Bulldog Deluxe 500 Two-Way Remote Starter with LCD Remote

Its the first time I am installing an autostart, that too on my 1984 VW Rabbit GTI. Since there are no adaptors for such an old vehicle, I had to splice all the wires and manually install everything, but thanks to their fairly well written installation manual, it was all done successfully.

I gave it only 4 stars, because the range is nothing like what they advertise. My building is just 400 feet away and it still has difficulty, like if I face towards the direction of the car with the remote antenna pointing towards it, it works, but if I simply turn around pointing the other direction, it does not. Inside building is totally out of question. I have no tested it, but I sincerely doubt their half a mile range even if you are in an open field pointing it towards the car.

I callled tech support to ensure if I mounted the antenna right and there is no problem there. I do not also have tinted glass to cause a reduction in range.

Tech support was reached very promptly and they answered my questions.

Okay, after having read some other reviews here, I need to comment. I have installed 3 Deluxe 500 units and several other models of Bulldog starters on my own vehicles. I have used Bulldog starters on my vehicles for 10 years. I am confident in saying that the Deluxe 500 is better than any other remote starter on the market. However:

if you are not electrically/electronically savvy, don't purchase this

don't purchase and expect your local shop to install it

don't purchase and expect your buddy to install it

depending on your vehicle, for 1st time installers, anticipate at least 16 hours to fully install the unit and program all options

the remotes can die after a few years, keep an extra on hand

get the T-harness

research and be sure to get any additional relays and security bypass units needed for you vehicle as prescribed on the Bulldog website

solder connections as prescribed in the instructions, don't use crimp connectors

recommend having the shop manual with wiring diagrams available for your vehicle, wiring harness colors don't always match between the Bulldog documentation as car manufacturers can change their wiring scheme within a specific make/model/year

don't expect tech support to bail you out

Having said all this, I work in an office with 12 other people that have remote starters. My Deluxe 500 is the only unit that will start my vehicle without walking out the parking lot. The unit is fully two-way, many starters claim to be two-way, but don't fully communicate to you when they are in range and when the vehicle has successfully started. The remote is labeled by function with images. Competing products often have remotes with buttons labeled "1", "2", "3", etc which means you have to memorize the functions for each operation.

Finally, I have had several other brands of remote starters in used cars that I have purchased. Without exception, I have ended up pulling those units out and replacing them with Bulldog units.

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This remote starter worked well for three weeks. Then the keychain remote went haywire. Attempts to contact tech support using the phone numbers provided repeatedly failed. There is no e-mail address for contact. The web site for ordering new remote is down for construction. Bottom line is the product is probably a good product; the company deserves thumbs down for their tech support (or lack thereof).

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I have read a lot of your reviews and about 3 yrs ago I installed one of these for a friend. They do take a while to install. Bulldogs wire schematic for your car may not be exactly right and I'm pretty sure they tell you that. If you have a newer car or an older one with PASSLOCK or VATS you WILL have to buy extra stuff. Also depending on the options you want from the starter there maybe more relays and accessories to buy. If I'm not mistaken Bulldog does market the 500 on their website to professional installers. It is not part of the D.I.Y. line. If you got one that was defective its sux I know but those sorts of things happen. I have installed a lot of Bull dogs starters over the years and I've installed other brands as well. I can tell you for sure that features and quality for price nothing beats a bulldog. On a final note if you thinking of buying this for a newer car, say 2005 or newer, please do your homework first. There is likely to be at least a couple resistors you need to get it to work. It has also been my experience through no fault of bulldogs' that these newer cars are difficult to install in. There are several new models that don't even have a "hot" wire under the dash in the steering column any more. By all means consider this starter, it's a great starter just keep in mind if your not mechanically inclined this starter maybe difficult to install as it is not a D.I.Y. unit.

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I received this item as an x-mas gift, and have been attempting to install for well over three weeks. The install instructions, DVD, and parts are fairly comprehensive. I had a problem where I would remote start the vehicle, then when I went to open the door to enter the vehicle, it stalls and dies. Several calls to customer service later, no one can explain the neccessity for the door trigger wire, nor can they explain it's proper function. In addition, the unit will not hold programming, and the remote start function is hit or miss. I also noticed today that the keyless entry feature is no longer functional. After several promises by tech support to have a "supervisor" call me back, I got a response from them. They issued an RMA to "inspect the unit" for me. Of course I have to pay to ship it to them, and they have no ETA on when I will receive the unit back.

One other note on "customer service". Of the six times I called, I only got one person that was willing to listen and try and help. Everyone else said "reset to factory defaults and call back if it's still not working". They would tell me this even after explaining that I had reset to defaults multiple times already.

It's an attractive product at an attractive price, but I would only purchase it if you were just wanting to gamble before dropping the $$'s on a quality unit.

UPDATE 1/11/2008:

After having this for over a year, it's held up. I did finally get the company to ship me a new unit. After installing the new unit, it's worked great. I minor design issues still, but the unit has served well the past year. I'm still not sure it was worth the pain of the installation.

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