rob13572468

thanks guys... glad to see that there are people out there who understand...

rob13572468

I hear ya... on the subject of dodge (well and mercedes), just got the sprinter vans working. no extra key needed and plug-and-play...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG12xMj3sno

Vapor40

I think you guys are missing the point. I value the work Mid City has put into their unit and they should be compensated but the dealership is another matter. I would like to know what the markup is on a unit and why I can't use a private installer. I have said before I would pay 1000.00 for this option. "Value" is what someone is willing to pay for something. @ 1900 dollars it represents 5% of the value of the car, Just saying.

jbondox

Rob... kudos on the sprinter... maybe will get one this week

Vapor40, let me ask you this, 99.9% of the independents out there have clue 0 about anything Mercedes, now give them a remote start that they have 0 clue to how it works or why it does what it does and it will be a fail!

now the dealership, who is going to warranty your vehicle should something go wrong, has technicians that know where the modules are, how to access them, experience with MB, and is going to warranty the product pretty much as long as there is a factory warranty... try that with joe shmo down the street.

The dealership is taking on the added extra burden of what happens if it melts the vehicle down or fries the EIS... or leaves you stranded... then again... lets see the rest of the pro's, loaner car, maybe a pick up and delivery service, wash and vacuum...

you know how many aftermarket shops are doing that for you? 0 well I will say .0000000000001% of them out there... and let me ask you this, with seeing a new shop open every quarter, in business for a year or two then go belly up... you are going to have what to fall back on?

not lecturing, just stating the obvious, I know the dealer over here sells them for $1199 installed plus $ 300 for the iphone/blackberry interface

Vapor40

I think you attitude towards installers is misguided. I think most who have been in business for any length of time must do a decent job. That aside, if you have a full factory warranty that covers any problems this mod creates and as you say buys you a new car if it burns up then I understand why having the dealer install is important. I am bowing out since I am not a potential purchaser. I believe this is an excellent product and meant no disrespect. I do however resent comments like "some" people don't understand, as if because you purchase something it makes you a more enlightened being.

jbondox

decent as in... sure it works...for now

rob13572468

Its a little tricky.. I agree that there are many installers that are pretty competant but the problem is that the newer vehicles (mercedes especially) have become *very* complex as far as the level of computerization. In particular, automakers have moved from discreet wiring (each wire carries one signal) to vehicle networks.. The problem is that the majority of independant shops and their installers have absolutely no training in these systems, no understanding, and to make matters worse, do not really care to learn about these new vehicle systems. We regularly provide support and training for anyone willing to learn but its been our experience that many shops are still trying to do business as if vehicles havent changed since the 1990's.

Now I understand that there are many people out there that are intelligent enough to do this work, I have certainly talked to many people on the forums here that are smart enough... We just have no way of qualifying who has the ablity and who does not so we elected to make this particular accessory an installed unit only.

Also keep in mind that we have other dealers available besides just Mercedes dealerships. We generally have at least one experienced install shop in every major metropolitan area and in larger areas there is a little bit of competition and that does bring the price down a bit. If you want to find an independant dealer in your area, please give us a call at 312.421.1114 and we can put you in touch with one.

babyjocko

I fully agree with you. Anything is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. The idea is to price a product above the cost of production while at a point where it is considered to be a value by the most people. I think this remote engine starter does not have good value for me. If it were $500 or less, then I may consider it.

I'm sure there are people who think it's current price is of good value. If the price were $5000, I'm sure some people would still buy it. It's the point where it is considered to be a value by the most people while the seller can still make a profit is the trick. If it costs more than $500 to make, then so be it. I would love to own a space shuttle, too. But, I am not willing to pay the price that it even costs to make one.

The bottom line is, is the convenience worth > $1000? To me, it isn't. So, I definitely see your point, and I agree. But, to each, his own.

rob13572468

I respect that... we are sensitive on the pricing issue and we are working on ways to get our products manufactured at a lower price without sacrificing quality....

