Any of you installers on here ever installed a remote start alarm on a hybrid? Im about to get an alarm and id like to get remote start on my 05 hybrid civic. Anybody have any experiance installing these on hybrids or is it the same as any other car.

well, it would install similar to a non hybrid, but what you need to consider is how the vehicle operates before the rs. Like, does it shut off at idle, at a stop then start when you begin to drive... also, is the 'warm up' time the same... Id venture to say that the answers to those two questions would leave you with the reply that "you shouldnt install a remote start" in that car. For example, the civic stops running the engine all together when at a stop light, meaning you dont want the vehicle running anyways when sitting parked, so a remote start is not recommened.

Actually it stops only if certain conditions apply. Mainly if you have the ac set to auto and the ac actually on. Durring the winter the car never auto stoped once because i did not use my ac. Other conditions will kick in the auto stop like if the battery cells are very low but that has never happened. Anyway, thanks for your input, I still havent decided on the rs but i will be getting an alarm soon.

if you can find the energy cell in the rear of your car read the warning label on it. I wouldnt recommend the installation

actually, the ac part isnt true on the 06 civic hybrid. the car shuts off at lights irregardless of ac running. in fact i would think that if the ac was running it wouldnt shut off... i know for fact it does shut off at lights with ac not running. meaning for conservation of gas at the very least its not ideal.

So, is it just the remote start part you guys dont like, or would you not install an alarm at all? With an AVIC in there i want something thats going to scream bloody murder and will transmit that to me if someone is trying to rip me off.

yeah you can install an alarm system, shock sensor, ect.. .but just be careful with the remote start, likely your warranty with the way the rs works would be voided.

Manguson Moss Warranty Improvement Act states a manufacturer can not void your warranty for aftermarket equipment being installed in a vehicle unless 1. They offer the same or comparable equipment FREE of charge. 2. They must prove that the aftermarket equipment is the sole cause of the failure. 3. Even if number 2 happens they ca only void the warranty on the part directly affected, ie an r/s causes the starter to drag. The starter burns out as a result. Warranty claim on the starter would be denied as a result. however if the brakes or other unrelated system were to fail the warranty claim can not be denied.

To the OP it is actually no different putting an r/s in a hybrid. The only thingis the a/c or heat must be on in order for the gas engine to run. I've done r/s's in every hybrid with the exception of the prius. No one seems to want to buy an extra one of those intelligent keys or whatever toyota calls them.

i think its just useless for a hybrid since its put together much different. but your 100% right about the sema or the other act you stated. though it isnt unheard of for the dealer to 'say' that your connections to blah blah helped contribute to an ecm problem or the like.

Of course they try. Best bet in that situation is to get it in writing. If they won't put it in writing then they can't deny the claim.

I've done r/s's in every hybrid with the exception of the prius. No one seems to want to buy an extra one of those intelligent keys or whatever toyota calls them.

So you have done rs on hybrids? Have there been any problems arise afterwards. Even a while down the road after install. And do you know if alarm manufactures like DEI or any other have any info or caution about installing an rs in a hybrid. I do have a lot to loose if i do this and it causes problems, I did get the 100,000 mile extended warranty on this thing and i dont want to give honda a reason to say my problem will be out of warranty because of remote start. Also the thing about the ac or heater having to be on for the car to start! I can start the car with the key when neither the ac or the heater is running so why would they have to be on for the rs?

So you have done rs on hybrids?

That's what I said

Have there been any problems arise afterwards. Even a while down the road after install.

To sound really cocky for a sec, I can count on 1 hand the number of remote starts I've done in the last 5 years that have a real, not operator, problem. Even those have been system related, not install related problems.

And do you know if alarm manufactures like DEI or any other have any info or caution about installing an rs in a hybrid.

The only cautions are stay the hell away from any wiring in orange loom.

I do have a lot to loose if i do this and it causes problems, I did get the 100,000 mile extended warranty on this thing and i dont want to give honda a reason to say my problem will be out of warranty because of remote start.

That's another good reason to have it done professionally. Shops have insurance to pay if for some reason something did happen.

Also the thing about the ac or heater having to be on for the car to start!

