I was all excited when the dealer told me about remote start from iPhone and then found out when I bought my car they won't install it on a manual transmission. Anyone know of other options or does it just not work?

 

Looks like people have tried in the past, most have not been able to do it or told that it wasn't possible.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ountryman.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ote-start.html

It seems like the immobilizer system is too complex, esp. since the remote has to be nearby the car in normal startup. For a manual transmission the remote start would have to bypass the clutch depression too.

More links: https://www.google.com/search?q=mini...=210&es_sm=122

 

I saw this same question posted on the Mustang forum I follow. The comments were similar, is very difficult to do on a manual.

 

It can be done but one of the issues is you need to bypass the neutral safety switch witch means the vehicle will start in gear.
I had a friend with a repair shop do it to his Mazda 3 only to have his son park it in gear without using the parking brake. When my friend started the Mazda from his house it smashed into his garage.

 

That cannot have been a fun lesson for either of them

 

oh im sorry, but i just have to laugh whenever i hear stories like that!

i personally HATE it when people leave my car in gear after parking it (my dad)... usually, i start the car and drop the clutch (bc i always leave it in neutral). if dad has left it in gear, damn thing jumps and bucks and if im lucky stalls! haha

hard to actually imagine a car driving itself into someones house tho, even tho ive heard that story many times!

 

Putting the car in gear when it is parked is just plain smart. It's one extra safe guard to keep the car from rolling.

 

living in Florida, things are mostly flat, so its not really a "necessary" habit for me. ill do it if im on a hill or something, sometimes...

 

^^^ Yeah, That ^^^

 

As a transplanted New Englander, I can attest to that.

While it's a safeguard, I remember reading in other sources when I had my E34 that parking with the car in gear can put undue pressure on the clutch plate...? I would put the parking brake on first, then put it in gear. In my head, the parking brake would be the primary mechanism holding the weight, and there would be less force exerted on the clutch.

Did this make sense?

 

my $0.02:
in regards to having the car take off in gear, most remote start modules have a cut off wire that will disable the remote start if the wire receives a +/-5v signal. in tune with that, most cars have a wire off the ecu that will feed +/-5v ONLY when the car is in gear and 0v when the car is in neutral. using this approach, leaving the car in gear and attempting the remote start will not do anything. My '02 Nissan Maxima and '03 CRV both had this pin-out in the ECU. it's tough to find, but it should exist.

 

If you succeed at this, pls post detailed wiring diagrams! I would still love to install an alarm system on the mini, and a remote start would be sweet too!