR-V after having an after-market remote starter installed. Following the installation, she smelled a faint burning odor, and afterward she noticed that the lights on her center console and in other interior locations had ceased functioning.
She took it to the dealership and was told that the installer of the remote starter had butchered the car’s wiring in the process of the installation and that repairing the damage would cost…IIRC…something on the order of $700.00 since this type of damage is certainly not covered by the car manufacturer’s warranty.
I have also heard of various malfunctions with aftermarket remote starters themselves that led to no-start problems after a couple of years. If you want a remote starter and if you don’t want to take chances with the car’s warranty, I suggest that you get the genuine article installed by the Ford dealership. This way, if any issues involving the device crop up later, they cannot dodge the issue. It will cost more, but I don’t think that you can afford to save money by getting the less expensive aftermarket version.
Well we get a lot more problems with remote starters reported than we should. It would appear to me they are all (Factory, dealer or independent) subject to problems.
Don’t buy one for the car’s sake. Cars are a lot happier driving at reasonable speeds to warm up than to idle. It is not good for your car. However if you don’t mind the possible repair issues and the possible extra wear on your car (it really is a small amount not big) and you want to be toasty warm when you get in the car, go ahead. Buy factory if possible if not find a GOOD shop and buy a GOOD model.
The car may be happy, but the owner may not.
I’ve had a remote starter on my Civic for the past 6 years(bought it in 01) and haven’t had any problems with it except for changing the battery in the fob. Though mine is just the simple lock/unlock remote starter. If I paid another $50 when I had it put it, they could have made it so it’d open my trunk lid as well, but I opted for the simple version. Had it installed by Ziebart up here in Marion. So, yeah, it is kind of important to find the right shop, and not Bubba Joe Bob down the road, to install it.
In my opinion, yes, a remote starter is likely to cause problems. We get lots of posts on this board about botched remote starter installations and the subsequent electrical problems.
I would not install an after market remote starter on any vehicle I own.
If you can get one from the factory, fine, but avoid the after market units.
And, YES, installation of such a device will void the warranty. That, by itself, is a good enough reason to skip the idea.
I had a remote starter aftermarket installed on a 1996 GM product. Never had any problems. Until one day it just stopped working (battery in the remote was OK) and that was it. Got about 4 years of use before it quit.
You have to realize that these things have tons of wires that connect to all kinds of systems in your car. Sounds like a simple thing, but in reality with all the sensors and gizmo’s in modern cars a mistake in wiring can short out something big, like your car’s computer.
The convenience is great, but the risk it great. I haven’t installed any more in the many cars I’ve had since. Recommend you skip it, but if you proceed do so at your own risk.