Blog

10-19-15  As we head into the 2015/2016 remote start season we decided it was time to update the look of our web site.  We wanted to provide you, our customer, with an easy to navigate site that laid out products in a clear and concise manner and we think we’ve done that.  Look around and let us know if you see something you’d like changed or added.  We are always open to suggestions from our customers.  Use the Contact page under Company Info to email us at any time.

Our remote start line up continues to include all levels and types of remote starters.  From base model units to the top of the line, there’s something available for everyone.

There’s no way to know what our El Nino weather is going to bring this winter but being prepared with a remote starter is the first line of defense.  Heated seats, heated wipers and heated windshield washer fluid can’t hurt either!  We look forward to fulfilling all your automotive accessory needs.

Once again, welcome to REMOTESTARTPROS.COM!

7-15-15  It’s that time of year again:  back to school sales have started and we’re dreading the end of summer.  Other than a few humid days, it’s been a nice year.

As we look to the fall, we are currently reviewing all of the new vehicles for 2015 and 2016 and evaluating remote start products for them.  While the basic concept of remote starters is the same, the features and technology with them do change each year.  We will stay on top of the new products and post the new ones as soon as they are available.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

5-8-15  Backup safety systems are becoming more and more popular and once again the manufacturers are taking a cue from the aftermarket industry by equipping more and more new cars with backup systems.  They are now doing what we’ve been doing for many years!

Keep in mind that not all backup systems are the same.  Some offer camera systems, some offer sensing systems.  The picture from camera systems can be viewed on a screen in the dash or in the rear view mirror.  Some can also be viewed in side view mirrors.  Sensing systems require sensors to be installed in the bumper and they will beep as you approach an obstacle.  Both systems have their pros and cons.

Call us at 952-933-3575 and we will discuss the benefits with you.

4-8-15  As we wind down the remote start season, we are on the look out for new products to offer our customers.  One new product that we are currently introducing is Blind Spot Detection Systems.  These systems aid drivers by sensing when it’s safe to change lanes and alerting you when it’s not.  This product has been available on new vehicles for the past few years but this is the first time aftermarket systems have been available.  We are installing them for $699.50 and have them in stock.  Please contact us if you’d like more information.

We’re hoping for some heat as we head into spring and summer and put the winter cold behind us.  Remote start season will be back again before we know it.

1-9-15  It’s the middle of January and I feel like the winter has flown by!  Our November snow and cold temperatures jump started the remote start season and we haven’t slowed down since.  December brought the Christmas rush and the New Year came in with a bang.

We spoke to many customers this Holiday season that were referred to us by their friends and family or by their mechanic or local garage.  We are grateful to all of our customers and certainly do appreciate the referrals.  We pride ourselves on quality work and like to think that’s part of the reason why we’ve been here since 1976.

While we do the majority of our remote starters during the November to January rush, the reality is that remote starters are great year round and we install them every day throughout the year.  I heard from a number of customers that we installed remote starters for in previous years who have now sold those cars. They told me that having the remote starter in the car increased it’s resale value and helped sell the car.  Now they were back for a remote start in their new car.  We’re glad to help in both cases.

Thanks again for your patronage and best wishes for a Prosperous New Year!

11-11-14  After 2 days of hype, the first snow storm of the season came in with a bang! Here in Hopkins, MN we ended up with approximately 3″ of snow and 1″ of freezing rain.  My car was covered in solid ice when I left work last night. Fortunately for me, my remote starter was put to good use and was already melting the ice on the windshield by the time I came out to work on the side windows.  I wish I had a remote starter to melt the ice on my driveway at home!

Needless to say, yesterdays weather prompted hundreds of calls asking about remote starters.  We’re happy to help everyone we talk to and always like to remind people that the sooner you get here the better.  We just get busier and busier with each snow fall.

Happy Winter to All!

8-27-14  It seems like just yesterday we were eagerly awaiting the coming of summer and Memorial Day weekend festivities.  Now the State Fair is in full swing and Labor Day is just around the corner.  Time just flies by much too fast!

We are now in the process of putting together our line up of remote starters for the winter season.  We don’t expect our line up to change very much but we are constantly looking for new technology and new applications.  We will keep you posted as news breaks.

In the meantime, enjoy what’s left of the summer!

5-29-14  Summer is here and that means the classic car shows are getting under way.  Once again this year we will have our booth set up at the Back to the 50’s show at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on June 20th through the 22nd.  If you’re at the show we’d love to see you.  Our booth is located on the west side of Cooper Street between Dan Patch and Wright Ave.  The show is always fun and the cars are beautiful. We hope to see you there.

