Immobiliser problem Urgent help needed!

[54aardvark]

Fiat Marea Weekend TD100

Finished work last night, slammed boot shut and the alarm went off - shouldn't have as everything was unlocked at the time. Clicked the button thingy and the alarm stopped.

Went to start the car, all the ignition lights came on but after the glowplug light went out and turned ignition ket to start everything shut down. I think its been immobilised - bus home, 3 hours late, not happy!

Will it start if I use the red master key, or do I have to do something else? Don't want to have to hike over to the car with the red key if it isn't going to do the job.

Self employed and need the car for work, have to get it running for the morning or I'm in deep wossname.

[ultimatehandyman]

These immobilisers don't half cause some problems!

I'm not familiar with the Fiat, but on the Mercs if the immobiliser will not come off when you insert the key in the ignition then keyfob is knackered (£170) If the keyfob will not open the doors and you have to use the master key, and the immobiliser does not come off when you insert the key into the ignition then you are looking at a couple of grand! This is assuming that the batteries are good in the keyfob!

Are you not in a breakdown service?

[54aardvark]

So I may be OK with the red key, just need to find the bus timetable and give it a shot.

Its a £400 banger, so everything is as cheap as possible, if it falls over I just scrap it and get another. I normally pay around £300 and generally get a couple of years out of them and get £100 back from the scrappy so its fairly economical with 3rd Party only and no bells & whistles.

If its going to get expensive I'll just get my gear out and get it towed. Will let you know how I get on

[ultimatehandyman]

It's definately worth a shot.

Good luck with it

[54aardvark]

Result - eventually!

Managed to get a bus (Sunday timetable), red key didn't work, so tried all sorts of combinations locking/unlocking different doors, still no result, after 20 minutes I was ready to walk. Last shot, tried the central locking from the knob inside the car and it started.

Strange thing was there is an add-on alarm system (Meta something) with a red LED for internal movement sensor, this was flashing all the way home (and for some reason sending my indicators all erratic) I'd have thought if the system was still armed I shouldn't have been able to drive it. Anyway, got home and flashed the locks a couple of tiimes and it reset itself - another 10 minutes restting clock & radio and I think we're sorted - fun day off.

As you've probably gathered by now, anything post-Morris 1000/A35 is a mystery to me!

[ultimatehandyman]

Glad you got it sorted