2022 Off Road Remote Start is *terrible*

Thats my procedure as well. works every time. Pro tip: You gotta wait longer than you think between presses, it feels like WAY too long but it works.

 

My biggest complaint with it is that it shuts off when you open the door. If I open the door and have the key on me, it should keep running. Not sure what the logic is behind it turning off.

 

Remote start is avoid having to go outside to start your vehicle and let it warm up while you get ready to go to work or wherever. When it's minus 15 outside it sucks to have to go out, start your vehicle and wait 10 minutes for it to warm up and start to thaw so you can even scrape the windshield. Sure, go outside and start it then come back in the house....I'll pass on tracking yet more snow into the house. Having a truck warm up before you go out sure beats the hell out of trying to open a door that is frozen shut. Nothing quite like tearing the door handle off a vehicle trying to get into it just so you can start it. Just sitting in a vehicle waiting for it to warm up is no big deal, I've done it down in the minus 20's....after crawling in through the back hatch of my Jeep because the doors were frozen shut. Remote start for the win.

 

I can’t tell if you’re agreeing with me or we are arguing the same point haha. I’m going with you agree and we are saying the same thing. I wish I had remote start when I was younger, woulda made life easier in the winter.

 

I've had remote start on the past couple of vehicles I've had. It's pretty good to have if you live in Canada, Lol! My Taco doesn't have it, and I really don't care. We lived without it through the 80's, 90's and aren't any worse off. If it is a real problem you could find a way to park under shelter or indoors. I have a garage I could park in, but don't either. Everyone needs to appreciate how cold and shitty winter is up here. It makes you really appreciate the warmer weather!

 

I also have the N2 with the phone app. Distance is unlimited within cell service, and you get a confirmation on the app that it started, and a countdown timer for when it shuts off if you need to restart more than once on those really cold days. Works great sitting in the office without having to go to a window to confirm that the truck started. There's also the added bonus of it having a GPS vehicle locator in the app. Not sure if thieves are wily enough to defeat it or block the signal should your truck ever get stolen, but it's at least a small peace of mind. There's also a chance insurance will give you a discount for having it.

The only scenario where I would get the long range fob would be if you or your truck are frequently out of cell service.

 

The Toyota app is absolute dog shit, and we pay $8/month for it? Yeah, F-you, Toyota.

 

So incidentally, I work in an..."institution"...think heavy, thick cinderblocks and minimal windows. The one place I have direct view of my truck is 7 stories up so while I suppose I do get cell service, I was thinking in the back of my mind once I've paid for the long range fob, I don't have a subscription fee. Then again I've gone back and reread the features of the cell app and if I'm not mistaken, it can remotely roll my windows up and down too? That might be quite beneficial on it's own merits.

 

My understanding is if your OEM fob has remote window control, then it's possible to do so in the app, but as far as I know, Tacoma's don't have that feature. It's not available from what I can tell in my app.

Not paying for the subscription (I believe it's $100 for 3 years) would be a bonus if you can get away with the long range fob. It's been worth it to me since I use it almost daily for 4-5 months out of the year.

 

Every time I see comments like this I immediately look to see where the person is from. Where do you live? "Cold" in some places isn't actually that cold.

I don't have remote start on my truck but when I'm just sitting in it it's usually too damn cold to even have my hands out of my glove to even use my phone.

If it's been sitting on the shady side of the house it can 100% be colder in my truck than it is outside. By a fair bit.

I agree the remote start sucks though. I can never get the rhythm of the fob right on my wife's 4Runner.

 

Same. Cold to me starts in the single digits, <10°F, but if there's no wind it's perfectly tolerable outside. Once you start getting into -10°F with or without the wind chill, being outside sucks particularly hard. Ain't no way I'm sitting in my truck at that point waiting for it to start producing heat. On the other side of the spectrum, 30°F this time of year feels like t-shirt weather. I'm in northern WI, so thankfully we usually only get 2-3 weeks a year below 0°F with some random days sprinkled in. I have a lot of respect for those further north that deal with even colder temps and longer stretches of it. Once it gets to -20°F, I'm finding any excuse to not leave the house, which I'm sure Canadiens would laugh at.

 

I guess when it’s -50 just sitting in the truck for c 30 min sucks. I have had issues with the app only when the doors are not locked. Key fob I had issues until I was told Joe to do it 2x quick presses followed by a press and hold for around 2 Mississippis

 

I laugh at people who idle their vehicles for nothing. What a waste of gas.

I start it, put the seat warmer on, and slowly drive away. I'm dressed for the occasion.

Bye, bye

Full disclosure: I have a 2way long range starter and barely use it.

 

i dont wait for the heater, just long enough for the oils to get pumped around then I'm off, the heater works faster when you are driving

 

Seriously? That doesn't make any sense.

 

I installed the N2 Designs remote start in my truck and I opted for the cell phone module rather than the long range fob. Mainly b/c I didn't want to carry around an extra fob on my key chain. 100% worth the price for this product. It took me all of a half hour to install. I had an issue getting the cell module to connect and work on my phone. Which ended up being user error on my part. But I did call their customer support. Within 15 min the owner of the company called me and walked me through everything. Super nice guy. Great company, wonderful product. You won't be disappointed.

The cell module is free for the first year and then $32/yr after that. But it also includes GPS tracking of your truck. If you talk to your insurance company, some offer discounts b/c the the truck can be GPS tracked in the event it's stolen. It's not a huge discount but for me it was enough to make the yearly subscription a wash. Both the fob and the cell starter have worked every single time, without fail.

 

It’s a paid subscription even with the FOB. Yep you read that right. So if the truck can’t phone home to see if you have paid for the service - no start. Toyota is getting allot of backlash over it but they’re not changing the policy.

 

How does that explain the FOB remote starting the truck with no active subscription?

 

OP,
no good advice here, only some bitching to chime in a little

I only thing I hate more than the app is the fob. I get it to start not even half of my attempts. The app works relatively reliably but, good god it's slow. Oddly, for the first year the app was completely useless. I bought in '19 and it was better by the end of '20. So yeah, they both suck. Had not heard of N2 Designs, I think I'll look into it.

 

I’ll waste some gas to not sit in a truck at -20°F. Did it for years and no regrets.