Has anyone installed a remote starter

This has been covered extensively in the past (use search to find the threads). The short answer is no, there is no Toyota remote start system for the Prius. It is probably -possible- to make an aftermarket one work, but it would be a silly idea, as it would throw out the theft-proofing of the car.

 

Remote starters are kind of a silly idea for the Prius. You would be money ahead to install an electric block heater, which will let you get heat right away and will improve your mileage.

Tom

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Sep 22 2007, 08:00 PM) [snapback]516352[/snapback]</div>

Regardless of other members nai opinions, it does have some advantages.

There is NOT such aproduct for the Prius in the market yet, it need to be manufactured but it is possible.

I installed mine a year in a half ago and another 3 more for customers in my former electronics repairs/install business. Now I have a more relaxing job and scheduled vacations.

I used DEI 2 way RF products (starter/alarm), requires a customized software programmer and few other electronic support parts, like 3 extra relays\; can work with original FOB or an specialized bypass for the ECU ( the expensive way). It is a lot of wiring harness taping and modifications.

In a scale 1 to 10, is an 11 for the beginner; a very good technician/installer professional can do it, putting to brains together.

I do not have nor I will do a guide on installing it, personal liabilities, a mistake and you can fry the Hybrid ECU and you can kiss good-by your factory warranty.

But it can be done for about $700.00 in Long Island, NY.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mrbigh @ Sep 22 2007, 08:14 PM) [snapback]516400[/snapback]</div>

Last spring I tried to install a remote start so that I could run the air conditioner before getting into a hot car. I figured out the logic to convert a standard remote start to the Prius system. What stopped me was the keyfob.

I tried a KEYOVERRIDE-SL to replace the keyfob, and actually managed to program it. But the Prius doesn't like what it has to say. My analog oscilloscope just shows a continuous chatter between the transponder key ECU and the keyfob. My guess is that the ECU doesn't like the KEYOVERRIDE-SL signal, so it keeps asking. A digital recording scope would allow debugging, but I don't currently have access to one. So the KEYOVERRIDE-SL was a frustrating way to burn $40.

Next I tried putting a keyfob in a generic immobilizer override box. The standard loop that is supposed to go around the ignition switch was too small to fit the keyslot. Even just stuffing the loop wire in the keyslot didn't seem to get a signal relayed between the override box and the keyslot. Never did actually look at the signals to see if anything was happening.

So I'm really interested in what actually works to satisfy the keyfob requirement.

I do have two ideas that might still work. The first is to use a standard keyfob, but with a switch added to the battery circuit. When the remote start needs the ignition enabled, then battery power is applied to the keyfob. The other idea is to add an additional keyslot with a batteryless keyfob. The remote start then has to switch over to the alternate keyslot when required.

The alternate keyslot seems the cleanest (no keyfob battery games), but there really should be some way to get a generic override box to work. Or is there some other databus bypass module that works?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RobH @ Sep 23 2007, 02:17 AM) [snapback]516464[/snapback]</div>

Actually there are 4 Relays included in my installation, I searched for some pictures on my servers and found some, I'm posting a couple of them for your consideration..........full size pix.

To have the car running 5 minutes before early departure to warm up the cabin and do some window defrosting or windshield ice melting is far more economical than have an EBH for 3 hours on a electrical timer, if you have the means to connect it some where.

My past customer park their vehicle on the NY busy streets or immediate areas and from far they do their thing in advance.

Always there are different situations for a custom job and these are not for every one.
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Sep 22 2007, 04:00 PM) [snapback]516352[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 22 2007, 07:20 PM) [snapback]516403[/snapback]</div>

I don't recall ever having instant effective heat while using my OEM block heater, no matter what the outside temps were. Typically I use the block heater when it's 20 degrees or less out and it's not all that great. I block the front grill completely once temps start staying below freezing consistently.

The OEM heater helps, but don't expect miracles. The demand for heat quickly outpaces the engine's ability to make hot coolant.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Boxster...WRX...Prius? @ Sep 24 2007, 05:29 AM) [snapback]516787[/snapback]</div>

And this is true with or without a remote starter.

Tom

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Sep 22 2007, 05:00 PM) [snapback]516352[/snapback]</div>

uhm..... ok.... but what about those of us in the desert that would like to COOL the car before we have to get in it? is there an engine cooler?



