Remote car starters have become a popular upgrade for vehicle owners looking to improve comfort, convenience, and security. These systems allow you to start your car from a distance, ensuring it’s ready to go when you are. Today’s remote car starters offer much more than just a way to warm up your engine. Let’s explore the various features available and how they can transform your driving experience.

Heated Seat Integration

One of the most sought-after features in modern remote car starter systems is the ability to integrate with heated seats. Imagine stepping into your car on a chilly morning to find warm seats. Many remote start systems can activate this feature, providing an added layer of comfort.

When integrated properly, this feature automatically engages when temperatures drop, ensuring a cozy ride. Local mobile enhancement specialists can program these systems to match your preferences, making your morning commute more enjoyable.

Power and Proximity Door Lock Integration

Convenience and security go hand in hand with modern door lock integration options. Remote car starters can control your power door locks, allowing you to lock or unlock the doors with the push of a button. For vehicles with factory-installed power door locks, this feature integrates seamlessly, providing a reliable and convenient solution. Advanced systems enhance this functionality with proximity door lock activation. These systems sense when the remote is near the vehicle and automatically lock or unlock the doors. This is particularly useful when your hands are full or you’re in a hurry. Not only does this save time, but it also adds an extra layer of security by ensuring the vehicle locks when you walk away. Local mobile enhancement retailers can customize these features to suit your specific vehicle and preferences.

Rear Window Defrost Control

Cold weather mornings can be tough, especially when frost obscures your view through the rear window. Modern remote car starters can activate your rear window defrost, saving you the hassle of scraping ice. This feature works seamlessly with your vehicle’s defrost system, ensuring a clear view before you even step inside. For drivers in colder climates, this upgrade is a game-changer.

Vehicle Security Integration

Remote car starters with built-in security features provide peace of mind. Many systems offer options such as alarm integration, GPS tracking, and immobilizers. These features not only protect your vehicle but can also help reduce insurance costs.

For example, GPS tracking allows you to locate your car if it’s ever stolen, while immobilizers prevent the engine from starting without the correct remote or code. These advanced security measures are ideal for anyone looking to enhance their vehicle’s protection.

Additional Customization Options

Remote car starter systems are highly customizable to fit your specific needs. Some additional features include:

• Turbo Timer: Allows the engine to run for a set period to cool down the turbocharger, extending its lifespan.
• Smartphone Integration: Control your vehicle’s starter and security features through an app.
• Multiple Vehicle Control: Use one remote to manage several vehicles, perfect for families.

Trust a Professional for Installation

While the features of remote car starters are impressive, proper installation is critical. These systems involve complex wiring and require precise calibration to work seamlessly with your vehicle. An MECP certified professional can ensure your system is installed correctly and performs reliably. To learn more about the enhancements mentioned in this article, visit a qualified retailer near you.

Conclusion

Remote car starters offer much more than just the convenience of starting your car remotely. With features like heated seat integration, combined door locking solutions, and enhanced vehicle security, these systems improve both comfort and safety. By consulting a professional, you can ensure your remote starter is tailored to your needs and installed to the highest standards.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Many of the car stereo shops in the Northern US and Canada shift focus to installing remote car starters in the late fall. If you are shopping for a remote starter, you may be asked by the Product Specialist if you have two keys to the vehicle. Further, in a few applications, you may need to sacrifice a key to the vehicle for them to make the starter work. Let’s discuss why these two instances occur.

Two Keys Needed for Programming

Most automobile manufacturers include some form of anti-theft solution in their vehicles. These systems typically use a car key or key fob with a built-in security chip. When you try to start the car, the security system reads a code from the chip and compares it to what was programmed during manufacturing. If the codes match, the vehicle will start. If not, you’ll see a flashing security icon on the dash.

These chipped or encoded keys make stealing a new vehicle much harder. A thief could break the steering wheel lock and bypass the ignition wiring, but the vehicle still wouldn’t start.

Remote Car Starter Installation

You’ve heard the term bypass or interface when shopping for a remote car starter. The latter description isn’t great terminology, as these modules don’t bypass any of the security features in the vehicle. Instead, they are programmed as additional keys that are authorized to start the vehicle. It’s important to understand that your car or truck is just as safe once a remote car starter has been installed as it was before.

To program these interfaces to your vehicle, the technician must have two original keys. In an oversimplification of the process, they present each of the original keys to the vehicle when it is in programming mode and then teach the security system a code from the remote car starter interface module. For example, Ford vehicles from 2011 through 2014 require two keys.

Interface Programming Issues

One issue that often arises, particularly with used vehicles, is that while the owner might have two keys, one might be a clone of the other. This occurs when a key is lost and replaced by cloning the remaining unit. From a vehicle security perspective, either key will work, but the security system in the car or truck sees it as the same key.

The technician can’t access key programming mode for remote car starter installation because the process requires two keys, each with different codes. The only solution is to purchase a new key from the dealer and have it programmed into the vehicle. Unfortunately, this is expensive and typically costs more than $250.

If you are buying a used vehicle, ask specifically if the keys are original or if one is a clone of the other.

Giving Up a Key

Another scenario with remote car starters requires two keys. In the case of European vehicles like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volkswagen, there isn’t a simple way to program another key to the factory-installed security system. In these cases, you need to sacrifice one of the keys provided with the vehicle to the remote starter system.

The technician will install the key into a special module and hide it in the dash. The security code from the key is presented to the factory security system when the aftermarket remote car starter is activated. The technician working on your car must ensure that the module’s location is far away from the key cylinder to avoid permanently bypassing the security function.

