# Really weird Viper 5901 remote start issue. Help!



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

So I just got my 5901 installed today, and I love it. But there's some weirdness I just can't figure out! This is in a 2008 Subaru Impreza STI.

Everything works fine except the remote start, which ALMOST works. I find that it starts the car with no issue when the car is in neutral. However, it's using it to remove the key from the ignition and leave the car running which is causing a bit of grief. 

Here's what I mean:

I come to a stop at my parking space, put the car in neutral (handbrake up of course!). I hit the remote start button on the remote. I then remove the key, open the door, get out, close the door. All doors are closed at this point with the engine running. Then, if I turn off the engine with the remote (BEFORE locking the doors,) and THEN lock the doors, the car beeps an extra time and my remote tells me a door is still open. This happens every single time. However, if I lock the doors BEFORE turning the engine off with the remote, I don't get the beep, but the doors try to lock themselves again after the engine turns off. That seems really weird to me. I keep thinking the doors are unlocking themselves, but I checked and it's the locks trying to re-engage after they were already locked.

Anyone have any idea what's going on here?

Thanks for any help you can offer!


----------



## jaggerwild (May 21, 2007)

Hey William,
I get what your saying but not sure why you have an issue? In other words why would you use the pit stop feature to get out of the car only to shut it down after words? 
The remote start will auto lock the doors after shutting down(timing out), only fix I can see is take it back to the place that did the work tell them your problem, and let them have the car for a few days. This makes fixing it easier on them, so they can take there time with it. 
The remote start will never leave the auto in an "door unlocked mode" unless you do so with the buttons. Even if the doors are unlocked while running by remote, the car can not be taken(but I understand you want the doors locked) to keep personal items safe. The starter will auto shut down when it times out(most default around ten minutes) some longer.
So, if your using the remote in pit stop mode (you stop by the store) you exit the car, hit door lock (my interpretation) this all works fine? But, if you then shut the car off by remote, and hit door lock after wards you get a door open false report back by remote. Again the remote start will auto lock the doors after shut down, even if they are locked to begin with.


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. I've now set up the turbo timer functionality, so I enable that in the car, pull the key (engine still runs), get out, lock doors, and after 1 minute the car turns off, but it still attempts to lock the doors for the second time. Trying to figure out if that's normal or not.... It doesn't attempt to lock the doors if I leave them unlocked when I enable the turbo timer (i.e. if I pull the key out and just wait for 1 minute). Why does it try to lock the doors again after I lock them, but not if I don't lock them?!


----------



## jaggerwild (May 21, 2007)

That maybe an option that can be changed in the options menu, there is a link to the owners manual in my signature for you if you'd like one online.


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

I'm not seeing anything, but thanks for the link...


----------



## jaggerwild (May 21, 2007)

http://www.directed.com/Support/ProductGuides/Owners.aspx

Just click on 5901 english


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

LOL.... No I mean I didn't say anything in the manual.


----------



## lcurle (Oct 5, 2008)

umm......do you have a key in the ignition? you should. That way when you get to your destination you turn the car off with the key from the ignition, not the remote start.


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

lcurle said:


> umm......do you have a key in the ignition? you should. That way when you get to your destination you turn the car off with the key from the ignition, not the remote start.


I don't follow you. I'm using the turbo timer function, and I get out, lock the doors, and then when the car shuts off - it tries to re-lock the doors again. Trying to find out if that's normal, that's all.


----------



## lcurle (Oct 5, 2008)

ohh yes that is becuase YOU locked the doors then the remote start thinks it HAS to lock the doors. Thats all.


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

I don't really follow your logic. Why does the remote think it has to do that after I did it already?!


----------



## lcurle (Oct 5, 2008)

If the alarm is programmed to lock your doors after 5 minutes, then it will regardless of if you have locked them already


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

Ok, then why doesn't the alarm lock the car if I DON'T lock it myself. If I use the turbo timer function, it doesn't lock the car after the car shuts off. If I use the turbo timer AND lock the car while the car is running, the car tries to lock itself again when the engine shuts off. 

