I own a 2000 RX AWD. 126000 miles. Silver exterior, gray interior. runs great.
Getting ready to upgrade to 2015 RX. question. Is the dealer installed remote start worth the $499 bucks?

 

Eric, welcome to Club Lexus. I've moved your post from the 4th RX Welcome Thread (that's for 2016+ that hasn't hit lots yet) to the 3rd Gen Forum where 2010-2015's are. I have never personally owned RES or RES+, but several folks that frequent these forums have, and I'm sure they'll now jump in with opinions if they'd purchase it again. Be sure to do a quick search here as well -- there are a number of threads on usage, etc that may be of interest.

If you've not found it, RES+ has it's own mini Lexus Site containing a complete description of what it does, how it works, FAQs, etc. Of note is it not only requires the basic purchase price, but an annual subscription to keep the smartphone app operational.

Good luck on that new 2015, and be sure to post a picture in our 3rd Gen Welcome Forum once you take delivery.

 

Welcome to CL Ebrislawn. We have a few discussions about remote start including this one if you do a search. You didn't mention if the dealer is quoting you $499 for RES, RES+ or some other system so it's hard to know if it's worth it. The thread I linked above talks about all three.

 

I have both the RES on my RX and RES+ on my ES. I use them both but the RES+ is by far the superior.
You can start your car from miles away, so I can sit at my desk and start my car a block away wait 5 minutes and have a cool car when the temp is 100 degrees. The RES is limited to a smaller area like from the house to the driveway.
However, since you live in a colder climate it would probably be nice to have a warm car in the driveway on cold mornings.

 

I have a Viper Remote Start and I love it with no additional yearly costs. It has a really long range, longer than OEM, and has worked beautifully from day 1, and continues to today.

This would be a final decision you would have to make if the dealer installed RES is worth the $499.

- For total ease and peace of mind with a default system, (set it and forget it - until the next subscription payment), then yes.

- For way better performance (I love the long range distance) and simplicity at approximately the same price range, then I'd look at getting a Viper installed.

Personally, I'm not into an on-going subscription for the app to use these features.



The ball's in your court now, awaiting your final (verdict) decision.


Let us know what you ultimately decide on.

 

i have normal RES and its perfect for me. My kitchen is right next to my carport so on cold mornings i start it up just fine. Ive done personal tests for distance and for me its just fine(the longest was 30ft) some people want miles of range for some reason and if thats what your looking for the by all means look into RES+ or viper. Also not 100% sure but when i was looking into remote start i couldnt find a viper version that worked with OEM remote..you needed a seperate remote. i didnt like that so scratched it off my list. Someone mentioned a few months ago they had viper installed with OEM remote, i havent seen any more info on it and when i asked how he did it he never replied so im not sure if its legit or not

 

I've had a 2010 and own a 2012 RXh, both with factory and third party remote starts. However, while using my IPhone and iPad to start the cars from anywhere there is cell service, the nearly useless factory remote start still works with the OEM fob. Useless meaning, if the car is really close by, I use the OEM fob.

I'm not familiar with RES+, but third party cell service remote starts can do scheduled starts, outdoor temperature based starts, geo fencing, speed monitoring and a variety of functions totally useless to you and with a yearly fee you might prefer not to pay.

I find the ability to check to see if my car is locked or lock it from a 100 miles away convenient. I remote start in the winter often and maybe once in the summer.

 

Like Roxy208, I have the RES+ on our ES. It is pretty slick, and you can also use the remote app to locate the car, lock it, unlock it, raise/lower windows, etc. it is really slick. Now is it really worth 219 per year for this and the safety connect? I don't know. Is it "gee wiz" or is it really useful? I have played around with it a bit, but I have only actually "used" it one time when I didn't know where my wife had parked the car when she came into downtown so that I could put my jacket in it, and I could have texted her for that info (although I wouldn't have had the key with me...).

I am very mixed on the value but certainly appreciate Roxy208's point. Perhaps I just don't think about it enough for cooling the car (today it is expected to be 109 degrees, maybe I will try it) but after a winter with the car I might appreciate it more. I just haven't decided yet.