i did some searching on both and am sorta confused... anyway, i will be purchasing soon and the salesman at the dealership had me convinced that the solar roof would power either the A/C or the heat (depending on what it was set to last)... and that it WAS basically remote start. so thanks to PC i see now that the info was bogus. i was sold on the solar roof, but now im not sure. and saving that money wouldnt hurt either. i have always wanted remote start. i want my car to heat in the winter and cool in the summer. what exactly do i need to make this happen?
i like my solar roof. the solar cells power your fan. it has a bigger fan and more robust ball bearings for long term usage over than the normal one. southern california sees triple digit heat many days a year. The solar fan even works around mid 70s with enough sunlight. so it makes fits my lifestyle. solar roof package does come with the a/c button. when you press it, the a/c will turn on to the last temperature that you set it at. if you set it at 75, it will cool or heat your car to 75. the only limitation is very limited range. And it will only run for 10 minutes.
thanks for the reply! we get to triple digits here in St. Louis as well, but i think i will skip the solar roof and get the remote start installed. would love a moon roof, but thats just one more think that can fail and leak.
so would the remote start kit on the PriusChat shop be what im after? then have the dealership install it? from what i understand its a grueling install. i know a car alarm/stereo install whiz and was going to pay him to install it. that is if he can handle it.
Not grueling at all. The cost to purchase and install mine was $275. The dealer wanted almost $1000 and he suggested the installer I went with. Nothing fancy, one button to push twice. As soon as you open the door, the car shuts off. Comes in handy in the winter.
The kit in the PC shop calls itself OEM and looks like a Toyota product. I was just wary of a 3rd party attempt to integrate a more generic product into your car.
Yes, I do. There's enough going on with communicating with these vehicles that I'd be cautious with 3rd party stuff. It also looks as if you get the remote AC function as well (if you don't want to start the engine, like in an enclosed, hot garage).
the viper is pretty good. extremely long range and option for mobile/cell start. interestingly enough best buy is a great place to install because they have access to toyota diagrams. there was a previous thread on this issue. the oem's range isnt as crazy as the viper's.
thanks for the advice. and i would hope i get AC function. ive never had remote start on any vehicles and always assumed that it controlled both AC and heat. good to know. i have used viper products in the past and do like the quality. well... they were clifford products, but ive been told that viper makes clifford...? iphone app would be cool, but probably quicker to just use the fob than to unlock and navigate to the app, open it, and use it on a phone.
Let me clarify: The remote AC on the solar roof Prius allows you to run the AC without starting the engine. That's why I mentioned the garage scenario. It looks like that function is in this remote start kit too.
I have the Solar Roof on my '13 and an A/C button on my remote. The remote A/C does NOT allow you to heat your car - the function is only available at temperatures above 60 (It's in the manual, dont remember the exact number) for 10 minutes. Heating wouldn't work because the ICE needs to run for the heating core to heat up. The solar panels power the fans in the car (again over 60F) and DO NOT turn on the A/C automatically. They essentially balance the temperature outside the car to the inside of the car.
Unless the system has changed since 2011, the remote A/C will only run for 3 minutes after it's been activated. The solar panels will power the ventilation fan as long as there's enough sun. The solar powered fan will start about 10 minutes after you've parked, if the appropriate button was depressed when you shut things down. The remote A/C feature's sort of a gimmick but might be nice if you're parked in a hot garage and would like things precooled (a little bit). I'm sorry I didn't explain the operation of the two systems before. For what it's worth I'm very happy with the sunroof and the solar powered ventilation (after a year of ownership). I'd do it again, even though it's an expensive package.
thanks everyone for the help. i believe i have decided to not opt for the solar roof, but instead put in a Viper auto start. sounds more like what i am after.
This is the remote starter that was installed Automate - Automate AM6.2 or search for Automate AM6. Nothing fancy, it's only used to start the car. The unit itself cost $70 or $80 with the install making up the remainder. I have used this system on my other vehicles since 2006 with never a problem. Hey if the dealer says the OEM stuff is overpriced for what you really need it for, who am I to argue.
