I'm going to be ordering an '05 very soon. Will want a remote start on it. Would you have the dealer install it or cut them out and go directly to the electronics installers? Do you have one on your powerstroke? What kind would you suggest?

Taz

 

May be difficult to do remote start on a diesel, as you have to allow for the preheat cycle. Unless of course you are in a warm climate all the time.

 

I use an AstroStart remote/auto starts from AstroFlex. I had one on my old 2002 F-350 with a V-10 and my current trucks (one's a diesel) without problems. The autostart for the diesel is programed with a start delay which allows the glow plugs to cycle. Run times are also doubled for the diesel, so my truck can run for a maximum of 36 minutes after starting.

You can also utilize a low temp mode which starts the vehicle for the set run time when the temperature drops below one of four selected temperatures. This would be great for remote locations where you cannot plug in, ie. work or school. I haven't tried it yet, but may give it a try.

 

Remote starters work WELL on the 6.0L - Have had one on my 03 X since I got it...
The third decision regarding my X...
first was getting the X,
next was getting the 6.0L...
then the remote which is used probably 99% of the time to start the X...
(the other 2% is when my wife starts it and she is not an auto anything person )

I actually got the best use of my remote starter during the DFW summers...

Mine is a Ford Gold kit installed by a contractor for my ford dealer,
Not had a bit of trouble with it and it does MORE than I need it to do... $450 installed IIRC)

but my next door neighbor has the sexy little Viper remote start with the two way communication tha shows the little exhaust smoke coming out of the car when it starts !!!! Cute !

And his has been trouble free as well...

Two things on the rest of my vehicles from NOW on...
remote start and diesel engines ! Love em both !

 

Taz

Listen to Twin Tritons, sorry jdadamsjr......

I just had the AstroStart installed in mine and I love it. The Ford systems are more $$$$ and do not have features offered by AstroStart. Forget Viper Alarms I had to remove one from my wifes vehicle, not a pretty site.

Twin Tritons has the right idea......and who should know better about cold starts than someone from Alaska. The only problem you may have is finding a dealer in your area to install a system. You might have to travel as far as Canada from NJ.

 

I have the Ford gold with my 05. It works from a 1000 ft is covered under my warranty at any Ford store in North America and has great and has good security system.

 

No problem Max !

Not going to turn this into an Oil thread war

To each his own....
I just wanted to eliminate the possibility of finger pointing if something went wrong... and the POSSIBLE few dollars more was not an issue at the time... $450 for an installed factory remote with warranty didn't stirke me as bad... and since it's on a $50K truck... the few dollars was a small % !

The ford gold has features I will never use...
it has start of course and turbo cool down timer which I rarely use... and many other I never use
so obviously it does what I need it to do...

Now, if it could just turn on the seat heaters only in the winter...

 

Don't know what problems you had with Viper. Was it installed by a qualified DEI installer? I have a Python alarm system with remote start on my 04 King Ranch 6.0. It took several hours for a professional to fine tune the system. That might be the difference. No problems at all with mine and it works great. We get our share of cold weather (freezing rain) in Oregon and snow on occasion. Temps typically get below freezing during the winter.

 

jdadamsjr

I am taken the wrong way with posts at times.....
I looked at everything offered on the market. My Ford dealer could get me a remote start but installing the unit was another problem. The remote start from AstroFlex is not easily found in the US market so I checked into what Twin Tritons posted earlier about AstroStart.

The electrical shop I do business with has a drum full of remote systems removed and did not recommend anything since they see the end results of bad installations and system failures such as my wife’s Viper system.

Installation by someone qualified and the remote system is what makes a good product work.
AstroFlex trains the people that installed my system. AstroStart is two-way with a range of 2000 ft. Before I leave work I can access my truck from my work site while others have to stand outside the building to communicate with their vehicle. This is my experience and does not imply other companies or systems are less inferior.

 

Like I said Max - No Problem !!!
Sounds like you have a great remote...

and TOTALLY agree with you - the wrong installer can botch up the BEST system!

 

When I purchase my trucks, the Ford dealer doesn't even mention the possiblity of installing a Ford remote start system, they automatically hook you up with a AstroStart. I didn't even know Ford offered one until I read it from fellow FTE members here. I would guess that 75% or more vehicle sold at my dealership have remote starts installed. -36F today, a remote start is almost a necessity here. The local installer is usually backed up 2 weeks for installs, but fits the dealer right in because of the volume the dealer provides. No problems with 3 AstroStarts in 3 different trucks over the last 2.5 years.

 

jdadamsjr

When I order a new truck does the dealer install or does Ford install the unit already?

I know the price was cheaper on the Gold when ordered with the truck, but when I asked about it from parts I think he quoted around $700 plus finding an installer since they do not do installs on remotes at my dealer.

 

UP to now it's not been an option on the new trucks....
just a dealer installed or aftermarket option....

but saw one vehicle type (not Ford) was offering it on all new cars as a mfg installed feature....
bet the smart ones will follow suit because it IS a "necessity" (or at least a very nice to have) in some places...

In some places, like Fairbanks, for the cold winters,
and others, like Dallas, for the hot summers !!!!

And because most of us LIKE and are used to our "conditioned" air

 

I rarely post (because this is my first consumer diesel and I feel like a moron compared to some of the experts on here,) but I did just have a DEI Viper 791 XV put on my truck a few weeks ago. What I learned was this:
1. The shop makes all the difference. I live in El Paso, TX and IMO avoid Audio Express. My wife and I waited ten minutes and nobody even bothered to ask us if we needed help. We ended-up going to another authorized DEI dealer Music Systems. If Audio Expresses sales are that bad, I'm not all that willing to trust their installation department.
2. Once the system is installed you will probably have to go back to the shop a couple of more times to have adjustments made or options turned on or off. Since I've had the system I've been back twice to have the crank time adjusted. My installer started with the minimum crank time and worked-up from there, better to not start than grind a starter. Like he said, he has had two brand new, identical F-350's in the shop that acted completely different. He asked the Ford service department about that and it was explained to him that one had the current flash version and the other had an older version.
3. The 6.0's computer system does not like things connected to it that did not come from the factory, so relay's are neccessary. I thought this might be a way for the shop to get more money out of me, so I called DEI to find-out if the relay was neccessary, and that's when I learned just how computer controlled our 6.0's are. It turns-out the shop didn't charge me for the relay anyway. I probably should have looked at the receipt before I made that assumption.
4. Ask the shop you are going to use if they are an authorized retailer of the system you're thinking about getting and then go independently varify it with the company (internet, phone call, etc.) Many companies will not warranty their product if it is not installed by an authorized dealer.
5. Most systems are not installed by the dealership, but contracted out to local shops. Music Systems does the installations for many of the dealerships here in El Paso, I didn't know this until I brought my truck in for regular maintenance and the service guy told me that Music Systems did their installs and if I had chosen a Ford system the same shop would have installed it. So unless your heart is set on a Ford system, you can probably find a better deal away from the dealership.
6. Ask lots and lots of questions.
7. I used to install alarms in the late 80's and early 90's and the amount of control the computer has over engines today makes any knowledge I may have had about installing an alarm useless.

 

Thanks for the insight EnviroCon, and jd your the same as me, gettin old.....

Tues morn is supposed to be below zero..... going to give the system a whirl at automatic starts. I can set the truck to start at different temps....so I will see if it works or not......

I musta be nuts......looking forward to sub zero temps just to try out a remote starter.