Walk out to a warm car.

No. We only fit Mercedes-Benz cars and vans. The kits we fit are made for Mercedes-Benz, so we don't offer remote start for any other make.

With Smart Control, from anywhere in the world. Your phone sends the command over the internet, and the SmartStart module in your car receives it over its own mobile connection. So it works as long as your phone is online (mobile data or Wi-Fi), the car has mobile signal where it's parked and your app plan is active. Underground car parks and areas with no signal can stop it working.

With Key Start, you use your own key, so it works from as far away as your key can lock the car: about 60 m in the open.

For 2016-on cars and vans, yes. The kit uses a working spare key, fitted out of sight in the car, to start the engine, and it won't work without one. Your other key stays with you. Older models use a different kit that fits behind the ignition switch and doesn't need one. The checker tells you which applies to your car.

On Saturdays and Sundays. We work on the car outdoors at your home, so we need a dry day: rain can get into the car's electronics while they're open. If rain is forecast, we'll move your fitting to the next dry Saturday or Sunday.

In two parts. Once we've confirmed your car from its VIN, you pay us the parts price, which covers the kit, its delivery and the UK import VAT. We order the kit for you, in your name, handle everything until it arrives and send you the supplier's receipt. We add nothing to it for ourselves. Then you pay us for the fitting, and any call-out charge, when the job's done.

Not from us, because we don't sell them. We order your kit for you, in your name, from the supplier, so any return or refund is between you and them, under their returns policy. Please only go ahead once you're sure.

Yes. Travel is free within 100 miles of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Yes. Your key and start button work exactly as before. After a remote start, get in with your key, press the brake and press the start button to take over and drive.

There's a kit for each model and model year. Your VIN tells us exactly when and how your car was built, so we can tell you the right kit to order. It's in box E on your V5C logbook and at the bottom of the windscreen.

Send us your reg anyway. New models are added over time, and some UK cars match a listed North American version even when the dates look different.

Fitting an accessory doesn't automatically void a manufacturer warranty, but a fault caused by an aftermarket part isn't covered by it. If your car is still under warranty, mention it when you book and we'll talk it through.

For those models, the kit needs the car's ignition unit (the EIS) opened and soldered. We only fit kits that plug into the car's own wiring, so we don't offer it.

Remote Start North East is the trading name of Shota Baduashvili, a self-employed installer in Newcastle upon Tyne. We're responsible for the personal details you give us. If you have a question about them, email or call .

• When you check your car: the number plate you type in. We look it up in official vehicle records, through our data provider RegCheck or the DVSA, to show your car's details. We don't link it to you, and we keep the answer for up to a week so the same plate doesn't need looking up again.
• When you book or get in touch: your name, phone number, email address, town or postcode, your car's details (number plate, model and VIN) and anything else you tell us. For your fitting, we'll also need your address.
• When you pay: the details that come with your payment, such as your name and the amount. For card payments we only see limited card details, such as the last four digits. We never see your full card number.

• To answer your questions, check your car and give you a price, because you've asked us to.
• To order your kit in your name, fit it and help you afterwards, as part of our agreement with you.
• To keep accounts and tax records, because the law requires it.
• To deal with any complaint or claim, which is in our legitimate interests.

We won't send you marketing unless you ask us to, and we never sell your details.

• Our parts supplier in the USA gets your name, your car's details and the contact and delivery details needed to sell you your kit in your name and deliver it. Their courier gets the delivery details from them. Your details have to go to the USA for us to buy the kit you've asked for.
• RegCheck or the DVSA get the number plates typed into our checker, and nothing else.
• Directed, the maker of SmartStart, if you choose Smart Control. Your app account and plan are in your name, under Directed's own privacy policy.
• The companies that run our services: Google for our email, Cloudflare for this website, our booking form and our email forwarding, and our bank or card payment provider when you pay.
• HMRC or others, but only if the law requires it.

We don't use cookies to track you or to show you adverts. This website loads its fonts from Google Fonts, so your browser shares your IP address with Google when the page loads. Cloudflare, which runs the site, may set a strictly necessary security cookie and keeps short-term records, such as IP addresses, to protect it.

• Enquiries that don't lead to a fitting: up to 12 months.
• Customer and payment records: 6 years from the end of the tax year of your fitting, for our tax records and in case of a claim.
• Number plate look-ups: up to a week, and not linked to you.

After that, we delete them.

You can ask for a copy of the details we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete them, or object to how we use them. Email us and we'll reply within a month. Some details, such as tax records, we have to keep by law.

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your details, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.