2010 GMC Terrain: Extra Functionality of Remote Engine Start Is Nice

And the Terrains mileage will drop to 17 mpg by the next update.

The difference between living in California and Utah. My first thought is to get the car warmed up in the winter with the remote start. In the summer, A/C as you say is instantaneous, so in my mind it doesn't make as much sense to use remote start in the summer. Starting a car with remote start in the winter means my car is warm before I leave my neighborhood, rather than a few miles down the road. That makes a huge difference to me.

Hey, you wimps, one of my cars had a hand crank starter-- imagine what it would be like to crank start your car in mid-winter.

Full disclosure: My Sunbeam Alpine had a hand crank starter, but I never used it. Starting was not a problem. Actually, considering it was British, we really only had two big problems with it.
1. When the head blew a valve seat on the way to Toronto it wasn't too bad-- we just kept driving. Averaged about 35 mpg for the whole 400 mile trip.

2. What killed the car eventually was worn crankshaft bearings, which required adding a quart of engine oil every day.

Quite an adventure, though. It prepared me for.....aaaagh..... the '75 Audi Fox.

My car has remote start but I never use it. Keep in mind your engine will warm faster in motion than by sitting idle. You also use more gas than starting the car while inside it.

Warming the car up by idling is extremely wasteful and produces the worse emissions, since warm-up is slower when stopped. While other car companies are (slowly) introducing stop/start technology to reduce wasted fuel when the vehicle is stationary, we have GM doing the opposite. I'm glad none of the other OEMs do this.

Despite this, at least GM was smart about tying in climate, rear defrost, and heated/ventilated seat operation.

Although A/C is instantaneous, it does take a little time to cool the car after it has been sitting a while on an asphalt lot in 100 degree weather. So autostart rocks in the South for winter and summer.

Hi, just a little quick tip.

The heated seats didn't turn on because there is a setting in the radio options which controls this. They won't turn on during remote start by default, but a little digging and you will be able to find a setting for remote start heated seats.

I forgot how exactly to do this, and you have the Nav system that I don't have. But it ain't hard. Also, the heated seats automatically turn off after you insert the key.

We got 8 inches of snow where I live, and I'm really thankful for this feature. It really comes in handy!

In addition to the rear defrost coming on, the heated sideview mirrors should turn on as well. Living in a climate that ranges from roughly -10 to 100, I use my remote start quite often... sue me.

remote start is a waste of money. Just buy a 12 volt car heater to plug into the outlet it heats instantly.

Bimmerjay: So you're saying that offering the remote start option is a bad thing? Seriously?

I bet Caroline would be thrilled with this option.

"Warming the car up by idling is extremely wasteful and produces the worse emissions, since warm-up is slower when stopped. While other car companies are (slowly) introducing stop/start technology to reduce wasted fuel when the vehicle is stationary, we have GM doing the opposite. I'm glad none of the other OEMs do this."

Who lied and told you that? Fords, Toyotas, Chryslers, etc. have remote start. Some brands offer it as dealer accessory only, but increasingly its offered from the factory.

2012 Lacrosse will have start/stop BTW- but I'm sure you knew that.

I borrow the parent's Jeep GC and it has the factory remote start. Used it once. I do kind of think its a waste of gas, and I experience lovely Michigan winters.

Is it nice to have a semi-warm vehicle or a cold one?? When it's 20 degrees outside it doesn't feel much different to me. Cold is cold is cold.

First, you don't need auto climate control for GM's remote start to run the heat or A/C automatically. The climate control head, even in manual controls, is all electronic so the system actually is capable of operating itself (full blast heat or A/C), but just not temperature regulate itself. It already knows the exterior temp so this is easy.

Second, warming the car up is not doing it any favors at all. The only practical use (i.e. a usage that isn't entirely convenience or comfort-driven) is if you went outside to scrape the car off after a storm and rather than clear just the driver's door first so you can get in (letting snow and ice in inevitably) you can start it and start brushing wherever. Every other use, as far as I can tell, is purely a comfort/convenience choice by the driver. The car warms up MUCH faster if you drive it. The cat lights off sooner. The oil warms up faster. The COOLANT warms up real fast on modern cars but the oil has no direct thermostatic control except for the oil possibly using the coolant as a heat exchanger in the radiator. So even if you remote start the car and in 7 minutes the car is toasty, the oil will still be quite cool and NOT ready for you to drive the car as if it is fully warmed up. The car would have preferred you took that 7 minutes of gas and driven it immediately.

