i bought an alarm/remote start (internal relay)/ and remote locks system off of ebay a couple weeks ago(impulse 990). i am having somebody to install it for me but when i went to go talk to the guy he said he wouldn't trust the remote start. he said all the alarms he has ever done pull around 80 amps to start the car and the system i have only pulls about 30 and he is charging me $200 to install the whole thing and $120 just to install the other 2 things. does this sound right? should i take my chance and get everything installed or should i go the cheaper way(just get the remote locks and the alram itself installed)?

 

does the car always start quickly after turning the key? does it ever stall or require pressing the gas pedal to keep it idling?

 

Not to sound blunt, but your installer is spinning a tale. Ask him, politely of course, how he knows how much power each unit draws?

Most multimeters on the market can measure current draw, but only up to 20 amps or so. I do suppose he could buy one of those old-fashioned underdash ammeters that you see mounted under the hood of old muscle cars, and modify it to be a tester....but no one would have any reason to bother.

I know what your installer is doing...... he's looking at all the fuses on the unit, and adding them up, assuming that the unit draws that much power, at all times.................... this is like saying "Well, my friend's Yugo has Z-rated tires on it, therefore, it travels at 149mph at all times, even around town."

Like anything else, engineers build a "safety cushion" into that fuse rating, and I'm sure different engineers have different opinions, so fuses mean nothing. The only way to know the current draw is with a meter.

P.S. I've never heard of that brand of remote start, and I've never been impressed with any of the off-brand units I've seen. Also, you can get a name-brand unit at your local Circuit City or Best Buy for under $200, including installation.

Your installer is charging you extra to install this unit because he's not familiar with it; he's going to have to spend time reading the manual because he doesn't have the wire colors memorized.....it'll take him extra time to learn how to program the features of the unit.....and a bunch of other stuff like that.

 

i was working with an impulse res-r on my test bench. some points of intrest:

system came with two remotes. but neither remote fob worked with the alarm until the alarm brain had been through the "code learning" procedure for each remote.

unit has four button remote controls. one button is dedicated for lock, another for unlock, another for remote start & another for panic. extra channel is avaliable for trunk pop by holding down the unlock button for a few seconds.

unit will not begin the remote start cycle if the hood is open when the start button is pressed on the remote fob. however, if the car is currently running off the remote start unit, the engine will stay running if the hood is opened.

unit has + and - door trigger inputs but is only programmed for keyless entry & remote start, no alarm functions. opening the door while armed will not trigger the horn honk output.

unit has one 30amp fuse to service all onboard relays, starter kill, and alarm brain circuitry. blower motor alone can draw close to 20amps, that leaves only 10 amps for engine controls and other accessories. if the onboard starter kill relay is used, the car will not start if the 30amp fuse is blown. solution to problem is to use some external relays, but the instructions mention nothing about this point. by comparison, most other remote start setups have 2 30amp fuses for a total of 60amp service. also, alarm brain circuitry often has it's own fuse so keyless entry & starter kill functions will work if the remote start fuses are blown.

unit does not have a "ground when remote started output" for passkey, vats, etc bypass module.

 

i have remote start... email me if u need questions answered