remote start install

[hammy1]

I'm going to install a remote start/alarm combo in my car but i was looking for a diy and couldn't find one. my question is do i need to have a transponder to remote start it. if so where does it go, second is i have a factory alarm installed would that have a transponder in it?

[Curtis328]

I'm going to install a remote start/alarm combo in my car but i was looking for a diy and couldn't find one. my question is do i need to have a transponder to remote start it. if so where does it go, second is i have a factory alarm installed would that have a transponder in it?

I think your understanding of what a transponder is, is a little fuzzy to say the least.

A transponder chip is what exists in the keys for certain vehicles which are equipped with transponder ignition immobilizer systems. The car's ECU sends an RF (radio frequency) signal to the transponder in the key, and the transponder replies to the ECU with a code.

Your car, being a '94, won't have a transponder system. If it was (I believe) ~96 or newer it would have one.

What you would do in that case is have the "Ground out while running" wire of the remote starter/alarm trigger a 12 volt SPDT relay which has it's "Normally Open" circuit wrapped in the form of many small and tight loops around the plastic casing of the transponder chip key, and then run inline with the Transponder system's antenna (which is wrapped around the ignition barrel) This key then typically has the metal shaft machined off, and is hidden somewhere in the vehicle.

When you attempt to remote start the car, the "Ground while running" wire from the remote starter sends a negative pulse to the relay, closing the wiring circuit that is wrapped around the key, and allows the ECU to receive the RF code that it was looking for.

The factory alarm essentially has nothing to do with the transponder system.

[hammy1]

I think your understanding of what a transponder is, is a little fuzzy to say the least.

A transponder chip is what exists in the keys for certain vehicles which are equipped with transponder ignition immobilizer systems. The car's ECU sends an RF (radio frequency) signal to the transponder in the key, and the transponder replies to the ECU with a code.

Your car, being a '94, won't have a transponder system. If it was (I believe) ~96 or newer it would have one.

What you would do in that case is have the "Ground out while running" wire of the remote starter/alarm trigger a 12 volt SPDT relay which has it's "Normally Open" circuit wrapped in the form of many small and tight loops around the plastic casing of the transponder chip key, and then run inline with the Transponder system's antenna (which is wrapped around the ignition barrel) This key then typically has the metal shaft machined off, and is hidden somewhere in the vehicle.

When you attempt to remote start the car, the "Ground while running" wire from the remote starter sends a negative pulse to the relay, closing the wiring circuit that is wrapped around the key, and allows the ECU to receive the RF code that it was looking for.

The factory alarm essentially has nothing to do with the transponder system.


thanks ya i was def lost when it came to transponder never actually knew how they work. thanks for the info on it. btw this is for a 98 328is, the 94 320i got written off. some crazy lady rammed it to shit at a gas station cuz she wanted the pump i was at. what sucked was she had a pick up truck.

[JDStrickland]

If your car has a manual transmission, Remote Start is sheer folly. (That means, it is a very bad idea.)

Personally, I think that remote start that is not factory installed is a problem waiting to develop. Maybe not today or tomorow, but someday that module is gonna give you some serious grief.

[revmoo]

I put one in my 92 a couple months ago. the install was pretty easy and I've had no trouble out of it. For manual, if safety is a concern you can wire up the doors and handbrake. Most remote starts have a manual safety mode. i've wired mine but not enabled it yet.

[Curtis328]

If your car has a manual transmission, Remote Start is sheer folly. (That means, it is a very bad idea.)

Personally, I think that remote start that is not factory installed is a problem waiting to develop. Maybe not today or tomorow, but someday that module is gonna give you some serious grief.

Why would you say this? You buy a starter for a manual transmission vehicle. And the module may get hooped up at some point, but that is usually dependent on the quality of installation.

Any electronics module can give somebody grief...

[JDStrickland]

Why would you say this? You buy a starter for a manual transmission vehicle. And the module may get hooped up at some point, but that is usually dependent on the quality of installation.

