Anyone know of or have a remote starter for their Dakota other than from Dodge, however, is still reliable and wont mess anything up?

 

i have a viper. It works with all my power options and it has awesome range. From my locker at work to my truck is around 300 yards plus all the walls. It starts every time and it has a very compact remote not one of those ones that are like a cell phone on your key chain

 

but if you have the factory theft deterrent system it wont work, right??

 

Is there a reason why you don't want the mopar unit? It is pricey from the dealer but I pieced the 3 kits together for very cheap buying them seperately on ebay. The install was very easy, mostly all plug and play.

 

I just installed my Autostart Alarm/remote start combo that I had installed in my Malibu into my Dak a couple weeks ago.

I prefer the Autostart brand over just about anything else anymore. I USED to be a fan of Viper, until they went into the big box stores and seemed to develop reliability problems about that same time. I'm just worried if the reliability of Autostart will suffer soon, since DEI bought them a few years ago.

IIRC the Mopar unit is a Code Alarm piece, which I won't even install for other people, they almost always seem to have reliability issues, usually the remote codes being lost or "forgotten", by the brain. It gets annoying.

Just FWIW, I've been installing remote starters and alarms or around 17 years, so I've worked with a LOT of brands and models.

jkeaton, there are modules available to integrate with the OEM security systems in vehicles. I used the Xpresskit XK09 in mine, it was ok, but I might try a different module next time.

 

The Viper is good two years in, knock on wood but it was a mistake buying it from best guy. The one by my house sucked installing it. The wires under the hood where all over and they couldn't hit the harness back under the dash so they just left a few screws out of the kick plate. But labor aside the product i like. Have you guys ever checked out this website? i bought all my mopar accesories from them. i can't find a better price. I saw they have the factory remote start though i do not know much about it, it seems to be a real good price

http://www.dodgepartsstore.com/

 

Yea i'm interested in getting one soon (present for myself lol) I would like to get the one from Dodge but it is $235 and i found a Viper system on ebay for a Buy it Now price of $89 new

 

Just buy the unit from whoever you have install it.

That way there is warranty, and in many cases a longer warranty when you buy the product from the same people that you have installing it. Some places will offer no warranty or very short warranties for customer supplied product on the installation, even if it's the same product. When the same people supply and install the item, they know what it is, they know how it works, they can stand behind it.

There has been a lot of customer supplied product I wouldn't install, because it was grey market junk, as in some really cheaply lade part that looked like it would fail if you looked at it wrong, or I already had experience with that brand/model and knew it was troublesome.

Also, if there is a problem with the product, you will need to go bakc to where you had it installed to have it troubleshot, to see what the problem, is, then if it is a product failure, you will need to take/send the product back to where you got it from, assuming it is still within the manufacturer's warranty period, only to have to go back to the installation center to get it re-installed and programmed.
Most good installation centers will either be able to rectify any issues on the spot if it is their product, or take care of any warranty shipping for you, if it has to go back in between.

If you're going to install it yourself, that's another matter, but, I hope you have a very good understanding of automotive electronics and OEM security systems.

 

I agree with taking it to a shop and getting an all in one price from them. Depending on the system, I would expect to spend anywhere from $300-$700. The one I wanted came to about $600 at a few shops, so I decided Ill get one on my next vehical as I would never get my use out of it on this truck due to the high mileage.

Anyways, even though these systems are universal, many require different bypasses and it would be one hell of a headache for the average person to try and figure out. Most shops quoted the bypass needed at an additional $100 or so. If you want this type of aftermarket part, do not skimp. Open your wallet up or you will probably regret it later.