[Garth]

I had best buy install a viper remote start to the tune of about 350.00 and the loss of one key. Then after about 4 months later my warning lights on my dash started to flash. I take in to my dealer In Knoxville, Tn only for them to say of course it was the viper that caused it. They then took Pics and sent them to subaru so they canceled my warranty and the dealer tried to charge me 375.00 for a diagnostic fee.

I said the car is under warranty and they said NO. I ended up not paying the fee but had to buy the parts and I took it to another dealer who charged 30/hr less in labor to install my new computer and FACTORY remote start.

All in all it was a 1200.00 lesson and I still dont have my warranty! Why you ask...Because I would have had to pay for a new wiring harness too to reinstate my warranty. I said no thanks as I had 22k on it and only had a warranty for another 14k miles.

So just keep this in mind when you go to purchase an aftermarket remote start on your new Subie!

 

[paulfolio]

So just keep this in mind when you go to purchase an aftermarket remote start on your new Subie!

That sucks man. Thanks for the heads up though, I was thinking about getting a viper for mine too...

 

[Latigo]

Wow. I was considering aftermarket remote starts before I bought my car, now I'm kind of glad I didn't.

 

[Saint J VT]

I don't mind going out in the cold to start the car when it is below about ten out (F)!

 

[Garth]

You are welcome! I just ordered a new XV Crosstrek yesterday and I hope to have one on that one too! So far I did not see one listed for it yet!

 

[bradze]

nevermind

 

[djz]

I find it hard to believe that the remote start fried your computer unless the installer did something wrong. I have had aftermarket remote start systems on my last 3 vehicles ('02 WRX, '05 STi and '09 Wrangler) and never had an issue with any of them.

Many dealers look for anything they can find to try to void your warranty - Subaru tried to blame a Prodrive axle back muffler bought at the dealer I took the car to for a leaking oil pump on my STi. It took several months but I finally got them to reimburse me for the repair I had done at a local shop after the dealer denied my warranty coverage.

 

[Wagondude]

^^^What he said. It was more likely an installation error that caused the failure and not the unit. Remember folks, any kid off the street can get a job as an installer at places like Best Buy. What kind of warranty do they offer for the install? And you still have a warranty for the hard mechanical items on your car. they just won't cover anything electrical. They can't legally void the entire warranty for aftermarket equipment.

 

[bradze]

yeah on second thought there's a 99.9% chance it was from improper installation. that company and many others sell thousands of those things. best buy? really? my friends worked in their install department when i was in high school. big chains like that hire any idiot for as close to minimum wage as they can get away with. you really should have gone somewhere else for something like that.

 

[Deputy91]

I have seen some pretty crappy installations where they left exposed wires next to other exposed wires or bare metal. Kind of scarey what some shops get away with.

-mike

 

[jrabdawg]

take BB to small claims court.

 

[nipper]

What bothers me if the installer did something wrong it wouldnt have taken this long to show up. Something doesnt add up.

 

[DavidPeab]

Perhaps it took this long for a wire nut to wiggle off, or for some insulation to wear through from rubbing against the frame, or some electrical tape to unravel, or the chewing gum to rot away, or the duct tape to become brittle...

I've re-installed more than a few friends' auto electronics after the big chains like Best Buy or Circuit City (out of business now) had their kids slam things together. On the other hand, I've also been impressed by a few of their creative solutions for adding aftermarket components like XM receivers to folks' dashes. I've made my fair share of boneheaded moves as well. You get what you pay for... but look over their shoulder just in case.

 

[lashlee]

I would have to agree that though the remote start may have been a contributing factor the installation is more to blame. I've had a remote start/alarm on my Accord since '98 when I bought it and haven't had any issues, as well as having it on a few other cars over the years.

As a side note was it Greyson that denied your warranty?

And if you need anything else done, give me a shout and we can see what we can work out.

 

[Saint J VT]

I also would not want anyone cutting into any wires in my vehicle. All it takes is one major wire being spliced into that is not a good splice and may fail at any time in the future and it may result in the car just dying, for no apparent reason.

Now, you plan to drive across the country on a holiday weekend and you are driving 1,000 miles away from home at 10 pm. Suddenly, everything dies in the car, you have to pull over onto the shoulder.

What then?
Sell the car as fast as you can to buy a new car to continue your journey?

As others have stated, I have done my share of bone-headed things in people's cars when I was a kid, installing car cassette tape players.

