solution to remote start

which option should i go with in terms of cost and possible long term issue between remote start system and e90.

Option 1= Webasto.com makes a remote interior heating system they call "blue heat". It essentially taps into your fuel and heats the coolant to produce heat drawn into interior cabin of vehicle. You press a remote button or set timer inside car to start the process and the important thing to remember here is the engine in no way is started or idling at any point in time. Thus, you don't need to leave the chip in the key inside the car since engine isn't started. Currently, they do not have available an adaptor for the e90 yet but due to the popularity of the 3 series I think they'll have one produced by end of 06. I can still have it installed now if I want to but it will be a little tricky bc installer will be using generic kit and not model specific. Cost is a little bit more than usual at $1450 with install.

Option 2= DEI products like viper remote start system. This is the usual remote start system offered by installers which starts the engine and leaves it idling to warm interior cabin. They also currently do not have an adaptor produced used to bypass the chip in the key but my guess is it should be out by the end of year. Cost is around $500.

i am trying to warm the interiors remotely in the cold winter mornings and late at night. it seems leaving the car idle for long periods of time is not good for the engine from opinions here on the forum. i am concerned for the long term effect on the overrall integrity of the car not just the engine as i plan on keeping the car within the family for a long time. anybody have any experience with webasto? this is a german company that produced this technology. right now i am leaning towards 1 when they make an adaptor available for my car as i don't want to use my car as a guinee pig with a generic kit. what do u think of this? i read a lot of post asking about remote start. well, here is a possible solution for u if u don't mind the cost. thanks

I only mess with computar remote starters. Had one on my previous manual IS300.

I'm not sure how many have installed aftermarket remote starters in the E90, but I know of one individual who went and had an remote starter installed on a 5 and he fried the electrical harness. Not sure what manufacturer it was, but not a cheap repair! Whatever way you go, be sure the system you go with has been used successfully with other E90s. If anything goes wrong, the dealers will disregard your warranty.

My brother is a master installer for a car audio shop in CO. He has done quite a bit of "pimping" of my other cars and when I recently purchased a "new to me" 2006 325xi, I asked about remote starters and in dash xm receivers. After perusing his resources and speaking with his colleges, his suggestion was to get my butt out there and start it myself, or try to procure a factory unit for installation. It looks like if we want to drive these cars, we may have to go factory install, or do things the old fashioned way.....with the "key".

Maybe someone else out there has found something that will work and interface properly with the E90 electronics. As far as my car is concerned, I am just going to have to fire it up the way cars have been started for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years........

Holy zombie thread resurrection batman!

Hey out there, it'll be starting to get cold up here in Canada soon, although it's 77 and sunshine today!
Is there a Viper or brand name (or BMW part) remote starting system available for this car or not? (2007 328i sedan )
Please let me know asap.
thanks,

What is the benefit of a remote start?

Are you kidding me?
The advantage is to allow my wife to start the car from her office across a busy street in the dead of Winter, n'est pas?

I understand there is a bypass module that would have to be purchased on top of the actual system components but I'm also not sure if BMW Certified Series Warranty would be voided if I get this installed. Incidentally this accessory total cost is about $1000 installed.
Does anyone have an idea on the warranty question?

Originally Posted by kdogone

Are you kidding me?
The advantage is to allow my wife to start the car from her office across a busy street in the dead of Winter, n'est pas?

OK, now doesn't your wife have to cross that busy street in the dead of winter and get in the car to drive it? Now, once again, what is the point of remote start?

Originally Posted by GarySL

OK, now doesn't your wife have to cross that busy street in the dead of winter and get in the car to drive it? Now, once again, what is the point of remote start?

clearly you've led a sheltered existence, and never had to drive a frozen brick in -25 degree weather, you poor thing!
Welcome to the real world, in Canada ( and many parts of the US I suspect where there is real Winter) we like the idea of getting into a warm car and driving away.
cheers

furthermore, my other two vehicles have remote start and this is the first BMW I've owned that does not have it but has the push button start.
gotta run and cook on the BBQ, gotta love this weather!

