Customer Reviews

Bulldog RS202E Extend Range Car Start with Remote Control

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Here what I thought when I bought Bulldog's Remote Starter:

-Oh Great it is easy to install and they offer tech support if I get a little mixed up.

Oh boy I was wrong.

Every time I saw an advertisement on this product, they made sure to suggest it is easy to install.

Bulldog printed big Bold words on their boxes "Easy to Install--Toll Free tech support...patient and professional personnel to help you install your system right!"

Yeah right!

I have been calling them for the last 4 days to get a diagram as they promised. They say they will fax to you...yes they will if you can leave 1000 messages on their machine. I only left 500 messages so far, 500 more and I am ready for business.

You got have a fax to get a diagram.

Don't be silly thinking you can talk to a human on the phone. Such thought is not real.

Try their web site It is slow, poor design, poor taste, cheesy, no help whatsoever--zero--zippo--nada--nothing helpful(so far) I don't even know why they have a web site. Instead of spending time making a website, they should get on the phone to help their customers.

It sucks, they promise diagrams on the web, they have a half dozen cars listed there, yet they do not have any diagram available on the web.

Unless you are good with the sort of electronic gadgets, do not buy it thinking any child can install it.

Don't think it is a piece of cake as they advertise, and do not waste your time dialing their number either.

See the other comments, almost everyone complaints is about the same issues.

I call what they are doing false advertisement.

As far as the performance goes, assoon as I have it installed, I will write about it.

I have already installed 1 and I ordered another. The product works great, Excellent technical support, and it is the most economical one I have found.

I have installed this into my girlfriends van. It was the best thing that we could ever have spent so little money on. It was so easy to install, with just a little knowledge of electronics. All you do is call the 800 number on the package and the company faxes you a wiring diagram of your car with complete color codes and tips and your on your way.

While the concept is a wonderful idea, unless the average consumer is an electronic wizard and can install themselves, finding anyone to install it is next to impossible. Most auto repair facilities will not install it and stereo installation facilities will charge an average of $60 per hour with 4-6 hours estimated. Contact with the manufacturer was of no help. Installation in manual shift cars is prohibited. Installation in automobiles with computer systems has caused many problems. Additionally, fires have been reported. At the present time, I am waiting for Return Autorization from Amazon for the two that were purchased.

I purchased two starters to install into a VW Cabrio and a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and returned both of them. Although this product looks like a great starter for the money, it is not something the average person will be able to install. This seems to be particularly true for installing it into newer vehicles. I have installed car stereos, speakers, cd players, etc into cars before, but this product is a lot more complex to install. In order to install in the Jeep, I would have to purchase 4 additional relays and install them into the doors just to get the remote unlock to work. There was also a variety of things that need to be done depending on the type of factory alarm you have. You will need to use and understand a volt meter, soldering gun and automotive electronics in general. Bulldog does have an excellent tech support line that will provide you with wiring diagrams and help if you run into trouble. The only complaint I have about the tech support is that it is very hard to get through to them since the phone line is busy most of the time or you just receive a recorded message. It took me several days and I had to leave several messages before I finally got the wiring diagrams. This is not a do-it-yourselfer product unless you have extensive experience working with automotive electronics. If you buy one, I recommend getting it professionally installed.

The thing is nice once you get it installed. The fact that it is so nice offsets the bitter taste left after a long installation process. The box touts "Easy Installation". Really it was not a terrible experience, but my expectations were way off. I just kept thinking, "Easy!?". My particular vehicle required extra relays for the door locks to work as well as an extra relay for the dome light feature. Also required were resistors and some soldering. By reading the feature list, you are led to believe that the system performs these functions right out of the box. Not necessarily true. Good system but more honest representation to the consumer would be appreciated. There were some errors and contradictions in the installation literature. But if you're familiar with electronics you can navigate through. Just set your expectations on the conservative side (regarding the installation) and you will be OK. I would not recommend attempting the installation unless you have some prior experience in similar projects. As mentioned above, the system does appear to perform nicely.

Lets start off with documentation -- for my Acura Legend the wiring diagrams didn't quite match, but between the one phone back I got (called them 6 times) we were able to come up with a workaround.

Functionally the unit works exceptionally well, the trunk pops, doors lock and unlock, car starts and stops, all is well there. What the unit truly lacks is any kind of range, it is supposed to be good up to 400 feet, I would settle for 40, I can get barely 15, and if any object is in the way forget it. I am still trying to get in touch with tech support again to see if I have a bad unit.

The only other fly in the ointment is the tiny buttons, I am forever activating the wrong feature because it is hard to tell which button I am pushing.

I will re-review or update this one if I ever get my range problem fixed. I will also bump the rating to 4 stars if that is fixed. In order for Bulldog to get the much coveted 5th star their tech support lines would have to be alot more open.

Good luck, if you need more info write to me...

Steve

Good points. June 8,2000 Installation on a 2000 4door blazer Good pts: 1. I left a message for a tech to call me. They called me within 10 minutes. 2. I then requested a fax diagram. Got it in 30 minutes. Not bad. 3. It took me 4 hours to install. That includes deciphering the instructions and locating wires. Second Time around would probably take less than an hour on a similar GM vehicle.

4. I have no problem with the transmitting range yet. I haven't put the lower kickpanel back on yet until I add the passlock bypass and extra relay for the dome light.

Bad pts. 1. It advertise trunk release and its even on the button. I shouldn't have to purchase additional relays for that.

2. One glitch so far. They responsed to my email for a possible fix with 10 minutes of my email 7:00 in the morning. When ever I lock/unlock the doors with the driver door open the remote start button no longer starts the vehicle. Instead it unlocks the doors and the #2 button only locks not unlocks.

anyone have the above problem please email me at sstacy@elkhart.k12.in.us

I'll review it again when everything is back hooked up.

I installed it myself in about 3 hours and everything worked great. You dont need to be an electronics expert. [...] Go to their website and they have car model specific instructions. The only problem is that i think its giving me a battery drain. [...]

This company sucks, there is no one to answer the phones anymore. I have a unit I installed 4 years ago and now I am having issues with the unit and cannot reach a real person for warrenty. The phone goes on for about 30 min then tells you the mailbox is full and to try your call again. Just another company that outsourced and ruined their customer service. Don't waste your time, pay a little more and buy an real unit from a real company and save the heartache.