Remote Starter kit for 02 Forester?

[Tony Hwang]

I do agree that in this part of the country, the coldest we usually
see is around zero degrees F. So i'm sure people that see real cold
weather knows how to deal with it.

I've always have done what's best for the car engine. I always try to
pamper my car to get the most out of it. This is why I don't like
remote starters. However, I can see in some circumstances it might be
the best choice.

Usually the coldest time comes at night. And at night I'm usually home
and have access to an electrial outlet. During the day we usually ONLY
see temp in the low teens. So when I'm at work and leave for the day
and it's this cold. I start the car and let it idle for a few minutes
to get the oil circulating, then drive using low RPM's as possible
until the car starts to warm up.

I can't image really cold temp like people see in Canada. My goal in
life is to live somewhere where the only ice I see is on the mug of my
beer. ;-)

Hi,
You're not real man then. LOL.
Begining to dislike cold weather as I age.
Becoming snow bird. I think human is designed to be a
tropical animal.
Tony

 

[Dan Duncan]

I've always have done what's best for the car engine. I always try to
pamper my car to get the most out of it. This is why I don't like
remote starters. However, I can see in some circumstances it might be
the best choice.

Usually the coldest time comes at night. And at night I'm usually home
and have access to an electrial outlet. During the day we usually ONLY
see temp in the low teens. So when I'm at work and leave for the day
and it's this cold. I start the car and let it idle for a few minutes
to get the oil circulating, then drive using low RPM's as possible
until the car starts to warm up.

If you "start the car and let it idle for a few minutes to get the
oil circulating" anyway, what difference does it make to the car
whether you turn the key or press a button from indoors?

There is NO difference in what happens to the car, but it can
save the driver a few minutes of cold (or hot) weather.

-DanD

 

[Bobby]

Remote starting a car and letting it run 2-4 minutes before you get in on a
cold MT winter morning places NO extra stress on the car.

"This is why they make them,
to pamper the driver by place more stress on the car."

I'm pretty sure the damage he was referring to was that caused by people
setting their car to cut on/off throughout the night/day instead of using a
block heater. The continuous starting and stopping of the engine just to
keep the engine compartment warm is extremely harsh.
I think everyone can agree that if you start it with a key or push a button
on a remote, starting the car is starting the car. It makes no difference.
No one said that it'll be hard on your engine to start it with a remote
starter (at least that I read)...

 

[David Betts]

I'm pretty sure the damage he was referring to was that caused by people
setting their car to cut on/off throughout the night/day instead of using a
block heater. The continuous starting and stopping of the engine just to
keep the engine compartment warm is extremely harsh.
I think everyone can agree that if you start it with a key or push a button
on a remote, starting the car is starting the car. It makes no difference.
No one said that it'll be hard on your engine to start it with a remote
starter (at least that I read)...

It has always been regarded as bad practice to leave an engine idling
to warm up, though. Much better to drive it gently until the oil is up
to temperature.

David Betts
(e-mail address removed)

 

[TG]

It is unsafe to drive off in certain weather conditions before things warm
up a bit, scraping the windows only helps for a minute in some situations.
When it is very cold and the humidity is right your breath will fog the
inside and sometimes freeze inside the windows.
I have my vehicle on a timer and any time it is -10F or colder the 2 block
heaters and battery heater come on 1 hour before I head to work. If weather
conditions warrant I also remote start the car 2 minutes before I leave.
I suppose some might think it lazy to not just wade thru the snow and then
come in, take my shoes off, blow dry my now fogged up glasses, put shoes
(and coat) back on again and head back out....I would be an idiot if I
didn't use the simple inexpensive conveniences at my disposal. TG

 

[Mark]

If you "start the car and let it idle for a few minutes to get the
oil circulating" anyway, what difference does it make to the car
whether you turn the key or press a button from indoors?

There is NO difference in what happens to the car, but it can
save the driver a few minutes of cold (or hot) weather.

-DanD

I'm Sorry, but your wrong. The difference is..

1) I don't do this every hour (or 2.. or 4) during a cold winters
night. Each time you start the cold engine, wear is taking place. If
you start the engine and then let it idle for 5 minutes then shut if
off, that's unecessary wear. If it's that cold outside, the engine
will quickly cool off to outside temp within 30-45 minutes. So, not
much is accomplished. (I'm not even going to mention the drain on the
battery)
2) During the coldest part (usually at night) i'm at home and used a
block heater only. When I was at work (and didn't have access to an
electrical outlet) i used the "start and let it warm at idle for a
few" technique.

Hate to keep on about this, but their IS a difference. A remote
starter can ONLY start a car that's cold (whatever the outside temp
is) and warm it up. The starting of a cold engine means that for the
first few minutes cold oil is (trying) to circulate to the valves and
other parts of the engine. As oil is trying to pump around the engine,
metal to metal contact is taking place and that produces wear.

A block heater keeps the coolant warm (and in turn the oil) so when
you start the engine on a cold day, warm coolant (and therefore some
what warmer oil) is circulating in the engine. In my *tests* I would
see the block heater keeps the coolant around 55 degrees F during the
coldest part of winter. I would rather have 55 degree oil and coolant
in my engine at startup than outside temperature coolant/oil.