So again, I still don't follow your logic. 

Thanks for the replies, though.


----------



## lcurle (Oct 5, 2008)

Im not sure then, is it really a huge problem that the car locks itself twice?


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

lcurle said:


> Im not sure then, is it really a huge problem that the car locks itself twice?


I just wanted to eliminate unnecessary wear and tear on my locks, and I also wanted to know if it's normal. Nobody seems to know...


----------



## lcurle (Oct 5, 2008)

I have seen alot of DEI remote start and alarms do this, something in the factory integration, I figured it was standard from DEI.


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

Fair enough. Thanks again for the constant replies. I'll let it be.


----------



## jaggerwild (May 21, 2007)

IF you want , you could try turning off the auto lock feature(in the options menu) as this seems to be the source of the problem. Then see if it continues to happen. 
But as Lee said it could be a conflict with the factory locks that is causing the issue to begin with.


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

jaggerwild said:


> IF you want , you could try turning off the auto lock feature(in the options menu) as this seems to be the source of the problem. Then see if it continues to happen.
> But as Lee said it could be a conflict with the factory locks that is causing the issue to begin with.


I don't have the manual for the 5901 anymore. Apparently the installer is supposed to keep it, so he did...


----------



## jaggerwild (May 21, 2007)

WilliamG said:


> I don't have the manual for the 5901 anymore. Apparently the installer is supposed to keep it, so he did...


 Installer keeps the install manual, not the owners manual. 

http://www.directed.com/Support/ProductGuides/Owners.aspx


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

I'm not seeing anything there, but I'm having more pressing issues now...

I've been away for the last 5 days, so my car (2008 Subaru STI) hasn't been used....

OK, so I grabbed my 5901 2-way just now, went to my car, hit the unlock button, opened the door, and the Subaru factory horn alarm went off on me. I then went upstairs and grabbed my old Subaru key-fob, and went back downstairs, unlocked the car with the 2-way, and then AGAIN with the Subaru key-fob. No issues, no alarm going off. I then closed the door and locked it with the 2-way, and unlocked it again. No issue. Then I locked it again with the 1-way Viper, and unlocked it no issues.

I think I know what the problem is/was, and it will prove to be an issue in the future if I'm right. The Viper alarm is designed, if I read it correctly, to go into a power-save mode after 72 hours. The LED in the car doesn't flash as often after 72 hours etc. I think the Viper is losing its "sync" with the Subaru factory alarm, causing both alarms to require unlocking.

I know my 2-way was in low power mode as well when I got back today, since the inside of that icon at the top of the two-way was blank. As soon as I hit any button on the remote, it filled in solid again. 

This could prove problematic if I go away for a few days, and don't drive my car, or any time I don't drive my car for 72 hours, I'm going to have to remember to bring the Subaru key-fob or the alarm will give me crap (will the car even start if the Subaru alarm is triggered?).

Any ideas if I'm correct about WHY this is happening, and if there's a way to fix this?

Thanks again...


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

As a correction to the above, I mean after 24 hours the system enters power save, not 72 hours. The remote enters paging power save in 72 hours.. 

Not sure if this means anything... *sigh*...


----------



## lcurle (Oct 5, 2008)

adjust the "Sleep" setting for the viper to 0 so it never goes into sleep mode


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

lcurle said:


> adjust the "Sleep" setting for the viper to 0 so it never goes into sleep mode


Do you think that's what caused the problem?

Also, I don't know how to change that setting, and I don't see anything in the manual.  Thanks again!

I'm assuming it's something to do with the valet button, which I set for the turbo timer, but I don't know how to set it so the Viper never sleeps. I'd appreciate the button config.