That's not exactly what I said.

I can start the car with the key when neither the ac or the heater is running so why would they have to be on for the rs?

Turn the ac/heat off and let the engine idle for a couple minutes, what happens? The engine shuts down right? You don't want that to happen when it's remote started because then the car doesn't warm up. The only way to keep that from happening to have the heat or ac on when you want to r/s the car.

If I come off as a prick, sorry. It's late and today was not a very nice day at work.

Ok, i think ill forget about the rs. cntry, what do you think of the PYTHON 700/702 and can i trust Circuit City to do a good job and what recourses do i have if they screw something up? How well are they trained on installing these things?

talk with the installer prior to letting them install it. See if you feel confortable, see if they have worked on the car before, kinda quiz them to see if they have really done it.. like questions regarding wiring

Pretty much what ^^^ he said. It all depends on the installer. I've seen some interesting installs from from the bi boxes, but the same holds true to the indies. It's all a matter of finding an installer that actually takes pride in their work.

Pretty much what ^^^ he said. It all depends on the installer. I've seen some interesting installs from from the bi boxes, but the same holds true to the indies. It's all a matter of finding an installer that actually takes pride in their work.

haha i see you made the here links all caps now. Lets hope that gets their attention

Turn the ac/heat off and let the engine idle for a couple minutes, what happens? The engine shuts down right? You don't want that to happen when it's remote started because then the car doesn't warm up. The only way to keep that from happening to have the heat or ac on when you want to r/s the car.

I have an 05 civic hybrid. The above does not happen on my car. I can start the car and leave it running as long as I want and it will not auto stop. The only time it will auto stop is if you come to a stop with the ac on, as long as your foot is on the brake it will auto stop. If you lift your foot off the brake it starts again. So, getting back to the rs option, do you guys see any potintial issues with a remote start on this hybrid car.

YEs! as indicated in many many post prev.

the car does not function like a traditional vehicle. its a hybrid, why fool with that, ac on or ac off or whatever. As a whole Id say no to hybrid personally, but a few select models is fine i suppose, cept the prius in prev. years I have seen that car not start until shifted into drive, something like that, i had one for 1 day as a rental. But irregardless, running the vehicle for 10-15 minutes as with a remote start sure as hell aint enviromentally sound, hell its actually doing harm, the car only needs about 2-3 minutes.. maybe 5 to warm up. and get running properly, of course check your owners manual on that though. I would think the reason you bought the car is to conserve fuel, and have a more green vehicle... a remote start is kinda backwards, besides wouldnt you want to try to save some of that extra cash you paid for that vehicle vrs. a non hybrid?

Please dont tell me, or try to flame me on how the vehicle is cheaper in the short/long run cuz it just doesnt add up... sorry.

I save 1500.00 to 1800.00 dollars a year on gas. Id say that does add up. Unless im missing something here, please inlighten me if I am, but the regular maintaince and other things that cost money over the life of the car is no more expensive then any other car. Never the less, I did buy the car to save money particulerly on gas as prices will allways go up, I will just be able to go a longer distance on the same money as every one else. I am keeping track of my savings and it has definatly already paid off. As far as the remote start, I dont think a 5 to 10 minute warm up is consituting me not being friendly to the environment and it would not burn enough gas to really lower my gas milage. It is a nice feature and I think you will begin to see this on hybrids from the factory soon.

You think it adds up huh? So we are talking about more than a 7k different between the base hybrid civic and a base civic sedan. Unless you are comparing your car to an SUV/sports car, I dont see where you get this 1500 to 1800 dollars saving in gas. Gas cost me about 3400 a year, at about 65 dollars a week (premium, ~14k miles/year, and less than 20mpg). SO a regular civic would probably be 1700 a year in gas (regular and 35mpg). After about 8 years of driving, then you will have broken even with paying that premium over that regular civic.

hybrid

$22,600

50mpg average city/highway

civic dx sedan

$15,010

about 35mpg for city/highway

(I used 3 dollars a gallon for regular)

ok, you wanted to get into it... a civic hybrid sells for.. what... $22,600 not counting the 'special' markup california dealers were charging ($2,500), so lets go with that $22k... you can buy a regular civic for $15,000 (dx) and since the dx is pushing 140 horses vrs. the hybrid at 110 thats actually more car for the money at $15,000 but is the closest we could get for this example.