Happy Summer!

4-25-14  We met with a vendor this week that turned out to also be a customer.  (I love it when that happens!)  We had installed a remote starter for him back in 2008.  He loves his remote starter and says it has always worked great.  In fact, he mentioned that he almost loves the remote starter more in the summer than the winter (he did stress almost).

He spends most of his time driving from customer to customer and is constantly in and out of his car.  He has leather seats in his car and a dark interior.  Needless to say, his interior gets beastly hot in the summer.  To beat the heat he remote starts his car before getting in.  He never sits on a hot seat and he’s always comfortable greeting customers.

That’s the beauty of remote starters.  They’re great year-round.

Let’s hope summer actually gets here!

3-14-14  The winter of 2013/2014 will go down as one of the coldest on record in the state of Minnesota.  The cold and snow certainly made it difficult to get out and about.  But having a remote car starter definitely helped ease the effects of the cold.  Many customers commented that they felt better able to cope with the cold once their remote starter was installed.  We’re glad to help!

Our vendors are slowly catching up on releasing back ordered parts and our technicians are enjoying some much needed rest.  Thanks to all for a great remote start season!

2-21-14  Changes happen often in the automotive industry.  New cars are created and old cars are updated.  Each vehicle change has a ripple affect within the industry and the aftermarket industry is constantly evolving to keep up with the manufacturers.  We are already seeing many of the model year 2014 vehicles and have installed remote starts on them.  Just recently the following vehicles were added to our list of remote start capable vehicles:

2014 Kia Optima w/ push start

2014 Kia Soul w/ push start

2014 Toyota Corolla w/ push start

2014 Nissan Sentra w/ push start

Changes happen quickly in our industry.  We are here to make sure you are aware of them.

2-7-14  Modern conveniences on new cars are constantly evolving.  We used to get excited when we got a remote control to lock and unlock our cars.  Then we got tired of carrying the remote in our pocket or purse.  Now some of the factory keyless entry functions are attached right to the head of the key so there is no seperate remote.  Just a bulky key.  Then along comes DAS and we add a remote start to the vehicle and you end up carrying both the bulky key and a seperate remote to start and stop your car.  The good news is that remote start technology constantly evolves too.

In select vehicles, we can now offer remote starter systems that utilize your factory remote to start and stop the car.  No need for a seperate remote.  We simply install a vehicle specific T-harness that is designed to communicate with the factory remote.  While these units are convenient, they do have their limitations.  The biggest draw back is that your starting range is limited to the range on the factory remote.  This can be circumvented by also adding Smart Phone integration with your remote start allowing you to start your vehicle from virtually anywhere.  A solution for every problem!

As I said, technology is constantly evolving.  We’re here to show you the endless possiblities.

1-8-14  The remote start season has been tremendous this year.  Not just here in Minnesota, but all over the country.  The extended periods of cold weather and snow have sparked massive interest in remote car starters.  That’s great news for our industry but it’s also problematic.  Some suppliers are running out of inventory and installers are working night and day trying to fulfill demand.  It’s a great problem to have if you’re an installer but frustrating if you’re a customer and your remote start appointment is scheduled 3 to 4 weeks out.

If you’re one of the customers we’ve been able to help in recent weeks we thank you for your business!  If you’re one of our customers still waiting to get in, we thank you for your patience!  We are working hard to fulfill your needs and will process orders as quickly as possible.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

11-20-13  Do you remember when you got your first vehicle with keyless entry?  Having a remote to unlock the doors was awesome!  No more fumbling with the key and dealing with frozen locks in the winter.  Just push a button and you’re instantly in your vehicle.  Push another button and the trunk pops open.  Wow!  It was so great you thought you’d never want to be without that remote.  My how times have changed.  That remote is no longer a big deal and in fact is becoming obsolete.

Customers are now realizing the benefit of using their SmartPhones to lock and unlock their doors as well as to remote start their cars.  Demand for the units has gone up enough that prices have been driven down.  In fact, you can now purchase a stand alone, Smart Phone controlled remote start for under $500 and annual fees for the service are just $49.99/year after the first year.  Plus our systems are now using the Verizon Wireless network of cell towers so the coverage area is even greater.  Technology has come a long way.

Good-bye old remote!

10-17-13  Summer is gone and winter is fast approaching.  Unfortunately for us, we’ve been thinking about winter since the beginning of August and our warm September days made it hard to get in the mood.

This is the time of year when we check out all the new products available from our vendors and find out what’s new and improved from last year.  The item we are most excited about this season is the new 1-Button, 2-way remote start system from Compustar.  Finally, the manufacturer has listened to our advice!

