Remote install (Bulldog) review, 2000 Legacy.

[mtsmiths]

Bought the Pretty One a Bulldog remote for Christrmas, and finished the present yesterday. Since we wanted the basics, and since our car is a Brighton, installation may differ. I Bought the simple one, (on sale at $49.95 all over the country, lately), two button, no relays, no T-harness.

 

Read ALL the installation instructions and watch the DVD before starting. I then crossed off all the accessories my car doesn't have, to simplify the in-garage reading. Go to the web site and download the wire color chart for your year/model. You'll need a Phillips, a 10mm open end wrench (and socket if you want), needle-nose piers, Exacto knife, drill motor and 5/16 bit, and better vinyl tape than they give you in the install kit. The circuit probe that comes in the kit works great ... use it to prove your wires before you start cutting off insulation. Do NOT disconnect the battery, you'll need it!

 

Carefully remove the dash skirt and lower steering column cover. It helps to see the stalk wires if you loosen the top column cover, but you don't really need to.

 

Remove the ignition wire armour shroud and the steel 'saddle' under the steering column. All the wires are accessible and relativerly easy to get to, assuming you fit in the footwell, and can still move your arms and hands. For the parking light power I used the orange wire from the Virgin Switch, it's in the small plug inboard from the stalk switch( ... I HATE messing with multi-function stalks).

 

You can fish the hood switch wire through the firewall plug just above the accellerator, stab a screwdriver through first and the connector-end wire will poke right thru.

 

Just read straight thru and follow the directions step-by-step (I checked off each step and wire color as I went). At the end they say to tape off all the wires you didn't use, but I just pulled them out of the nine-pin connector to save valuable under-dash real estate.

 

When you power it up, it will start clicking and the parking lights will flash. Hold the brake down and push either button to set the unit memory.

 

The only 'problem' I had was the hood switch. UP it's grounded ... it turns out that all the way down it's grounded too! I couldn't figure out why I was always in SAFE mode, untill I got the switch cut off so that it was in the sweet spot. I mounted my switsh about 1.5" inboard from from the hood rest button right in front of the battery.

 

My under dash was already crowded 'cause of the after-market cruise control, so I wiretied the control modue from the steering column above the brake, plenty of clearance and I was able to tuck all the connectors and fuse up into the wiring and get everything secured ... hopefully, no new rattles?

 

Total time was four hours, one beer, one very minor fingertip blood sample,and not a single swear word. Having classical music on the garage radio during the install helps.

 

One thing I would do different. They have you strip back insulation and hand splice the connections. For some reason they say to NOT use bite-thru connectors. I suspect it's because the average home installer runs too big a risk of not getting wire. I would buy wire splice clamps and use them throughout ... much quicker, cleaner, and you won't have big mouse-nests of vinyl tape all over the under dash.

 

Clean, simple, and no-stress. But if I had auto door locks, factory or after-market alarm (requires additional relays) I would do a pass, and HAVE it installed by others.

 

That's it, Remote Start for under $50.00 USD installed, works fine ... have fun, and Happy New Year to all.

[mattocs]

Took about three hours to put a Bulldog remote start in my wifes Hyundai.

 

Only problem with hers is that sometimes the remote does not want to work...so you have to tap on it. I took it apart and bent the battery contacts a bit, and that seemed to fix it.

 

Great starter for $40.