I'm sorry to say this, but the benefit of a remote start is ONLY for
the driver. The car does not benefit. By far the bigest enemy of a
engine is wear. And the biggest cause of wear is metal-to-metal
contact.

 

[Tony Hwang]

It has always been regarded as bad practice to leave an engine idling
to warm up, though. Much better to drive it gently until the oil is up
to temperature.

David Betts
(e-mail address removed)

Hi,
Driving, Hmmm... It should read driving as soon as you can after
starting/idling. In extreme cold, can't even move the stick right after
starting.
Ever lived in arctic or sub-arctic world? North of us(I am in Alberta)
in the sub arctic zone, they never turn off car once it starts in the
morning. Ever saw brake line freezing?
Tony

 

[David Betts]

Driving, Hmmm... It should read driving as soon as you can after
starting/idling. In extreme cold, can't even move the stick right after
starting.

By all means. The above was intended as no more than a simple
statement of fact; ie 'It has always been regarded as bad practice'.
When I used to use a car early every morning in winter whilst leaving
it parked outside, I always let it idle for a couple of minutes while
I scraped the ice.

Ever lived in arctic or sub-arctic world? North of us(I am in Alberta)
in the sub arctic zone, they never turn off car once it starts in the
morning. Ever saw brake line freezing?

Once you've started a modern car you should never turn it off before
it is fully warmed up anyway. The warm-up cycle is computer
controlled. If it's not completed to the satisfaction of the computer
it may well not allow the car to start again for several minutes.

David Betts
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Dan Duncan]

I'm Sorry, but your wrong. The difference is..

Really? Would you underline exactly which statement
I made is wrong?

1) I don't do this every hour (or 2.. or 4) during a cold winters
night. Each time you start the cold engine, wear is taking place. If
you start the engine and then let it idle for 5 minutes then shut if
off, that's unecessary wear. If it's that cold outside, the engine
will quickly cool off to outside temp within 30-45 minutes. So, not
much is accomplished. (I'm not even going to mention the drain on the
battery)

I never mentioned starting the car every hour to keep it warm.

I said that when you do start the car, it makes no
difference on engine wear whether your ass is actually in it.

2) During the coldest part (usually at night) i'm at home and used a
block heater only. When I was at work (and didn't have access to an
electrical outlet) i used the "start and let it warm at idle for a
few" technique.

At which point it makes NO DIFFERENCE whether you are sitting
in the car while it idles.

Hate to keep on about this, but their IS a difference. A remote
starter can ONLY start a car that's cold (whatever the outside temp
is) and warm it up. The starting of a cold engine means that for the
first few minutes cold oil is (trying) to circulate to the valves and
other parts of the engine. As oil is trying to pump around the engine,
metal to metal contact is taking place and that produces wear.

And this differs from starting the cold car by turning the key
HOW exactly?

A block heater keeps the coolant warm (and in turn the oil) so when
you start the engine on a cold day, warm coolant (and therefore some
what warmer oil) is circulating in the engine. In my *tests* I would
see the block heater keeps the coolant around 55 degrees F during the
coldest part of winter. I would rather have 55 degree oil and coolant
in my engine at startup than outside temperature coolant/oil.

Which has what to do with anything I've said?

I'm sorry to say this, but the benefit of a remote start is ONLY for
the driver. The car does not benefit. By far the bigest enemy of a
engine is wear. And the biggest cause of wear is metal-to-metal
contact.

I never said the car benefitted. I said the car didn't necessarily
suffer any more without a remote starter than it does with one.

Perhaps you are confused?

-DanD

 

[TG]

By all means. The above was intended as no more than a simple

statement of fact; ie 'It has always been regarded as bad practice'.

Fact? I have never heard this before and have been driving profesionaly for
23 years.

Once you've started a modern car you should never turn it off before
it is fully warmed up anyway. The warm-up cycle is computer
controlled. If it's not completed to the satisfaction of the computer
it may well not allow the car to start again for several minutes.

Where do you come up with this stuff? TG

 

[Tony Hwang]

Really? Would you underline exactly which statement
I made is wrong?

Hi,
Where I live, if car is parked outside for the night in the winter,
often times it won't start because car is TOO cold inside/ouside.
If it was started and warmed up once in the night, it'll start in
the morning even if the car cooled off after shutting off.
How cold can it get here? It can get cold enough to see ice slush
inside battery. Is it cold enough for you or did you ever experience
cold weather like we have. Name of the game for us in winter is to make
sure car starts in the morning to go to work. Who cares about wear and
tear? Any thing we need and use always wear out needing replacement.
You sound like a guy trying to hang onto a car for the rest of your life
or treat like no. 1 asset you have. To me car is a neccessary evil which
I'd be glad if I could do without it.
Further up North from where I live, just running the engine all day is
not enough, they tie down pick up trucks on a jig like merry go round to
keep them in motion in low gear until they need to drive one.
Tony

 

[Tony Hwang]

By all means. The above was intended as no more than a simple



Fact? I have never heard this before and have been driving profesionaly for
23 years.




