My coffee maker has a neat timer feature which allows me to program a time (say, five minutes before I wake up in the morning) to start brewing so I can wake up to a pair of nice, hot cups of coffee.

So, I got to thinking (as we Halfbakers are wont to do) about adding to the convenience of Remote Start by including a timer option for starting a vehicle, so it is preheated by the time you're ready to leave for work. Needn't be any less secure than current Remote Start technology. Doors stay locked, can't shift into gear without the key, etc. This way, on really cold mornings, you don't have to wake up extra- early to defrost the windows and get it comfortably warmed up.
-- 21 Quest, Jan 21 2014

Probably easily done with a smartphone car link startup app.
-- RayfordSteele, Jan 21 2014


I'm liking both of those ideas. I did Google for this, I'm shocked it hasn't been done yet.
-- 21 Quest, Jan 21 2014


Remote starting from smartphones is baked (your insurance is invalidated if you have a manual gearbox). The best solution for this, however, is a block heater. Electrical preheating of the engine block will mean the (car) heater works almost immediately. As a side benefit, it's very nice to the engine.
-- bs0u0155, Jan 21 2014


You should also kill the engine after a time or open the garage door. Need to avoid carbon monoxide murdering someone sleeping off a drunk in the backseat. Someone might be you.
-- popbottle, Jan 21 2014


Car wouldn't require much pre-heating if it's in a garage, Shirely?
-- bs0u0155, Jan 21 2014


// Need to avoid carbon monoxide murdering someone sleeping off a drunk in the backseat. //

Oooh, nice ... <sniggering>

What [bs0u0155] said about a block heater; actually running the engine is a very inefficient and expensive option. The oil will be warm when the engine starts, greatly reducing wear, if you use a block heater. It also reduces demand on the battery as it's much easier to crank a warm engine.

Best is to have both a block heater and a battery trickle charger on the same timer.
-- 8th of 7, Jan 21 2014


//actually running the engine is a very inefficient and expensive option//

80% of the fuel was used in the first mile of my 5 mile journey on icy mornings, according to my OBDII readouts at least.
-- bs0u0155, Jan 21 2014


To be fair, that's pretty normal with top fuel dragsters ...
-- 8th of 7, Jan 21 2014



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