Customer Ratings & Reviews

exactly what i wanted

The cold days are coming, so I wanted to make sure I had a proper remote start system . This did the job and some. The touchscreen is a cool feature for an otherwise basic setup; i didn't want anything super fancy. I decided to get the immobilizer from my installer, to avoid the confusion. Thanks sonic! you guys are great!

Worthless junk now that it's discontinued

I was shopping for a system that would do several things, such as remote display of the car battery voltage and interior temperature. I don't like have to do multiple keypresses to do so, and when I read about the touch screen on the FS-89 it fit the bill. Apparently I had the misfortune of buying the last one sold here before it was discontinued.

This is my second remote keyless system install I have purchased from Sonic. The first was an Autopage 915 and it went well and continues to work to this day, but it lacked some of the features found on the FS-89.

On this install as the last one, I went through the wiring via a shop manual and made sure I had the proper wire and soldered all of my connections. I clipped the cheap power feed wires and used automotive-grade TXL wire and a separate fuse panel. The system was grounded at a factory ground point. the antenna was connected and placed high on the driver A-pillar by the windshield.

Problem #1: The system would not recognize its own remote during the programming stage. After repeated attempts, I was finally able to get the touch screen remote recognized.

Problem #2: When I first tried the system, it would only work (lock/unlock doors and render remote voltage and temperature) with the door open. I found that when the green trigger wire was connected to the factory (GM negative trigger) door switch wire, the 12V normally present dropped to like 7V.

Problem #3: The remote stopped working with the door open or closed. The brain still unlocks the doors when the key is turned off, and the shock sensor LEDs flash so I know part of it is working.

Problem #4: The temperature displayed was never correct. It would read 32 degrees (F) on a 62 degree day, and it later just began to display "NO".

Problem #5: The voltage displayed was always too low, such as 10.0V when my multi-meter read 12.2V inside the car.

I never made it to the point of trying the remote starter. The above problems suggest the "brain" has failed and the only solution would be to replace it.

I contacted Sonic, who generously agreed to file a return authorization (RA). I then learned that since this unit had been discontinued, an RA was impossible. I've found that while apparently several manufacturers sold a touch screen system in the past, no one makes a touch screen system anymore. I've concluded there must have been a number of problems with them, which is too bad since it was a great concept.

Sonic has agreed to give me a credit or a refund. I give Sonic 5 stars and Crimestopper/Fortress 1 star. Great concept, but worthless junk when it fails since you can't get replacement parts.

By Burned by the FS-89 on January 25, 2016 Verified purchase