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Comments
Doesn't seem to be very environmentally friendly either. But I sure would use the feature when leaving from work as I live in Wisconsin.
I had always heard that it was generally not good for your engine to start it up in the cold then start driving right away bofore the oil was warm and flowing.
I got in and chuckled to myself knowing he could have bought three Aura XR's for the price of his (Ford) British tin.
Ah yes, but for $55.99, he too can have the advanced Saturn technology:
Valiant Remote Car Starter
So, a typical idle time for me has been 15-20s. May be longer if I had to scrape ice/snow.
Maybe a witch, ghost, goblin so it can be Halloween 365 days a year instead of just one.
I concur, you want to wait until the engine has oil pressure, which for a modern engine, is almost instantaneous. Then the vehicle should be driven conservatively until everything (oil, mostly) reaches operating temperature.
A couple of other things as well - excessive idling is very hard on a motor and emissions systems. Idling leads to carbon build up in the cylinders and can hurt spark plug performance. Also, keeping the car in cold start makes the catalytic converter have to work harder.
Oh, and lastly, when the engine is running and the car isn't moving, that is 0 mpg.
LOL! :P
It does run the heater or A/C as set before the car was turned off.
In fact, the National Insurance Crime Bureau cited the 1991 Honda Accord as the most frequently stolen car in the U.S. in 2005. No Saturns were on the top 10 list.
That's more of a reflection of Saturn's dismal sales numbers.
Interesting that all the most stolen cars are old, except for the 2004 Dodge Ram. The two Toyotas on the list are from the 1980s :surprise: .
The point, though, is that I'm not really sure whether having a remote starter or adding one is really going to make it more likely that your car will be stolen. Professional thieves obviously go after popular makes of older cars so they can sell parts. If a professional thief really wants your car, he is going to get it regardless. If your car has OnStar, though, the car's location can be tracked via satellite. I'm under the impression (by OnStar's advertising) that it is not that easy to disable this tracking feature.
The immobilizer system is not going to prevent your car from being loaded onto the flatbed of a truck and hauled away. From there, they don't even need to drive the car to get what they really want - the parts.
The interesting part is all the discussions around security. Guess it might not be wise to add a remote start to a Honda.
I believe the Saturn maintains full security even after the engine is started. If I left the window down and set the alarm then started the car remotely, opening the door by reaching inside and lifting the lock button and pulling the handle, I believe the alarm will sound.
Haven't tested this yet but I will.
If not, someone would still have to pop the keyswitch and jump the correct wires to get the systems to activate the trans-lock, and dash electronics.
Don't think I will worry about it since after I start the engine I am in the car within a minute or less. Oh! If the right wires are not connected in the ignition switch, the 10 minute timer will shut the engine off, So I suspect if it was stolen, the thief would only get a few blocks to a mile away when the engine dies.
Also, as far as the security goes, mine automatically locks the doors if I use the remote to start it. When I then unlock the door and get in I have around 30 seconds to insert the key and turn it to ON or the engine shuts off.
The point was that the Accord has been a consistent big seller and therefore is likely to make the top ten list of stolen cars. Saturns by contrast have been a big sales disappoint over the years and are not likely going to be on such lists. That's how the argument fits into the conversation. How you construe what I said meant that high volume vehicles are therefore better cars is beyond me. And why you would bring Hitler into the discussion from such a tongue and cheek remark is way beyond me.
I believe this is also the case with vehicles equipped with Navigation systems. Rental car companies also install GPS systems in their vehicles so if you cross a state line they can charge you an arm and a leg.
Is it really professional thieves that are stealing things like 14 year old accords and 16 year old camrys? How much can parts off of these old beaters be worth? I was speculating that maybe old cars are stolen more often just because they can be more easily stolen and taken on a "joy ride" than newer ones???
Of course the raw statistics on the number stolen is going to be greater for those cars that have bigger sales, in general. That list tells you nothing about the theft rate. They do have another list of 5 vehicles with the highest theft claims per 1,000 insured vehicles among 2003 - 2005 models...the only midsize on that list is the 2004-05 Sebring.
Linked below is an IIHS document that also shows Sebring #1 for theft losses among midsize. Saturn LS had lowest losses, BTW:
http://www.iihs.org/research/hldi/ictl_pdf/ictl_0906.pdf
I doubt most after market remote start systems would have any effect on the alarm unless they are activated by electrical system load sensors.
Saving one minute of time warming up the engine is the value of remote start.
Awesome. I think I'm feeling giddy.
But again, I live in LA so there goes the cold/hot weather argument...
Much of it sounds like something one would do for a new date. :P
Nah, if I wanted to feel like I wasn't driving, I'd keep my Honda :P
Much of it sounds like something one would do for a new date
And if you do it on every date, love will stay fresh...yada yada yada :P
I know, its not expensive technology, I was a little surprised my car didn't have it. I also don't see a lot of domestics with that feature. My MIL has it on her Prius and my boss has it on his MS6 and they both really like it.
Funny thing, though...one can get a state specific list from cars.com. For my state (WI), the top 10 most stolen, with their rankings, include:
1. 1992 Oldsmobile Cutlass
2. 1990 Buick LeSabre
5. 1990 Buick Century
7. 1990 Oldsmobile Delta 88
8. 1995 Ford Taurus
9. 1994 Dodge Caravan
10. 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier
I'm thinking the '88 cavalier is on the list because they are left unlocked with keys in the ignition...the owner thinking "who would bother to steal a 17 year old cavalier" .