Car Wont Start With Key but Will With Remote Starter

ATTENTION persons not near Erie, PA:

 If this page does not help you and you can not bring your vehicle to our shop, you need to find a smart human NEAR YOU.

We do NOT offer free technical support over the phone or email.

We are  located in North Western Pennsylvania

While we are not able to diagnose issues online, we would be happy to set up a troubleshoot appointment for you at our facility here in Erie, Pa.

We are experts at both electrical system diagnosis and remote car starter installation.

We are a busy shop and are unable to respond to troubleshooting questions on this page, or by phone, or by email.

If this page does not help you, please seek out your local remote start expert.

Help! My Remote Car Starter doesn't work!

Enormis Mobile Specialties in Erie, Pennsylvania, has been specializing in remote starters since our inception in 1999. Over the years, Enormis has installed thousands and thousands of remote starters and has built a loyal following in northern Pennsylvania.

But what about when you ask your remote start to activate, and nothing happens? When it is winter time, the thought of going out to a frosty, cold vehicle is not very appealing. The good news is that there are six common remote starter issues, but none of them serious. Let's explore them, and how to remedy the problems.

1. Hood Pin Switches Or Sensors

The single biggest thing that can cause a remote starter not to engage is a faulty or missing hood switch. This device gets installed under the hood of your vehicle and prevents the engine from starting when the hood is up. It is a safety device, designed to prevent your vehicle from accidentally starting when someone is working in the engine compartment, since an injury could occur. The good news is that Enormis can fix this quickly and painlessly. ENORMIS Typically attaches these to your hood on the drivers side. If something is "dangling" from the firewall that could be the hood sensor/switch that should be attached to the hood. . This can especially happen after a mechanic over extends  your hood and pulls off our safety switch! If you don't see anything do not worry, sometimes ENORMIS uses the factory installed hood safety switch.

2. Batteries In Your Remote Control

Yes, believe it or not, that remote control on your keychain does take batteries and, after a period of time, they are going to get weak (diminishing the range) and eventually go dead. Enormis stocks lots of different batteries, and most likely has the correct ones in stock for you. Maybe you had your batteries replaced recently somewhere other than Enormis, and your remote already quit working again. We have seen batteries installed incorrectly, the wrong batteries installed, insulators removed, or just plain crappy batteries that die very quickly. If any of these scenarios describes you, we suggest stopping by our store with your vehicle and all of its remote starter remote controls. We can check both of them out for you, and replace batteries if needed. If we find that you need a replacement remote control, we will do our best to find you a new one so you can resume that wonderful feeling of going out to a warm vehicle.

3. Improper Use

Are you the kind of person who only uses your remote starter when it gets cold outside? If this describes you, then it may have been months since you used it. Is it possible you forget the proper procedure to remote start your vehicle? This is more common than you think.  Every fall please check your system and make sure it works!
Here is a helpful video on this topic:

4. Module Reprogramming

Modern vehicles are controlled almost exclusively by the vehicle's computer. What that means to you is your remote starter probably used a data module as part of the installation. That allows the starter brain to communicate with the vehicle computer in its native language, because it gets programmed with vehicle-specific software. In rare instances, the module may lose its programming data and the engine won't start. This is another easy fix for the specialists at ENORMIS. Honda's are notorious for needing reprogramming.

5. Valet Mode

Certain remote starter manufacturers use a safety feature called valet mode. It is designed to temporarily disable the remote starting capability, but valet mode typically leaves the keyless entry function intact. One way you may be able to tell if your vehicle is in valet mode is by watching the parking lights. If they no longer flash when you ask your vehicle to lock or unlock using the remote starter controller, you may be in valet mode. If you can lock and unlock your doors just fine but ONLY the remote start does not work, you may be in valet mode. If you purchased your remote start FROM US, we can gladly walk you through the procedure to take the vehicle out of valet mode. If you are more comfortable having us walk you through it in person, by all means, stop by the shop. We would love to help you.

6. Remote Starter Switch Is Off

Certain brands of remote starters come with a switch that is designed to temporarily disable the remote starter. The switch may be under your dash on the driver's side, or in a fusebox. It is NOT designed to be easily accessible. Many times it gets bumped accidentally, and all you have to do is switch it back on.

If any of these scenarios describe you or your vehicle, we are here to help OUR CLIENTS WHO PURCHASED remote starts FROM US. If you think something else is going on, we are here to help OUR CUSTOMERS.  Our team is made up exclusively of folks who are automotive electrical experts. We are not a car audio shop that decided to try our hand at remote starters. We are not a wheel-and-tire store. We are not a mechanics shop. We are specialists in everything related to electrical systems in a vehicle, and we are here to serve our clients. Whether you need something simple or a whole new system, we promise to give you our best. You have our word on it.

If you are one of our clients and/or can bring your vehicle to us, you may contact us here

Car Wont Start With Key but Will With Remote Starter

Source: https://www.enormis.net/6-common-remote-starter-issues-and-how-to-solve-them/

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