[HighDi]

Hi, folks. The dreaded immobilizer issue has plagued my 2001 Jetta. Have tried almost all the tricks posted in these forums, but to no avail. Hoping this will not end with a large bill from the VW dealership.

Other than that, looking forward to learning more about the car on this forum. Thanks everyone!

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Sorry to hear that. Take a look in the immobilizer FAQ for some background on the system and troubleshooting, sometimes the leave it on and wait trick works.
welcometomyturbodies

 

[HighDi]

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate all the expertise that's being shared in these forums.

I have tried leaving the ignition on with the trickle charger attached. Fail.

I have tried touching the battery leads to reset the system, followed by a round of the above. Fail.

I just tried the emergency start function, but turning the clock set knob and pressing the odometer button did not get the odometer to read "0000," so I couldn't get to the step where I enter the SKC. Can anyone who has successfully tried this method shed some light on this?

Many thanks!

 

[HighDi]

VW Stealership

The stealership strikes again.

Turns out the immobilizer plug (reader coil) had come unplugged. The technician applied some adhesive, plugged it back in, reprogrammed the keys, and put the panel back on the steering column. They also washed the car.

Here's the back story: My car was broken into about two years ago. Someone had drilled out the ignition, but they were unable to drive off with the car. Since insurance was going to pick up the tab, I took it to VW. They replaced the ignition cylinder amongst other things. We're guessing that, perhaps, they didn't do a careful install job.

I had assumed the trouble this time around had something to do with the battery or the electrical system. Never did I think to question a previous service job done by a VW dealership service department. Lesson learned.

Truly the most expensive glue and car wash I have ever come across in my life.

 

[5point]

How much did they charge and how did they find it?

 

[Rickxx]

Hello everyone,
I just found this forum based on the search results for Immobilizer. I've just encountered the Immobilizer issue on my 2000 Jetta.
I had the car towed to the dealer as it stranded me a few days ago. The stealership stated that the key memory was blank and that's why the imob enabled. They charged me over $500 and said the loss of memory was due to the key!. Two days later, now it stranded me again.
Any suggestions?

Also, it's been intermittent that the imob would randomly disabled start, but with a key recycle or two it then enable. The more I think of it a loss of key memory would not recover.

 

[Keithuk]

Welcome to the forum Rick. welcometomyturbodies

Yes call the dealer who charged you $500 to pick the car up to diagnose if the same fault has occured and fix it again.