'18 CX-9 and Fortin Remote Car Starter...Success!

Which is the optional running lights? Your lights will work as long as you keep the headlight switch on auto. The only application in which you splice wires into the light stalk wiring is when you want to have your lights blink during a diagnostics. Other than that, no need.

I spliced the light wires on my CX-5. On my wife’s CX-9 I never did that and both cars function identically.

The only extra wiring I did was wire a relay in with the tailgate switch so that the lift gate can be activated from drone mobile while the car is running.
 
I guess another benefit is that you don't need to install another antenna. But this would also mean it doesn't have expanded range and it's only one-way. What's the range of the mazda key fob?
 
Hey guys! I have been lurking on this site since I've had my 2019 CX-9 GT (probably 1.5 months now) and have used the info on this site for a few things already...including a brake click noise fixed under TSB 04-004/20 that somebody else mentioned in a separate post. Very helpful info...I love this site and really hope I can contribute one day to somebody else's issue/question.

This post has been super helpful as well. Thank you for the info provided by everybody! I just installed the Fortin Evo One with the THAR-ONE-MAZ3 T-Harness and FlashLink4 on my CX-9 today while following this video:
. The video is for a 2019 CX-5 but the install was identical for my 2019 CX-9. I noticed the person in the video didn't install the three yellow wires that are listed as optional for the parking lights, as seen on page 4 of https://cdn02.fortin.ca/download/68271/evo-one_ig_thr_bi_maz3-cx9-cx3_pts_2014-2017_1key_a_68271.pdf .

I noticed that the running lights no longer run on the car (during the day time - obviously the auto light setting still kicks the actual lights on during the night time). I get that running lights during the day isn't that big of a deal to some people, but I still like the idea of having them as an additional safety feature, plus I just like the car to be working as it was designed too from the factory and hate the idea of taking away factory designed a feature just to add an aftermarket one). Additionally I sometimes drive on stretches of highway/roads that require daytime driving lights on.

From looking at several different posts, I notice most people don't connect the additional parking light wires because its not plug and play (includes splicing) or because they just don't care if they have the feature or not.

I'm assuming to the get the daytime "running" lights working, I would need to install the wires that are indicated as needing to be installed for the "parking" lights? The instructions call them wires for parking lights but wanted to make sure these would be the same for the daytime running lights.

If so, is there anybody (who did install these additional wires) that can provide any additional detail/instructions, or a video they can link to? I'm always a little cautious when it comes to messing with a vehicle's electrical system such as by splicing wires (as compared to just plug and play) so was just wondering before I started cutting wires and messing something up. I looked at the instructions (page 4 from the fortin PDF linked above) and it looks pretty straight forward but then again the instructions overall kind of suck so just wondering if there is anything else out there I can check or if anybody who did install these parking light wires can chime in?

According to those instructions, the wire/harness that you splice into for the parking lights is just to the left and below of the light/blinker control stick, but when looking at a picture I look (Attached - IMG_7963.jpg), I am not seeing any harness in that area (the steering wheel column is now back together on my car so I am using the picture as reference). Is it there and I'm just not seeing it in the photo or is there more I need to do to access it?

Thank you in advance for any help anybody can provide!

Edit - I see above that @Candurin (in response to somebody else asking about the running lights not working either and having to splice) says the lights will work, but I have checked and the running lights do NOT work during the daytime. (again, auto setting turns on the lights at night but there are no running lights during the day). @Candurin if your running lights do still work during the day on the car w/o splicing, then why aren't mine? Does that mean something from the install didn't go right?
 

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I have to eat some crow. My “DRL” lights come on because I have an aftermarket set installed in-line with my turn signals that effectively act as switchbacks. Those lights are on when I remote start the car, NOT the headlights/OEM DRLs.

Keep in mind the splicing has no affect on the DRL features of the lights. The splicing is only for diagnostic features of the EVO ONE itself (I.e lights will blink a specific number of times to indicate an error).

On the CX-5 and CX-9, the DRLs do not come on until you shift from park. Therefore the DRLs will not activate when you remote start as the car will be in park.

I did the light splicing on my CX-5 but did not do it on my wife’s CX-9 and both cars behave identically.

If you leave the light switch on auto, the lights will come on if it is darn enough for the sensor to warrant them (night time, garage, etc).

You could install switchback turn signal bulbs and those would be illuminated when you start the car, even in park.

Sorry for any confusion!
 
I have to eat some crow. My “DRL” lights come on because I have an aftermarket set installed in-line with my turn signals that effectively act as switchbacks. Those lights are on when I remote start the car, NOT the headlights/OEM DRLs.

Keep in mind the splicing has no affect on the DRL features of the lights. The splicing is only for diagnostic features of the EVO ONE itself (I.e lights will blink a specific number of times to indicate an error).

