Remote start without the remote??

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southernwake

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I picked up an 03 Liberty Renegade for my wife a couple weekends ago.

I only received one key with the truck. No key fob. I am going to get a couple other keys made and order some fobs and have the dealer program them.

The second night we had it I went out to get the owner's manual to do some reading up on it and I hit the lock button. I pressed it twice and the dash lights came on and the truck chimed as if the key was in and the engine was off with the door open. After a second it started. I still had the key in my hand so I know it is a remote starter, which I have been able to conclude is not a factory option on this year.

My question is did Mopar have a remote start kit out fro this vehicle in 03 that the dealer could install? I have not had a chance to look around for it yet on the truck, as I have been out of town for work.

I searched on here, in the manual and online and have found zero results regarding starting the vehicle with the door lock button on the vehicle.

Thanks,
Andrew
 

belvedere

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Mopar offered a remote start kit for the Libby, but it could just as easily be an aftermarket unit. You'll just have to search under the dash to find it.
 

southernwake

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belvedere,

Thank you. I will have more time to look once I get back home. I just was curious if Mopar offered a unit. I guess I wont know if it was "professionally" installed until I start looking around.

Thanks,
Andrew
 

04Liberty

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Do you have chipped keys? Our 04 didn't. If you don't have a SKIM module then it isn't factory kit, it'll be aftermarket. If you're close to or in MD I can program everything.
 

belvedere

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One more thing: the panel below the steering column has hinges at the bottom, making access/inspection easy. Grab it at the top and give it a pull!
 

Billwill

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One more thing: the panel below the steering column has hinges at the bottom, making access/inspection easy. Grab it at the top and give it a pull!

On a 2003 model?
I thought they only fitted those bottom hinges from about 2005?

My 2002 Export does not have the hinges on the bottom...the whole panel pulls off top and bottom..i want to install hinges so as to use that area for storing small items.
 

southernwake

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My guess is that the key is not chipped as it is a thin profile key like my 98 Dakota key was.

I am located near Allentown, PA. MD isnt too far from me. That would be great if we could arrange that to happen. Better than dealing with the dealership.


I will check on that panel below the steering column. Thanks for that.
Thanks
Andrew
 

profdlp

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04Liberty made you a very generous offer. It is criminal what the dealer charges for this.

If for some reason you HAVE to get the dealer to do it, just pay for one key. Once you have two that work you might be able to program the third yourself. I'm not sure about an '03, but for my '07 it was a five minute job. I bought the key itself at Amazon for $22.

If it's not a factory remote, I would be checking for obviously spliced wires and then follow the trail. My Viper alarm offers a remote start option (which I do not have), but you can eventually trace the spliced wires back to the box itself and at least figure out what brand it is. :)
 

southernwake

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profdlp, he definitely did and it is an offer I will take. I have no issue driving a couple hours instead of having to deal with the dealership.

I will back home next weekend and have to do a few things to her KJ and I will look then to see what I can find related to the remote start brand. I appreciate the info!

Thanks
Andrew
 

04Liberty

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profdlp, he definitely did and it is an offer I will take. I have no issue driving a couple hours instead of having to deal with the dealership.

I will back home next weekend and have to do a few things to her KJ and I will look then to see what I can find related to the remote start brand. I appreciate the info!

Thanks
Andrew

Let me know, sent a PM.
 

southernwake

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Alright, Sunday I was able to do a little digging around and found a couple spliced wires so I am not sure which one to follow. I didnt start removing more dash panel pieces yet because I wanted to ask where is the remote start unit typically placed? I know you have to have some sort of control module that receives the signal and then that is what starts the car. Its just trying to find the most logical place(s) of where it would be before yanking out parts of the dash I dont need to remove.

I have attached pictures of the spliced wires I found.

Thanks,
Andrew
 

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04Liberty

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Jesus it looks like someone had a party in there
 

southernwake

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So what stands out, besides the spliced wires, as not from the factory to you guys?

This KJ still has the stock headunit, so when I saw that many splices and fuses I wasnt sure if this thing had auto pilot along with remote start. I wasnt sure which wire to even start chasing to find the remote start module. I am going to try looking some more over the next couple days and see what I can find.

Thanks,
Andrew
 

belvedere

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It's hard to say. All I see for sure are some extra relays and inline fuses. When I installed a remote start unit in our KJ, it consisted of the unit itself, a small bypass module, and one relay. The exact location is up to the installer. Let us know what you find.
 

southernwake

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So got home and had some things to do on my truck and since I was already fixing things I decided to take another look at the KJ since I had some light left in the day. Tracked the red wire from the first picture a couple posts back, but didnt get very far as it looks to be running up the A-pillar. I popped the glove box out and found zero room for a module there. I also looked under the dash. I am seeing several relays and and the obvious toggle switch under the dash ( to disable the remote start).

So my next plan is to remove the radio and see if I can track some of the wires through that way and see possibly where this thing is at.

Andrew
 

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profdlp

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That last picture and the first one of the earlier set look to me like someone had wired a relay for roof rack lights. That would explain the wires up the A-pillar.
 

southernwake

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Good call! I didnt even think about that until you mentioned it. I was just assuming the roof rack was a factory option the original buyer chose or was already on there.

Thanks,
Andrew
 

profdlp

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Got a picture of it? The only factory roof lights I know of were on the Renegade package and look quite distinct. Anything else is an add-on.
 

southernwake

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Found it! It was staring me in the face. It is a Viper system. I will look this weekend more closely to get the model number in order tot get those fobs ordered. Thanks for all the help guys.

Andrew
 

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