I think the reason people set their remote start up that way is to keep it from being too hard on their motor. When you have the block heater plugged in, it isnt really that cold of a start anyways...

 

The Astro-Start has 4 different time & temperature settings. Electricity is not always available like where I work. I set the truck to start by temperature mode and walk away. The programmed run time will cycle every 2.5 hours only when the preset temperature is met.

 

lets say you like to go snowmachineing and you live in Alaska. and you go to Cantwell Alaska and unload and go into the mountains for the weekend to a state cabin and don't plan to go back to your truck for the weekend. Temperatures up high will be quite tolerable (about zero) but down where your truck is is could be -20 - -40'F. Synthetic oil is a must!! If you set your auto start on the coldest setting it will only start every 4 or 5 hours (if you have a good quilted cold front to keep the heat in) That will keep your erngine compartment warm enough so your batteries don't go dead and its nice to come back to a warm truck.

Or you can spend $1500 on a Wabasto heater which is even better.

As I read most folks in this forum, most of you use your auto start as a luxury, rather than a neccesity. Same thing with the "when to plug in" forum.

 

mnmwhit......well said

 

Speaking of "quilted cold fronts", Alaska tent and tarp makes some really top notch covers. A great addition to your block heaters, oil pan and tranny warmers and your remote starters with the "cold start feature"
http://www.alaskatent.com/products/c...ter_fronts.htm

 

OK, thanks for the extra explanations. Guess I thought I was moving into "cold" territory by moving from Knoxville to Cincy, OH but at least you are helping me put that into perspective. Sounds like to me, since I don't plan on moving any further north than southern OH, this auto cold start is not too vital for me, and don't plan on AK in winter anytime soon. But I can see the point for folks that are in those climates.

Geoff.

 

yea but it you dont stand there and supervise them while they install it they will do a crappy job. I learned that the hard way.

 

If you have some cash to burn its still a real nice option to have. I like to start my truck at the end of the movie....when the credits are rolling.....let everyone else leave the cinima first. By the time my wife and I make it out there, the truck is warm.

 

yeah mine is a crimestopper brand which i believe is a DEI company also.
it works like 1/2 mile away, comes with two remotes and one of them is a two way pager with LCD screen that shows you the status of the truck.

the remote start on it is designed for diesels. it will wait until the "wait to start" coil light on the dash goes out until it cranks, or can be set to wait a predetermined time before cranking to warm up.

it also has turbo timer function available, and an "idle down" feature which allows you to remove the key, lock the truck and leave it running while you run in to a store really quick and dont wanna wait for cool down , or simply want to leave it running with a/c on. i use this function when i get home from work or out driving around, and then a few minutes after i'm inside the house i shut it off with the remote. if you forget to shut it , it will shut itself off after a user programmable predetermined time also.

another cool feature is the cold weather starting. mine does not use a temperature sensor to control it though, but i recall someone here has one that does actually monitor temperature. mine has several preset times that you choose to control : A-how often it starts (every X hours) and B-how long it runs for each time. then once activated in cold weather it will automatically start the truck every (1 to 3-u choose) hours and let it run for a certain time to keep the engine from getting so cold that it doesnt want to start at all.

sorry this was so long winded.

 

The Astrostart has options that allow you to select at what temp you want it to start and how long you want it to run before it automatically shuts off. I think it "checks" the temp. every 4 hours. Check out their website and you should get all the info you need. Any other questions on it you can PM me.

 

My truck already has the keyless entry from the factory. I want the ford kit and there are three different part#s. Gold-start, keyless, alarm; Silver-start, keyless;Bronze-start. Which do I need. I don't really care for an alarm. Thanks.

Kyle

 

If you want 2 key fobs (1 for remote start, 1 for keyless entry) go with the bronze pack. If you want 1 key fob (both remote start & keyless entry) go with the silver package.

 

Anyone know if either or both of these also has the option for turbo cool-down timer on shutoff as well? I called local dealer recently, he said the one they install is by Code-Alarm but did not refer to them by color, but did say one had the combined keyfob for about $100 more. Guess that's silver, but he said none of theirs has the turbo cooldown timer at shutoff. Wonder if he really knew or not, yaknow...Thanks.

 

No, the factory alarms (built by Code Alarm/ Audiovox owned) do not have a "turbo cool down" function. However, they do have what is called "idle down" function.......you can remove the key from the ignition and it will run 10 minutes on the remote start, this can function as a cool down but 10 minutes is too long and just wasting fuel. It is convenient for running into 7-11 for a Big Gulp or ?. You can put it in the "idle down" function and then shut it off with the fob after a few minutes of cool down, however, if you forget to shut it off the system will do so after 10 minutes. I think 2-3 minutes of cool down is more then enough if you just pulled of the hi-way towing a serious load, if you're not towing there is not that much idle time required for cool down as driving the 2-3 miles to my house after exiting the hi-way along with idling in the driveway until I get all my stuff together usually works for me.

 

Can I use my factory keyless and the bronze pack both in the same truck or do I have to remove the factory keyless and replace it with the bronze pack? Thanks.

Kyle