Its funny because in certain areas people have been buying the remote starters like crazy,particularly in the northern climates where it gets ruthlessly cold in the winter... I guess its easier to make the decision to purchase when its 15 below zero outside...

jbondox

just sell it to viper and let them worry about making it .... lol

Busta Riles

I have 2 of these starters in my W211 E classes. A couple comments...

They work great with the long range TWADD antenna. I wouldn't buy one without it, as you'd only have the same range as you do when locking/unlocking the car with your key. It would defeat the purpose, as i'd still need to go outside in -40 weather to start the car.

One thing that is really annoying is that when i activate the starter, the head unit shows that there is music playing, but it isn't. I have to turn it off & back on again to get it going (every time). Also, if you have your interior lights set to be on when the doors are open, the rear dome light stays on when the sterter is in use...you have to press the dome light switch every time to get it to go off. As a result, i have my lights set to OFF when the doors are open (another slight inconvenience).

Would i buy another one? Yes.

Is it perfect? No

Would i sell a lot more of these to my customers if the price was more reasonable? Absolutely.

When will the Viper Smartstart be available in Canada?

rob13572468

Which radio model do you have in each of your W211's? (e.g. APS20,50, or comand), I just had a talk with TJ about your specific issues with the dome light and its on the bug list to get looked at...incidentally we've tested on quite a few different W211 variants and have not seen the audio/dome light issues). I believe the reason for this is that MB had made a number of little hardware/software changes on the W211's during the first couple of years of production and thats why we see some of these wierd little behaviors. Once we get into the later year W211's things are a bit more uniform..

At any rate we are always working on updates so I appreciate the feedback... When we release new firmware that resolves your issues we can arrange to get your starters updated for you.


Smartstart is supposedly testing in Canada right now and is slated to be ready for winter... I guess the holdup involved the cell providers up there not being provisioned for the particular data service in all areas and they have been working to get that finished...

akarusso

Can I install the remote unit on an ML450 Hybrid?

sqchris

Satisfied customer here on 2010 GL350 Blutec. Now if I can only have a better range.

Josey92

I'm also a satisfied customer (09 GL450) and had the Viper SmartStart Module installed at the same time to answer the "range" question. Being able to start my vehicle from a block and a half away (that's how far my garage is here in Brooklyn) to warm up the car is great when you live close to the East River and you have a frigid, chill-to-the-bone, whipping wind striking you on the walk to the car. Now if I could only get the seat heaters to turn on while the car is warming up, I'd be set.

Also great for this humid heatwave that we've had here in NYC.

Adamantium

Rob,

Any news on the non panic button equipped manual Euro spec (RHD) R171?

Adam (england)

annobil

if anyone has an idea on where and how to get a remote starter on a 2003 e500 any information would be great. called around a few places and seems like they can only be done on the 2004 models and up.
thanks

Mackhack

Try the Python products. They should support it!

NEMES1S

Smart start now works on droid phones, about time.

any word on that plug that was needed for the r230 to be a plug and play?

rob13572468

Yes, R230 (2003-2011 SL) and W220/W215 (S/CL 2000-2006) are next up to be added into the line. They will be plug-and-play as well.

We are finalizing the kits and we have to do a little more testing across some of the earlier models... You can expect them to be available around thanksgiving..

NEMES1S

if you need an r230 test mule with KG, let me know

Adamantium

Rob,

Any word on the manual european SLK yet?

Adam

rob13572468

Yes! we finally got a manual to do an install and yes it can be done... see here:

https://mbworld.org/forums/slk-class...ml#post4479693

Also all of our starter variants now have the ability to be reconfigured to use lock-unlock-lock within 5 seconds to activate the remote start instead of panic. And of course you can always add an external remote as well...

rob13572468

Also we will soon be releasing a starter bypass module for the W163 platform (99-05 ML SUV's). The bypass module works in conjunction with any off the shelf alarm/remote starter and allows the remote starter to work without needing to sacrifice a factory key and keeps the smartkey anti-theft system intact.

Here is a preview of the W163 remote starter system...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8unvyVhJCLQ

Ghostrider

Rob-

Any word yet on the W208 system? This should also open the door for W210's and W202's.

-Ghost