Want to Remote-Start Your Toyota With a Fob? That'll be $8 Per Month

[QueenIsabella]

Do you use tire chains? They are frequently required here in the snow on highways yet I have had people who lived in real snow country comment they had never used them before coming to California.

When you've lost the argument, change the subject!

 

[QueenIsabella]

This is why I love having a remote starter. Half hour at Syracuse airport to get into the car while dressed for Orlando. At least the car was warm and I thawed out before putting on my winter stuff and grabbing the scraper. Towels ain’t gonna cut it.
View attachment 631292

Before we moved to North Carolina, DH had a job offer in Syracuse. I said, "Three words: Lake Effect Snow!" You can see why we went with NC, despite the distance and cultural differences!

 

[MillauFr]

When you've lost the argument, change the subject!

Have you used tire chains?

 

[MillauFr]

Do you use tire chains? They are frequently required here in the snow on highways yet I have had people who lived in real snow country comment they had never used them before coming to California.

Just get a Subaru and you won't have to worry about tire chains.

 

[Allison]

I must be missing something.

Honestly, what you are missing is that you haven't lived in an area where people have experience with the winter weather. No big deal. It is okay not to know how things work in an environment you haven't been exposed to. Not a big deal.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Have you used tire chains?

Never. My DH might have had a set. One winter, he worked as a ski patroller, and had to commute ~an hour each way up to Gore Mountain, on backroads. It was a regular 9-5 job, and generally, ski resorts don't close due to snow. He might have used chains then, sometimes. Snow tires, for sure.

But, hey--if the towel method works for Tvguy, good on him. I mean that--it may be just the ticket in his particular climate. But, don't be telling the good people of Buffalo that they're doing it wrong.

 

[tvguy]

When you've lost the argument, change the subject!

Hmmm, well it is a DISCUSSION board. And are questions an argument? NO!

 

[tvguy]

Just get a Subaru and you won't have to worry about tire chains.

LOL.

 

[tvguy]

Honestly, what you are missing is that you haven't lived in an area where people have experience with the winter weather. No big deal. It is okay not to know how things work in an environment you haven't been exposed to. Not a big deal.

Which is why I have been asking.

 

[disneyseniors]

We live in extreme Northern Minnesota, and a remote starter is definitely necessary if you don't want to freeze to death before your car warms up, LOL.
My Subaru Forrester has remote starter and doesn't cost a thing. All Subaru autos have remote starters included in the purchase price. I Love It!
My daughter just bought a Toyota Rav-4 2020 model and her "free" remote expired. She lives up here in the frozen north too. She is having another remote starter installed, one which she has had before. She likes the one they are putting in much more than the standard one that came with her Toyota.
I believe it is a rip off and should just be included in the high cost of cars. We would think twice about buying toyota's again just because of this charge, and we were a toyota family before we bought our subaru, which I absolutely LOVE>

 

[disneyseniors]

LOL. Probably been down this road before, but I assume then you don't have access to a plug in to use an interior heater like my cousins do. View attachment 630316View attachment 630318

We had a plug in on our car which did not have 4 wheel drive. No remote starter either. We only used the plug in when we first moved up here and never even knew about remote starters. We moved from a warm Southern state to N. Mn.
On day we were at a store in Tn. and this man asked if it was an electric car,, LOL. He couldn't under stand why anyone would have to plug a car in. It was pretty funny!

 

[mom2rtk]

We live in extreme Northern Minnesota, and a remote starter is definitely necessary if you don't want to freeze to death before your car warms up, LOL.
My Subaru Forrester has remote starter and doesn't cost a thing. All Subaru autos have remote starters included in the purchase price. I Love It!
My daughter just bought a Toyota Rav-4 2020 model and her "free" remote expired. She lives up here in the frozen north too. She is having another remote starter installed, one which she has had before. She likes the one they are putting in much more than the standard one that came with her Toyota.
I believe it is a rip off and should just be included in the high cost of cars. We would think twice about buying toyota's again just because of this charge, and we were a toyota family before we bought our subaru, which I absolutely LOVE>

Kind of reminds me of Disney selling ride access after people already paid admission.

 

[Colleen27]

Curious, isn't it illegal to have a car running with no-one in it in most places? I've known people who got tickets for this in NYC & PA so I don't do it even though we have 2 cars with the function, not sure about Mass but suspect it isn't ok.

Here, the law is that you can't leave it running while unlocked and unattended. Remote start is fine. Even my old "life hack" of starting the car and then locking it, keys in the ignition, and using the spare key or the keypad code to get back in is fine, legally speaking, though it is more of a security risk. But although leaving it running and unlocked is illegal, it is almost never enforced unless something goes wrong - a kid taking it for a joyride or a pet knocking it into gear and causing property damage or things like that.

Do you use tire chains? They are frequently required here in the snow on highways yet I have had people who lived in real snow country comment they had never used them before coming to California.

They're illegal on most roads here because of the damage they can do to the concrete. We get a fair bit of snow but it is mostly flat so they're not necessary. I think they're more a mountain thing, and I was really surprised how many roads had areas for putting them on and taking them off on the side of the highway when we were out west.

 

[DisneyHardin]

But although leaving it running and unlocked is illegal, it is almost never enforced unless something goes wrong - a kid taking it for a joyride or a pet knocking it into gear and causing property damage or things like that.

That's how it is here too. I've never met anyone who got a ticket for warming up their car in their driveway. My DH is a policeman and he goes out and warms up his cruiser on cold mornings.

 

[Tuffcookie]

I have a 2011 Camry XLE, which I bought, certified, coming off a 2 year lease. It had all the bells and whistles EXCEPT, no remote starter. Before I drove it home, I stipulated it had to have a remote starter installed. (The dealership charged me their cost to do this). I would never pay a monthly fee for a remote starter.
TC

 

[tvguy]

That's how it is here too. I've never met anyone who got a ticket for warming up their car in their driveway. My DH is a policeman and he goes out and warms up his cruiser on cold mornings.

I am assuming he has a take home car. In my past life in LE we used to have to wait for a car from the previous shift to come back in. Patrol cars around here run 24/7 so fully warmed up, or more importantly, cooled off in the summer. But no, leaving a car running usually isn't something that is searched for by police and cited, but it certainly could be an additional violation if there was another more urgent violation observed.

 

[MillauFr]

Which is why I have been asking.

I wonder if the Donner Party had remote start on their wagons? Might have saved them from a Hannibal Lecter moment if they did. That $8 per month would have been well worth it.

 

[MillauFr]

But, hey--if the towel method works for Tvguy, good on him. I mean that--it may be just the ticket in his particular climate. But, don't be telling the good people of Buffalo that they're doing it wrong.

The key that TV Guy didn't explain is that the towels have to be made from fine Egyptian Cotton with a high thread count. The cheap towels don't work.

 

[tvguy]

I wonder if the Donner Party had remote start on their wagons? Might have saved them from a Hannibal Lecter moment if they did. That $8 per month would have been well worth it.

$8 in 1846 would be $288.78 today.

 

[tvguy]

The key that TV Guy didn't explain is that the towels have to be made from fine Egyptian Cotton with a high thread count. The cheap towels don't work.

Nope. From the rag cabinet in the garage. The one I used on my windshield was a very nice beach towel 30+ years ago when my son got it.