The benefit of remote start is to warm up or cool down the interior temperature of the car. I wish there were an app to call the car to start it, turn the heated seats on, and turn on defrosters. And in summer I can call the car to have the climate setting to max cool. It would be handy when going back to the car after awhile.

option 1 sounds like an aftermarket fire waiting to happen

I am fairly new to BMW having just purchased my first one in May. I have been thumbing through this forum and figured I would make my inaugural post here.

I had a remote start installed on my vehicle this summer, it is one of the best investments that you can make on a vehicle that is not in a perfect sub-tropical climate all year round.

For mine, I went with the best Viper system that I could get, here is how mine broke down:
Parts used:

Viper 5901 remote start system: ~$200(msrp $600)
http://www.viper.com/P-5702V/Viper-5...e-Start-System

Smart start module (cell network based phone-starter works anywhere the car gets a signal and the cell phone gets a signal): ~$150(msrp $300)
http://shop.viper.com/products/produ...200/5924.0.1.1

DLPK door lock bypass module: ~$40(msrp $80)
http://www.xpresskit.com/product.aspx?productid=122

KIBMW push-button start bypass module: ~$60(msrp $300)
http://www.xpresskit.com/product.aspx?productid=175

Valet key ordered from BMW to be sacrificed to the KIBMW module. This key is a different style than the laser cut key in the fob and will not start the vehicle unless it is placed in an adapter that does not fit my ignition, or it is used in conjunction with this module. this key cost me ~$75

Total parts cost ~$525(msrp $1,355)

I had my installers at work install this for me. Took one installer the better part of 2 work days to complete. I now have 2-way communication with my vehicle from up to a mile away via the fob in the 5901. I have cell access to my vehicle anywhere i have service through the smart start module. This means that I can lock/unlock/start my car from anywhere with my cell phone. The DLPK module is used to bypass the door locks/factory alarm so that the aftermarket can take control of them. The KIBMW module is to allow the aftermarket system to start the car without pushing the button in a push-start vehicle. The KIBMW requires sacrificing a valet key to work properly. The KIBMW is kinda the rabbit in the hat, most auto starters cannot get past the push-start on the newer cars, this module allows them to work. The valet key alone was fairly inexpensive and only cost me about $75.

I keep the car set at 62 in the summer and always come out to a nice cool car, I am planning on setting it around 72 this winter and should have a nice warm car. Long story short, there are some decent aftermarket systems out there if you know where to look and how to bargain shop. This is my third car with and auto-start, and I will never go without one again!

It sounds like for those who have no connections, they might pay 2 grand for a system like this all included? That's steep. Good thing I have covered parking.

Originally Posted by hyperzulu

It sounds like for those who have no connections, they might pay 2 grand for a system like this all included? That's steep. Good thing I have covered parking.

The prices I quoted are all pretty close to what you can find on amazon(I think I actually got the modules from amazon). My point was that you want to avoid MSRP in order to save over $800. But you still have to factor in labor. In my case, I paid the $500 and then kicked in a case of beer and $100, but I would imagine that most people would be in for $300-400 in labor pushing something like this out closer to $1,000 installed. Not bad considering...

Hi Fellas,
Yes it's the Viper system I had a quote on yesterday by an authorized dealer. (had a Viper in my last 3 Series and was great)
The total installed price quoted was $1150. It's good for purposes of warranty on the system to be dealing with a Directed Electronics Inc. factory authorized dealer in case anything goes wrong. On their website they warn people about purchasing parts from dozens of websites (Amazon included on that list) They said they'd need the car for just one day and did not make mention of the need for an extra Valet key.
The only unanswered question is whether I am sacrificing my BMW Certified Series Warranty by doing this. hmmmm. This is the third 3 Series I've owned and they are great cars, but this is the first one I've had with the push button starting system.
Thanks.

Originally Posted by govtec

which option should i go with in terms of cost and possible long term issue between remote start system and e90.

Option 1= Webasto.com makes a remote interior heating system they call "blue heat". It essentially taps into your fuel and heats the coolant to produce heat drawn into interior cabin of vehicle. You press a remote button or set timer inside car to start the process and the important thing to remember here is the engine in no way is started or idling at any point in time. Thus, you don't need to leave the chip in the key inside the car since engine isn't started. Currently, they do not have available an adaptor for the e90 yet but due to the popularity of the 3 series I think they'll have one produced by end of 06. I can still have it installed now if I want to but it will be a little tricky bc installer will be using generic kit and not model specific. Cost is a little bit more than usual at $1450 with install.

