Remote Starters: Don’t Be Left Out in the Cold

February 11 2019

A remote starter is one of those accessories that you don’t think is useful until you own a vehicle equipped with one. Once you’ve gotten a taste for getting into a warm vehicle on winter mornings, it’s hard to live without.

In a lot of new vehicles, you can choose the remote starter on the options list; on better-equipped models, this accessory sometimes comes factory standard.

Did you know it was a Montreal-based accessory specialist who first created a remote starter compatible with modern vehicle electronics?

If your car doesn’t have a factory-standard remote starter, fear not: you can go to any number of stores or garages to get one installed. However, given that electronic systems are increasingly complex, your starter has to be good quality; some retailers will tell you that their inexpensive starters will get the job done, but you could have problems with the factory ignition interlock and alarm systems in most vehicles sold today. Certain low-end starters have been known to unlock car doors!

Some will argue that starting your vehicle for several minutes simply to warm it up in the winter is harmful for the environment. While it’s true that an idling car generates pollution, you should always let your car’s engine warm up when the temperature drops below zero. Following that logic, you can consider a remote starter as a way of prolonging the life of your means of transportation—and a warm and welcoming cabin is just a nice perk.