A friend of mine has a 2014 Maxima and he confirmed it does work. I only asked about the remote start but not the Viper Smart Start. I believe he either had it installed at the dealer or he took it to a third party shop and had them do it using the method spoken about early in the post with the Xpress Kit.

Cool! Thanks Propa!

All the added weight will throw off it's aerodynamics I think?? Lol

Are there any recommendations for places to buy or installers in the Rockville, Maryland Area? Alternatively, Sterling, Virgina works as well, but for that location, I prefer purchase only, as I live in Maryland.

According to the XpressKit website, authorized near me are Kartunes and Obsession MotorSports.

Kartunes in Sterling, prices are decent, but they said that the T-harness is not out on the market yet. (What...?)
DBALL: $120 + $15 for programming.
T-Harness: $40
Did not ask about installation, I only asked about purchasing only.

Obsession MotorSports in Rockville has both in stock, but I am thinking that the price for the T-Harness is beyond ripping off.
DBALL: $99 + $19 for programming.
T-Harness: $79.99
Did not ask about installation either.

So.... Any recommendations?

EDIT: Uh, I tried those two places based on the route I take to get home, so actually, I have not checked two more places:
Hot Tint Speed And Sound - Gaithersburg
DBALL + T-Harness: $99 (Not sure if include programming)
With installation, costs $250 total.

Absolute Electronix-Gathersburg
DBALL + T-Harness: $179.99 I think this includes programming.
With installation, also $250.

All these wild variations in prices are making me suspicious, so I will check out the reviews first before committing.
I most likely will be doing the install myself, and am first looking at Hot Tint Speed and Sound to purchase.

Again, any recommendations?

I've been looking for answers in regards to remote start for months now. So to finally break some ground guys is amazing.

But can somebody help me get to a simple solution - are the two parts (Xpresskit DB-ALL and xpresskit THNISS3C) and a knowledgable shop ALL I need to get "factory" remote start? And is the range really that poor with it?

It would be really cool for one of the knowledgable posters to provide the exact information to us auto challenged individuals about the exact parts we need to bring to an auto shop and what exactly to say so we can get this done. HINT HINT. :p

I don't care about all that VIPER stuff, I just want the regular remote start from the key FOB. My car is literally 30ft from my living room and 50 ft from my bedroom so I don't need anything fancy--just to be able to start it when I'm not in the car.

If anyone would like to chime in with a list of the parts the shop needs to provide us that would be GREATLY appreciated!

Xpresskit DBALL2 & THNISS3 T-Harness

So basically i take these two products to a local installer who knows what hes doing and i should be good?

That is a pretty good deal, except I can't spend any money at the moment...
Credit card company never raised my credit limit for all 8 years that I have been with them... Sigh...

Pretty sure our friend Ghozt can tell you to stay away from Hot Tint Speed & Sound, as the feedback from his experience (under D.D. in Yelp) and the experience of others suggests that this shop is a bunk, hack job operation.

http://m.yelp.com/not_recommended_re...d-gaithersburg

Hopefully that helps you narrow it down!

I just talked to my installer before I came to work. I have the idatalink module and he said he can do the three clicks to start it and get rid of my remote. I will also get the drone which is compustars version of the smart start. Taking the car in Friday afternoon so we will see.

You couldn't be more right!!! This guy moves his shop around over the years. I had tints on my SUV don't years ago there and they managed to mess that up. Customer service was crappy and the prices aren't great either. I sure miss that place on Gude Dr. I can't remember their name but I had several sound systems installed by them and they always did quality work.

Thanks for the heads up. I guess I will avoid that place... Back to hunting I go.

I bought the parts from the ebay kit,,,,,supposed to come tomorrow.

I am going to attempt installation myself,,,,, I will post back if its a do it yourself job or not,,,,,,,it cant be that hard ( famous last words )

Definitely looking forward to hearing how the install goes. Will probably DIY on this mod as well.

G/L with it!

Installed and working.,,,,,,,,, instructions are horrible.


Make sure you have an understanding of schematics and you will be fine.

subscribed...........

Curious if u could type up a DIY guide 👍

Installer Recommendation
 

Hello all, many thanks for all the helpful information discussed in this thread. I will appreciate a recommendation for a reputable installer in Nassau County, Long Island, NY. My vehicle is actually a 2009 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL, but I am assuming the required parts are the same to use the factory keyfob for remote start (Xpresskit DBALL2 & THNISS3 T-Harness). Thanks very much for your help!:)

Would also like to know the same.. I'm in queens but I wouldn't mind driving out to Nassau to get it done.. Just don't know where to go

also wanted to ask would getting the remote start done without oem keyfob require more hardware and labor to get features like trunk release or it's all integrated

So if I want just the oem keyfob remote start I'm looking at exactly how much and if I want smart start how much more? And does smart start require some kind of monthly subscription?

I'm getting an install in a couple weeks. For the brand I chose (Compustar), it can be programmed to work with either/both the OEM and the kit fobs. All the features that work on the original fob would work on the kit fob as well; other features like windows, defrost, etc would require extra modules at extra cost.

