1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Wife put aftermarket remote starter in

Discussion in 'Toyota Hybrids and EVs' started by onerpm, Jan 8, 2008.

  1. onerpm

    onerpm New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2004
    477
    2
    0
    Location:
    MN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Well, she had it put in, I should say. 07 HyCam. We went to our Toyota dealer (Walser, Bloomington, MN) with the intent of putting in the OEM remote starter that you can get (factory or dealer-installed) for the HyCam, but they recommended one of the aftermarket brands that has much longer range (there have been reports of poor performance by the OEM unit), as well as LED feedback of confirmed start, etc.

    We could have gone directly to the installer the dealership uses, but the dealership is close to my wife's work, they gave her a loaner (good thing because they didn't finish the job until the next day), and also will deal with any problems. Was $500. Ouch, but what the heck.

    Well, it works great and I am jealous. Am trying to see if they can do my 06 Prius now, and toss in heated seats while they're at it.

    You have to use the remote starter's remote control to unlock the car when you approach it (only if you started the car remotely); the smartkey won't unlock it. However, once you've unlocked it, the smartkey starts the car the same as always. Heat/defrost and heated seat(s) will come on if you had them set on before, but the rear defogger will not, as it shuts off when you turn off the car.

    rpm
     
  2. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2006
    2,369
    980
    70
    Location:
    Sunnyvale, California
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Do you know the exact brand and model number for the remote start? I've been trying to add one to my 2006 Prius for some time. If there's a remote start designed with hybrid operation in mind it would sure be an easier job!
     
  3. onerpm

    onerpm New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2004
    477
    2
    0
    Location:
    MN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    I tried to find her manual, etc. when I decided to try to get one for the Prius, and it seems to be missing already. However, I am not sure that they can put them in the Prius anyway. I have a call in to my dealership, and they are checking with the installer.

    rpm
     
  4. onerpm

    onerpm New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2004
    477
    2
    0
    Location:
    MN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    No word from dealer yet on applicability to Prius, but I found the manual. It's an Autostart model AS2450v. Comes with one standard transmitter and one LCD transmitter. The LCD transmitter give you some confirmation and timer features.
     
  5. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2006
    2,369
    980
    70
    Location:
    Sunnyvale, California
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Thanks for the reference!

    I found a description of the Autostart AS2450TW, which would seem to be essentially the same as yours, except for maybe a different remote. It's a long range unit that operates up to 2500 feet away.

    There doesn't seem to be anything special in the description that would make it easier to interface to the Prius. It's still going to take some external logic to manage the push button start/stop.

    The biggest problem that I've had has been the ignition key system. My current solution is to use a universal immobilizer bypass with a transponder extracted from a black logo keyfob. Perhaps there is a databus bypass that works now, but I've already thrown $40 down that rathole.

    The intermittent operation of the Prius engine is not a problem. Just set the "engine running" sensor to voltage sense. If the system voltage is 14V or more, then the car is in "Ready" mode. If it's less than that (12V?), then it's in some other mode, probably off.