Suppose that one wire is way up underneath the dash somewhere, where it wouldn't even be visible unless the entire top portion of dash is removed!

 

[Gelacy]

I had best buy install a viper remote start to the tune of about 350.00 and the loss of one key. Then after about 4 months later my warning lights on my dash started to flash. I take in to my dealer In Knoxville, Tn only for them to say of course it was the viper that caused it. They then took Pics and sent them to subaru so they canceled my warranty and the dealer tried to charge me 375.00 for a diagnostic fee.

I said the car is under warranty and they said NO. I ended up not paying the fee but had to buy the parts and I took it to another dealer who charged 30/hr less in labor to install my new computer and FACTORY remote start.

All in all it was a 1200.00 lesson and I still dont have my warranty! Why you ask...Because I would have had to pay for a new wiring harness too to reinstate my warranty. I said no thanks as I had 22k on it and only had a warranty for another 14k miles.

So just keep this in mind when you go to purchase an aftermarket remote start on your new Subie!

I would advise posting this on the NASIOC thread about remote starters. Apparently there's a guy who used to work at BBY who might be able to help with connections or point you in the right directions for some kind of recourse.

Or just take it to small claims court. Don't let BBY get away with this.

 

[upflying]

If the tech is using these for an aftermarket install, stop the work and drive away.

 

[Somerset Max]

I find it hard to believe that the remote start fried your computer unless the installer did something wrong.
Many dealers look for anything they can find to try to void your warranty.

Most likely, the problem was related to a botched installation job.
However, whether Best Buy's installation or the actual aftermarket hardware was to blame, the bottom line is that this situation will void a warranty.

I always try to see both sides of an issue, and if I was a manufacturer, I would also refuse to continue coverage on a vehicle that was modified in an unknown and potentially damaging way.

For this reason, when a friend of mine bought his '08 Rav-4, and wanted a remote start system installed before he took delivery, I advised him to get the *genuine* Toyota system installed, and to have it done at the Toyota dealership. A few weeks later, he began to experience a strange assortment of bizarre electrical problems with the vehicle. After 2 repair attempts at the dealership, there was no improvement. I then composed a notification to Toyota of America, regarding intention to file a Lemon Law complaint.

Well, to make a long story short, the letter resulted in Toyota's Regional Service Manager and a Japanese engineer coming to the dealership to look into the problem--because under the terms of NJ's Lemon Law, failure to repair this problem upon the third repair attempt would give my friend his choice of a comparable (new) replacement vehicle or a full refund, and clearly Toyota wanted to avoid this situation.

Within ~2 hours, they discovered that the technician who had installed the RS system had left it in Test Mode, and whenever the system went into Test Mode, that was when bizarre things happened to various electrical components. They successfully repaired the problem by apparently just reprogramming the system.

Even though the Toyota dealer had used an "independent" installer to put the system into the car, the fact that the work was done at the dealership and the fact that it was a *genuine* Toyota system made this problem eligible for Lemon Law coverage. An aftermarket system--no matter where it was installed--would not have been under this coverage umbrella.

So--the lesson from all of this is that, even though the aftermarket systems frequently have more features than a "factory" system, you are taking some risks with those systems.

:29:

 

[Garth]

Yes it was Grayson! I have had a bad experience with the Subaru side and the BMW side. So I just ordered a new XV Crossteck from Earl Duff! I bought one from them back in 2000 and they have been great!

Yes I saw the guy install it and he did a great job. It still worked even after my lights went crazy. Like one said they will claim anything they can to deny corverage. I too dont blame them to a point. I do think they could have done a bit more for me since I bought 2 new cars from them but that is just my .02

I am just letting you all know what can happen I learned a lesson...as mush as its a PITA using the factory remote start due to shutting off when you open the door...its sure is nice to have a warranty still in effect.

 

[Gelacy]

Straight from the Viper website:

Will having a Viper system installed into my car void my new car warranty like my car dealer has told me?

No. Under the terms of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act, no new car warranty can be instantly voided simply by the addition of any aftermarket (non-factory) product, including vehicle security products. However, if the added device is of poor quality, or is installed incorrectly, issues of warranty can be brought into play. Your best choice is to always have any Viper system installed by a professionally authorized Directed dealer.

You paid BBY to install a Viper remote start system. Viper authorizes BBY to install such a system so that their own Viper warranty is still valid. Unless you purchased the system from another location like Amazon or something, isn't BBY liable to the terms in which you agreed to pay them for?