This product is great for drivers that have keyless entry in the head of their key or who have proximity sensors for locking and unlocking their doors.  With the Compustar remote start they get 2-way confirmation with a compact, LED remote along with up to 2,000 feet of range.  At a price of just $359.50 installed it’s sure to be a big hit this winter.

All of the products on our website have been updated and you’ll be happy to see a slight price decrease in many units.  We have something for everyone and a wide range of prices and units to choose from.

Now we just need some snow.  Happy winter everyone!

8-15-13  The number 1 question we get from customers is “Which unit should I get for my car?”.  This seems like a simple question but the reality is it’s not.  In order to determine which unit is best for you, we start by asking our own questions.

What kind of car do you have?  Does the car come with a key or is it a push button start?  Is it a manual transmission or automatic?  How much range do you think you need?  Is 2-way communication important to you?

Once these questions are answered, we will steer the customer towards the unit that best fits their needs.  Often times customers are surprised that the unit we recommend is not necessarily the most expensive unit we carry.  We pride ourselves on listening to the needs of the customer and fulfilling those needs in the most economical way possible.

For instance, if you have keyless entry in the head of your key there’s no reason for you to buy a remote starter that also does keyless entry.  Why carry a large remote when you’re already carrying an oversize key?  However, if 2-way communication is important to you then a remote start with keyless entry does make sense.

By listening to the needs of the customer we can narrow down the choices and recommend the best unit for each application.  Let’s face it, customer service is what it’s all about.

7-11-13  Customers will often tell me that range doesn’t matter to them when picking a remote start.  Their car is right outside their home or office when they want it to start so no need for excessive range.  The problem is they are not always at work or home when they want to start the car.  Perhaps they’re at the grocery store or mall.  At that point anything between them and the car will interfere with the actual range of the remote start system.  Even something like a parking ramp can diminish the range of a remote starter.

When deciding on a remote start unit we always recommend that the customer determine how much range they think they will actually need.  Then we tell them to DOUBLE that number and pick a unit.  The price difference for getting additional range is negligible and the benefits are significant.  In this case more really is more.

6-11-13  I recently invested in a new iPad mini and have been impressed with how convenient a tablet is for a variety of uses.  Internet browsing, communication and entertainment are all packaged in a small hand held device.  Amazing!

One of our manufacturers, Vizualogic, has now come out with a headrest DVD system that uses tablets as the display screens.  The tablets are docked in the headrest of your seats and are designed to replace your original manufacturer headrests.  In addition, the headrests are wired to charge the tablets and provide external USB ports.  They have built in Wi-Fi capability and the tablet can be removed from the dock for up to 5 hours of external use.   The tablets use the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.  You can enjoy games, music, movies and web browsing while on the go.  Camping and road trips have never been so easy.

We’re hoping the rain will stop some time soon so we can get out and enjoy some camping and summertime fun.  Come on sun!

5-16-13  Our long, hard winter appears to be over.  Finally!

It was 98 degrees in Minneaplis yesterday and our phones were ringing off the hook.  Granted, most people were calling to get their air conditioning serviced but we also took several calls for remote starters.  People are finally coming to realize the benefits of a remote starter during the summer heat.

Temperatures in the 90’s will leave the interior of your car feeling like an oven and, if you have leather seats, you know how uncomfortable it can be to burn your buns when you sit down.   With a remote starter you can cool your car before getting inside.  Just leave the air conditioning on when you park the car.  Remote start the car when you’re ready to go and a cool car will await your arrival.

Let’s hope we have lots of warm summer days to help us forget our long, cold, snowy winter.

4-18-13  We are supposed to be enjoying Spring weather by this time of year.  In fact, we should be swatting our first mosquitos and planning picnics and other outdoor activities.  Unfortunately, it’s still snowing here in Minnesota and we’re still fielding calls for weather weary customers looking for remote starters.  We’re more than happy to help but we all feel the same way: Baseball was not meant to be played in the snow!

We continue to look for the latest technology and software updates for remote start applications and are pleased to announce the addition of the following list of vehicles to our lineup:

2013 Ford C-Max

2013 Chevrolet Trax

2013 Buick Encore

2013 Acura ILX

2013 Acura RDX

2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8L

2014 Mazda 6

2013 Infiniti JX35

2013 Nissan Altima

2013 Nissan Pathfinder

2014 Subaru Forester

2013 Toyota Versa Sedan

2013 Toyota Avalon

2013 Toyota RAV4