Pick Who Installs Your Remote Starter Carefully

While installing a remote car starter on most cars or trucks is relatively simple for a trained technician, the factory-installed anti-theft systems on newer vehicles can present a challenge. Don’t be shocked if you are asked if you have two original keys to your car, truck, or SUV.

We can’t overemphasize the importance of choosing a professional to work on your vehicle. Shopping on price alone and not considering experience and reputation can lead to problems. Look carefully at the reviews for the shop you are considering. Further, please look at the information they present on their website. It’s often easy to pick out who the true professionals in your area are.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Unfortunately, concern over car and truck theft continues to increase. Thieves seem to work tirelessly to conjure up methods of bypassing factory-installed security systems. Our experience has shown that while a GPS-based tracking system might not prevent vehicle theft, it is your only hope of recovering your vehicle. Let’s look at geofence and location-based alerts to understand how they can help with day-to-day vehicle use and during those times when criminals have dragged your pride and joy away with a tow truck.

What Is a GPS-Based Tracking System?

When discussing a tracking system, we refer to something more elaborate than an Apple AirTag, a Tile, a Samsung SmartTag, or a Chipolo. While these devices are great for finding your keys, tracking a package, an unplanned world tour, or your luggage, they aren’t the best solution for helping you find your vehicle.

A professional-grade tracking solution combines three essential parts. First, there is a cellular data radio. This is the part of your smartphone that lets you surf the Internet. It works like your cable modem at home to send data to the Internet. Instead of wires, it sends the information wirelessly to a cell tower. Data to and from the cell tower is connected to the Internet.

Second, the tracking device will have a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is North America’s most commonly discussed system. However, other similar systems are in use. GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo are some of the different systems used worldwide. They all work the same way to allow the receiver to pinpoint a location, elevation, and even direction of travel.

Finally, a microcomputer chip takes data from the GNSS receiver and sends it to a data server using the cellular modem.

How Do Vehicle Tracking Systems Work?

Let’s say you’ve had a local specialty mobile enhancement retailer install a tracking system in your car or truck. If you want to know where your vehicle is, you’ll tap a button on a smartphone app or a website. That software will send a position request to the microcomputer in the tracking system over the Internet and cellular data network. The microcomputer will request the location information from the GNSS receiver and then send that back to the application you use. The application will display the vehicle’s location on a map service like Google Maps.

Some more elaborate tracking systems will have software that pushes information to your smartphone. For example, the Drone system from Firstech, the company that manufactures Compustar remote car starters, will notify the owner if the vehicle moves without the doors being unlocked. This could indicate someone attempting to tow the vehicle.

Location-Based Alerts

To this point, we’ve talked about the operation of tracking systems. However, the software these devices integrate with is crucial to the convenience and protection they offer. This leads us to a discussion of location-based alerts. For example, let’s say you are the parents of a teenager borrowing a family vehicle. If they can use the car to drive to school or work, you could use the tracking software to set up an alert around those geographic locations. You’ll receive an alert on your smartphone when the vehicle arrives at or leaves that area.

Location Alert Configuration Options

Depending on the brand of tracking system you are using, you may be able to define whether you receive an alert when the vehicle enters or exits a specific area. If you own, operate, or manage a fleet of vehicles and need to know when one is near a particular location, you can create a geofence around a parking lot. The image below shows a large parking lot outlined with a polygonal geofence. You could use this information to know when a driver left and returned in a company-owned vehicle.

A secondary benefit of a geofence, like what we’ve shown above, is the ability to monitor the operation of company-owned vehicles after work hours. For example, if you own a service company and your staff finishes work at 6 p.m., the vans should remain in your parking lot until at least 7:30 the following morning. If you’ve created a geofence around your facility, and a van leaves at 3 a.m., you’ll get a notification on your smartphone within a few seconds. There could be a legitimate emergency service call or someone stealing the vehicle.

Advanced Safety Features

Tracking systems can provide more than location-based information for corporate applications. Large corporations spend significant amounts of money on insurance each year. Many studies have proven that employees drive better when they know they are being monitored. Modern tracking systems can record vehicle speed and send a warning if a threshold is exceeded. More advanced systems might include an accelerometer or software to monitor the vehicle for abrupt acceleration, braking, or even cornering too quickly.

Battery Backup for Premium Protection

Sadly, car thieves are clever these days. When they steal a car, they often park it in a public lot a few cities away. If the vehicle is still there after a few days, the chances of it having a tracking system are slim. This saves them the time and hassle of searching through the vehicle for a tracking system.

Another method they use is to disconnect the battery. This is common if the vehicle will be shipped out of the country or if the thieves want to tow it somewhere so they can look for tracking systems or program new keys. A tracking system usually won’t work when the battery is disconnected. However, many tracking systems include a built-in backup battery. Most of these systems send a notification when the battery is disconnected and continue to provide updates for at least three or four hours.

Protect Your Vehicle With a Premium Tracking System Today!

While it’s logical to worry about thieves stealing luxury models like Lexus, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Range Rover, or Porsche, the reality is that an F-150, Silverado, Civic, CR-V, Ram 1500, Sonata, or Highlander are much more likely candidates for auto theft. Even if you’ve taken precautions like locking the vehicle in the garage and blocking it with a less tempting car, determined thieves always watch for opportunities to take your pride and joy.

A vehicle tracking system that’s appropriately integrated into the vehicle provides you with almost the only chance of recovering your car or truck. Even then, you need to act promptly and get the authorities involved. Drop by a local specialty mobile enhancement retailer today to find out what tracking solutions are available to keep tabs on and add convenience to your vehicle.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.