raja777m

Hello,
I have Keyless-go on my 2014, only thing missing is the Remote Start/Stop for those cold weathers. Just wanted to check if this device a good idea to put in our vehicles?
Just wanted to see, as it is going on sale for now (may be they are coming up with a new model or something).

https://slickdeals.net/f/10632640-co...-free-shipping

Instead of MidCity Engineering, which costs higher I believe.

Thanks in advance.

thefisch

Interested to know also. Supposedly it is compatible according to manufacturer - https://www.compustar.com/system-builder/

raja777m

I already ordered one, just in case (for the sake of the deal). I can return it without opening it anyways

thefisch

Heck it's Best Buy, you can open it and try it out and still return it so long as within 15 days (or longer depending on your member status). Let us know how it goes.

raja777m

Sure, I'll let you guys know; I'll have to contact the CSR, based on the previous link for compatibility, there is another device, just for smartphone access. Hopefully, without monthly subscriptions, I could do something. Else, I'll stick to the earlier mentioned one with 3000 Feet range..!

KEY08

Wow, a 3,000 ft range? Your car will be out of gas by the time you reach it.

raja777m

ha ha,
I thought I was mistaken, so, I went back for the specs;

3000 feet range:
Two-way four-button and one-way four-button remote transmitters let you start your car while you're still in the house.

My 08FZ6 used to have Scorpio SR900i with half mile range, I believe this will work like that in real world.

raja777m

ME:
Hello,
I have 2014 E350 with KeyLess-Go package, meaning, keyless entry/exit, push button start and trunk control via a button.
I want to add just the remote start. What is my best option, I don't want to mess up with all other features, and I'm buying at Best Buy, so, they will install the module.
1. Is this Model: CS4202-S-KIT compatible?
2. Is there anything else I need to buy for remote start via smartphone? any subscriptions?
3. Can I just add Smartphone remote start only?

Compustar Service advisor:
The 4202 will not work with your Mercedes Benz. There's no solution for your vehicle unfortunately that I can recommend.

Thank you and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Dan S.
Firstech Support
Compustar DroneMobile Arctic Start Momento

KEY08

Awesome! back to the store.....

thefisch

Oh well. That settles that.

raja777m

Hi Raja,

I apologize for the inconvenience, but it seems I jumped the gun on my response. There is a solution for the 2014 E350 -

Smartkey Starter FT-MB204-D4C

I hope this helps and once again please accept my apologies.
Thank you.

Dan S.
Firstech Support
Compustar DroneMobile Arctic Start Momento

KEY08

Back to Mid-City Engineering it appears.

raja777m

Ha ha, exactly what I thought and it is out of my budget.
Anyway, the model number he provided has compatibility till 2013 for E-Class though. Although other models are available for 2014 W212 from the Manufacturer's website.

Darel

Yeah, after doing my own install on the Mid-City kit (with the Compustar Drone option, which is excellent by the way) there's no way anyone's going to come up with a cheap plug-n-play kit for our cars. They simply weren't designed to have a remote starter, neither were Audis or BMWs, as they are supposedly illegal in Germany and evidently they didn't realize someone was smuggling German automobiles outside the Rhineland to the US. The Mid-City kit is REALLY well engineered, and once you realize all the time and R&D that had to go into it, and the level of involvement of the installation, I think they're probably going to stay the only game in town for a long time. Fairly certain at some point in the near future Germans are going to figure out the little scam that's going on with German cars getting to the US, and make remote start an option of their own, maybe just not available in the homeland. At that point for ease of assembly line construction, it will probably become a little plug-n-play module and kits like this will be out there. The converse to that is, by that time, our cars will be "obsolete" in that it's not worth a company's time to develop such a complex system for used cars that are 5 or 10 years old at that point.

raja777m

I believe 2017 and above model new cars already have remote start via app.

Darel

That's correct. MBrace takes it from then on.

thefisch

Great review. Thanks.

