Hello friends!
Does every Lexus RC350 come with a factory-equipped remote starter or it is an option?
Cheers,
Zack

 

 

$80 a year for the subscription I believe

 

Does Lexus Enform activate the key-fob remote start, or is that different? I paid for Lexus Enform, but then my buddy told me I had remote start from the factory through a key-fob trick, and sure enough, I tried it and it worked, lol. Not sure if it's because I had Enform or not.

 

My understanding, gleaned mostly from my reading here, is that all Lexus cars have remote start capability. The car can be started via the app or by a series of button pushes on the fob (which of course only works from very close range, and seems hardly worth the trouble). The app has a subscription fee, which is waived in the first year, so you can get used to it (just like the free sample of the SAT radio). Finally, it is frequently reported that the start via the key fob feature will not work if the subscription to the app is not current, but I could be wrong about that. Reports on this forum seem to vary, and since my app is paid up, I am unavailable to conduct independent tests.

 

I have used both the fob and the app.
fob you need to be pretty close, so hard to say how much value that adds. Maybe if you can see your car from a window or door easily without going outside.
App works from pretty much anywhere as long as you and the car have cell/wifi service. It's a little slow and clunky, but works most of the time for me. I don't use it a lot, so small-ish sample size.

Couple things to note.
Can't remote start the car if they fob is in the car. I tried, and got a message.
Will auto shutoff after 10 minutes. I like this, but some may not.
Will auto shutoff if you, unlock car, touch brake, put into gear?, etc. I like this for safety/security reasons, but I imagine others won't like. Child/Thief can't take off with the car while it's running. But also seems weird that it's running and warm/cold when you walk up to it, and it turns off when you get in.
I have not tested, but suspect it may also activate the front and rear defrost features during remote start. This would be great. Otherwise it would be warm-ish in winter, but still frosted over. Only of marginal value compared to fully defrosted.

 

It is recommended that you not leave the key in the car when parked (in your garage, for example), or even hanging on the garage wall. When it is that close, the key sends out signals and looks for the car, and vice versa - if this goes on for too long, the battery in the fob can be drained, and the battery in the car can be drained also.
Mostly, I use the remote start from baggage claim at the airport (this is great) and when leaving a restaurant or meeting, etc. Being able to start the car from a distant location is wonderful. Since my car lives in the garage most of the time, I do not use remote start very often, but I have friends who park their cars outside all the time, and this is very nice on a cold morning. Maybe those folks would know how to set up a little app in the iPhone to start the car at the same time each M-F morning - who has time to press all those buttons. Fortunately, the app now uses the face-recognition feature (everybody has an iPhone X, right?) so login takes no time at all, as long as you are looking at the phone.

 

Good points with the remote FOB.
Just clarification, when I said I tried it. I was not intentionally leaving my fob in the car. I was experimenting with all the ways I could try to trick the car into being drivable during remote start as well as just looking at remote start features. I happened to have the key in my pocket.