There are several Viper Smart Start modules, starting at around $100. Smart Start requires a subscription, starting @ $70/year. The app is free.

Hey guys, I started installation of the dball2 + thniss3. Using the harness in between the factory connectors seems pretty straight forward, but as I've never worked with electric/data wires before, I'm totally confused with the push-start and door pin output wires, and how exactly to do them (installation, removal, everything). I stopped trying to figure it out as it got dark out earlier. Can anyone point me in the right direction, or has anyone done a write up before? I know it shouldn't be too hard, but it took me long enough just to figure out what screw needed to be removed to take off the panel below the steering wheel and to get the push-start button out as well. Any help would be much appreciated!

Wow I hope someone could point you in the right direction. I'm still anxious to get this done. I'm waiting until the summer to do all the mods.

So no one chimed in, but it's actually pretty easy. Finally got another chance to look at everything and the only thing you have to do besides using the pre-made connectors between the brakes, key port, and odb port is tapping the single brown wire from the PTS switch. Of course, you can choose your method to do that, whether it be wrapping and electrical tape, soldering, hardware connectors... Just have to strip a section of the wire or cut the wire first. After that, you just program the module to your key as explained in the dball2 instructions, and you're good to go! I used zip-ties to mount everything to the metal bracket under the steering wheel afterward.

A lot easier than I expected, but I do hate having to tap wires personally. Worth it in the end though!

Thanks for the detailed info, tonydatigeryo!


I purchased the DBALL2 and THNISS3 T-Harness few months ago, and I tried to install it today on my 2011 Maxima (I didn't want to do it in the freezing winter :)). I ran into the EXACT same problem as you had.


I have no problem connecting the 3 pre-made connectors from the harness (brakes, key port and OBD2). However, I'm lost on the "push-to-start" wire and the "Door Pin Output" wire, and I have 2 questions:


Q1) for the "push-to-start" wire, I guess I will have to remove the lower panel (ie, the plastic panel below the steering wheel) in order to access it, correct?


Q2) according to the installation guide, we have to connect the "Red/Black (-) Door Pin Output" as well. Do we really need to connect this wire? I don't want to remove the speedometer cluster for that wire unless necessary.


Thanks again for your help. I appreciate it!

How long would you say it takes from start to finish for this install? I just purchased one for my 09 Max and should get it in the mail this tuesday and Im looking forward to installing this. Is there anything that I should watch out for or that you were confused about that you can tell me so I have a quick easy install?

Thanks in advance!

No problem! Glad I can help if at all possible!

I just let the lower panel hang after removing the screw from the fuse box area. After that, I removed the two screws that were previously covered which hold the panel around the gauge cluster, and pushed the PTS button out from behind that. From there, unclip the button, and you can work on the wiring. I had foam and electrical tape wrapped all around the wires which I had to snip carefully with scissors to give myself more room to work.

I didn't have to do anything with the Door Pin Output wire. Literally, just the single PTS brown wire needs to be tapped with the green/black wire with your kit.

Just FYI: I'm not sure exactly what I did, but at one point it seems like I screwed up and was unable to start with car with the dball2 connected. After attempting to start it with the PTS button, it would act like it's about to try to turn the engine over, and then all power would be completely cut, necessitating me disconnecting the battery and connecting it again. When working on the wiring itself, I had disconnected the negative battery terminal (just to be safe). I had take it off and put it back on multiple times while working. I think that screwed up the dball2's programming for my vehicle which I had already done and I had to redo it (not the fw, just the vehicle specific programming you do once everything is installed.)

Once I disconnected it, did a reset, and reprogrammed it, it all worked again. It could just be that something temporarily got corrupted, or it could be that disconnecting the battery forces you to reprogram the dball2.

Or it could just be a freak incident. Not really inclined to test it out, if you know what I mean :laugh:

Well, to be honest, I had never removed the paneling from the vehicle before, and I work slowly with wiring. If I had known how to do everything from the start, with my slow wire tapping skills, it probably would have taken me about 45 minutes I'm guessing. Literally, 3 connectors (key port, obd2, brakes) and one tapped wire, followed by programming the module for your specific vehicle, securing it all, and putting everything back together.

Read what I posted above for some more details.

Make sure you have the pdf instructions either printed out or on a tablet (I had both with me :p) with you so you can read the error codes/reprogram instructions if necessary. These are the instructions I used: http://xpresskit.com/DocumentDownloa...irmwareid=7057

Just let me know if you have any other questions... I doubt you will, as I feel like I'm probably one of the most clueless people working on a car, and everyone else will probably get it and successfully install it much quicker than I. :nervous:

Thanks so much! Ill probably be trying to install come Wednesday or so and Ill let you know if I have any issues and if I can get it working!

Oh, and another note, when performing the remote start, after three consecutive lock button presses, be aware that the startup procedure takes a while... But you'll have a visual cue from your taillights if it is in motion. I didn't time it, but it felt like it took between 5 and 10 seconds to start up.

