remote starter?

I would like to get one in my 06 leggy, (auto) for my wife since we jsut had a baby in ocotober we want to warm/cool off the car for him before he gets in there.

 

so i went to best buy to get a price... and quite frankly it was outrageous... like 400 bucks or so... needless to say i dont' dare paying that much. But it did raise a question or two

 

1) do we need the "bypass" that simulates the key being in the ignition in order to turn on and if so

 

a) I need a spare key (i only have one) i dont' wanna pay the

stealership 80 bucks for the key.

b) where should i get a key from?

c) can i program the key myself?

 

2) what remote starters do you reccomend? i would like one that comes with a key pad to unlock the doors. i am not looking to spend a ton of money just want something that works.

I dunno about labor charges because I do my own but the parts cost for what I used cost the following:

 

Two way starter- 200

Immobilizer bypass module- 50

Standard 12v relay- 5 bucks

Key programmed from dealer- 80

 

To answer your questions to the best of my knowledge...

 

Yes you need the immobilizer. Yes you will lose a key. No you cannot program the key yourself, dealer does this.

 

Any one way or two way unit will unlock the doors for you. I like the two way units because they have a longer range. You can also get a starter/pager/alarm unit that are pretty good.

 

The price you were quoted sounds reasonable, only thing is they are probably using a lower end starter. It will work fine and you will be happy with it though.

short answer

Yes,locksmith,no

I just put a Avital unit in since it was cheap and made by DEI

Long answer

They show a unit that will do the bypass without a key but from what I can tell its no longer made, I just used the key in the box. I had only one spare key so I had the locksmith code two keys keys for me for $ 130. You have two choices- have them make a exact copy of the key or teach the car the new key codes.

I used an Avital 2 way alarm/remote start unit, it comes with two remotes one just trasmits and the other one shows the status of the car ie. running or door open. Just so you know and your not shocked you will need to buy 1- the alarm unit 2-key bypass unit 3-Subaru interface unit. I took my time and I spent about 5 hours on the install and programing, $400 installed may not be so bad.

400 installed is fair, it's a lot of labor and it's nice to have a guarantee that it's installed right if anything gets weird on you.

 

That being said, I won't let anyone work on my car at best buy without talking to the person who will be doing the install first. I want to know that he's done remote starts on my make and model (or at least make and year), that he's knowledgable about every part he's going to install, and above all I need to know he's not still in training.

 

I worked at best buy in college and man, we had some dumb asses end up working in our install bay. One guy mounted an amp with crazy long screws and put holes in the gas tank of this guy's Yukon. After his wife complained of headaches and he realized there was a fuel smell (dude had a newborn too) best buy ended up buying him a new Yukon to skip the lawsuit.

 

Just make sure you trust the guy doing the install. Also most of the alarm brands are the same (DEI makes clifford, viper, python, and others) so if you're going to install it yourself don't bother going brand name and you'll save around 50% The brain and remote units are literally interchangeable - and all will skuff, scratch, and get beat up regardless of name. I'm actually surprised nobody has tried to make one with a nicer face that won't scratch and nicer paint/plastic that won't fade/rub off.

 

I didn't require any kind of "subaru interface unit" for mine, not really sure exactly what that does but my install went ok without one. I did blow apart the relay on the brake light switch which was a huge PITA. So be careful messing with that since it's apparently spring loaded.

 

Cheapest coded keys I've found to be at Ace Hardware, but I don't know if they are in PA or offer key cutting/coding in their stores there.

 

I love my remote start and 1 mile remote range (more like .5 miles max, maybe 1 mile line of sight) and the remote alarm notification saved me from a hit and run one time. Definitely worth the cost of the alarm.

The interface does the two step unlock, arm and disarm the factory alarm, key sense, uses the factory door pins. You need to find a light flash, brake light and hood pin .

Avital makes a good affordable alarm.There are bypass modules that are programmable to your car so you don't need another key.Its a fair price,wiring the bypass and everything is time consuming and labor intensive.

http://www.avital.com/

http://www.idatalink.com/

I use the idata link when i need to have a transponder and they work great and are affordable