----------



## jaggerwild (May 21, 2007)

WilliamG said:


> Do you think that's what caused the problem?
> 
> Also, I don't know how to change that setting, and I don't see anything in the manual.  Thanks again!
> 
> I'm assuming it's something to do with the valet button, which I set for the turbo timer, but I don't know how to set it so the Viper never sleeps. I'd appreciate the button config.


 If you want to shut it off then valet will be only remote locks, what may have happened to you is if you locked the door with the inside switch or by the key from out side it would have set the factory unit in armed mode there by making it look for the factory disarm signal witch it never got. The installer that did the job should have hooked a factory disarm/bypass when he put the unit in, you might call him see what they say. Sometimes they will not, if they think you will not use the factory unit there for negating the need for a bypass.


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

Right. Well, I didn't drive my car for a day and a half, and the Viper unlocked the car with no issues. I really don't know what happened, but my original Subaru fob was locked away for days before the issues... 

One theory is that while I was away on my trip, the Subaru factory alarm armed itself since it doesn't know the Viper locked it? Is that a valid theory?


----------



## jaggerwild (May 21, 2007)

But I've never known a factory unit to just arm itself, IF it happens again then I'd worry. Chances are it will but till then you have hope. You paid good money to have the work done right the first time.........
Any chance you have a kid who found the backup keys with remote and borrowed the car while you were gone?


----------



## lcurle (Oct 5, 2008)

do you haven an pets that enjoy short spirts of joy riding?


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

LOL you guys crack me up.


----------



## jaggerwild (May 21, 2007)

WilliamG said:


> LOL you guys crack me up.


 Its our job! :wave:


----------



## CarlosL (May 4, 2009)

William I from working in the afermarket world for about 9 years I would say that the doors look them selves again as a added feature since the car is on when you get out and then you shut it off with the remote. Like the other person said there are various menus you can go through and change certain settings. I did notice that you said that after you arm the car when its running you get a chirp that says the door is open, this could be please of instantly arming the vehicle once you get out and the shock sensor could be picking up the last shock after you close the door. The reason i say this is becuase i also have a remote start alarm from DEI with the two way remote and I have noticed that.. How long are you waiting before arming the car?


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

Thanks for the reply CarlosL. It doesn't matter how long I wait. It always chirps to tell me the door is open, but this is a moot point now since using the turbo timer functionality fixes this rather than the "errand mode." Still can't figure out why the turbo timer function tries to lock the car again after I've locked it, but I can probably live with that.


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

Hey guys. I have one last question:

How do you set the auto-lock on the 1-way remote. I can do it for the 2-way, but no idea how to set it on the 1-way, and I've read the manual cover to cover...

Thanks!


----------



## jaggerwild (May 21, 2007)

I'm not familiar with that unit but the options menu should have it, in the owners manual. Again the owners manuals are in the link of my signature, you just find witch model you have it will down load a PDF file that opens by ADOBE.


----------



## lcurle (Oct 5, 2008)

I dont think you can set it on the 1 way


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

jaggerwild said:


> I'm not familiar with that unit but the options menu should have it, in the owners manual. Again the owners manuals are in the link of my signature, you just find witch model you have it will down load a PDF file that opens by ADOBE.


As I said, I read the manual, and I can do it for the 2-way, but not the 1-way. Which is weird, since if you hold down the function button on the 1-way for 8 seconds, it does go into some sort of program mode... But I've no idea what to do.

Perhaps you really can't lock it. Terrible oversight if you ask me..


----------



## lcurle (Oct 5, 2008)

Give the 1 way to someone (your significant other) who doesnt use your vehicle....problem solved.


----------



## WilliamG (May 17, 2009)

lcurle said:


> Give the 1 way to someone (your significant other) who doesnt use your vehicle....problem solved.


Well yes. But my significant other has a habit of knocking the buttons while it's in her purse. She remote started my car from the apartment the other day. :upset::upset:


----------



## lcurle (Oct 5, 2008)

take the battery out


----------

