[DougB541#CB]

I just don't get why use your phone for this function vs. a Key FOB?


I mean, what if your phones batteries die?

[DougB541#CB]

Ehh to add, it does work anywhere which is cool. my old viper system worked up to 1000 feet which was plenty for me most of the time though.

[reminiz]

It is if it keeps the wife happy.

I'd never let my wife buy an iPhone to begin with.

Being the head of the house, you have to take control and some point, come on now.

[notaphonegeek]

I think that I'll wait for the "Batman" feature, where the car will start up and drive to my location to get me!!!

[GenericMusings]

I'd never let my wife buy an iPhone to begin with.

Being the head of the house, you have to take control and some point, come on now.

You're obviously not married, haven't been for very long, or won't be for much longer.

[GenericMusings]

I think that I'll wait for the "Batman" feature, where the car will start up and drive to my location to get me!!!

I'll wait for the KIT feature where the car will drive to me, pick me up, and drive me to my desired location while I sleep.

[reminiz]

You're obviously not married, haven't been for very long, or won't be for much longer.

Yea, well I've been married for almost 5 years now.

[alex.dobeck]

I guess if you need to heat up the car in the winter....

[kmehr]

Remote start just starts the engine... you still need the keys to actually unlock the steering column and (if it's an automatic) gear shifter. Not that breaking either of those is impossible, but if the thief is at that point, it's also not impossible to just hot-wire it to start the car.

The remote start feature (which many people use in the northern states to warm up their vehicles in cold weather) does not allow you to actually drive the thing away. The steering wheel is still locked. If they managed to break the steering lock, there is an ignition kill switch built into Viper's systems that will disable the vehicle.

Per the information found on the viper site (can't link or even post URLs yet)
Every Viper system comes with Failsafe Starter Kill, which is an immobilizer designed to prevent hot-wiring.

You don't honestly think you can actually drive the car without the key in the ignition do you?

Thanks for clearing it up. I really haven't looked into remote start since all I drive is Manual. Back when they first came out I was under the impression that it was just for automatic transmission cars only. So, I just never looked into it much.

Also heres the link for more info Viper SmartStart - Features

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Idling car engines is something back from the 90s where people thought oil would last forever. From my point of view, this limits the 'cool' factor very much.

Cheer up Ebenezer.

[ponyfool]

Its definitely has a "cool factor" but if someone steals your phone then they can have your car as well.

Plus the ZR1 is such a great car, don't make it easy for someone to snatch it away from you.

Not really true. With any remote start, the key needs to be in the car and turned on before the vehicle is capable of driving off. I have a GM vehicle with factory remote, and I can't get the car in gear without the key even though it's running.

This is a "cool" feature, but if you already have remote start, it is sort of a waste of money. The $30/year is a bit excessive too IMO.

[frankdavis]

I just use this with my Pre via the web browser.

[frankdavis]

Not really true. With any remote start, the key needs to be in the car and turned on before the vehicle is capable of driving off. I have a GM vehicle with factory remote, and I can't get the car in gear without the key even though it's running.

This is a "cool" feature, but if you already have remote start, it is sort of a waste of money. The $30/year is a bit excessive too IMO.

Not 100% accurate... With a remote starter there are a few things that will turn off the vehicle depending on the product. With most standard remote starters this will be the brake and a 15 or 30 minute timer.... I am guessing in your vehicle you have to press the brake to put the car in gear... which would shut off the remote starter if it doesn't see output ignition. This could be bypassed by quickly unplugging the brake molex above the pedal(some systems will know to shut down in this case but not most) and then just using a pry bar(my foot or just pulling hard and breaking the transmission parking paw) then I would be able to be in any gear I wanted. Another potential problem would be the steering wheel wheel lock which is also relatively easily broken on most cars (some very new cars will disable steering completely). Another problem would be the thief actually entering the vehicle without setting off the alarm (braking the glass with a glass breaking tool(or a spark plug) will not set off most alarms). Then I would have the remaining time left on the timer to drive to a chop shop or something of the sort. Security is all about multiple layers of protection and believe me even with a standard remote starter you are far better off then to have nothing at all. So please don't think of a remote starter as a vulnerability, it is the opposite.