I am considering a 2010 Prius purchase, and I was wondering if anyone has had experience with installing the Viper Smart Start remote starter on the 2010 Prius? Best Buy informed me that they can install it, but it makes me nervous. The Prius isn't like other cars! No one seems to have answered this question directly on the forum. Other threads have just recommended getting the Toyota factory remote starter. For those that don't know, the "Viper Smart Start" is a remote starter that can be used with the iPhone. The benefit is that you are not limited to a 2,000 foot radius (or any radius for that matter). I commute to a light rail train station, and it would be nice to start my car 3 miles before my train arrives in the evening, so that the car defrosts to make ice-scraping easier. I live in Minneapolis, so this is really important to me! It'll save me 10 minutes in the morning and evening if I can have the defrost going before I get there.
All the viper system does is takes a signal from the phone and tells the car to start up, theoretically in the same way a factory remote start would work. These cars do have a lot going on, but the viper system shouldnt be overly intrusive, it'll just tell the car to do what it already knows how to. Install at BB being scary is a whole different thing. I used to work in carfi there; saw some great/horrible installs, pretty dependent on the installer. At least you'll get a warranty.
There is an active thread on this topic here. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ssion/87367-remote-start-doesnt-keep-car.html It takes 7 wires to connect the bridge controller to the Prius. It is no more complex then any other push to start car. Here is a link to how it connects to the car. The link is differnt then the one above. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...mote-start-doesnt-keep-car-2.html#post1227776
How long is your drive? I've got to say it bothers me: the whole idea of remote-starting the most efficient hybrid on the road, and then letting it sit idling for a protracted period.
I thought I remember reading it's more efficient to just drive the prius from the start rather than warming up the car? Then again if I had to scrape of snow/ice off the car I would sacrifice the mpg for a little help from the remote start.
I had the Smart Start installed and, so far, have been not pleased. The installation is perfect and, when it works, it works well. Unfortunately, during peak hours (6:30-8:00am), I frequently get error messages. Last Thursday, for example, when it was -4°F outside, I tried for 25 minutes to start the vehicle and finally just gave up.
