Anyone have the remote start on the GT model?

Just curious how they like it, it seems to have a LED remote that gives you vehicle status, not sure if it is worth the $460 dealer cost.

I ordered it with my car, and it has caused a huge delay in its arrival. Not sure at this point if it's worth it since I've been waiting nearly a month for my car. All I get from the salesman is that the car is on a truck headed this way from San Diego. The truck must be enjoying the sights because it's taking him a long long time.

LOL i bet the truck driver is probably driving your car all around

I'm waiting the 6 months or so for Viper to catch up with the new models. I took the aftermarket remote start brain and antenna out of my Mazda3 before turning it in. When the new harness is available, I'll be putting the Viper Remote Start in my CX-5 Touring. I'd rather wait for Viper to catch up than pay the additional accessory charge to Mazda. That's my opinion though, since I was impatient waiting for my car, I already had the remote start equipment and it's not really Winter (or Summer) on the East Coast...

how do you resolve the issue w/the chip inside the key? is there a work around for that already?

meeshell said:

I'm waiting the 6 months or so for Viper to catch up with the new models. I took the aftermarket remote start brain and antenna out of my Mazda3 before turning it in. When the new harness is available, I'll be putting the Viper Remote Start in my CX-5 Touring. I'd rather wait for Viper to catch up than pay the additional accessory charge to Mazda. That's my opinion though, since I was impatient waiting for my car, I already had the remote start equipment and it's not really Winter (or Summer) on the East Coast...

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That's solved by using the immobilizer bypass which acts as the chip in the key when activated by the RS system. That's the piece I'm talking about waiting for to be released for the CX-5's.

How much do you think the Viper unit will cost? I mean its nice to have OEM all around but what improvements if any are there vs. factory remote start?

meeshell said:

That's solved by using the immobilizer bypass which acts as the chip in the key when activated by the RS system. That's the piece I'm talking about waiting for to be released for the CX-5's.

Click to expand...

Although I don't have the GT model, I did get the Mazda remote engine start as a dealer installed option in my CX-5 Tour. I don't think that there should be any difference unless you have the advanced key which comes with the GT with Technology package.

This is the first remote engine start for me... a friend of mine has an aftermarket remote engine start for her Honda Accord and its possible to enter the car while keeping the engine running. This is unfortunately not possible on the Mazda CX-5 even with the Mazda remote engine start option. As soon as you open the door, even if you have the smart key with you, the engine stops. I asked the dealer about it and was told it was a safety measure. While the other options seems to work fine, it would be really nice if you didn't need to carry both fob's because the remote engine start is even larger than the smart key.

BTW: Apparently this was the first CX-5 remote engine start the dealer has installed and it took substantially longer than planned. I was told that it came with two sets of instructions (installation and user's), but was missing the programming instructions that had to be faxed to them.

That kinda sucks, having to turn on the engine again. I think this is almost common with other car companies whereby the ignition is cut as soon as the doors open.

robertk: does your remote have a LCD display? similar to the 2-way systems on aftermarket alarm systems?

JTNY said:

How much do you think the Viper unit will cost? I mean its nice to have OEM all around but what improvements if any are there vs. factory remote start?

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The Viper units (direct from Viper) range anywhere from a Basic remote start system @ $250 to a 2-way remote w/ a "visual" responder @ $540. You can check them out here. Remember there are other retailers that sell Viper units as well – you don’t have to buy directly from the company – you might find deals, you might not. You’ll also have to factor in shop install fees if you won't be installing it yourself. Another side note is to look around for vendors on different forums you're part of as they may offer discounts on parts or labor for being a member of the forum... I was able to save a descent amount of money being part of a forum which a local shop sponsored.

As far as benefits for aftermarket vs. OEM... a remote start is a remote start; however, there are some differences. Range that the remote works varies between systems - something I would definitely suggest looking in to. Other than that, Viper offers an iPhone (not sure about Android) app that allows you to start (or lock, unlock, set alarm, locate in a parking lot, etc) your car from your phone from anywhere in the world. Although my remote worked within a mile range of my car, I noticed that the high tension wires and thickness of the cement in the building I work in affected how far away I could start my car; therefore, I opted to pay the $50/year for the iPhone subscription. I checked with my Mazda dealer and they were unaware of any Mazda App that you could use to start your car with your phone. Further, the phone app will prevent you from having to carry around multiple key fobs – you’d just need your factory Mazda key.

Viper also has a "convenience mode" which allows you to double click the remote start button from inside the car while it's running to activate the remote start brain. This allows you to exit the car with the keys in hand to run into a convenience store, back into your house quickly, etc if you want to keep the car running instead of turning it off, getting out of the car and starting it right back up again to keep it idling without the keys inside.