Option 2= DEI products like viper remote start system. This is the usual remote start system offered by installers which starts the engine and leaves it idling to warm interior cabin. They also currently do not have an adaptor produced used to bypass the chip in the key but my guess is it should be out by the end of year. Cost is around $500.

i am trying to warm the interiors remotely in the cold winter mornings and late at night. it seems leaving the car idle for long periods of time is not good for the engine from opinions here on the forum. i am concerned for the long term effect on the overrall integrity of the car not just the engine as i plan on keeping the car within the family for a long time. anybody have any experience with webasto? this is a german company that produced this technology. right now i am leaning towards 1 when they make an adaptor available for my car as i don't want to use my car as a guinee pig with a generic kit. what do u think of this? i read a lot of post asking about remote start. well, here is a possible solution for u if u don't mind the cost. thanks

Its been noted that BMW doesnot recommend remote starters. I hope that all of the components that you installed are compatible to BMW electronics. If not some time down the road you will have the problem your car willnot go into the sleep mode there fore causing battery drain. Good luck
cheers
vern

As stated before, I had a Viper system in the last 3 Series ( 98 328i) This is an 07 328i with the push button start.
I suspect that Directed Electronics Inc (makers of the Viper and others) have figured this "sleep mode" issue by now and developed the chip to bypass the system properly.
I will certainly post again afterwards and keep everyone abreast of the outcome. cheers.

Originally Posted by kdogone

Hi Fellas,
On their website they warn people about purchasing parts from dozens of websites (Amazon included on that list) They said they'd need the car for just one day and did not make mention of the need for an extra Valet key.
...this is the first one I've had with the push button starting system.

Did they tell you what module they are using to bypass the push button start? Directed instructed me that I HAD to have a KIBMW for this bypass, and that module requires a valet key. If there was an alternative that would have saved me from having to get a coded key and paying the extra money, I am very interested to know what it is.

And as for buying parts online, whats the difference if they are the exact same parts that you need, still factory sealed, but without the stealership markups? Naturally they will warn against this as they are out to make a profit on the parts, unless of course they are willing to price match the online retailers. In my case, my company is directed authorized, and I would agree with you that you would be a fool to have anyone else do the work, however we do not see that many BMW's in this area, so we did not have all of the parts readily available and there was a small learning curve for my installer (hence the longer install time).

And I have heard horror stories about some starters not telling the car that a key is present and the car will continue to look for a key until it kills the battery, never returning to sleep mode. Having the valet key present in my module seems to have prevented this, but I would imagine that a keyless module (if one truly exists?) would be open to this problem.


kdog, let me know what you come up with, I am curious to see what they do with yours and how it works.

Will keep you posted, and I'll go ahead and order a valet key from the local dealership right now, just in case.
I assume this is another rectangular key that simply has another chip in it right? Is it simply placed inside the installed module?
Can they program the key based on the VIN or does the dealer do that? Sorry for all the questions but thanks for your assistance.
cheers.

I had assumed the same thing, the one I got back from the dealer ended up looking more like a plastic traditional key with a little roundel in the the top that appears to be where the chip is hiding, and they said that I would need some sort of adapter to make it actually fit in the ignition port. It did not work at all in or around the ignition port to start my car, but when properly attached to the KIBMW module, it works every time.

This is what I ended up with
Spare Key

If your system is supposed to be keyless, I would hold off and see what you need unless you are going to order an adapter and just use it as a spare if you end up not needing it. My key did take a little over a week to get though, so anticipate that delay if you are going to order one. The key came programmed from the dealer. Supposedly, that is why it took so long to get.

Alright, so who is putting together the DIY?

Originally Posted by kdogone

Are you kidding me?
The advantage is to allow my wife to start the car from her office across a busy street in the dead of Winter, n'est pas?

The air conditioning is almost always cold as soon as I turn it on. Why would you need remote start in the winter? Summer, maybe, to pre-cool the cabin but by the time December rolls around I don't even have to turn the A/C on full blast.