2012 Prius Plug-In Viper Remote Start

I had a remote start installed in my 2012 Prius Plug-In Advanced. $428.00
DISCLAIMER - DO NOT remote start your car in an enclosed garage.

Viper DS4 hardwired, but can be installed with a t-harness but you will still need to hardwire 5 connections.
Viper 7756V long range Kit with 2 remotes (1) LCD - 1 mile range

• Can I install it myself YES but only an AUTHORIZED dealer can program it, let the PROS do it.
• Let the PROS install it, there is some expensive electrical stuff in your Prius not worth saving 150.00 bucks, but hey it's your money.
• Does the factory remote start the car 3X LOCK - YES but only within the factory range.
• Do I still need the factory remote to Push Button start the car - YES
• Does Smart Key functions still work - YES
• Does the factory remote AC button still work - YES
• Does the car turn off when opening the door - YES cannot be changed.
• Will it start with the car plugged in - YES
• Will it charge after starting to keep the Hybrid battery full - NO
• Can I use the Viper bluetooth APP to start my car - YES within bluetooth range
• Can I lock the factory remote inside the car using the Viper remote - YES - Thieves will love you
• Can I lock the Viper remote inside the car using the factory remote - YES - Thieves still need the factory remote to start the car
• Does the Viper LCD remote tell me the temperature inside the car - YES I use this to determine if I really want to remote start the car or turn on the remote AC function.

How to preserve the Hybrid battery range .....
UPDATE 1/29/2018 the car will lose the defrost setting and will need to be manually activated after an unknown period of time, so far I have seen overnight.
Before shutting off the car for the evening place the climate controls on defrost and turn seat heater to the desired setting, the defrost setting will immediately turn on the gas engine to warm the car and cut down on Hybrid battery draw. I do this on days the windows are clear and I want to drive away in a few minutes, the seat heater has it toasty but I only lose about a 1/2 mile of EV range.

How can I keep the Hybrid battery full and warm the car ..........
UPDATE 1/29/2018 the car will lose the defrost setting and will need to be manually activated after an unknown period of time, so far I have seen overnight.
Before shutting off the car for the evening place the climate controls on defrost and turn seat heater to the desired setting, this will immediately turn on the gas engine to warm the car and cut down on Hybrid battery draw. Remote start the car early enough it can thaw the windows or warm the car, turn off the car with the remote start, the charger will detect the Hybrid battery is down and charge it back up very quickly, but you will have heat right away when you want to leave. Remember to adjust the charge timer to allow the car to charge at this time of day.

DISCLAIMER - DO NOT remote start your car in an enclosed garage.

 

I had a remote start installed in my 2012 Prius Plug-In Advanced. $428.00
DISCLAIMER - DO NOT remote start your car in an enclosed garage.

Viper DS4 hardwired, but can be installed with a t-harness but you will still need to hardwire 5 connections.
Viper 7756V long range Kit with 2 remotes (1) LCD - 1 mile range

• Can I install it myself YES but only an AUTHORIZED dealer can program it, let the PROS do it there is some expensive electrical stuff in your Prius not worth saving 150.00 bucks, but hey it's your money.

• Can I install only the Viper DS4 and only use factory remote and save some cost - YES

• Does the factory remote start the Prius 3X LOCK - YES but only within the factory range

• Do I still need to carry the factory remote to Push Button start the Prius - YES

• Does Smart Key functions still work - YES see below

• Does the factory remote AC button still work - YES

• Does the Prius turn off when opening the door - YES cannot be changed this is why you will still need to carry factory remote.

• Does the Prius stop if I open the Hatchback - NO but you can unlock it with the push button on the lid, but you CANNOT lock it after opening it with the push button on the hatch lid only the remotes, remember this is only affected during remote start.

• If I remote start the Prius while in the Prius and it is plugged in, can I drive away - NO as soon as you push on the brake pedal it will stop

• Will it start with the Prius plugged in - YES if it is (fully charged = NOT charging) or NOT charging at the remote start request time

• Will it charge after remote starting to keep the Hybrid battery full - NO

• Can I use the Viper bluetooth APP to start my Prius - YES within bluetooth range, you can add on a Viper box (more money) and start or unlock the car anywhere in the world if there is a cell connection for the Prius and your phone at the same time.

• Can I lock the factory remote inside the Prius using the Viper remote - YES - The Thieves will love you

• If I lock the factory remote inside the Prius using the Viper remote will the Smart Key touch function unlock a door - NO not even if the second remote is used, but any of the remotes unlock button will unlock the Prius. This is normal for the Smart Key System.

• Can I lock the Viper remote inside the Prius using the factory remote - YES - Thieves still need the factory remote to DRIVE the car, they could start it but touch the brake she stops

• Does the Viper LCD remote tell me the temperature inside the car - YES I use this to determine if I really want to remote start the Prius or turn on the remote AC function.

• Can I preset the seat temperature and the seat heaters to work when remote started - YES

• Can I preset the climate controls? this is a work in progress as I have determined that the Prius will reset itself to Auto after a period of time, I can set it to Defrost and it will stay there for hours but overnight it seems to reset to Auto.

 

Additional observations

Will the automatic headlights come on with a remote start - NO

If I remote start the car for lets say ten minutes and then turn it off will the plug-in charger recognize the battery is down and start charging - NO you will need to do some manual function such as pushing the timer button on the dash or unplugging the car and plugging it back in to get it to charge again

Last night I manually set the climate control to blow out the defrost and the floor at the same time the Prius retained those settings all night.

If I push the defrost button the Prius will NOT retain those settings overnight.