Okay, we live in a cold part of the world and I like having the car warmed up without having to go out and start it --especially when we've had freezing rain!

But, my Honda dealer was charging rip off prices for the remote starter and isntallation and of course, they sub-contract this and add a hefty mark up. I was told that if I did not have it done at a Honda dealer, my 3 year warranty might not be respected if something went wrong, etc.

Still I could not justify paying the rip-off pricing my dealer quoted.

What's the real truth, and what's the best starter on the market now?

I also have a Honda Accord, and I'd like to get remote starters on this, as well as the Fit -- but not if I'm being ripped off!

Later,
Bill

PS: Ironically, I'd have played golf today if any courses were open in the Montreal area -- wow! it was nice today!

 

Hi, you should come see me in chomedey, Laval at Vitro plus. I am a remote starter installer. Where at 1740 Curé-Labelle, my name is Nick.
phone number is 450-973-7773

 

That's cool NIck, but what about Honda's 3 year warranty being affected?

Later,
Bill

 

They have no right to void the warranty of your car for that. They say that so you buy the remote starter at the dealer. The fact is that they actually ship your car to a place like where i work and they do a huge markup on it. The only thing they can do is not repair your car under warranty for a trouble cause directly by your remote starter wich is totally normal. If you have a trouble with or because of your remote starter you simply go back where you bought it and they will do the repair.

 

Now, see, that's how they worry you. If the problem inadvertendly affects other systems in the electrical circuit not related to the starter system (and they might -- rightly or wrongly-- claim it's the fault of the remote starter installer and refuse to repair it), then who will pay for the repairs?).

Later,
Bill

 

If the dealer can prove the remote starter installer cause the problem, the installer is going to do the repair free of charge. it's part of the warranty. We have insurances for anything bad that can happen to a car, it's mandatory to have that kind of insurance. Anyway, when the remote starter is done by a professionnal installer, there's not much chance anything bad happens to the car.

 

Just curious PurrrFect, what were you quoted? The car does have an immobilizer, so defeating that costs a bit extra...

 

I have not yet checked out pricing for my Fit, but for my Accord, the dealer wanted $700.00 at time of purchase (but their shop quoted less -- around $550.00 when I called them later). I then checked with other places including other Honda dealers, and they were all less, as low as $250.00 in one case, but I'm not 100% certain they quoted the correct unit (the anti-theft alarm, etc. has to be considered).

Either way, the dealer prices are too much, and as noted by one of our members, they hire others to do it and simply add a a fat mark up -- but there's greedy, and there's cheating folks, and at $700.00 I nearly fell out of my chair!

I will get it done, but at an aftermarket place -- not at a Honda dealer -- it's not done by them, nor is it a Honda system, so why let the dealer make money for doing virtually nothing?!

Later,
Bill