I was invited earlier this month...

[Iristyle]

Remote Starter Configuration

Daniel -

I have a CX-9 GT with the Smart Key + a Remote Starter. The starter is the separate little fob with one button (installed at port I believe). Is there any way to reconfigure the remote start piece?

Here's the problem....

When I fire up the remote starter, it locks all the doors except for the drivers, and I lose the ability to remotely lock / unlock the doors OR use the power lift gate.

This is very annoying, as you might imagine.... especially when you're traveling with additional people or you have your hands full and want to operate the power gate. To let other passengers into the car (or load things into the rear seat area or through the hatch), I must first open the drivers side door and press the unlock button on the inside of the door. I will have to double check this, but as I recall, pressing the little button on the outside of the drivers door will only operate the lock on the drivers door. The button on the power gate however, will unlock the back, so that I can at least manually open the power gate.

I just had my vehicle at the dealership to install the AUX switching box, and asked them if they could reprogram the starter in any way. They basically said 'I don't think so' -- and I didn't have a lot of confidence that they could figure it out / would research it. The only other thing the tech said was that the starter disables the body control module.

Ideally, I'd like to still be able to use the complete functionality of the smart key after the car has been remotely started. If that's not feasible, perhaps I can disable the remote start from locking all the doors? Even if I have previously unlocked the vehicle, that 'state' is reset when the remote start goes into effect.


Thanks!

 

[zenon]

I understand your frustration, and I wish it wasn't designed that way. But to my knowledge, until you get into your car, your smart key buttons won't really do anything if you've started the car via remote start.

However! You should be able to unlock all the doors with the remote start button while in remote start mode. From the remote start owner's manual:

Entering the Vehicle While it is Running via Remote Start
1. Press the START button on the remote start transmitter to unlock all doors.
2. Enter the vehicle. Do not press the brake pedal.
3. Insert the key into the ignition (Retractable key only) and turn to the ON position.
4. Press the brake pedal. The remote start function disengages and the vehicle will operate normally.

So after you've remote started, just tap the remote start button once more and everything will unlock, allowing your fellow passengers to get into the tailgate, backseat, etc.

When you leave your car of course, you can tap the driver's door button to lock the doors, or just walk away if you have the autolock feature turned on (if you're unfamiliar with the autolock feature for your smart keyless entry, ask your dealer about it--they can turn it on for you--it makes the car lock automatically when you leave it, and if you unlock it but don't do anything for say, 30 seconds or so, it'll lock itself back).

Hope that helps.

 

[Iristyle]

Daniel -

Thanks for the info. I don't have the remote starter manual, so that's an interesting tidbit -- I never thought to hit the starter button again. I'm going to give it a shot and report back.

Presumably if the car unlocks, then I might be able to operate the power lift gate... I'm actually not certain if the lift won't work because it has to be unlocked first and I haven't been able to do that OR because it's simply not possible -- I'll find out shortly I guess.

Thanks again -- at least this would be a sorta-solution ;0


-e

 

[zenon]

When you unlock all the doors with a button, that includes unlocking the lift gate. Your smart key fob might not do much still while in remote start mode, but at the least, someone else with you can open the liftgate.

On the remote start owner's manual, give your dealer a call (best bet is to speak with someone in parts), and see if they'd be able to get you one. If they can, see who you can talk to for them to just give it to you (i.e., explain that your car never came with one). It's separate from the regular owner's manual--it's a very thin gray booklet. I just took a look to see if I could get you a part number, but they don't specify one in the installation kit like they do for the actual components. If you can get one, it'll explain a LOT--there's more than just starting the car and unlocking the doors. There's valet mode, there's a "car find" feature, and a few other features it has that are all explained when you read it. If you ultimately can't find one, shoot me your email address in a private message and I'll send you a PDF copy (you'll need Adobe reader if you don't have it--'tis free). I don't know if I'm technically supposed to do that or not, but they should have given you one with the car.

 

[Iristyle]

Daniel -


Thanks again. I gave your trick a shot last night and the all-door unlocking worked like a charm. Unfortunately, the power lift-gate won't operate (pressing the button on the smart key just makes 3 quick electronic bleeps), but it is unlocked like you've stated, so I can manually operate it.

The lift-gate thing is something I can deal with -- it was really the all doors remaining locked thing that was driving me nuts. So that's solved that problem.

I suppose if I really need to operate the power gate, I can do that first, and then start with the remote starter. Logically, this should work (unless the remote start closes it of course! ;0)

My car was a demo with 8k miles -- so that might be why that manual was missing. The nav manual was also missing, but I realized that right away, told them and they were able to supply it. Coming from the ease of use of the Garmin units, using the Mazda nav is like punching yourself in the face repeatedly ;0 I may go forward with building the mod that at least allows the screen to be used while driving (full electronic schematics are available from a guy who modded his Tundra and they look dead simple) -- of course, I may not bother investing the time, because it still won't solve the issue of the factory nav being so terrible.

I'll check to see if the dealer can get me the starter manual (I'll also check to see if I misplaced it, but I don't believe so.)

Thanks again!

 

[CX9 SportOwner]

CX-9 Sport Owner:

What you might not know though, is that until a few months ago, Ford has had a controlling interest in Mazda owning approximately 33.4% of stock. Working on these things day in and day out, you'll find FoMoCo stamps on parts all throughout the vehicles, and many motors and transmissions used in both Ford and Mazda vehicles. Your '07 CX-9 has the same 3.5L motor used in at least the Lincoln MKZ's and MKX's up to at least '07 if not '08. Some of the transmissions are Ford, some are Mazda, and some are made by an outside vendor that deals with both. Traits are shared heavily.

I expect that to change in the future though, as Ford has recently sold 20% of Mazda's stock back to Mazda, thereby retaining only 13.4%, and giving up a controlling interest.

I'm painfully aware of Ford's stranglehold on Mazda, being a huge fan of Mazda trucks. (I currently own my 4th Mazda truck). What a disappointment not to be able to buy a genuine Mazda truck newer then 1993, even though they were superior to everything else on the market, especially the Ranger that replaced them.
I also know the CX9 has FoMoCo parts on it. What's amazing is how Mazda and Ford can start with the same parts and make such different vehicles, both in performance and quality. Edge vs. CX9 is no contest, especially the engine and suspension.
Thank God Ford didn't make Mazda use their clunky transmission with no manual mode in place of the buttery smooth Aisin we all enjoy.
The vehicle I commented on, the Tribute, isn't remotely Mazda. It's all Ford with slightly different sheet metal and badging, just like the B trucks. Take a good look at one and you can see a clear difference in quality. Molding of parts, fit, and finish are all well below that of Mazdas.
Ford giving up controlling interest is good news for Mazda. Hopefully that means an end to Fords sitting on Mazda dealer lots. I'd love to be able to buy a new Mazda truck to replace my reliable but well used 92.

 

[not_too_shabby]

Zenon,

Have you seen what is involved with this recall for CX-9's that have memory seats? Does it involve removing the leather cover, or is it simply just putting a zip tie on the harness under the seat?

 

[CX9 SportOwner]

sounds like it's just an extra tie to move the cable