Frequently Asked Questions

Authorized Autostart retailers can special order remote transmitters if they don't have them in stock and then program them to your system.

Experts will tell you that if you do not want your car stolen or burglarized, you will want some visible layers of protection to discourage a thief. At the very least, you will want to park in a safe place with your doors locked, use an engine disable / starter kill, to prevent a thief from hot wiring your car. However, to offer protection against a thief entering your car and stealing the contents, you should probably have a full featured security system : an alarm with a siren, a brain module with a sophisticated microprocessor, and a shock / impact sensor.

It depends on several factors, and you should try to compare apples with apples. For instance, most factory "security systems" are actually "antitheft systems," meaning that they are essentially engine disable/starter kills and not full featured security systems with a sensor. But say that you are comparing true security systems. If they are both quality systems, carefully installed, then the main factor that weighs against factory security is the assembly line: all systems for a particular make and model year will be installed exactly the same, with publicly-available instructions in the service manuals telling thieves how to disable them! Also, many factory security systems lack a shock or impact sensor and rely on door triggers.

Before we get to features, let's talk about installation. You can buy the best alarm in the world, but if it's not properly installed it will invariably let you down. Consumers should always look for a sign at their installing dealer that says MECP Certified. That means that installers working at that store are Mobile Electronics Certified Professionals. Now that you've found an MECP certified installer, what features are you looking for? Let's first talk about security features, and then convenience features, because today's full-featured "car alarm" has both. For security, let's first talk about sensors. You need a good shock/impact sensor. Besides sounding the alarm if a thief opens a door or your trunk, you want the system to detect a sharp impact, which is the job of the shock sensor. You'll want a "dual stage" shock sensor, which discriminates between a light impact (which typically provokes chirps or a voice command to stand back) and a heavy impact, which triggers the full wrath of the siren. These are some additional sensors you might want to add to your system:

• An audio sensor, to detect breaking glass
• A "radar" or field disturbance sensor, especially if you have a convertible or a pickup truck
• A motion sensor, to detect jacking or towing and a closed loop sensor, to protect a trailer, boat or bicycles

Now let's talk about convenience, because the sky's the limit! Almost anything electrical in the car can be rigged to perform by remote control from the little transmitter on your keychain. Here are 3 of them:

• Remote Start – starts your engine with the push of a button, to warm up the engine and interior in the winter or to run your air conditioner in the summer.
• Remote Power Windows – a nice convenience feature. When the system arms, it automatically rolls your windows up. You can also roll them down or vent them by remote control.
• Trunk Pop – open your trunk with the push of a button.

All Autostart Security systems are conceived and designed in the USA by Autostart's product development group following rigorous quality standards that are ISO 9000 registered. Autostart subcontracts the manufacturing of its products to qualified vendors from around the world.

Yes, Autostart Security systems are designed to universally interface with any vehicle that employs a 12 volt electrical system, including cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, motorhomes, SUVs, etc. Certain Autostart remote start systems are even designed to work with automatic transmission vehicles employing diesel engines, from luxury models to heavy equipment and long haul trucks.

Yes, Autostart systems can augment many factory systems. Please discuss the details of your specific vehicle with your installing retailer.

No. Under the terms of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act, no new car warranty can be instantly voided simply by the addition of any aftermarket (non-factory) product, including vehicle security products. However, if the added device is of poor quality, or is installed incorrectly, issues of warranty can be brought into play. Your best choice here is to always have any Autostart system installed by a professional authorized Autostart dealer.

Autostart products are covered by a limited lifetime warranty when installed by an authorized Autostart retailer. Please read the detailed warranty in your Owners Guide.

Autostart prides itself in producing products with the lowest possible power consumption in the industry! Automobiles today are being produced with extremely complex wiring systems and many on-board computers. This leaves less of the vehicle's electrical resources free to be used by aftermarket products. For this reason, a major consideration in the design of Autostart security systems is the current consumption. This concern has been addressed by reducing the idle current of our systems to the bare minimum necessary for the product to perform properly.

Absolutely! Unlike many of our competitors, Autostart never releases insufficiently tested products to consumers. Each of our systems is painstakingly design/and engineered to the exacting standards. Next, several prototypes are constructed and meticulously bench tested and made to pass dozens of operational hardware and software tests. Next, another run of prototypes is built for "beta" or actual in-vehicle testing. Beta testing lasts between six to eight weeks, throughout which time every imaginable real-world test is performed. Next, another run of prototypes is built and delivered to selected Autostart dealers for more in-vehicle testing in their own selected vehicles. Only after we receive favorable reports from these selected dealers do we authorize the factory to begin production. All our products are produced under rigorous ISO quality standards that insure the highest level of quality, reliability, value and customer friendly features.

Remote engine starting is the convenience of being able to start your vehicle's engine by remote control. If your vehicle has an automatic transmission with fuel injection, you can start your car with the push of a button from the comfort of your home or office. In the winter, remote start is a lifesaver – you'll wonder how you ever survived without it as you venture outside on freezing mornings and step into the pre-warmed interior of a vehicle that's ready to go. Remote Start can even be programmed to run your engine at pre-selected intervals during the day or night, circulating the oil and ensuring that your car will start every time, no matter what the elements throw at you! And remote start is a wonderful convenience during the hot summer, too. Just preset your car's climate controls upon exiting and Directed will do the rest!

This will vary with every car depending on what factory options may have been purchased or installed already. This would be a question best left answered by an authorized Autostart dealer.

ALL Autostart systems are designed with short circuit protection built in. In recent years thieves have discovered that an easy way to defeat many of our competitors' systems was simply to break a taillight lens, short out the parking light bulb inside, and then trigger the alarm. Since many alarms also flash the parking lights when triggered, the short circuiting of the parking light bulb would lead to the short circuiting of the alarm as well, making it short work for the thief. To completely prevent this from happening, all Autostart Security systems include several forms of short circuit protection. The first form is fuse protection for all critical circuits including main power, siren, and parking light output. This most basic form of protection prevents a thief from defeating our systems by simply shorting out a parking light bulb or the siren. The second form is advanced integrated circuit technology which allows all other outputs to detect short circuit conditions and temporarily shut down until the short is corrected. This second form of protection protects each unit from accidental damage which might occur during installation or when the vehicle is being serviced. All together these separate forms of short circuit protection make Autostart Security systems robust in both security and reliability.

Autostart Security systems include the selectable feature we call "Passive Arming". Simply put, this is the system's ability to arm (activate) itself automatically without any special intervention by the vehicle operator. When placed in this mode, the security system will arm itself 30 seconds after the customer leaves the vehicle. Even if you forget to arm the system, passive arming will protect the vehicle from would-be thieves. This feature can be used in conjunction with power door locks and windows to fully secure the vehicle. *See Active Arming.

Easy! All of our alarm systems use a system we call "Code Learning" which enables one remote to control multiple vehicles.

We all have different level of needs for either security or convenience. Autostart has forever kept this in mind and designed systems with features built-in or that can be assembled on a modular basis. So remember that Autostart systems can be customized to your needs and desires and even driving habits!