Immobilised Warning and my wrong Diagnosis.

A while back I used a spare key to start my ZT after much more than a week over the long holiday period when the car was not used.



That's when the trouble started. As soon as I turned the key in the ignition to start the car a big warning flashed up in the screen "Engine Disabled".



I posted a detailed account of the incident here on another "Key" thread:~



http://ift.tt/175naMM



The lights and stuff worked fine but, I wrongly assumed that the battery had run below par keeping the car alarmed for the long period. Sometime previously, I had read the warning that a Fob/Key can become "scrambled" when trying to start a car with a flat car battery. Hence wrong diagnosis.



The car started straightaway with a fresh battery and using the other working Remote key/fob.



Few days ago I opened up the "scrambled" Key/Fob to reveal ... NO TRANSPONDER! That's why the screen flashed the Immobilised message!



I now recall that this particular key/fob was a new shell blank off ebay. I had this cut and assembled using the PCB and transponder from another unit which a T4 operative matched to my car. Worked perfectly.



However some of those ebay empty shell key/fob blanks are prone to spring open at any time. I have bought three and all appear to do that. All these empty blanks have VALEO on their cases but I doubt Valeo made them. No Valeo on the metal part which is inserted into the lock either unlike the originals which came with the car.



I recall dropping one of the Key/Fobs which came apart when it hit the floor ... in the dark. I reassembled it and pressing the buttons, both lit up so I assumed all was well. However, the little transponder had become dislodged when it hit the deck and went AWOL and was never recovered.



That was why my Key did not start the engine and caused the warning message "Engine Disabled".



...

from the last news http://ift.tt/1D67QNQ

via IFTTT