Remote start problem

[yoinkster]

Hey guys,

I have a '15 2SS and have noticed a problem with the remote start.
Basically, it doesn't work.
I've had it work twice and I'm not sure what circumstances could've lead to it to decide to work and I'm wondering if anyone can help me with some experiments of their own or some advice.
I once got it to work via the onstar app a few weeks agoremote sta.
I got it to work again once today with the following conditions:

When the car was only "single locked" (had only pushed Lock on the fob once and the horn didn't go BEEP) it did not work.
I then "double locked" it (where it locks and then the horn goes BEEP) and it worked. Once. I then let the car run for ~5minutes and stopped it. I then unlocked the car but didn't get in. Double locked it again and it did NOT work again.

Does it sound like I have a problem with my remote start or are there a special conditions to make it work?

I had previously had a problem with the battery (it kept dying, I have another thread about that if you'd like to read up on that if you think it's part of the problem with this) that I thought had been resolved. The dealership in that instance replaced the battery for me and I haven't had it go flat over a weekend since. But maybe somehow my battery is constantly too flat to allow it to remote start? Is that a thing? Is there anyway I can check how charged the battery is to check to see if this is still a problem?

Thanks for your time and experiments if you do any with your own remote start to try to help me figure out if there are any special conditions I have to meet for it to remote start.
yoinkster.

[Candr3535]

You must click the lock button twice then hold the remote start button down for a few seconds. If the car doesn't lock it won't start. Also the car can only be started twice in a row with out having to start it with the key. Good luck hope that helps

[yoinkster]

Thanks for the reply, I'll give that a few tests and see what results I get.
Out of interest, is there any way to set the car to double lock with a single press of the lock button? Pushing a button twice is far too cumbersome for me!

[JamesMyBoy]

Hmmm...
I push my lock button once, then hold down the start button until I hear the relay pickup on the car. Otherwise, I just hold the start button down (when out of ear shot) three or four seconds. Works every time.

[bayarea408]

If you have a check engine light, doors unlocked it wont work.

[sherob]

Location: Pluto <=== problem right there.

[yoinkster]

Originally Posted by JamesMyBoy

Hmmm...
I push my lock button once, then hold down the start button until I hear the relay pickup on the car. Otherwise, I just hold the start button down (when out of ear shot) three or four seconds. Works every time.

I just did a little experiment. I took the car out for a longer drive than it normally gets. Parked it up. Single locked it and then an hour or so later, tried to remote start it. It failed. I then double locked it and tried and it worked!
That gives me the impression that it might be still related somehow to the battery but yet it's weird mine won't do it on single lock like yours does

Originally Posted by bayarea408

If you have a check engine light, doors unlocked it wont work.

No check engine light and the car was locked, it's a pretty healthy car .... apart from the battery issue and now this

Originally Posted by sherob

Location: Pluto <=== problem right there.

yeah I put pluto because it told me that "US" was too short, I'm a comedy genius like that you see ... honest. ahem.

[JamesMyBoy]

I just did a little experiment. I took the car out for a longer drive than it normally gets. Parked it up. Single locked it and then an hour or so later, tried to remote start it. It failed. I then double locked it and tried and it worked!
That gives me the impression that it might be still related somehow to the battery but yet it's weird mine won't do it on single lock like yours does
^ ^ ^ ^

Note that there is only a couple seconds allowed between the first push of the lock button and the pressing of the start button. Seems like it's only 2 or 3 seconds, otherwise it won't work. I'm sure this is to prevent unwanted starts.
Can't imagine why it would take two pokes of the lock button for this to work, but stranger things have happened I'm sure :-)

[102SS]

I only have to press the lock button once.

Maybe change the battery in the remote?

[Moto-Mojo]

My 2015 has always been finicky too. I've used the remote start dozens of times but there are days when it just won't work. I did notice that if you're in the same garage with the car, i.e. standing next to it, it doesn't seem to work as well as being a little farther away.

I seem to have always pressed it twice and heard the horn blow before it worked. It was intermittent from day one so I never suspected the fob battery.

[yoinkster]

Right so I've figured this out and now that I re-read your messages, I can see you guys were telling me the right thing but it wasn't super explicit so I didn't pick up on it right away.
The actions I described were of delayed button pressing. So I'd single lock the car, walk away then an hour later, try to remote start it and it didn't work (and knowing what I know now, I now know why!).
It was the act of double locking it that made it work because ...... you need to push a button first to wake the car up before it'll remote start.
I had been just pushing the remote start expecting it to work but that module gets turned off once the car is left for some time. The act of pushing the lock button wakes up the relevant module so that it will accept a remote start signal. That's the explicit instruction I didn't quite catch. Wake the car up first, then she remote starts! Seems so simple now haha.
On the plus side, my remote start works every time now that I know how to operate it!

[102SS]

Originally Posted by yoinkster

Right so I've figured this out and now that I re-read your messages, I can see you guys were telling me the right thing but it wasn't super explicit so I didn't pick up on it right away.
The actions I described were of delayed button pressing. So I'd single lock the car, walk away then an hour later, try to remote start it and it didn't work (and knowing what I know now, I now know why!).
It was the act of double locking it that made it work because ...... you need to push a button first to wake the car up before it'll remote start.
I had been just pushing the remote start expecting it to work but that module gets turned off once the car is left for some time. The act of pushing the lock button wakes up the relevant module so that it will accept a remote start signal. That's the explicit instruction I didn't quite catch. Wake the car up first, then she remote starts! Seems so simple now haha.
On the plus side, my remote start works every time now that I know how to operate it!

Glad you got it figured out.

[audiowhiz]

I had a similar problem once.
The remote start stopped working although I can hear the relay click and the lights flash, the car just does not start.
A mechanic friend said the battery has to be disconnected for 30 minutes to clear the BCM and try again.
It worked! Now the car starts every time I try.

BTW, you should not have to press the lock button twice for the remote start to work. Once is enough.