Ok living up here in the land of cold and snow up to your you know what..... :'( it would be very nice to have a remote starter for the new truck when it gets here. I have been searching the net and found that their are starters that will work with the diesel and manual transmission. So does anyone have any good or bad experience with any? Or better yet, why is it that Dodge doesn't offer one from the factory, I was surprised that is wasn't an option when I ordered.

 

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I had an AutoCommand in my 01 6 spd, and thought it was fantastic. I really liked the run for 10 minutes ever 2 hours thing when there wasn't a plug-in handy. I haven't gotten one in my 03 yet, as AutoCommand doesn't have the wiring for them, but I'm hoping it'll be soon...<br><br>Rod

 

That sounds encuraging. I assume then that it is wired into a sensor that tells when it is in neutral?

 

Unfortunately, no. Thats the only thing I didn't care for. When I talked to AutoCommand about it, they said they couldn't find a mechanism that was reliable enough to detect neutral with any kind of regularity. To arm the command start, you must first place the E-brake on, then click a button on the FOB. Then get out of the truck, close the door (the interior light will go off then) and click the FOB again. Its armed. If you forget something in the truck, and have to open the door again, the starter disarms and you have to restart the truck, and go through the motions again. Another thing I didn't care for is that you have a time limit to click the FOB the second time, otherwise the truck shuts off. When I get it installed on the 03, I'm going to see if they can disable some of the safety crap, like the automatic kill and the disarm when the door is opened again.<br><br>Rod

 

It does sound like a pain, that is for sure. Imagine where your truck would go if you left it in gear :'(<br><br>I don't suppose by chance that Dodge added any sort for nuetral switch in 2003.<br><br>If you trust yourself enough you could just set it up like an automatic and not have any of the safety stuff ???

 

[quote author=Mopar_Mudder link=board=17;threadid=5845;start=0#54283 date=1034874756]<br>If you trust yourself enough you could just set it up like an automatic and not have any of the safety stuff ???<br>[/quote]<br><br>You'd have to buy one for an automatic, and then I'd guess it would have to wire into the gear indicator somehow, so it wouldn't start in anything other than Park.<br><br>Rod

 

I installed on in a Jeep for a guy (was an automatic), and I don't recall being wired anywhere into the gear stuff.<br><br>It all comes down to why doesn't Dodge do it from the factory, would be pretty simple then!!!!

 

You might try a Viper System. I have one with remote start and alarm system all in one. My truck is an auto though.
Won't hurt to check, mine has all the bells and gadgets.
As far as a delay for the diesel they give a delay in the start cycle for warm up before starting.

 

[quote author=Mopar_Mudder link=board=49;threadid=5845;start=0#msg54283 date=1034874756]
It does sound like a pain, that is for sure. Imagine where your truck would go if you left it in gear :'(

[/quote]

Buddy of mine has remote start on his 5 spd stang. Accidentally left it in gear and it tried to start and ended up hitting another car. He's now being charged with hit and run.

 

You can disable the Neutral Safety Switch on the vehicle and it will no longer require the driver (or the remote starter system) to depress the clutch in order to crank the engine. Yes, you have to be sure not to leave it in gear when you park it, but this an be habituated.

I'm in the market for a remote start system myself. Anybody have any good links to information/review sites on these systems?

 

I have an AstroStart model 4204. Very nice remote starter with all the bells and whistles. Remote has a little LCD with two way communication so you know if your diesel started when it is really cold outside. 10 to 20 second time delay for "glow plugs" before it starts (you pick which one). Clutch bypass for sticks with a sensor for neutral (so I was told, I got the auto). 2000 foot range, 20 minute run time, and many more features if you are willing to pay. Base model usually starts at $400 installed and goes up from there. Extras are integrating with existing elec door locks, integrating with existing alarm, the diesel option for delayed start, etc. After all the bells and whistles I wanted it ended up being $650 installed. Local stereo shop in town sells and installs them. I love it....well worth the money up here. Has never failed to start.

 

Man! Quite a hefty price tag there!

I've been looking at all the different remote start options all night tonight. I've looked at everything from the cheaper no-name systems on eBay to the highest-end name brand systems (like Directed Electronics, Inc.) at online retailers.

I found this really great deal on a DEI Python 881XP HERE for $235 and I'm thinking about getting it and then installing it myself. Yeah, it's a pretty big chore to install one of these if you don't do them all the time, but I'm good at this kind of thing and would really enjoy the challenge of doing it all just right. So what do y'all think? $235 for a system like that on a truck like mine? Sound good?

 

Sounds good. The price on the AstroStart if I was to install it myself was right around $300 with the fancy two way LCD. The installation is where they get you. I'm color blind, so I wasn't going to attempt the install which involved tapping into 50 different wires in various shades of light blue . The guys that installed mine do this stuff for a living, so often that they did the entire install without having to refer to the manual, and it still took over 4 hours to do it...very involved process. You can see where the labor could add up quickly. Also, if you have the gray key with the security chip inside (I think we all do), you will have to have another key made for the auto start to work. Mine has a box under the dash with a blank key inside that contains a mirror copy of the chip. That allows you to install an auto start without disabling the anti-theft feature. Just having the locksmith guy make this key and copy my security chip cost $50. Don't know if they all work that way though. Good luck!

 

Just to throw in my 2cents, I have the Black Widow BWFM7150. It does not have a neutral safety switch for the stick guys although you can bypass as mentioned. It is a full alarm with the remote start feature. It also has the two way lcd communication which not only tells you when the truck is running, but also alerts you if the alram goes off. It also uses a different bypass for the grey key, you need both grey keys to program a seperate "bypass box". It allows the factory imobilizer to function when the alarm is armed as well for double protection. It does have a time delay for the "wait to start light" in winter and the ability to start once an hour for a few minutes in extreme cold. I payed alot less than some of the above prices as well, although my buddy is an installer. You can also use it for running into a store to, so that you you can leave the truck running while having the security of an alarm(if someone trys to get in the alarm will sound and the truck shut off). Works well, just thought I'd show the option.