"Bimmerjay: So you're saying that offering the remote start option is a bad thing? Seriously?"

I shouldn't have said no other OEMs do it but yes IMO this is a very wasteful feature.

For those who feel that such a feature is a waste of time/gas/money:

Try having a little child or an elderly person sitting on a leather seat that's been basking in the sun for a few hours (PLEASE don't ask how I know this.... :-o )

"I shouldn't have said no other OEMs do it but yes IMO this is a very wasteful feature."

But heated steering wheels, 20 way seats, around view monitors, massaging seats and all the other features BMW offers are necessary? How about engines with 300hp or more? Many folks think anything above a four banger is wasteful.

@ mrryte

Yes it's fine to adjust interior temperature for sensitive people but that doesn't mean it's not a fuel/money waster.

Toughing it out and start driving a little bit is much more effective by using less time and gas/money. It's just a choice of convenience vs. saving money.

I think what bugs me is the amount of people in my neighbourhood that start their cars this way and let them run for for 10 to 15 minutes before leaving. Even more annoying is a couple of them are only going a few blocks to the local school to drop off their kids. (They could walk there and back in the time they take to warm up their cars.)

If it were -40 or the cars were covered with thick snow or ice then maybe but it never gets cold in Vancouver and rarely snows.

Why people would delibertely choose to give more money to the oil companies is beyond me.

I love remote start. The hell with all of you puritanical whiners in the 'that's wasteful!' crowd.
It is a really convenient feature. In the winter, I can wake up and start the car from inside the house. While I'm showering, brushing my teeth and getting dressed, the car warms up and is nice and toasty for me by the time I get into it.
I like the car to be warm enough before I get in that wearing a heavy jacket is unnecessary, even on the coldest days.
Similar routine with A/C in the summer. Why should I put up with the discomfort of driving a freezing or sweltering vehicle if I don't have to?
It's just my personal preference, I hate being cold. I also set the thermostat in my house between 85 and 90 degrees in the winter, when I'm home.

Now that's not wasteful, that's just wimpy.

Come on Bimmerjay... don't you know by now that you're not allowed to express your opinion here?
Go to your room!

"Come on Bimmerjay... don't you know by now that you're not allowed to express your opinion here?
Go to your room!"

I suppose I could just throw out a completely irrelevant and nonsensical argument, but nah.

Remote start would be great for when there's thick ice built up on the windshield, as firstwagon said. I used to run outside in the Vermont winters when I was a kid, start the car/blast the defroster, then run back inside and finish breakfast while the ice melted. Remote start would have saved me the trouble.

And for all you whiners talking about how it uses more gas: fellas please. It uses more gas when you do a burnout, but no one here gets their panties in a bunch about laying a nice patch.

Well except 1487, whose panties are permanently in a bunch.

Rod, I agree. The folks who vote for IL to put cars like the Viper & Raptor in the fleet really don't have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to discussing wasting gas.

I have remote start on my Outlander but I don't use it at home where the car is garage-kept. I use it during extreme heat/cold when staying places where the car isn't covered. For instance, a quick hit when I leave the mall will give the car 20-40 seconds of warm up time which is just enough of a that I can get in & go (assuming I don't have to brush snow off).

I'd never use it for 10+ minutes; that would just seem silly. But then again, people with garages that are too stuff full of junk to allow their cars in seem silly to me and I see it all the time in my neighborhood.

"I suppose I could just throw out a completely irrelevant and nonsensical argument, but nah."

Many of your arguments are in fact nonsensical. You claimed GM was using this tech while others weren't. Wrong. You claimed that GM was moving against the grain by working on fuel wasting tech while others are moving on to stop/start tech. Wrong again.

