remote starter

I just did a push to start Lexus gs350 with no issues. I will soon be doing my wife's 08 Prius. The install will be easy and wont even need to give up a fob. My shop is in Holbrook, Mass if you want to take a drive to get it done.

 

My Son is in the business and does push to start all the time. Has done the new Lexus Hybrid. Won't touch my Prius and none of his other contacts are willing to an install on my car. Difference seems to be the Prius is a ground up developed Hybrid rather than a conversion.

 

I can do it. PM me if interested

 

I did mine in a more roundabout way than you are probably thinking for your own, but it was really cool. My way was very hack-and-slash and I did sacrifice a keyfob, but it was worth it.

i can start or stop the car and lock or unlock the doors via sms text message.

the trick was setting it up so node 0 of the carpc v2 was always on. it means the car MUST run once every eight days or so, but whatever. if i ever go away for longer than that i'll just tell node 0 to shut off and then worry about whether it boots again when i get home.

~ dan ~

ubuntu 7.04 is on both nodes.

 

that sounds very cool, yet very painful.

 

I'm VERY happy with it, but I constantly worry there's some ridiculous security flaw that will only be exposed when I discover my car is GONE.

~ dan ~

It would be in the node, if someone could break in and get it to run programs of their choosing, they could own my car.

 

Whenever I see threads about remote start, I think it must be people worried about car bombs.

If people do this to start the car and let it idle to warm the cabin, why bother with a Prius? Your MPG will be slammed: the car is getting zero MPG while it sits there.

 

In another thread, a gentleman measured the idle consumption at 0.3 gallon per hour.

A 5 minute remote start warm-up period ( 0.3 gallon / 12 = 0.025 gallon) on a 25 mile drive decreases your fuel efficiency from 50 mpg to 47.6 mpg.

 

The purpose of a remote start is to get the car ready for usage before you actually get into it. These days the engine generally doesn't need to warm up before driving off. But the heater or air conditioner is a different matter.

If my windshield is fogged up, I'm not going anywhere until it is sufficiently cleared to drive safely. So the issue is not how long the car idles before I drive off - the issue is whether or not I have to be in the car to start the process. A remote start would make life a lot easier.

The same holds true for hot weather. If the car is too hot to use, then I have to open it up, start the air conditioner, and then get back out and bake in the sun while the air conditioner makes the car cool enough to use. Being able to press a button on a remote when I get to the checkout stand would be an improvement. The alternative is to leave the car running the entire time I'm in a store (that electric air conditioning is fantastic! The engine actually runs only about 1 minute out of 6). A remote start would allow me to only run the air conditioning just before I return to the car, instead of the entire time I'm in a store.

 

I finally installed a remote starter in my wife's Prius. Installation was fairly easy. (I do this for a living) I did not have to modify or lose a keyfob. If anyone has any questions.....fire away.

 

For those who have had remote starters successfully installed...brand?, model?, problems? Thx, awiz11

 

Thanks for your offer dpool34. A few questions...

Which immobilizer bypass do you recommend? I've successfully installed a universal bypass with a transponder removed from a fob, but that obviously uses up one of the potential fobs, and is rather expensive. I assume you add logic to indicate that the fob is inserted into the keyslot.

How do you handle transition to READY mode? Do you just emulate the sequence that a person uses (insert fob, press brake, press POWER)? Or do you connect the ignition/accessory outputs to the Prius power lines (or maybe to the relays?).

Can the remote be used to disable the remote started mode? What happens if you use the remote start while the car is already in READY mode? Wouldn't pressing POWER when the car is already running turn it off? Or does the remote start refuse to start a car that is already running?

How to you detect a successful start? Detecting RPM obviously isn't the right signal. Does voltage detect work?

Is it possible to keep the standard security system active while in remote start mode?

 

I used a prestige xr6900 for the remote starter and for the bypass I used the idatalink ads-tbsl-ko. The idatalink unit will allow simulation of pushing the power button while pushing the brake (in order to start the car). It also will bypass the transponder so you dont have to sacrifice a fob. It even gives a tach signal output to wire to the remote starter. After remote starting the car, the factory fob keyless will not work, so you have to unlock the door with the remote starter remote. This will also start a 45 second countdown for you to enter the car and press the brake and drive away. If you press the brake without unlocking from the starter remote or after the 45 seconds, the car will shut down. Here is a link to the idatalink module ADS-TBSL KO

 

In cold climates why not just use an Engine Block Heater? It actually improves your mpg and you have warm air right off the bat.

 

The Idatalink device is much more than just an immobilizer bypass. It translates the signals that standard remote start devices generate into something that works on a Prius.

I designed a circuit with 7 relays, including delay time functions, that sort of did the same job as the Idatalink device. I still wasn't happy with the functionality, and decided that I would have to use a microprocessor device to really get the job done. It looks like Idatalink already did that job and more.

It appears that most any remote start device can be used, and the Idatalink device will provide the interface to the Prius. The only weakness that I can see is that the standard Prius alarm system is disabled while the remote start is active. So if you use it in a hostile environment, you may want to add an aftermarket alarm system. Since you only use it for a few minutes, and the door locks are still intact, the exposure is minimal.

As for an engine block heater, a remote start doesn't change the need or usage of it. If it makes sense without the RS, then it still makes sense with the RS. But if your car is left outside where there is no power available for the heater, then the RS is a solution to getting the car usable in less time than it would otherwise require. And in hot weather, it's the only solution.

My Idatalink ADS-TBSL-KO is on order.

 

Glad I could help

 

No, sorry
Even at a warm 0 deg C (32F) 5 hours of block heating still won't give you "warm air right off the bat". The car still needs to run 5mins before you get nice warm air to heat the passenger cabin sufficiently.
5mins is still better than 10mins of running however, but it's not "right off the bat", and I haven't seen real cold temperatures yet.

 

I just installed a remote starter on my 2005 Prius and it works great :thumb:.

Remote Starter: Autostart 1755
Bypass Module: idatalink ADS-TBSL KO

Plus two relays, one 1k resistor and 4 diodes. (following idatalink guide)

Note: if you disconnect the battery during intallation, don't forget to turn off that annoying reverse beep again and progam the auto-window that is disabled (P41 Owner manual) (on the 2005 at least)

 

Syco, you did that yourself or went to an installer?

dpoole, if you were having trouble getting the warranty honored because of that, how hard is it to remove the remote starter, and does it leave a "trace" (spliced cables, etc)

Thanks