Remote Starter's

[700 sportsman]

Well old man winter is approaching, and I'm going to put a remote starter in my son's 96 Sierra C2500, and I was wandering, what brands are good, and if any of you ohioans had any preference of installers in the Toledo, Findlay, Sandusky, Mansfield area.

I found a shop that installs compustar starters with keyless entry for $210 installed, and another shop that has an "entry level" for $179, and a better model for $210 also, but I can't remeber what companies they were.

Do these Prices seem reasonable?

 

Also I'm looking at the Viper 5101: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Viper+-+5101+S...p;skuId=9347824

 

and the 5301: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Viper+-+5301+R...p;skuId=9347815

 

What would be the benefits of having the 2 way remote vs. the one way?

Also, does anybody have any input on getting one installed at best buy, I'm just a little leary about some 17 year old kid that doesn't know what the heck he's doing installing it

 

Any input is appreciated

[Luvbelly]

The only experience I have with aftermarket remote starters is with astro start. Every one I had, and there were several, worked great. Viper is also a well known brand with several people on this forum giving good reviews. You will have to decide which bells and whistles are important to you and balance that with what you want to pay. I would suggest getting a long range unit. They do cost more but it's nice to have a warm ride when you leave the mall or work. Some of the base units can have some poor range. Not much use to having one of these if you have to be a few feet away to get it to work. That's what I am dealing with now with the factory system in my Sierra. That leads us to the benefits or a two way system. Unless you are in visual range, without a two way unit, there is no way to know the vehicle is running. Kind of sucks expecting to be all warm and toasty only to find frost covered windows. Some people will tell you these are a waste of money. I doubt many of them live in a northern climate.

[Stevens03]

I had a viper installed in two different trucks and it never failed me. Can't speak for Best buy... but I will tell you they make a great product. And the range was fa-nominal. If my new truck didn't have a factory remote, I would have had it moved to the new truck again.

[zaac]

I have a 9 year old viper in my truck and it has never failed. 2 years ago I went to buy one for my van and the salesman said compstar was better than viper so I bought one and it is already giving problems. I think it's the antenna.

[txab]

Viper makes a good product.

[mato27]

If your in Toledo, Check out Car Stereo One. They always have pretty reasonable prices and experienced tech's.

[ColoradoSkiCountry]

I have a Clifford (they make Viper?) remote start/alarm in my 07. Never had an issue with it other then my dislike for it turning the headlights on when I activate the remote start at night. Sadly due to the nature of the NBS/GMT-900 onboard computer, there is no way they can disable the headlights from comming on.

[jdubya]

I would go with the Viper products...

 

Also, I Install part time at Best Buy and can tell you that the install shops are hit or miss. Most likely though the person installing your equipment will not be 17. I am 32 and all of the installers in my garage are in their late 20's or early 30's. Plus in order for them to install remote starts and alarms they need to be MECP certified. So if there is an installer there who is 17 and MECP certified then he is probably close to the Doogie Howser of car stereos and you should let him do it.

 

Also, if the car already has a factory alarm, you can get away with just a remote start add on such as the Avital 4111

[ColoradoSkiCountry]

I would not trust the factory alarm. Last time I checked, they don't have glass breakage sensors like some of the aftermarket stuff has. Might come out one morning to a smashed window and scratch your head wondering why your factory alarm never went off.

[C. Charles Hahn]

I would not trust the factory alarm. Last time I checked, they don't have glass breakage sensors like some of the aftermarket stuff has. Might come out one morning to a smashed window and scratch your head wondering why your factory alarm never went off.

 

You can buy sensors like that from GM Accessories.... or at least you could when I last looked. They integrate directly with the factory alarm setup.

[700 sportsman]

I would go with the Viper products...

 

Also, I Install part time at Best Buy and can tell you that the install shops are hit or miss. Most likely though the person installing your equipment will not be 17. I am 32 and all of the installers in my garage are in their late 20's or early 30's. Plus in order for them to install remote starts and alarms they need to be MECP certified. So if there is an installer there who is 17 and MECP certified then he is probably close to the Doogie Howser of car stereos and you should let him do it.

 

Also, if the car already has a factory alarm, you can get away with just a remote start add on such as the Avital 4111

 

That's good to know about the installers having to be MECP certified.

 

I went to best buy today, and I decided to go with the Viper 5101, I had a coupon, so that helped. They said also, that the installation work has a lifetime guarantee, so that was a plus too.

 

As far as the alarm goes, I've never had any problems, and if I lived in the city, I probably would, but I didn't see it to be worth it

[GasHog369]

I have a compustar 2 way alarm / start.. and love it! The cool thing about the 2 way is that it will tell you if car starts , and if you got an alarm it will tell you if its going off if your w/ in range... Range on my setup is 3000 ft. and thats tested by me... and under better conditions / straight shot i bet it could be even better.

 

Viper makes good setups tho... and as long as the install warranty is for life , thats a plus.

[jdubya]

I like the 5101 it is a nice unit. Plus you could always add on the SmartStart feature to control it from your iPhone....

[KENNHON]

I would go with the Viper products...

 

Also, I Install part time at Best Buy and can tell you that the install shops are hit or miss. Most likely though the person installing your equipment will not be 17. I am 32 and all of the installers in my garage are in their late 20's or early 30's. Plus in order for them to install remote starts and alarms they need to be MECP certified. So if there is an installer there who is 17 and MECP certified then he is probably close to the Doogie Howser of car stereos and you should let him do it.

 

Also, if the car already has a factory alarm, you can get away with just a remote start add on such as the Avital 4111

 

That's good to know about the installers having to be MECP certified.

Well, they've answered your question, and ya bought the Viper... Here's my experience: i had the 5101 Viper installed in 1999 on my '96 it cost 189.95-installed at Fairview Heights' Best Buy.[it was there all day].... i have never had one bit of any problem[iF only other products worked this good!!!! American Co.,too]. I lost one of the remotes, in 2000, so i've only had one since then... i have used the lock mech. EVERY DAY, at least once... the remote start maybe half as often.... it does only have RELIABLE 500 ft range... CHENGED the battery ONCE!!!

 

I went to best buy today, and I decided to go with the Viper 5101, I had a coupon, so that helped. They said also, that the installation work has a lifetime guarantee, so that was a plus too.

 

As far as the alarm goes, I've never had any problems, and if I lived in the city, I probably would, but I didn't see it to be worth it

 

[salden77]

if your worried about it getting broken into while its running i would def. consider getting something with a microwave sensor as well as a shock sensor, the microwave sensor can be set to cover an area like a balloon around your vehicle depending on how you set the sensitivity just make sure you get a good set up. viper and clifford are the same company, at least thats what ive heard, and iv never heard anything bad about viper. 2-way is def. the way to go as well cuz you monitor the vehicle from a distance while its running and it will send feedback to your remote about all kinds of diff. stuff from vehicle temp. to battery voltage depending on what options are important to you and how much you want to spend.