Now, thats a difference of $7,600 right off the bat. Fortunately, the hybrids with regeneritive braking (spelling is wrong i know) have the benefit of brakes lasting much longer then a non hybrid.. so we will chalk a portion of that 'special' markup mentioned above to that. Not all, just some. Now, assuming you bought one of the first hybrids that was in 04 i think, meaning the vehicle is now 3 yearsish old. ok 4, for the sake of this example.. just keep in mind I am really over estimating on the hybrid owners side.

Now, lets take your math of $1,800 a year savings in just gas... that only equals $7,200 (4 X $1,800/year). shy of about $400 meaning you havent broken even yet, let alone saved money. Lets examine that number though $1,800 SAVINGS a year.. that means you have to be driving MORE then $1,800 a year to save that much.. right? yes. So, what is $1,800 translated into gallons? 1800/ 3.25 (hope math is right here) that equals just above 553 gallons. So lets explore that a bit.

The dx civic gets 30/38 so we will say 35 (nice round number) and which for a 60,000 mile a year vehicle which is INSANE, (average is 12,000) thats 1,714 gallons of gas totaling about (1,714 X $3.25) $5,570 annually spent on gas.

Stay with me please.

For the hybrid on 60,000 miles a year thats 1,200 gallons (1,200 X $3.25) $3,900 annually spent on gas.

Making the difference of 514 gallons and $1,670 (close to the $1,500-$1,800 you boasted earlier)

Do you really think we believe you drive 60k miles a year? ok ok, maaaaaayyybe. but no. Also, keep in mind the gas price of $3.25 is/was on the low side considering it wasnt until the first part of 07 the gas prices really shot up where they are now at nearly $3.30 / gallon So that makes the difference and mileage even more insane since to get the SAVINGS of $1,800 / year, you have to drive more to spend more to save more.. see? yes. And this all comes down to the fact that the price of the hybrid doesnt save money until (by your savings quote) for at least 4-5 years. Then you start working on saving money, and not before then.

Something else to note, the EPA mpg rating for an 04 hybrid civic was less (48 not 50) and the dx civic at about 38 not 35, making the example different less favorable for the hybrid. Not to mention there is much debate over the EPA rating system, and many reports testing mpg's have found a variation (usually under) the stated figure, meaning the hybrids having a larger rating (mpg) is subject to the same % of variation in actual mpg's then the lower rated civic dx, basically (for example purposes ONLY) lets say 5% error in mpg rating, well that means 2.5 gallons less on the hybrid and the dx civic looses only 1.75 gallons... since the number is smaller for the non hybrid.

Now, to address the 'special' markup again, because afterall theres a tax break being offered for hybrid vehicles. I think this kinda washes out the difference between the 'special' markup and the braking system/tax credit between hybrid and non. Because, in the end its a CREDIT not a gift, meaning you have to have spent it, to get a credit back.

does this clear it up for you? it does me! it just does NOT add up like i said. BTW, thats 923 hours a year spent driving if you do 60k miles a year and at 65mph which i doubt you do, theres got to be some time you drive much slower then that. AFterall, the hours worked per year (for a full time job no overtime) is a little over 2k. If your spending nearly half that in the car, id say you got other problems then owning a hybrid. LOL!

p.s. damn coocho jumped in there before me while i was still typing it all up!! lol right on bro

you know, im thinking he MEANT to say, he has saved $1,800 total over the years he has had the hybrid.. assuming he had it for a few years, and drives exceptionally high mileage, cuz even 120,000 miles a year still doesnt brake even on the vehicle for 2 years.

DEI has the hybrids in their tech sheets so I don't see where the problem would be.

listed? do they explain the effect and how a hybrid works with their rs? Would rally like to know how they address the vehicle shutting off. That really seems like a huge obstacle since THATS the way its suppose to run...no?

if you call them, they'll say the same thing I said. Make sure to tell the cutomer to leave the heat or ac on. Otherwise the vehicle may turn off.