1-way, 2-way and phone-app remote starters, installed in our SE Calgary shop.
Rite-Price Auto Service Centre installs remote starters in Calgary at our shop on Manilla Road SE, in 1-way, 2-way and phone-app versions. Press a button from the kitchen, and the car is running and warming up while you find your boots. Every vehicle wires up a little differently, so the price depends on your car and the system you pick. Call with the year, make and model, and we’ll quote it before you book.
Nearly every install is one of these three. The right one mostly comes down to where you’ll be standing when you press the button.
The remote sends the start signal, and that’s all it does. You find out it worked by looking out the window for the parking lights. It’s the simplest setup, and it suits a car parked where you can see it from the house.
The remote answers back. It beeps, buzzes or lights up to confirm the car started and locked, and some show the run time left on a small screen. If you park out of sight, on the street around the corner or at the far end of the lot at work, this is the one we’d pick. On a −30 °C morning it also tells you the car didn’t start before you’ve walked out to it.
A cellular module in the car takes commands from an app, so distance stops mattering. Start the car from your desk downtown or the stands at hockey practice. Two catches: the app runs on a service plan, and an underground parkade can block the signal, so check it where you actually park.
A standard install gets you remote start, plus lock and unlock from the same remote. Your own keys work the way they always have. Anything beyond that depends on the vehicle and the system, so tell us what you’re hoping for when you call, and we’ll say whether your car can do it.
Usually, yes. Most cars, SUVs and trucks on Calgary roads can take one.
Every new car, SUV and light truck sold in Canada since September 2007 has an electronic immobilizer: a chip in the key that the car has to recognize before the engine will run. A remote starter can’t hand the car a key, so the install includes an interface module that tells the car a valid key is present during a remote start, and only then. On newer vehicles the locks, lights and ignition also talk over a data network, and that same module gets programmed for your exact make and model. Those parts are a big reason the price changes from one vehicle to the next.
Some vehicles are worth a call before you plan on anything:
Call with the year, make and model. That’s usually enough for a yes, a no, or “we’d need to see it.”
After a clear night at −30 °C, every window is frosted over and the cabin is as cold as the air outside. Chinooks add a twist: an afternoon melt leaves water on the glass, and by morning it’s a sheet of ice. A few minutes of running gets the defroster working on it while you’re still inside.
One habit helps a lot: leave the heat on and the fan on defrost when you park. On most vehicles, a remote start picks up whatever the climate controls were set to.
A remote start asks just as much of the battery as a key start does. The starter motor still turns a cold engine full of thick oil, and you’re inside, where you can’t hear the slow crank most batteries give as a warning before they quit. If yours is four or five years old, have it tested before the deep cold. Our car battery services page explains the test.
A block heater still earns its keep on the coldest nights, too. Plug in overnight, remote-start in the morning, and the engine and the cabin both get a head start.
Want the car warm before you get in this winter? Call Rite-Price Auto Service Centre at (403) 243-4204. Tell us the vehicle and which kind of remote you’re leaning toward, and we’ll quote the install.
Getting the car ready for winter? Rite-Price Auto Service Centre is a full-service auto repair shop in SE Calgary. Ask about a battery test or a seasonal tire changeover when you book the install.
A remote starter ties into the ignition, the immobilizer, the locks and, on newer vehicles, the car’s data network. When one is wired badly, the car lets you know later: a battery that’s flat after a weekend parked, a warning light that comes and goes, a remote that works one day and not the next. Aftermarket remote starters and alarms are on the list of problems our car electrical repair page covers, so we’ve seen what a rushed install leaves behind.
Rite-Price Auto Service Centre is a locally owned, AMVIC-licensed repair shop on Manilla Road SE. If a system isn’t a good fit for your vehicle, we’ll say so on the phone, and you’ll have the quote before any work starts.
A 1-way remote sends the start signal, and nothing comes back. A 2-way remote confirms that the car started and locked, with a beep, a buzz or a light, and some show the run time on a screen. Pick a 2-way if you park where you can't see the car.
Most do. The app reaches the car over a cellular connection, and that connection runs on a service plan from the system's maker, usually paid yearly. Plans vary by system, so we'll go over them with your quote. A few systems use Bluetooth instead, with no plan, but they only work within phone range of the car.
Installing one doesn't void a factory warranty outright. If the starter or its wiring causes a problem, though, the automaker may not cover that repair. Your warranty booklet has the exact terms, and your dealer can tell you how they apply to your vehicle.
Yes. The doors stay locked, and the car can't be driven away without the key. On most systems, pressing the brake before the key is in the car shuts the engine off, the engine stops on its own after a set run time, and a switch under the hood keeps it from starting while the hood is open.
It depends on the vehicle. Some systems can be set up to start from the fob the car came with, usually with a set number of presses on the lock button. Ask when you call, and we'll tell you whether yours can.
It depends on the vehicle and the system. Some go in with a plug-in harness, and others need more wiring. We'll give you drop-off and pickup times when we book it.