On the CX-5 and CX-9, the DRLs do not come on until you shift from park. Therefore the DRLs will not activate when you remote start as the car will be in park.

I did the light splicing on my CX-5 but did not do it on my wife’s CX-9 and both cars behave identically.

If you leave the light switch on auto, the lights will come on if it is darn enough for the sensor to warrant them (night time, garage, etc).

You could install switchback turn signal bulbs and those would be illuminated when you start the car, even in park.

Sorry for any confusion!
Wow I'm dumb! I was always checking to see if my running lights were on by putting the car in park the and then getting out and looking (and they were always off then). It never occurred to me that these would come on only while driving and would shut off while parked. I believe you but am I still going to check tomorrow in the daylight so I can see it for myself haha. Thank you!
 
Wow I'm dumb! I was always checking to see if my running lights were on by putting the car in park the and then getting out and looking (and they were always off then). It never occurred to me that these would come on only while driving and would shut off while parked. I believe you but am I still going to check tomorrow in the daylight so I can see it for myself haha. Thank you!
No worries! When in doubt, the manual states the same thing :)

 
Couldn’t get this going on a 2020 cx-5 gtr today. All was good until the fortin couldn’t read the ignition sequence. Couldn’t get the blue light.
 
Hello all,
This may be a silly question... but my wife and I both have MacBooks, I see the firmware updater must be ran on windows. Is this a requirement for install? Or just to update firmware? Obviously I’m sure for future updates it would be best to have it to keep software running smoothly, but I would love to get this kit installed ASAP and then worry about borrowing a friends computer or finding another solution down the road. TIA!
 
Requirements for install. What i did was install the trial version of parallels. It runs windows in a window. The trial period is free and windows 10 is free as well. It worked seamlessly in my case.
 
Requirements for install. What i did was install the trial version of parallels. It runs windows in a window. The trial period is free and windows 10 is free as well. It worked seamlessly in my case.
I haven’t heard of that! Thanks for the info!
 
I should say. Windows 10 isn’t really free. But you can install it for free and can use it even if you don’t activate it. Some functions are not available when it isn’t activated, but nothing that will prevent the use of the Fortin software.
 
Just finished installing the Fortin Evo One! it was a freakin breeze! install time under an hour and works perfectly! I opted for the lock x3 sequence but may switch it to lock unlock lock to not piss off any neighbors when I’m leaving late or early. I attempted to unlock all doors while it was started and it beeped rapidly and only unlocked the drivers door. Has anyone else had this issue? I was able to reset the auto windows easily!
 
Honestly, haven't really tried yet.

The majority of the time that I'll be using it is during the winter, so I don't really care about the windows.

Additionally, I almost always end up hitting the brake to start it normally and kill the auto start. In other words, more often than not, I end up starting it normally right before I start driving.
Did you had to reset other things like powe seat,radio stations sunroof after disconnecting battery?
 
Do you mean you cannot open the power liftgate at anytime (for example with the engine off)?

If yes, you can try disconnecting the battery negative terminal, waiting a little bit and then reconnecting it. It forces a resets of the hatch system and sometimes solve the issue (I had that issue after jumpstarting my car, disconnecting and reconnecting the battery solved it).
 
Word of warning to anyone looking to purchase this kit from Amazon. They have a suggested package that includes a “Fortin Flashlink Lite.” Don’t buy it. It does not work. Let’s you connect and says it’s working, but you can’t program the remote start. I was pulling my hair out for several hours trying to figure out what I did wrong. Just buy the Flashlink 4
 
Hey all. I live in the Toronto area and it's now cold enough to get me thinking about adding the remote starter to my 2017 CX-9. I got a local guy with great reviews to quote me. I asked a bunch of questions and he answered them. I should have checked here first lol. So now that I read some of the pages, I think it'll be fine. But I'll post below my questions to him and his answers to me. I just wanted to check with you guys, before I drop hundreds of dollars, in case you guys think he was incorrect anywhere, but I don't think he is based on what I've read here.

Thanks in advance. And hopefully this is a good summary that can help others in the future as well.

He recommended the same Fortin Evo-One. He said:

$230 for the module and $100 for the wiring harness, I can just round it to $300 for both, and then you'd be looking at $150 for installation. So $450 before tax, without a Fortin fob.

This is what you're looking at for pricing on key fobs.

1 button 1 way (3000 feet) - $100
1 button 2 way (6000 feet) - $250
4 button 1 way (3000 feet) - $130
4 button 2 way (3000 feet) - $160
4 button 2 way (6000 feet) - $250

To install a 1 button or a 4 button fobs will determine the installation price. 1 button you have to program it to the module, with the 4 button you have to make additional connections to ensure the other buttons work.

