Keys and Immobiliser

Where exactly is the chip in a key for the immobiliser to sense? I've had a
spare key apart and there's nothing in the plastic, is it in the metal
somehow?

 

If the "spare" key was one for the glovebox it might not be equipped.
Does it start the engine? The chip could be very small so if you think
it should be there check the floor where you opened it up

 

Well, the whole story is as follows (so bear with me!) - the ignition barrel
started
acting up on my mother's Astra, so I took the log book to Vauxhall and they
faxed
away the details - 2 days later we got a new barrel and spare key. I don't
know why
they sent the spare, since I was told ordering new keys would cost more.
Mystery #1.
The spare is a basic plastic fob, unlike our two main keys with the remote.
Anyhoo,
mystery #2 is that the spare key started the car and got mum to a friend's
house, but
trying to start the car again several minutes later resulted in failure,
just the engine turning
over. It was pure luck that I realised what was wrong thanks to a friend at
work that had
the same problem, so I rushed an old key to her. Car started fine. Now that
spare fails all
the time, with a flashing engine management light.

That basic fob key, the new one, hadn't been opened before the problem. I've
had it open
since - and there's nothing in it

So I'm left asking a new question as well: It seems it's not safe to order
new keys at anytime
in the future, since the immobiliser code is either wrong in our car, or in
their records. Assuming
I'm understanding this all correctly. Or this was a one-off error......?

 

Take it back to the dealers. Tell them the supplied key will not start the
car. Let them sort it out, unless you have obviously damaged the key by
opening it.

Mike

 

On my '94 vintage Omega, which had a seperate key and lozenge shaped
'blipper' the RFID chip appeared to be in the plastic part of the
key, there was a small red plug in the otherwise black plastic around
the metal part of the key; if I remember when I get home I'll dig one
out and take it to bits. I don't think any thin plastic key like this
for a more modern Vauxhall will have an RFID chip, not sure why they
supplied it - even if it did it would need coding to the car's ECU.

On our subsequent slightly newer Vauxhalls the key is one piece with a
thicker fob containing the 'blipper', the RFID chip read by the
immobiliser must be on ther esomehwere, I haven't looked for the
specific part on the PCB. If you get a new 'blipper' key from Vauxhall
it's generally around 100 quid for blipper key plus coding the key to
the car's ECU with TECH2 or equivalent. Each key has a unique identity
in the RFID chip, the ECU needs to know which keys are valid for a
given car.

 

The reason you got a "free" key with your lock is that to make a new
barrel/lock the suppliers need a key as a pattern. They cut a key to the key
number of the car and make the lock to fit. To save money they cut the
cheapest key they can ( not remote) and don't put a chip in it. The chip
would be in the rectangle shaped hole near the blade.

Here is my guess why the key got the car running with no chip. I think your
mum started the car with her normal key and then thought about trying the
new key. As she did this within approx 30 secs the immobiliser ecu had
remembered the signal from the original key so started the engine. When she
left the car for longer the immobilser didn't get the chip signal so
wouldn't start the car. I have done this as a joke with a workmate when he
left his car running to deice it - I popped his chip out and quickly started
the car up. He got to the petrol station ok but he couldn't get away from
it. I had followed him and gave him the chip back - he got his own back by
putting 200g of wheel weights on my front wheels - nearly shook my eye balls
out !!!
Hope this helps.

On my '94 vintage Omega, which had a seperate key and lozenge shaped
'blipper' the RFID chip appeared to be in the plastic part of the
key, there was a small red plug in the otherwise black plastic around
the metal part of the key; if I remember when I get home I'll dig one
out and take it to bits. I don't think any thin plastic key like this
for a more modern Vauxhall will have an RFID chip, not sure why they
supplied it - even if it did it would need coding to the car's ECU.

On our subsequent slightly newer Vauxhalls the key is one piece with a
thicker fob containing the 'blipper', the RFID chip read by the
immobiliser must be on ther esomehwere, I haven't looked for the
specific part on the PCB. If you get a new 'blipper' key from Vauxhall
it's generally around 100 quid for blipper key plus coding the key to
the car's ECU with TECH2 or equivalent. Each key has a unique identity
in the RFID chip, the ECU needs to know which keys are valid for a
given car.

 

Blimey, that's some great information, peoples! Airsmoothed was
spot on about mum using an original key, then using the new one
to try and drive away. Who'd thunk it !

Cheers, all.

 

That was me140 not me ;-). What's really sad is I found a photo on my
laptop of the Omega blipper the other day. What on earth posessed me
to take a photo of it lord only knows...