Remote Start Issues

Remote starters make warming your car easier.
Remote car starters give you the ability to start your car without actually sitting in it. Among the elements of your vehicle to which the starter is connected are the ignition, neutral safety switch, heater, air conditioning system and parking lights. The primary element is a control module, which upon receiving a signal from the remote, sends power to the car’s ignition. Many small issues can crop up when you buy and use a remote starter.
Buying Separately
Although remote starters are available as an option when buying a new vehicle, you don’t have to buy a starter at the time, as it can be bought separately and installed later.
Installation
Worrying about installation of your starter system is unnecessary. Most manufacturers of such systems also provide instructions for how to install it yourself.
Compatibility
Before buying a remote starter system, you must make sure that it’s compatible with your vehicle. An incompatible remote may not work properly, or could even cause problems with the system wiring in the car.
Failure to Respond
If your car doesn’t respond when you press the starter button, then one of two pieces of equipment could be at fault: your remote control or the remote receiver module in your vehicle. You can tell if the problem is with your remote by checking the LED light installed in most remotes. If it flashes when you press the button, the remote is functioning. You can also check to see if the receiver is picking up the signal from the remote.
Signal Receipt But No Start
Most cars will have a method of signaling that they’ve received the input from your remote. This will often come in the form of the horn honking or the lights flashing. If the car provides you this signal but does not start, then there’s a problem with another part of the car. Among the possibilities are a defective hood pin switch, faulty parking lights or blown fuses in the main power source.
Engine Turnover But No Start
If the engine turns over but does not start, this could signal that your car has a design element called an immobilizer system, also referred to as an OEM. Immobilizer systems provide vehicle owners extra security from theft. They interrupt the flow of power to systems in the vehicle that are necessary for it to start. These can include the fuel pump, the starter motor and the ignition. They activate based upon a signal from a computer chip implanted in your car’s ignition switch. When a key is inserted in the ignition, the system de-activates and the car can start. Therefore, to make a remote starter work, you may have to buy a transponder device to bypass the OEM system.
Threat of Theft
Often, owners of remote systems fear that someone could drive off with their car while it idles. However, most of these systems will not allow the vehicle to move forward if the key is not in the ignition.
Loss of Remote
If you lose you remote, you can buy a new one. Once you begin to use a different remote and program it for your car, the old remote can no longer be used to operate the system.