Fortin EVO-ONE EVO-ONE All-in-One Remote Start, Security & Data Interface

I had installed a couple of remote starts before - but, never on a manual transmission car. The concerns are significant as having a car start in gear could really ruin your day! The EVO-One let me use the factory remotes to safely and reliably remotely start the car whilst guaranteeing the car was not in gear. It does what it says. It is an all-in-one remote starter solution that interfaces well with the Factory Electronics. I purchased the THAR-FORT1 T-harness and the Flashlink4 USB programming interface. The software is a free download from Fortin.ca. Their servers held the newest software and install the latest firmwares without incident. The wiring was challenging because Ford made connector changes not reflected in any of the documentation or even the factory wiring diagrams. Ultimately, I completed this over the course of three evenings. It took two online questions and a single support question answered from Fortin in Quebec, Canada. My install was going to be long anyways because I soldered and shrink-tubed all my connections. The Dcryptor part of Fortin's software package allows you to program the bypass function of a single car key. It was also straightforward and worked seamlessly. The device completes key Takeover from your actual physical key, perfectly. Fortin's support staff knows their stuff! - and the online resources are extensive and people in the community have a lot of useful advice to share. The results are amazing. The MT scheme is bulletproof. The fortin gear interfaces fabulously with the existing factory remotes, lights, locks and alarm system. Stay patient and work methodically on the install - you will probably hit a bump, or two, because of the complexity of modern vehicles. Your efforts will be rewarded when it comes together for you! If you get frustrated quickly, it is best to pay a shop to do the work. Highly recommended for a person generally familiar with car wiring and has the skills to make reliable connections.

The unit is installed in a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT by myself. I am very handy with electronics, and Fortin provides some amazing instructions and with the help of their wirecolor.com website, installation was fairly straight-forward. If you're not sure on how to do it, or are not great with electronics or wiring, have a professional install it -- you can nuke your car. You should (highly recommended by both myself and Fortin) to have the Flashlink to update the firmwares on the module (yes, it has two). The unit arrived with all the wiring needed, access code for wirecolor.com (trust me, you'll need this!), and all-in-all great build quality. The installation was straight-forward (see above) and it was removed and verified several times as I was tapping into all the different wires to make sure everything worked perfectly. Currently working with the stock key fob (3x start) and has not failed yet. My only con with this kit is that the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT with an aftermarket stereo seems to keep the accessory on since it doesn't detect the driver door open to cut the power. I'll have to investigate this and see if there's a timer that can be adjusted, or if there is a trigger that can be done so that the accessory can be turned off properly.

I’ve installed many of these and they are amazing. This remote starter is super easy to install and offers a wide range of features, including the ability to start and stop the engine remotely, lock and unlock doors, and control other features of the vehicle such as the trunk and heated seats. There are great installation diagrams on their website, designed for almost every year make and model of car out there. There are many parameters with the app used to program it. Upon purchasing the remote starter you’ll also need the flasher which is made by the same company to program it. Super easy instructions on that too. Some care don’t need a remote for this remote starter as your personal key fob can be programmed to start the car remotely. I’d check the Fortin website and see which remote your car needs.

Works perfectly! Shipping was prompt and installation and wiring instructions provided by Fortin were clear and very easy to follow without being overly complicated. This was installed in a 2017 Elantra Push-to-Start model for remote start capabilities. 3x lock with the OEM key fob works as described. This is a genuine Evo-One which also includes a 48-hour pass to view one car on WireColor.com. Fortin provides basic wiring diagrams on their site as well. A few things to note when purchasing this device. It is necessary to purchase the Flash Link Updater device to flash and configure the Evo-One for your vehicle. Each vehicle has a specific firmware version and options that you must enable for it to work. The good news is the program is very easy to use and took less than 10 minutes to update the firmware for the Flash Link Updater, Bypass, and Remote Starter. One issue I had that was not in the instructions for my vehicle was to cut the loopback wire on the module itself (for automatic transmissions). Once I did this, my remote starter worked as described (3x lock with OEM remote).