Personally I just want it on my keyfob so I can get the AC going from a few hundred feet away to take the edge off the heat buildup. I have heard about intermittent signal issues with the app and of course there is the subscription cost. I can get this feature on an Accord now, along with a bunch of others.

Darel

This is one thing that really bugs me about the M-B. Our 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland had such a remarkable and well-thought-out suite of features that we constantly find ourselves comparing the MB to it. While smartphones didn't really even exist in 2002, the Jeeps' remote start was excellent and even came with two fobs, a black and a gray. If the black fob, my wife's, started and/or unlocked the car, it automatically put the memory seats in her position, the mirrors, steering wheel, and even changed the radio to her presets. If I used my gray fob, everything went to my settings. There's a lot of things that I think MB could be doing much better compared to cheaper cars. Jeep nailed it as far as ergonomics in 2002 and in my opinion, as much as I hated that car (and good Lord did I despise that car), I have yet to see any car at any price point surpass it in terms of ergonomics and convenience. If you've never seen the layout of a WJ Jeep's steering wheel control buttons, they are absolutely perfect. You got a complete readout of all your tire pressures, immediately without driving around the block, INCLUDING THE SPARE! Of course back then they didn't have screens or paddle shifters or Bluetooth to contend with, so it's all to be taken with a grain of salt.

I've never had an issue with the connection on the CompuStar app, but I don't use it as much. My wife (primary driver) sometimes has spotty reception when she's trying to use it on the train before she gets to the station, but that may be because she's in a big metal tube. I don't know.

thefisch

I agree it is disappointing how you truly don't get the best or nothing.

BTW, the issues with intermittent signal I had read about were with the Mbrace app. I would understand if a 3rd party implementation had occasional issues since it was not engineered by the manufacturer. But the Mbrace app and in car technology was designed by MB and should operate more seamlessly IMO.

raja777m

Your example is way better, I learned about those features in 2012 with my rental cal, chevy sonic and my nephew's Ford Mustang 2015..!
I usually turn on the engine and put on my shoes. even if I forget to shut it down, they automatically turn off themselves after 5/10 mins depending on the preset values.

Some people here know me, how sad I was to learn Keyless go is missing that feature, when I purchased this car, few months ago.

This feature is not the only deal breaker, but whenever you sit in the car and you have to wait for it to warm up, you won't appreciate the fact this is Mercedes for F sake (after driving cheaper cars with those important features).

Anyway, I'll have to start saving money for that part from MidCityEngineering (MCE)..!

Darel

My '07 Silverado with factory remote start shuts off after 15 minutes. Totally useless. There isn't a shred of heat in the truck in only 15 minutes.

The Mid-City kit has WAY longer run times, factory preset to 15 minutes but selectable up to 45 minutes if you go into the "secret" setup menu using the steering wheel buttons (I think the procedure is included...if not PM me and I'll see if I can find it in my literature). 45 minutes is plenty of time for it to completely melt off!

Rainers

I put a Midcity Smartstarter in my 2014 ML350 when it was new. I love it very dependable and not reliant on MBRACE. I will put one in any new MB I buy because MBRACE is so unreliable. With Mbrace you got to have doors locked, windows up, more than half a tank of gas, etc,etc and then you might be lucky enough to remotely start your car.

My Midcity starts from anywhere in the world by using the cellular app or you could use you key fob, your heated seats and rear defroster will also turn on when you reach 40 or 32 degrees which ever YOU setup and you can also change the runtime, etc. buy it!

raja777m

Thanks Darel.
I watched a video from "Engineering Explained" I believe, that turning on Engine and letting it roll is the fastest way to warm up the interior and engine, prep the brakes etc. So, leaving it for those many minutes doesn't actually help, in fact hurts the engine ( I could be wrong).
Anyway, all I have to save is 2 mins (I usually leave the vehicle 30 seconds from a cold start and then go slowly for first few miles to not put burden on the vehicle).
Will definitely ping you once I got the MCE's remote start functionality in my car.

raja777m

You're tempting me to spend my money on this already..! rofl.

tresean1

This requires you to stash one of the smart keys somewhere under the dash right?