Immobiliser faults

Key in hand, engine
refusing to catch

Immobiliser and key recognition faults diagnosed properly at your address in Newcastle upon Tyne, before anyone spends money on a key that was never the problem.

DBS checked Fully insured Mobile across Tyneside Keys cut and programmed
The symptom

When the car does not trust the key

An immobiliser fault has a particular character to it. The engine spins over exactly as it should, fires for a moment or not at all, and a small key or padlock symbol shows up on the dash.

The cause might be in the key. It might equally be in the aerial ring around the barrel, in the wiring, or in the module that reads the key. Working out which one it is, before buying anything, is the whole point of the visit.

Appointments are booked in advance. This is not a 24 hour or emergency callout service, and roadside lockouts are not covered. Call or message with your vehicle details and we will arrange a time that suits you.
Typical causes

What usually turns out to be wrong

Failed transponder

The chip inside the key stops responding, often after the key has taken a knock or a soaking.

Ring aerial fault

The coil around the ignition barrel that reads the key can break down, usually with age and heat.

Wiring and connectors

Chafed looms, corroded plugs and past bodged repairs, all common on older and ex fleet vehicles.

Module and coding issues

Control units that have lost their coding, or replacement parts that were never coded in the first place.

Background

Auto electrical experience behind it

Immobiliser work sits on the border between key programming and vehicle electrics, which is why it is here. The same hands doing the key work spend the rest of the week on fault finding, wiring repairs and vehicle coding under Smart Auto Electrics, apprentice trained and City & Guilds qualified with over twenty years in the trade.

Questions

Immobiliser questions

The car turns over but will not start. Is that the immobiliser?
It can be. An immobiliser fault often shows up as an engine that cranks normally and then dies, with a key or padlock symbol on the dash. Proper diagnostics tell you rather than a parts cannon.
My key worked yesterday and not today. What changed?
Common causes include a failing transponder in the key, a faulty ring aerial around the ignition barrel, or a wiring fault in the immobiliser circuit. Each is found the same way, by reading the vehicle rather than guessing.
Do I need a new key or a repair?
That is exactly what the diagnostic visit answers. Plenty of people are quoted for a new key when the fault is in the vehicle rather than the key.
Is this different from a garage plugging in a code reader?
Yes. A basic reader gives a generic code. This is manufacturer level diagnostics with the wiring and component knowledge to follow the fault to its source, which comes from over twenty years of auto electrical work.
Can you fix immobiliser wiring faults?
Wiring and component faults on the immobiliser circuit are within scope, and are handled through our auto electrical side where the repair goes beyond the key itself.

Cranking but not starting?

Describe what the dash is doing and we will tell you what is worth checking first.

07348 472 628
Appointments booked in advance Fully mobile