ouch!

 

It costs about

 

I had the Intellistart module fitted to a Concept 300 which I had on a Corrado Storm before I punted it last year. It has a couple of other useful features as well: If the car is left for a while and the battery starts to go flat, the car can (if you've activated the option) start itself up, charge the battery, turn itself off again. I'm a pilot and found it bloody useful when I was sent to the desert for a while, a witness saw it start up for about 30mins whilst I was in Bahrain. Came home, fired up first time.

You can also get it to start up if the outside temp falls below a preset level (to stop coolant/petrol freezing) but I think this is only really used in Canada.

Fantastic on cold mornings, start the car from the kitchen, have cornflakes, go out to toasty car! Alternatively, on hot days, it can start the aircon up and when you leave the car, one button closes windows, sunroof (hood in the case of an S2000 ) locks and alarms the car then turns the engine off. It can NEVER start in gear since you must arm the car with the engine running after the car is armed, it turns the engine off. Car says to itself 'if I was in neutral when the alarm was armed and the alarm hasn't been set off since, I must still be in neutral so I'll fire it up. Flipside of course is, If the alarm has been activated in your absence, the intellistart function is inhibited. This is often the first clue that the alarm has been activated. By the way, it won't knacker the starter or flatten the battery - It will try 3 times to fire up the engine after which it assumes you have a shit car that needs a service and gives up.

BUT - Set up was a real problem. The alarm 'saw' raindrops on the screen as a bit of threat but if you turned the sensitivity down you could get an arm into the glovebox through an open window without it seeing you.

All in all it was worth it just to watch traffic wardens and passers by gawp at this car that has just started by itself!! I paid

 

By the way, can't speak for other insurers but mine were perfectly happy with the Thatcham 1 status since the alarm and activation circuits are independant of the Intellistart module. The modules aren't even wired together - fly-by-wire seems to have reached car alarms!

 

I WANT ONE !!!

 

I am about to import from Holland and am being offered the chance to have a Clifford 300 installed! Problem is I know squat about any of the systems! Presumably if I go along with it, then it's a car-transporter job back across the Channel if or when it goes wrong! Installation seems to be the key!

Incidentally GOLDCUP, I would have thought the small boot of the S2000 would have been a problem for stashing all those aircrew rations - or am I barking up the wrong tree!

 

Potential flame warning (not trying to offend, just offer a viewpoint).

The ecological consequences of starting a car...just `so its warm when you get in` are debateable, I know we are all responsible for environmental damage by owning these things but to start it for 5 mins before is a little naughty. Don`t those people p1ss you off that sit parked, with the engine running so thay stay warm? They do me.....

Plus the engine suffers in this no drive period, basically not good for either you or the car.

 

Interesting thread.

I am about to take the plunge and order a "S" from Europe. One of my possible suppliers has offered an alarm option - so I am doing a bit of research.

Thatcham Cat 1 - means, I believe, an alarm and an imobiliser. Cat 2 is just an immobiliser - or is it just an alarm - one or the other. I have a 70 page document downloaded from the Thatcham web site explaining this somewhere.

Can anyone tell me what an EU sourced car actually comes with in terms of security? I know the UK cars have an alarm fitted - Cat 1 I understand. But I guess an EU car MUST have an imobiliser. For goodness sake my Daewoo Matiz comes with one of those.

If this is correct - (is it correct??) - the I have a choice. Add an alarm - in which case which one - and/or add a tracker - again, in which case which.

I have this horror vision of a key ring full of electronic blobs - and some complex pre and post drive procedures I have to go through to make everything work - worse - procedures which could mean (note COULD) that my other half wakes the neighbours on a daily basis due to pressing "plips" in the wrong order . To be frank I have never found closing the windows in a car a real problem - but I would like to have the car protected - roof down.

I also want to have whatever I end up going for fitted by someone who is not going to just cut carpets and nail cable to the body . I want this done like I would do it myself - which may mean I end up fitting whatever myself - but I recognise the value of someone with experience of this car for positioning the "bits".

Any hints - help - advice - pointers - references - most welcome.

Looking forward to replacing "plucking up the courage to order" with "ordered" then with "arrived" and on to "VTECing" in due course.

 

Oh yes. One other point.

My understanding of car engines has always been that most wear occurs when you have just started an engine - and is particularly bad if the engine is just idling. The mixture tends to be rich and fuel washes oil from the cylinder walls. Better is to make the engine work a bit - but not too much. It warms more quickly and the wear is reduced.

IF correct - then this suggests to me that remote startign a car to have the delight of a warm cabin on a cold day could be less than good for that sweet sweet motor.

Any views from better informed people out there?

For this reason I have only ever idled a car to warm it up when it has been a company vehicle - never my own!

 

Got my euro import in october and it had no alarm in it. Dealer fitted a Cobra but could not get on with it and was a pain in the A***.

Got my local alarm centre to fit the Clifford 600 as i trust them and the installer is a friend. Now on my 5th clifford alarm and never had any issuse with them, if there has been a fault it has been covered under the lifetime warranty and fixed free of charge.
One brain blew, fixed under warranty, mind you it was an older concept 50 and is now about 5 years old and still going strong in the fiesta.

Clifford 600 come with a