Starting in the 1987 model year, general motors introduced a new security system for pontiac firebirds and chevrolet camaros called the Vehicle Anti-Theft System (V.A.T.S). Unless a key with the proper resistor pellet is inserted into the ignition cylinder, the starter is not allowed to crank and the fuel injectors will not pulse. Note that many 1987 and later f-bodies are not vats equipped. If you cannot see a visible resistor pellet on your ignition key and a 99cent walmart key will start the engine of your car, then the car is not vats equipped.

To install a remote starter into a vats equipped vehicle, one needs to temporarily bypass the vats system using a special module or a resistor and relay to emulate the resistor value on the physical key while the remote starter is active. Below is a table containing the 15 values of resistors used in vats equipped vehicles. Due to technical problems, value #1 was only used during the 1986 model year in the chevrolet corvette. Also note that if the wrong resistance is seen by the vats decoder module during an engine start attempt, the module will revert to theft mode and prevent the starter from being cranked until around 5 minutes has elapsed.

General Motors Key Number	Value (Ohms)
1	392
2	523
3	681
4	887
5	1130
6	1470
7	1870
8	2370
9	3010
10	3740
11	4750
12	6040
13	7500
14	9530
15	11800

Note: Make sure that your vats bypass is only active during remote starting. While bypassing VATS full time with a fixed value resistor may seem attractive due to lower parts cost and installation labor, it would also make your vehicle considerably easier for a potential thief to "hotwire". And there is an increasing trend among insurance companies to reject theft related claims if they become aware that any factory installed anti-theft device has been permanetly defeated. Remote starting is acceptable with most insurance companies, permanetly bypassing vats to save $25 on a bypass module is not.

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