I just want to mention that living in the North East the biggest thing my wife wanted in her new car was a remote start. I really am very against them for many technical reasons. I was assured by the Scion Dealer that it would have a factory Remote start not an aftermarket so I reluctantly agreed to it. Guess what an average loss of total MPG of about 5 miles per gallon. The reason being the idle time that the car sits in our driveway getting warm for her. I had never even thought about it. I used the car for one week with no idling warm ups and average mileage went right back up to normal.

 

If we hit a red light soon after startup, before our HCHII's AutoStop is working, you can watch the realttime mileage indicator tanking moment by moment as you sit idling. You're burning gas and getting nowhere, worst scenario.

OTOH, a blockheater is something worth considering: will get the car warm a lot faster and help the mileage.

 

Of course, freezing in your car is just one sacrifice you can make to use less gas. Not using a car at all—and walking to work—is an even bigger sacrifice. You'll freeze even more but you won't use any gas.

I suppose the real question is just how much compromise you want to make!

 

And all this time I thought the remote start was to get the A/C running and start cooling off the interior on those hot summer days

 

When your car is idling/warming up you're getting zero MPG. Your engine warms up more quickly when you drive it moderately. A block heater uses a lot of electricity, but it helps in getting your computer to operate the engine in open loop quicker, offsetting the electricity usage and allowing safer operation of the vehicle when the defroster can more quickly clear the windshield/windows.

 

When your car is warming up you are getting the zero MPG. The big waste of Fuel is when driver run the car over speed and car maintenance not held on time. Some driver drive the car very fast.

 

Here are some tips: Make certain that the system includes a pin switch on the hood of the vehicle. The switch will sense when the hood is open and prevent the remote start from starting the car. This protects you or a mechanic who may be working on the car. Make certain that the system includes a temperature sensor or an oil-pressure circuit to sense whether the engine is overheating. It should be able to shut off the engine if it is too hot.

 

why not get a buy a house with a garage, nothing like getting into a warm vehicle in the morning without having to waste the fuel to do so.

 

Hello All,

The biggest disadvantage is that Engine became warm quickly.......

Keep Posted!

 

There is no way I could deal with a remote engine starter. I hate using the defrost and AC!