Remote starter with smart key

[dbrasili]

Hello all,
I am new to this forum. I recently purchased a 2011 Highlander Limited with the Nav System. When I bought the car the I purchased the remote car starter with the alarm system. But I guess I should've done some more research on this before buying. They installed it yesterday. It is an aftermarket Audiovox Pursuit Pro9776. Everything seems to work fine but when you open the door the car shuts off. I have read some of this on the web, but was wondering if anyone on this forum has experienced this too. When I bought the remote starter I was under the impression I was getting the Toyota version and it would work seamlessly with the vehicle.

Now I have read that the car turning off when the door is opened is a security feature. But it is quite annoying. Anyone know if this can be bypassed?

Thanks,
Derek

[Flame Red]

My understanding is that the Nanny Toyota Remote Starter also will shutoff the engine and require you to restart when you enter the truck. That is why it is such a POS and most folks put in an aftermarket one. Looks like they sold you one that does not support that or installed it so it behaves that way.

Well, maybe that aftermarket one is better if it lets you start the car further away than the 10 yards distance the Toyota one does.

[dbrasili]

The remote starter distance is pretty good. I actually called audiovox and talked to technical assistance. They said this is the correct operation. It is a safety feature. Ya whatever. What is really p*ssing me off is the car alarm portion of it. There are so many different ways to lock and unlock the car with the smartkey that the alarm acts differently with each one! I have contacted my salesperson and told him about this. He is going to ask the installer. I told him I might want the alarm system ripped out. I told him it should not alter the way the car is supposed to function. He at least told me he was going to make it right no matter what. But it stinks because now they have been messing around with all the wiring. Hopefully it is easy to get it back to the stock version!

[toy08]

I have the Toyota remote starter and it does the same thing. I think it's annoying too, but don't use it that often. It'd be nice if it would automatically turn on my front and rear defroster when activated.

[alpha17c]

The reason for the car shutting off is for saftey.(your five year old wants to drive) Also for theft. The car is running and your in the house drinking your coffee waiting for the engine to warm up, And low and behold someone thats not honest. (insert sarcasm) Now your car is gone and someone is calling Toyota explaining what a POS this system is.. Oh wait someone already has.
The aftermarket alarm has not effect on the operation of the keyless entry or remote start...Its usually just a shock sensor and a pretty light under the dash and your horn honks also.

[dbrasili]

Alpha17c,
Ya, that makes sense that when you open the door the car shuts off for safety reasons. So I can deal with that. But as far as the alarm is concerned I can't deal with that thing. For instance, lets say I lock the car with the alarm remote. If I have the smart key in my pocket I can just grab the drivers door handle and it unlocks the drivers door. This also disarms the alarm and I can just get in. Well with the smart key if the car is locked and you grab the passengers door, it unlocks all 4 doors, but doesn't disarm the alarm. Why is that?

Also on both the drivers and passengers door there is a little button. If you close the door and hold this button it locks all of the doors. But it doesn't arm the alarm.

There are many ways to lock and unlock the door with the Limited. I would just like them all to be consistent. So either when I lock the door, no matter how, it arms the alarm. And when I unlock the door no matter how, it disarms the alarm.

So I have already talked to the dealer. He said he will uninstall the alarm and give me some money back.

But I am just wondering if this is a risk of messing up the electrical in the vehicle since they already mucked with it.

What do you guys think?

[alpha17c]

If there is any damage...Its already happened..They use cheap T-connectors. So now they will just unplug them..

As to the locking and unlocking...The alarm is typically hooked up to the
master switch that only resides on the drivers door. They would need to install some more leads to the passenger door if thats possible...


aahh the glorious world of aftermarket parts.

[dbrasili]

Alpha17C,
Yup that is what the installer said. He said he expects you to enter through the drivers side door. Great. So in your opinion would I be better leaving the alarm? Or since you said the damage is done, I guess it doesn't hurt do just disable it? Just trying to get a feel for what kind of problems can arise if I do disable it.

What p*sses me off is that the sales guy should have told me about all of these issues before hand. I would have never had the alarm put in if I knew it was going to cause these problems. Granted that he is willing to give me the cash back and have the alarm removed. But now they have messed with the electrical system in the vehicle.

Am I overthinking this now?

Thanks for your opinion.

[alpha17c]

Over thinking..NO...Just concerned with the longevity of your Veh. The sales pitch does not surprise me. Once the car is sold. Salespeople know its coming to service
and we will handle it. Unless the customer is unhappy with our answer then the salesperson is tracked down.

I dont want to tell you if you need the alarm or not...IMO...alarms, no one pays attention unless it sounds at your house. I see more problems with the alarms after the car has aged a bit...The alarms are junk and do not last. (esp the dealership ones)
Then they cause starting problems and drain power from the battery.

[dbrasili]

Alpha17C,
Thanks for the info. So I think I am going to have them remove the alarm. I am going to keep the remote starter though. Is there anything I should demand when asking them to remove it. I don't want to get snow'd and just have them mickey mouse the removal process. As you said they will probably just unplug what they did?? Does that sound right?