Any electronics module can give somebody grief...
I guess I say this because I don't live where remote start is even useful. The coldest it ever gets here is when I'm asleeep anyway.

Remote Start on a manual transmission is an inherently problematic feature. I almost always park my car in gear, either 1st or R, and almost never park it in N. So, if I came to visit and you sent me off on some errand in your car, I'd almost certainly park it in gear when I brought it back. I give you the keys, you are not aware, and you hit the Start Button and send the car through the living room wall. Seems to me that this is a problem.

Having a car wandering the neighborhood without somebody at the controls just seems like a bad idea. Maybe not, but that's just the way I think.

Remote Start on an automatic is a useless feature, to me, but at least it is safe.

And there are plenty of stories floating around where an aftermarket alarm system locks out the ignition for some reason, and the car refuses to start. An aftermarket remote start just seems like something that is going to give somebody grief. And a BMW is prone to plenty of grief from the factory options, adding aftermarket options to the mix certainly cannot help.

I say, pass on the aftermarket remote start. Especially with a manual transmission.

[flyfishvt]

I was never a big fan of remote start. I get a small thrill out of turning the key and firing it up.

I agree...remote start on a manual is not a great idea.

[Curtis328]

I guess I say this because I don't live where remote start is even useful. The coldest it ever gets here is when I'm asleeep anyway.

Remote Start on a manual transmission is an inherently problematic feature. I almost always park my car in gear, either 1st or R, and almost never park it in N. So, if I came to visit and you sent me off on some errand in your car, I'd almost certainly park it in gear when I brought it back. I give you the keys, you are not aware, and you hit the Start Button and send the car through the living room wall. Seems to me that this is a problem.

A remote starter made for a manual transmission vehicle, will not start the car with the transmission in any gear other than neutral, this is what you're not understanding.

The module takes trigger inputs from the parking brake, and door pin circuits. You must put the starter in what's called "ready mode" before exiting the car, or it will not remote start when you attempt to.

The only way to put the car in ready mode is to have the car in neutral while running, with the parking brake on, foot off the footbrake, and enter a sequence on the remote, etc. It is impossible to do this with the car in gear, unless your clutch is extremely worn, in which case your car's not going anywhere anyways.

It's quite safe if you understand what's happening. I installed these professionally for about 7 years before completing my Mechanical Engineering degree...

To add to this, you guys live in California and Vermont. Likely you have no idea what cold means, unless you've lived anywhere north of the Canadian border, where the original poster as well as myself are from. When it's -50 degrees Celsius with the wind-chill in your location, then tell me your opinion of a remote starter.

[flyfishvt]

Sorry to burst your bubble but -25F before wind chill is very common here.

Remote car starters encourage excessive idling and gas consumption. That "ready mode" procedure sounds like a lot of steps just like using the CODE function on the OBC. Seems like it's just as easy to take 10 seconds and start the car and turn on the heated seats 3or4 minutes before you leave.

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree.

[JDStrickland]

A remote starter made for a manual transmission vehicle, will not start the car with the transmission in any gear other than neutral, this is what you're not understanding.

The module takes trigger inputs from the parking brake, and door pin circuits. You must put the starter in what's called "ready mode" before exiting the car, or it will not remote start when you attempt to.

The only way to put the car in ready mode is to have the car in neutral while running, with the parking brake on, foot off the footbrake, and enter a sequence on the remote, etc. It is impossible to do this with the car in gear, unless your clutch is extremely worn, in which case your car's not going anywhere anyways.

It's quite safe if you understand what's happening. I installed these professionally for about 7 years before completing my Mechanical Engineering degree...

To add to this, you guys live in California and Vermont. Likely you have no idea what cold means, unless you've lived anywhere north of the Canadian border, where the original poster as well as myself are from. When it's -50 degrees Celsius with the wind-chill in your location, then tell me your opinion of a remote starter.
I'm pretty sure everybody in Vermont understands what cold means. I too understand what cold means, that's why I live in California, 1500 ft. above sea level 20 miles from the ocean.