Exact-Oh

Is it a factory keyless entry, or aftermarket?

There is a wire on most units (not familiar with the Astrostart), that is wired to the factory alarm to disengage it before starting the vehicle. For some cars, while disarming the system, the doors automatically unlock. Then, one must send a signal to lock the doors without engaging the alarm, immediately after the car is running.

I used to be more forgiving to customers that wanted to supply their own parts... I have been screwed by manufacturers of cheap, crappy equipment too many times.

I just increase the labor rate so much for installation of parts supplied by the customer, they will spend less for the same results if they purchase the parts from me.

A nice cold beer IS in order for tonight, and some laundry.

I am so happy to actually have a day off for a change. I know I won't feel this way in a couple of months, but damn, I needed a break.

I am at work though, doing the accounting, surfing TD, taking phone calls. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of avoiding the shop when there are no jobs scheduled. Not until SEMA at least.

This stuff is as expensive as hell, but it cuts the time of waxing a car in half, and it works well. I bought a bottle for the shop earlier this summer, and we have done about eight cars with 1/2 the bottle, so it goes a long way also. I guess that justifies the extra cost.

The stuff goes on so quick, and removal is easier than any other hand wax I've ever used. I don't have the problem of constantly trying to find a clean corner of the rag like with other waxes.

Try it out, I think you'll like it.

This tool works well, especially when the bottle of glue is nearly empty. This tool eliminates the nasty job of squeezing the glue bottle, and saves time during glue application.

Tc, if my mother has to work on any of the days I'm out there, I want to visit. Send me directions please.

That's a great idea. I have installed clear after a graphic, but never before!

Figures, I just re-did my front door last Sunday, and just read this post today.

I am flying to Palm Springs 1.5 weeks from now to visit mom. I know I should know by now, but I have been very unobservant and haven't been watching locations. It would be cool to hook up with a member out there.

You may never need to know this, but it is kinda cool for people like me who find scientific formulas fun...

Determining the shade of two (or more) films on top of one another is the same as the equation for two (or more) electrical resistors in parallel...

1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/Rn = 1/Rtotal

or for two only...

Rtotal = R1*R2/(R1+R2)

Been there. I think when it failed for me that it was temperature related. It only has failed on the coldest days, except for the Fords of course, which need to be sanded.

Oh, I suck at photography, and if it's too blurry to see, it's called MonoAqua. It's made by a company called Tombo.

And check out this nice pen-like tip on the small end. It works real nice for laying a small bead.

I like using gel glue for the typical back glass situation. I normally use Elmer's right out of the bottle, but that gets difficult when the bottle is less than half full. I then switch over to using an oral syringe, which works really nice, sucking the glue from the bottle and applying it between the film and the glass.

This is a new brand of glue I found that is in a very convenient package. I have only done a couple of jobs using this glue, so I don't know how it will flow when the package is near empty. With the sleek design of the bottle, and the simplicity of fitting it in there upside-down, I think it will work nice.

I have to add that option to my car!

One of the companys remote starter I installed told me to adjust the potentiometer to increase the range but they said most of the time the remotes came adjusted properly. Glad it work out for you

Thank you. And yes, according to the instruction manual, the unit was supposedly tested for range at the factory. Maybe the antenna length affected this adjustment though.

By the way, this particular model was a Bulldog Pro-Series 12i.

I can't believe my day yesterday. I installed a remote starter w/ keyless entry in a van. Everything went well, but I marred the antenna wire and cut two of the wires while trying to fish them up to the top of the windshield. I fixed them and the rest of the installation went well.

When done, I everything worked, but I had very bad range from the remote (5 feet). I spent a few hours troubleshooting this problem, even to the point of buying a new battery for the brand-new remote. I thought it could have been caused by the damage to the antenna wire, so I shortened it to remove the repaired section. Still no luck. For the hell of it, I removed the plastic case on the antenna itself, and there was an adjustable potentiometer on the circuit board in there. I had no clue what it was for, but I played with the adjustment. That was the solution. I was able to adjust that to get the proper range.

I can't believe that there is no information provided from the manufacturer regarding this adjustment. But, I guess I learn something new every day.

This may be a common practice by most out there, but I think it deserves a mention due to the number of threads addressing panel protection during film/glue removal.

I peel the film down from the top of the window, and leave the bottom inch or so stuck to the glass. Let the peeled film hang down over the vehicle interior while stripping the glue off of the glass that's exposed. I put a towel under the hanging film, and all the glue/cleaning solvent just rolls down the mostly peeled piece of film to the towel. This way, you only have to worry about exposed interior panels while stripping the bottom couple of inches.

Ask your Snap-On, or any, tool dealer. I got my sharp point leads with alligator clip leads that thread right over the sharp leads, included with the multimeter from Snap-On. It's a convenient set-up.

I am looking for a good online supplier of alarm, remote start, keyless entry, and audio equipment. I have a couple of places that have what I need, but they have a lot of problems with out-of-stock items and slow shipping. I like Crutchfield for the normal audio stuff, but they don't carry remote starts or some of the audio stuff I want like Boston Acoustics, ADS, etc.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks for the info.

I have an appointment this next week to install a remote car starter. Just curious if anyone here has ever installed them, and what to charge for the installation. I have installed plenty of electronics, but I know these things have many inputs. How long does it take?

I agree that working for dealers sucks. Try selling jobs to local body shops. The body shops are typically smaller businesses than dealerships, so they aren't as picky about price reductions and they tend to pay for the work right away.

I have three body shops within 5 miles of me that bring me all of their business concerning tinting. There are a lot of cars out there that have been tinted, then damaged. I give them a small break in price, and they never complain. Hell, they leave the door panels off if applicable, it's worth it!

Maybe it's the temperature!