Where do you come up with this stuff? TG

Hi,
Warm up cycle is computer controlled?
How? What does ECU do for warming up the car?
My definition of warmed up car is one I can drive off without any
hesitation or jerkiness, or difficulty with shifting gears.
Simply, warmed up car is drivable normally.
Been driving ~50 years, I never encountered any unusual problem with
cold weather. Today's computer controlled car needs less idle(warm up)
time compared to old carb. engine cars for obvious reason.
Tony

 

[TM]

I always saw the highest oil pressure readings when the oil was colder.

 

[Tony Hwang]

I always saw the highest oil pressure readings when the oil was colder.

Hi,
What is the temp. in your coldest part of winter? Sounds like you value
your car more than yourself? I don't. I value myself more than my car.
Benefit to me is MORE important than benefit to any car.
Tony

 

[Phil]

Point is, the car was purchased to serve me. I didn't buy the car to serve
it. Here in Montreal the temperatures go down to around -40 with the
wind-chill factor, so I'm happy to have the remote starter to let my baby
run for 10 or 15 minutes before getting inside. Not everyone has access to
an outlet for either a battery blanket or block heater! When we've had
freezing rain, letting her run for 15-minutes melts all the ice, or at least
makes it soft enough for me to wipe off with my hand rather than damage the
trimming, metal or glass with the scraper....which does happen. I've set
mine to come on when it goes below -15. I don't buy the 'unnecessary wear'
argument'. Your point was well made, Tony.

Phil
Montreal, Quebec

 

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Phil
Some folks don't have any idea about cold weather driving.
Tony
Calgary, AB

 

[Mark]

Really? Would you underline exactly which statement
I made is wrong?

Sorry Dan, think we got some crossed wires. My actual "your wrong"
statement was ment for an earlier post. My bad....

Everyone treats their cars differently. In my case, I try to make it
last a long time and try to do what's best to keep it running in top
shape. Other treat their cars less nice. Nothing wrong with that.
They bought the car so they can do whatever they want. My only
intention is to point out the differences between a remote starter and
a block heater. They each have pros and cons. A well informed car
owner needs to know each to make the best decision for them.

I think all will now agree that we have throughly covered this issue
and have left no stone unturned. ;-)

 

[Dan Duncan]

Where I live, if car is parked outside for the night in the winter,
often times it won't start because car is TOO cold inside/ouside.
If it was started and warmed up once in the night, it'll start in
the morning even if the car cooled off after shutting off.

Sounds like a great strategy when an outlet is not available.

Further up North from where I live, just running the engine all day is
not enough, they tie down pick up trucks on a jig like merry go round to
keep them in motion in low gear until they need to drive one.

My truck (ex-military) has what they call the arctic package. It
has a handheld gas-powered turbine (picture a big leaf blower) which
slides into a fitting under the front bumper. From this fitting,
pipes carry the hot exhaust from the heater around the engine and
the battery box. Once the engine has been warmed up, it can be started.
The heater can then be removed and a nozzle is fitted over the end
and the jet of hot exhaust can be used to de-ice the vehicle. The
heater then slides into a fitting where its exhaust drives a fan that
pulls cold air over its exhaust pipes and into the rear compartment
for heating. It's pretty cool, but I've never actually used it. The
coldest I've ever started the engine was about 5F and I was glad to
have a 24V system.

-DanD

 

[Dan Duncan]

Sorry Dan, think we got some crossed wires. My actual "your wrong"
statement was ment for an earlier post. My bad....

No problem.

Everyone treats their cars differently. In my case, I try to make it
last a long time and try to do what's best to keep it running in top
shape. Other treat their cars less nice. Nothing wrong with that.
They bought the car so they can do whatever they want. My only
intention is to point out the differences between a remote starter and
a block heater. They each have pros and cons. A well informed car
owner needs to know each to make the best decision for them.
I think all will now agree that we have throughly covered this issue
and have left no stone unturned. ;-)

I remember one episode of Car Talk that discussed this. The caller's
current approach was to leave a space heater sitting on the back seat
with an extension cord running to the house. 30 minutes before he
left for work he would plug in the heater. By the time he left the
interior was warm and the glass was clear. His question was whether or
not he should add an engine block heater. Click and Clack were of the
opinion that based on where he lived (somewhere not terribly cold)
that the car wouldn't suffer without one and his real goal was his comfort,
not that of the car. I think in that case that if it were me, I would add
the engine block heater since he's already having to mess with an
electrical cord and obviously has the spot to plug one in.

-DanD

 

[Phil]

I'd also add that my remote comes in handy when it's +40-degrees C with the
humidex. Before I turn the car off, I leave the A/C & fan dial mid-range
and let her run for about 5-minutes before getting inside. I'll admit,
however, that if we here in Montreal didn't get alot of freezing rain &
sleet accumulate on the windows (I've seen freezing rain accumulate almost
half an inch thick) I'd opt for the block heater & battery blanket.
Nonetheless, if the remote doesn't waer her out, the shitty roads and
road-salt here in Montreal will.

Phil
Montreal, Quebec