[SlyCoopers]

Although I did not install it myself (seeing as it was only a little more to have it installed professionally vs me doing it for the first time with a guide) I had this done today, which I consider the most important "mod" for those living in snow/cold areas.

Little background pricing info:
This remote start system which implements the usual car-shuts-off-when-door-opened safety cost me $415 installed
Dealership quoted around $800 for a generic model starter and $1200ish for digital screen which does same exact thing as generic one. Only start and door locks. My dealership also outsources the work to a local shop to pretty much do the same work as what I had done else where on my own terms but at a much higher cost and different parts..

Edit: worth mentioning that for some reason my dealer was not going to use the mazda remote starter you see online in catalogs for some reason ??

 

[mainemanx]

Please, help us out Sly ... who did you have install it, and what brand remote did they use?

Also, I've read through the instructions for installing the OEM version ... they seemed incredibly, if not unnecessarily, complex ... obtuse. Unfortunately, not atypical.

EDIT: Oops, Excalibur is the brand.

 

[SlyCoopers]

Nowhere too fancy just a locally owned shop here called Starlander Beck. Mature staff and this is the second car Ive brought there for a remote starter (mothers 08 nissan sentra base model now is high tech). My main focus was trying not to end up at one of the "bruh check out this 8 inch exhaust on my 96 civic and dem rims worth more than the car thoo" shops that almost every town has somewhere within a 5 mile radius.

Most important thing Id suggest is finding a shop thats been in business for a long time and warranties their work incase there is a conflict with manufacturers warrenty claim for something else down the road.

Brand wise, I just wanted it to start so I wasent looking at high end items at all. The "excalibur" remote set looks pretty nice with the mazda oem key and thankfully theres safety checks in the system that prevent the car from being turned on in "unideal" situations. Pretty sure its one of their sponsored brands since I saw it everywhere in their shop but no complaints here.

 

[mainemanx]

Thank you for the thorough response. All the specialty shops around Portland appear to be marginal at best ...
I'm actually thinking of trying BestBuy