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 22 2007, 08:20 PM) [snapback]516403[/snapback]</div>

and another! why do you all assume that the only benefit for a remote start is to warm the car up????? i had remote start on a previous car and LOVED that i could cool the car down a bit before having to get in it when it was 120 degrees outside!

tunnel vision, i say! lol!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RobH @ Sep 22 2007, 11:17 PM) [snapback]516464[/snapback]</div>

SEE!!!!!!

 

block heater's no good if your car's parked in an outdoor lot at work all day.

there is an "OEM" remote starter for the camry hybrid that works with smart key, so it should be doable for the Prius. Can be ordered as factory or dealer-installed option. Too pricey for me, though.

rpm

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(desertbriez @ Sep 24 2007, 01:06 PM) [snapback]516924[/snapback]</div>

Air conditioning cooling begins as soon as you push the power button, whereas heating has to wait for the ICE to warm up (except for the small contribution of the electric heating elements). Also, cooling will produce a reduction in mpg, other than cooling the battery. A block heater will provide an improvement in mileage.

Personally, I don't use a block heater, even though we live in a cold climate. Neither my wife nor I use an automobile to commute to work. Our auto use is so infrequent that a block heater isn't justified. When I do drive, I just get in and go.

Tom

 

Last winter when my car was parked outside I used a dirt cheap solution.

A hair drier hung from the rear vision mirror
A simple timer
A flat extension cord that the door could close on

I would set the timer for 15 minutes before I was scheduled to leave. Sure, this is a *cabin* heater, not a *block* heater, so the car ran inefficiently at first, but at least the car was comfortable and the windows were clear.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(desertbriez @ Sep 24 2007, 10:06 AM) [snapback]516924[/snapback]</div>

This reminds me of the coolest technology I've seen in a car (outside of a Prius of course )

A few years ago I rode in a high-end Mercedes. It had solar panels on the roof, which powered an air conditioner. You could leave the car parked in the hot sun all day, but the interior stayed cool. With the car off, the A/C was powered *only* by the sun, *without* draining the battery.

(Maybe this is common, but it's the only time I've ever seen it)

 

It sure would be nice that the block heaters lovers would understand that we don't want them period, we want remote starters.

 

One HUGE disadvantage of the EBH is that it requires a place to plug in.
If you park in the street, this is a problem. And for many people, the parking lot at work will not provide any plug in.

A remote starter would work anytime and anyplace. Be that after a day at the slalom slopes or at the beach, the car can prepare for your return. I'd like to have it, but I don't think it's worth the cost and potential warranty issues.


-Stein

 

I've successfully tested a conventional universal immobilizer bypass on my 2006.

A universal immobilizer bypass is a small electronic circuit that relays signals between a transponder key and a coil in the ignition switch. It turns out that there is a conventional transponder chip inside a Prius keyfob.

My earlier attempts at installing a bypass box were unsuccessful because I didn't get the bypass coil close enough to the pickup coil in the keyslot. The conventional location of a pickup coil is a loop around the ignition switch. The effective place to put the bypass coil is under the keyslot, at the far left corner.

A complete keyfob really doesn't fit inside the universal bypass box that I have. But the active part, the transponder, fits easily. The Prius transponder is a block about 1/8 inch by 3/16 inch by 1/2 inch (or those on a rational measurement system, 2 mm by 5 mm by 12 mm).

I disassembled a keyfob, and used just the transponder from it. I used the cheapest black logo unit I could find on eBay. The black logo remote functions couldn't be programmed to my SKS Prius, but the keyslot function worked fine.

The keyfob transponder looks exactly like the pictures of a "Texas 4C" transponder that I saw on several locksmith websites. Since a transponder by itself is a $10 part, there ought to be some way to get Prius transponders in quantity for half of that. A locksmith with the equipment to read transponders could probably sort all of this out. Meantime the best source seems to be the cheapest black logo keyfob.

Now that I've solved the key validation problem, I should be able to install my remote start system once I figure out how to take enough of the dash apart (!).

 

I think that Toyota figured that most people who would purchase a Prius would be concerned with either fuel economy or emmisions. Either of these is not consistent with a remote starter. Since there is a greater amount of people buying the Prius, some are purchasing the Prius without regard to what effect a remote starter has on fuel economy or emissions. I guess there is a demand for this type of thing.