$50 for a 1 button key fob programming/install.
$100 for a 4 button key fob programming/install.


Here's my list of questions and his answers:

• Q: When I press the lock button three times to remote start, that means the car will beep. That won't be nice for the neighbours when doing this at 6am. Or can the OEM fob be reprogrammed in a different way so as to not beep?

o A: I spoke to my vendors and you can program the factory fob to not honk, you program it to lock unlock lock, rather than lock lock lock, that way it won't honk.

o My question for the Forum: Do you think he means I program it, or he’d do it? If it’s me, is that an easy enough thing to do?

• Q: I am fine with using our two OEM fobs to remote start. But let's say in the future, I want a 2 way fob [4 button 2 way (3000 feet) - $160 or maybe the 6,000 feet model for more money] because I want to remote start it (and confirm it happened) while I'm on the GO train so the car is warm and windshield defrosted before I get to the car after we reach the station, do I simply buy that fob and it'll work right away? Or does it need programming or do you have to install something else again?

o A: If you did decide to get fobs in the future, what needs to be done is, the antenna for the key fobs needs to be connected to the fortin module and then programmed to the fobs.

• Q: Perhaps if I get one Fortin fob right away then I can use that one to remote start at 6am so it doesn't beep and wake up the neighbours.

o A: For sure, if you went with the 2-way key fob 4 button, you won't disturb your neighbours. I would recommend the 1 button 2 way ($250) just because that's all you need, a button to start the vehicle rather than have a fob to lock and unlock, and then having a factory key fob to lock and unlock. But it's up to you what you'd like to do. I checked and you can even do a smartphone setup, so from anywhere in Ontario, you can remote start your vehicle and see its status, all on your phone. It's a free app, no subscription or fees, just download the app and program the antenna to the module, and then through Bluetooth your phone will be able to turn your vehicle on. One of these smartphone setups would run you $200 which includes the antenna module, the programming and setup.

o My comment: I’m thinking I’ll just stick with the OEM fobs and if I need to start from a distance in the future, which would be over a year from now, then I’ll look into getting the Fortin fob.

• Q: Let's say I'm in the house and remote start it in the morning. So the car is running and everything is locked, can the trunk release button on the OEM fob still open the trunk? And will the unlock button on the fob unlock all the doors? On my 2009 Accord, with separate fob, once I remote start, the trunk button on the OEM fob won't work and neither will the unlock button. I have to use the unlock button on the separate 4 button fob to unlock the doors.

o A: Yes everything should remain in working order. When you remote start the car with the lock lock lock feature, you gotta unlock the car to get in, the vehicle will remain running. So I assume trunk release will work too. You shouldn't have to rely on a separate key fob.

• Q: After remote starting, and the vehicle is idling, and the doors are unlocked, once we actually pull the door open, will that shut off the vehicle or will it continue running?

o A: When the vehicle is remote started, the vehicle should be locked, either because it was already locked or because of the lock lock lock feature. The vehicle won't turn off unless it hits the timer (15 minutes or whatever it gets programmed to run for) or if the brake is hit. It's a safety feature, so for you to take over, you get into the vehicle, hit the start button once or twice, depends on vehicle, and then hit the brake and you're good to go. If you just open the door and hit the brake, the car will shut off.
 
• Q: When I press the lock button three times to remote start, that means the car will beep. That won't be nice for the neighbours when doing this at 6am. Or can the OEM fob be reprogrammed in a different way so as to not beep?

o A: I spoke to my vendors and you can program the factory fob to not honk, you program it to lock unlock lock, rather than lock lock lock, that way it won't honk.

o My question for the Forum: Do you think he means I program it, or he’d do it? If it’s me, is that an easy enough thing to do?
I purposefully programmed my Fortin to be Lock-Unlock-Lock.

I occasionally double tap the lock button to find the car in a crowded parking lot.

I do not like using the panic button to find the car.
• Q: After remote starting, and the vehicle is idling, and the doors are unlocked, once we actually pull the door open, will that shut off the vehicle or will it continue running?

o A: When the vehicle is remote started, the vehicle should be locked, either because it was already locked or because of the lock lock lock feature. The vehicle won't turn off unless it hits the timer (15 minutes or whatever it gets programmed to run for) or if the brake is hit. It's a safety feature, so for you to take over, you get into the vehicle, hit the start button once or twice, depends on vehicle, and then hit the brake and you're good to go. If you just open the door and hit the brake, the car will shut off.
You can Unlock the car with the fob and it will still idle.

If you step on the brake to shift the vehicle from park, the engine will die. UNLESS you press the start button on the dash twice with a valid key in the car.
 
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