GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Can a remote car starter be installed in a manual transmission Vibe since you normally have to depress the clutch? If it can be, what are the warranty implications?Still lovin' that Vibe!

Every remote start system I've seen says "auto transmissions only". Too many liability problems, if you inadvertantly leave a manual in gear and disable the "clutch depressed" switch.

Vibe-rate's right... most chain stores won't install remote-starters on manual transmission vehicles. If you still want to venture into this, your best bet would be to find a local "home-grown" car stereo/alarm/electronics store. They might do it for you.

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll give the remote start a miss. Didn't think of that when I got a manual transmission, but still am enjoying that "being in charge" feeling that a stick gives.

I know the few stores i've gone to said i have to disable the clutch start that you usually have in manuals... However, it seems like a pain to me, you could never leave your car in gear again! (Unless you want it crashing into your garage doors! lol

Sorry guys but you're wrong.... See ma siganture. Vibe, 5-speeds, remote car engine starter.....It is possible. You just need to have a module built for manual transmission (who incluse a clutch bypass and a hand brake input). It cost a little bit more then a manual (about $50 c) but it works well. The only thing with a remote car starter on a manual tranny, you need to "program" it every time you want to use it. On most of them, you have program it by pressing the "start" button on the remote while the engine is running, pull the hand brake, remove the key from the ignition (the engine still running without the key), get out form the car, turn off the engine with the remote. If you open the door after that, you'll have to reprogram it.Mine is less difficult to operate. Put the tranny on neutral, pull the hand brake, turn off the engine (still working without the key), get out form the car. After I close the door, the engine turn off and the doors lock. That`s all. If I get in my car, I have to reprogram it as well.

You can also have a very cheap engine starter. Ask someone else to go outside and start your car..... LOL

I agree with Sub-Vibe-R. I'll just get my girlfriend to go out and start it for me. It might get to be more expensive than the remote starter alarms but at least you won't have to program the girlfriend every time

Holy smokes Ben! You have to everything except tug on your left ear with your right hand while doing the hokey pokey with your right foot in to get a manual remote starter to work. Yikes!I have an interior car warmer and my block heater on a timer to come on 3-4 hours before I go to work. The car is not toasty but I can't see my breath and it is warm enough to go gloveless in a few minutes. Much less initial programming. However the cord won't reach when I am elsewhere, no plug in at work.

How about an electric blanket to plug into the dash??? That would work! I might have to try that.

quote:I have an interior car warmer and my block heater on a timer to come on 3-4 hours before I go to work. My remote starter has pre-programmed time start. My car starts every morning at the preset time without doing anything.

Lazy but it is less cheap-shot then send your girlfriend outsie to start it. For my car, I'm one of those who like gadget. I like that kind of stuff. Very few people can say they have better gadget then mine.

there are a few alarm/remote start combos available out there where you dont have to "program it every time" there is one made by Vader and the other by compustart/ both are a paging system alarm. big bucks!! figure 800 to 1000 bucks after instalation. and the draw back is that you only get one key fob/pager. to get another one its like 150 bucks. that recirc button really heats up the car fast anyway.

I got a luck on my combo alarm/remote starter with pager. I got it for $260 (cost +10%) and I installed it myself with a friend. It took about 4 hours to install it (and we already installed that kind of stuff many times b4). I do not recommand to install it yourself if you're not famillar with this.

A local (Detroit area) audio installer here is running an ad on the papers for a remote starter for $249.00 designed specifically for manual trannys. Manufacturer is Clifford.