Last question.....for now:laugh:

So all Im doing is plugging harnesses up to those locations (key port, OBD, and brakes) and only have to cut/tap that one wire in the push to start to get this work? Only one wire I have to cut?

Yup! Then follow the directions to program the dball2 to your key.

Thanks!!
 

Thanks very much, tonydatigeryo!


Your detailed instruction clears all my questions, and I'm now feeling much more confident to remove the instrument lower panel and cluster lid tomorrow. I really appreciate your help!

You da man tonydatigeryo!

Ill definitely post back here my success....or failure

No problem guys, good luck! This is the first car I've modded personally. I decided when I got it that I'd try to do most of the mod work myself, and have a little fun and sense of accomplishment. Hope it goes well for y'all!

Finally installed
 

OK, I finally installed the DBall2 yesterday. Thanks again for tonydatigeryo's great help! I really appreciate it!


In addition to tonydatigeryo's great info, following is some more tips I have:


1) Although tonydatigeryo had already confirmed that we don't need to connect the "Red/Black: (-) Door Pin Output" from the T-harness, I tried to connect this wire anyway (I was worried that the "Get in and Go" feature on the DBALL2 would not work without the door pin output signal). I spent/wasted over 1 hour trying to remove the green BCM connector behind the cluster, and I finally gave up! It's not difficult to remove the cluster. After the cluster is removed, you will only see half of the BCM unit. You won't see the green connector because it's located at the back of the BCM (ie, towards the front of the vehicle). So I had no choice but remove the BCM unit, and that's where the nightmare started. You will not be able to remove the BCM because Nissan used the secure "1-way" screws (ie, you can tighten the screw, but not losen it unless you have the special tool). So then I tried reaching the green 40-pin connector from below (yes, I was able to reach my hand up from the foot pedals area and touch the green connector). But the damn connector is so tight, and there's no way you can push the clip on the connector and pull the plug down at the same time, using 1 hand! After wasting over 30 minutes there, my hands and fingers were all scratched, so I finally gave up!


I tested the "Get In and Go" feature after the installation, and everything seem to be working fine even without the Door Pin Output wire connected. I did not test the "Pit Stop Mode", so I'm not sure if that will work properly or not without the Door Pin Output wire. But that feature is not important to me, so that's OK for me. For anyone who wants to connect the Door Pin Output wire, my advice is "DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME". You will not be able to get to the connector unless you have the special tool to remove the secure screws on the BCM.


2) I'm bad on wire tapping, so I used the posi-tap (http://www.posi-lock.com/posiplug.html) to tap the Push to Start wire. It was very easy, and I did not have to worry about cutting/splicing/soldering wire.


3) To program the DBALL2, you will need to temporarily disconnect the black 10-pin connector (from the T-harness), and connect the black 10-Pin connector that came with the DBALL2 unit. When you're done with the programming, re-connect the black 10-pin connector that has only 1 wire (from the T-harness).


4) When programming Feature #1 (RFTD output Type), use option #2 (RFTD Output) even though you're not connecting to an XL202. I tried using option #1 (No RF Output), but the 3X Lock Start wouldn't start the engine.


5) When programming Feature #2 (Controlled Door Lock), use optoin #1 (Disabled), which is the default option. This will not override your factory door lock/unlock behaviours, so if your door was already locked according to the speed, and unlocked when you turn off the car, it WILL remain the same if you set to option #1. I tried to set this option to #4 (Speed), and it would try to lock/unlock my doors duplicately. So I recommend leaving this option to #1 (default) on your DBALL2, and if you ever need to change the door lock/unlock setting, do it using the instruction from the Nissan owner's manual.


That's all I could think of. Hopefully this will be helpful for those trying to install it. I spent over 4 hours to get everything done (yes, I'm VERY slow, and I rather take my time and make sure everything is done 100% correctly). It's not difficult at all (except the damn "Door Pin Output" wire from the BCM connector!), but not 100% "plug-and-play" because you need to tap the "push to start" wire.


Good luck!

Interesting, I didn't need to do what you said in 3. I just followed the instructions in the specific manual I linked and all worked.

Regardless, glad you got it done! Wish I had known about posi-tap beforehand... I may go back and undo what I've done, cut, shrink tube , and then posi-tap a separate connection later just so it all looks cleaner (even though I never see it).

Thanks GT4. Ill get mine in the mail tomorrow and plan on installing tomorrow evening. Im gonna go and pick up that posi-tap maybe from AutoZone? Thanks for the detailed intructions as well. Im not going to rush putting this in but I am going to try and do it in an hour or less! Ill keep you updated!

Also is it easy getting to the ignition wires and all that stuff. Did you have instructions on how to get it out or you just figured it out?

I'm guessing by ignition wire you mean the brown wire from the PTS button. If so, read up a few posts, as I said how to get to it. Very easy actually. Same procedure you'd do if you were changing the PTS button to the red version from the GTR. You shouldn't have any problems with that part whatsoever. Hardest part is tapping it (especially without a posi-tap connector).