As for what robertk said regarding the engine shutting off after R/S if you open the door, that just sounds ridiculous – what’s the point of having a remote start then? Do you have the Advanced Keyless Entry system on your CX-5? Did they explain what the safety measure was? Either way, I’m sure an aftermarket R/S has a work around for this… if not right away, there will probably be enough people that complain that the aftermarket will create a work around.

The Accessories site on Mazda USA (http://accessories.mazdausa.com -> 2013 Models -> CX-5 -> Audio/Electrical -> Remote Engine Start) has a pretty good depiction of the remote control's LCD display. According to the user instructions, it supports the following display elements: antenna mark, send mark, receive mark, send error mark, battery mark, time display (engine warm up time), car find display, error display, engine mark, run mark, stop mark, rear defrost mark, vehicle mark, hood mark, door close mark, and door open mark. Its dimensions are 30 x 97 x 19 mm and weighs about 50 grams, including the two CR2032 lithium batteries.

The instructions document four basic sets of functions:

• Engine Start & Stop Function (default warmup time is 10 minutes; but it can also be programmed to 30 minutes)
• Rear Defrost Function (manually started or automatically if cabin temperature is cold enough)
• Car Find Function (hazard lights flash twice and horn sounds twice to help you locate your car)
• Answer Back Function (check status of operations such as engine start, engine stop, warm up time, and rear defrost using LCD monitor)

Unfortunately, the instructions also explicitly list a door opening as one of the conditions when a remote started engine will stop. Although I only have the smart key, I don't expect this behavior to change if you have the advanced key (because the instructions makes no distinction between the two when discussing this engine stop condition, but do mention it when discussing another).

The Viper sounds quite sophisticated... an app on an existing device (e.g., an iPhone or an Android phone) to provide the remote engine start would eliminate the need to carry two fob's.

I would imagine that the CX5 has similar electronics to the CX9. I have a CX9 GT with the Viper remote start and the iPhone system. It comes with a simple start fob that works within about 100 yards anyway. I rarely use if from longer distance. The iPhone app allows me to start the car anytime both the car and I have cellular service. Just for kicks I once opened the rear hatch when I was away on business so my wife could put something inside. Not a critical function but just an idea of what the range is.

With my Viper CX9 combo the engine does not quit when I open the door. It will stop however if I touch the brake before turning the ignition switch to the on position.

Overall I like the Viper/iPhone system. It is nice to be able to start the car well in advance of getting to within 100 yards or so if I am away from the house. I also use the iphone rather than the fob if I am running late in the morning and don't have time for breakfast (when I usually grab my keys and hit the fob), instead I can just start the car from the bedroom where my iphone is so it is running and warm when I run out the door. As a sometimes road warrior it is very nice on a cold winter night to start the car after touch down before exiting the airplane and having a warm vehicle to get into. The phone also receives confirmation messages from the car when you start it and alerts if the alarm has gone off.

Anyone know what the Remote Starter should cost (labor and parts) if installed AFTER delivery?

Remote start

Does anyone know the model number of a remote start that works on the CX-5 GT that does NOT require the permanate use of one of the two fobs?

Bob

Remote start model

Does anyone know the model number of a remote start that works on the CX-5 GT that does NOT require the permanate use of one of the two fobs?

Bob

Anyone know if the immobilizes bypass has been released? Just got the CX5 and I've been wanting to put the viper remote starter on her. My last car had a remote start and once you have one its hard not having one.

meeshell said:

That's solved by using the immobilizer bypass which acts as the chip in the key when activated by the RS system. That's the piece I'm talking about waiting for to be released for the CX-5's.

Click to expand...

I just installed it on my wife's 2016 CX-5 GT AWD. I got it off ebay for less than $400! The only reason I chose to go with oem is because of how easy it is to install. I've installed many remote starts in my past and this is by far the easiest. literally plug and play. The hardest part which was not hard at all was installing the hood latch switch. So far I've had no issues but still curious as to how good the range is. Any ideas?

The GT my dealer had in his pipeline had the factory RM which I said I did not want. It listed @ $500. They tried to do a local swap for one in my color which did not have the RM but it fell through. Dealer offered to pay 50% of the RM which I took. Even at $250 I still doubt it's value. I've used it maybe 4x in 16 months of ownership, don't like having to carry two FOBs and it's range seems limited in a large parking lot.

The CX-5 is not a warm vehicle in MN winters. The heated seats are wimpy and it takes a long time for the cabin to warm up at max heat.

Other people I know swear by RM. I could live without it.

I need to catch up on why two fobs.
When I had the Viper system on another car, it was awesome. Not only can you preheat or precool the car before you get to it, it makes for fun times during halloween. Spooked some kids out one time when I engaged the remote start at night and the interior lights came on, but no driver. This was back in the day before it was more common. Even now though, it's still a pretty cool gimmick that few have. I opted out of it due to the OEM cost, but still jealous of others that have it.