(Update:) I removed 1 star from my review for the following reason. The information on how the flashlink (a mandatory item in installation) is supposed to work is limited, and it resulted in what would have been a small hiccup leading to me troubleshooting for almost 2 hours. I uninstalled the flashlink software from my computer and reinstalled it and it worked perfectly. I think a page or two in the instructions describing the flash process would have been highly beneficial and would have helped me diagnose a faulty programmer install much faster. The rest of my review holds true. The T-Harness was a breeze to install, and (once programmed) the module worked as advertised. Key things that I wasn't 100% sure on when I bought this. 1) This does have a built-in immobilizer bypass which DOES NOT need a key to be permanently installed in it. The immobilizer bypass will listen to your key's RF transmission and mimic it enabling your car to start. For me this was huge because I saved not only $20 in a stand-alone immobilizer bypass, but I also saved ~$100 on an extra key. On to my full review: I bought this, the T-Harness, and the programmer for around $200 (I paid extra for expedited T-Harness delivery). The installation was a breeze, with all but 2 connections already made within the T-harness (there is an optional third connection for hood deactivation switch, but that's independent of your factory wiring harness and optional). With your purchase you'll get an access key for the complete install instructions for your vehicle (one with T-Harness, and one without), but honestly I was able to find the instructions without the activation key anyway. The instructions are in color with pictures of the plug you're looking for, where in the car to find it, and arrows pointing to which wire you need to tap into. Additionally, the instructions tell you exactly which settings that you'll need to change with your programmer (in my case, D2 and C1), and what to set those settings to. All-in-all, this was much easier to install than my old Viper 5704. It is less capable, because the Viper 5704 is 2-way, but I hardly use that capability anyway. I do like that the Viper 5704 has a manual "off" switch, that I can turn off whenever I perform maintenance on my car, but other than that this is an great product, easy to install, makes for a very clean install, and does what it says it does.

First off, you buy the unit then you must buy their "Flash Link" to update and upload firmware and other details to make it work for your car. Downloaded specific installation instructions for my car and followed to the T, still, no remote start. Tech support available only Monday to Friday. So I spent the weekend digging thru Q & A and troubleshooting all over the internet. It turned out that I should have downgraded to a different firmware (not the one specified for my vehicle and loaded by default). I finally got it to remote start the car, however, it also triggered the factory alarm, so I had to search again only to find that one of the default sittings is incorrect and should have been disabled. The unit worked fine and remote started the car like 4-5 times, however, no remote stop, again, it turned out that I have to buy a separate RF. Three days later and the unit stopped working. No remote start. Called Tech support, the guy did not give his name, I explained to him the problem, he said I have to reset the unit, I asked "How I can do that", he said " call your retailer, they can help you, or ask for a replacement unit, have a good day, goodbye". Click. So, I spend another two hours uninstalling this thing, packed it, and sent it back to Amazon. I had to swallow the cost of the "T" harness, the RF unit, and the USB Flashlink; in the tune of $150, plus three wasted days.

This is now the fourth Fortin product I have installed. Unlike the EVO All, this installation took a little more time because there was no T-Harness and the remote start option was not available for the Acura TL with Push-to Start. There was a bit of splicing to be done and the12 gauge wires were soldered instead of spliced. The programming of the EVO ONE and RF antenna (via the Flashlink Updater) was painless. I recommend purchasing the Flashlink Updater. It allows you to customize your module if it's purchased without programming. Every small problem we encountered was resolved by Fortin's excellent tech support. I honestly believe it's top notch. We added the RFK942 RF kit to extend the range and when we were finished we had exactly what we were hoping for. Thank you Fortin!

Super easy to install and program. Just make sure to follow ALL instructions. Also if you are getting the EVO ONE chances are you are a “tekkie” person. Buy a Flash Link tool so you can configure the settings your self using your laptop. The only complaint I have with Fortin is the EVO ALL modules have zero programmable AUX outputs. The EVO ONE only has one.... in my case I had to choose what was more important to me, use the AUX1 as a Trunk release or configure it for rear defroster. Which I chose the later. Come on Fortin add one programmable AUX.