Howdy, all.

I hear a lot of conflicting information about whether this is a good idea or not. Anyone upgraded to key-less entry and remote start and had no issues? Did anyone run into issues?

Any recommendations and tips I may not be aware of?

Gotta help us out first.. year model and make of your car can be a start.

91 MGM LS

thank you!

I'm not certain that this really belongs so much in the Box forum as this question could apply to any car. Unless your question is specifically "is it safe to put on a '91 MGM LS" in which case I would say, as long as the install is clean and your car can idle normally...it's probably fine.

I've had exactly one keyless entry system (on my $200 2004 LX). It worked really well, until it didn't.

What caused it not to?

Two experinces -

'97 Trooper, keyless entry, worked fine

'08 Altima, using the original fob, added remote start, and never quite worked right, ultimately causing a lot of odd electrical issues, like car dying on road, not re-starting, etc. The gremlin could have been the installer.

Back to Boxes, anyone add -

- Remote start? Any issues? if so, what?
- Keyless entry? Any issues? if so, what?
- Remote trunk release? Any issues? if so, what?

Remote start/Remote Keyless Entry/Security/Alarm systems are perfectly safe in any vehicle, so long as they are properly installed.

If you're unsure of your wiring abilities, have the system professionally installed.

The best advice I can give is do NOT have a system installed by a big chain (Car Toys, Best Buy, etc). High school kids with minimal training don't do great work, I've had to repair dozens of Car Toys installations in my time.
Instead, go to a local family owned business, one which has people with years of experience doing this stuff.

Before you commit to buying any particular system, do some reasearch. Decide what options you want. Do you wan't any auxilary controls, such as a fob button that rolls down your windows, or the ability to turn on air conditioning automatically on hot days or rear window defrost on cold days? How long do you want the engine to run before automatically shutting off (if you don't get in and insert the key)?
These are just a few of the many options available that will affect the installation.

There is also the choice of brand. Really there are only a few actual brands.
Compustar (my preferred brand)
Prestige (Cheaper, but still decent quality)
Directed Electronics (Viper, Python, Avitol, Clifford, and about 30 other brands... All the same product with a different sticker. They are by far the most common, but their customer support is nonexistent)

I have installed RKE and remote starts on all my vehicles except my 2017 Escape (I can start it from my phone).

On the older ones without things like PATS (coded keys) or already having a factory alarm, it is much easier.

Most of what I have installed are Prestige or Audiovox. I had 2 way long distance remote start on an 89 Cougar and 97 Cougar. They didn't have PATS, that added complexity to my 97 Mark VIII (very rare version of PATS) and slightly less to my 00 Grand Marquis (I bought the Ford bypass module, well worth the money).

My requirements are not very high, remote lock and unlock (longer distance than OEM, nearly all had factory RKE), remote start that would start the AC as last set last time used (rarely heat, desert here...), trunk open, and a reasonable alarm (89 Cougar not really worth the alarm, but still). I did add a module to roll down and up windows to one of them.

I see Compustar comes up quite a bit. Seems that Viper is junk now?

About adding modules for things like roll windows up and down and trunk release, where are the modules installed?

Viper (and the other dozen identical brands) are decent quality. It's just the company that has issues. Every time I've installed one of those systems, they've always refused to give me any help/information with wiring because I'm not an "authorized retailer". Their instructions are very generic, and don't give any specific information that's necessary for installation (such as sensing or auxiliary circuit polarities). I've had them answer customer support emails six months after I've sent them... Their customer service is simply crap. After installing about six of their systems, I now refuse to. Too much headache.

Trunk release is built into the remote starter system, it'll simply have a wire that you splice into your car's trunk release button wire (may require a relay, depending on what unit you get).
Rolling windows is usually done with a relay and a timer. Some remote start systems have auxiliary timers built into them for stuff like this.

Just decide what you want, tell your installer, and they'll figure it out.
Unless you're planning on doing it yourself?

Oh, no way. A local shop is an authorized Compustar installer. They are an independent shop and been in business for 30 + years now. Same guy who owns now owned then.

They, also, do window tinting. My plan is to get them to do the keyless entry and tinting at the same time and be done with it.

For keyless entry, I am thinking -

1 - Keyless Entry
2 - Remote Start
3 - Trunk Release
4 - Would like an alarm -OR- is this a headache with false alarms?
5 - Would like window roll, but not necessary

Any other things I might be missing? Do you know about how much this should cost? Looks like the Compustar kits are $200-ish for the H/W. About double for install?

Any recommendation over the LCD fobs versus traditional buttons? Despite being a nerd, I am leaning towards the non-LCD fobs. Do any of them work better?

Wasn't Viper an independent company back in the day? Looks like they are one of many brands owned by some conglomerate now. Wasn't bulldog alarms a thing back then? Like early-mid-90s?

Sounds like a good shop.

I recommend getting ceramic tint. Last longer than metallic and carbon, and has way better heat blocking.

All RKE systems have trunk pop standard.
As far as alarm systems... Most false alarms are caused by vibration, and the sensitivity of shock sensors is adjustable.

I personally hate your conventional alarm system. On my install, I fully installed it, however I did not install the speaker, and did not connect to the vehicle lights.
When the alarm goes off, there is no indication in the car, only the fob beeps. I also added an alarm trigger to my fuel door (open fuel door, alarm goes off).


Double the price is a decent rough estimate for installation price. But quotes are always free. You can also talk to them about the features you want to better select the right product.
Before you commit, I recommend reading through the instructions for that product to view the programming options. There are a lot of customization choices, such as what button combinations do what, how long you want the car to run, temperature for defrost to activate, do you want the car to start automatically if voltage gets too low, or if temperature gets too low, etc... Also think about the location of things like a valet switch (button you press to disable the system temporarily) or an indicator light (theft deterrent).
You can also add additional security options such as a starter kill switch, many systems include this standard (Must disarm system to start the car).
On my install, I have a switch that must be pressed to start the car (unless remote started) and to shift out of park. I actually added a traction control button to my car and used it for this.

As far as fobs, there's 1-way, 2-way, and LCD 2-way.
1-way are simple remotes. You press,the vehicle does, as long as it's within range.
2-way are the same, except with a confirmation. You press, the vehicle does, the the fob will beep or flash a light to tell you if it was successful. Great for when you can't see the car,or don't know if you're in range.
LCD are 2-way, and offer more features. They usually have the ability to display the interior temperature and battery voltage, timer until shut off, and will tell you what triggered the alarm (door, hood, shock, etc). They also usually feature adjustable notification (beeps, vibration, silent, etc).

Range is a separate option, in addition to fob style, longer range tends to be more expensive. Also note that the advertised range is the range while standing in the middle of a salt pan... Buildings, trees, and elevation changes will reduce the range. I have a one-mile range unit, but the effective range in a typical urban environment is just over a quarter mile.
In one of my other vehicles I had a Prestige unit with a 1000' range, but it rarely worked without me having direct line of sight with the car.

Bulldog is still around, but not very popular.
Directed Electronics is that conglomerate that owns almost everything.

Awesome info, thank you!

Dave, last question (hopefully )

How much should ceramic window tint run me? I know location is a big driver...

Thank you & God bless.

Usually $400-600 for all windows at a decent shop.
But I've also seen people do it as a side job for $200 cash.
But yeah, location can have a huge impact.

Thank you!!!!!! I know what to save $ for!