You infer this feature is a total waste of energy as if we really need any of the luxury/convenience energy sapping features on modern cars. You make no sense and love double standards.

"And for all you whiners talking about how it uses more gas: fellas please. It uses more gas when you do a burnout, but no one here gets their panties in a bunch about laying a nice patch."

Exactly. According to my instantaneous FE meter my car uses about .4gal/hr when at idle. If a car idles for 5min on a cold morning fuel usage is negligible.

@kevm14
+1 on your second point

igeekone says:
"It's just a choice of convenience vs. saving money."

Understood. But how MUCH money are you actually saving by "toughing it out?" As kevm14 said, the car will warm up faster if you drive it, but the 5min pre-warmup will certainly help warm the interior even faster once you start driving. And as for the summer, it's much nicer to open the car and have the A/C already blowing cold as opposed to opening the car; crank the engine; roll down all the windows (since the car is already swelteringly hot) and wait for things to cool down.

Again; it might not seem like much; but it makes life a little easier (hence the term "convienience" ;-) )

"Who lied and told you that? Fords, Toyotas, Chryslers, etc. have remote start. Some brands offer it as dealer accessory only, but increasingly its offered from the factory."

Why did you lie to us with that? Of the examples you mentioned, only Chrysler has factory-installed remote start. With Ford and Toyota, it is a dealer-installed option.

This is, by far, the most hypocritical thread I've read in awhile. I can understand complaining about remote start not doing the engine any long-term favors, but to complain about it wasting gas? Well then, I don't want to hear about anyone accelerating faster than absolutely necessary ever again. Apparently, hooning is the Devil's work. C'mon.

"Many of your arguments are in fact nonsensical."

Which ones exactly? I'll accept that if you can get someone else to agree with you as well.

"You claimed GM was using this tech while others weren't. Wrong. You claimed that GM was moving against the grain by working on fuel wasting tech while others are moving on to stop/start tech. Wrong again."

And I subsequently changed my statement. If you ever admitted you were actually wrong about something in these forums I think most of us would go into shock.

"Why did you lie to us with that? Of the examples you mentioned, only Chrysler has factory-installed remote start. With Ford and Toyota, it is a dealer-installed option."

I havent checked every single Ford, but I believe some of the new ones have it. Even if it doesnt the original statement was that only GM was peddling this feature which is a lie- period.

"Which ones exactly? I'll accept that if you can get someone else to agree with you as well."

Unlike you I cant go back and reread posts from days or weeks ago. Your arguments always end up trying to prove the same points- whatever the Germans are offering great and whatever GM is offering/doing deserves criticism. As far as I can tell that is generally what you are conveying regardless of the topic. You have accused me of making false statements or attempted to correct me on numerous occassions but when you are proven wrong you are off to the next topic.

"And I subsequently changed my statement. If you ever admitted you were actually wrong about something in these forums I think most of us would go into shock."

Its been done. HAve you read all of my posts? Didnt think so. That being said how can you say with absolution that I never admitted being wrong? Enough said. I may have beenn wrong about Ford's offerin remote start as OEM- not sure yet though.

Right, 1487. Go back to living in your own world where everybody likes and respects you and reads your posts with all your "facts". I'm not going to bother responding to your points, it's been well-established here that it's completely useless discussing anything with you.

bimmer:

You do the same thing every time. You throw a hissy fit and then try to put me down or whatever. You dont address what I am talking about. No need to put "facts" in quotes since you know they are legit. Hence your frustration in dealing with me. Perhaps I shoudl embrace your version of "facts" - you know like claiming only GM is using gas wasting tech like remote start. Would that suit you better? Never said "everyone" likes me. People who are objective know what I'm talking about and that's all that matters. Not concerned with finding common ground with self appointed know it alls like yourself and BB who could care less about supporting anything they say with facts. Feel free to stop responding and attempting to correct my statements.

milt:

The 2011 Edge has remote start as a factory feature. I think the newest Fords are like this. Its part of the Driver Entry Package for $895. Bottom line is all of the American automakers off remote start either as dealer installed option or factory features- seems like Ford is now moving towards making it a a factory installed feature.