Took my nosejob Multi, Myrtle, to Northgate Fiat in Canterbury to have a new key coded to the car.
There has been a lot of discussion as to the cost and what it entails so I asked Chris, the workshop controller if I could have a look at the process and even take a few pics. He kindly agreed.
So, firstly Chris grabbed the now legendary 'computer' which reads the ecu on the car and looks for all sorts of faults. It looks like a laptop with a lead and pluggy thing coming from it. This lead plugs in under the right hand side of the dashboard on all Multiplas. Look under your dash, extreme right and there is a little panel that pops out and your diagnostic socket sits there.
We mated Myrtle to the computer. Just to demonstrate the computer's talents, he checked my ecu for faults and there were none (thank heavens, I'd just spent £10,000 buying the bloody thing!)
Chris then explained how the keys worked. In your key there is a transponder. This sends a signal to an aerial around the ignition switch. This aerial sends the transponder's signal to a key code box in the car and if that recognises the key it tells the ecu just that. You can then start the car. Also there is an alarm code in the key unique to your alarm.
There is no way around this. Chris says they have looked and tried but in the end it is excellent security. That is what we pay for I guess. The only thing you can do apparently (if you are an absolute animal...) is remove the transponder, attach it to the vicinity of the ignition aerial, butcher the ignition switch and start the car with a screwdriver! Nice!
My existing key was placed in the ignition. As it was an approved key, the computer read the key code box and ecu and I was amazed to find that it knew that there were two keys in existence for my car. It had all of the info on those keys, including the electronic code which is necessary to program the key to the car. Chris then asked if I had the other key, which I didn't. So he cancelled this key. So if the old owner (an MD at FIat UK!) tries to nick the car with his key, it will no longer be recognised!
He then put the new key in the ignition. The computer was asked for the key code, which he promptly entered and after a bit of software wizardry, he turned the key in the ignition and, a roll on the drums (and a sandwich on the piano....), the car started. Cool. This key code is individual to the key and should come with it when it's delivered.
Unfortunately a problem then arose. The alarm would not recognise the key. When we pressed the plunger to arm the alarm, nuffin happened. Bugger all. Zilch. Not a lot.
Never mind. Chris whized off to Service Reception, prodded another computer and swiftly came up with an alarm code to program in. In went the new key into the ignition, more witchcraft and, wahey, one completely working key.
This was the first nosejob Multi Chris had key coded but despite this, the whole business would have taken about fifteen minutes had he not been explaining things and I'd not been taking photos. However I was amazed at the complexity of programing the key to the car and the level of security we Multi owners appear to get from our key.
And that was that. Job done.
Laura the gorgeous and exceptionally knowledgeable young lady on Service Reception says that they (Northgate) will supply and code a key to your car for about £140. (I assume an hours labour, cost of key and cost of plugging into computer.)
Expensive? Yes.
Worth it? Well, on my year old Multi I believe it to be worth every penny. But I can understand it seem horrifyingly expensive on your ageing uglybug work horse. But there isn't a way round it. Yet..... (I didn't pay, Thames Fiat at Slough coughed up for this one!)
Similarly they will plug you in to the (£3000 plus) computer for a bit of diagnostic for £50 plus the old vat. And it is a cracking piece of technology, I can assure you.
And just another useful piece of knowledge here. Their computer cannot particularly recognise remapping (hoorah), BUT Chris says that it can recognise the signs of it as incorrect values and similar and thus itself alter the remapping if you don't tell them that you've had it done. It could show up as faults or similar which it or an unwary technician could try to correct. So beware. Tell them you've had it done and they'll try not to bugger it up.
Get to know your folk at your local dealership if you can. Some are blithering idiots, I know, but all of the folk at Northgate I have dealt with have been excellent. I have just chatted to them and wandered around the showroom and, yes, had loads of work done there but have developed a rapport to the extent that they let me in to the workshop to see what was going on and I am extremely grateful to all at Northgate Fiat.
I have attached some pics of the escapade. If you hover the cursor over the piccy, the picture name should tell you what's going on. Click on them to make them bigger.
Hope this post proves useful.
There has been a lot of discussion as to the cost and what it entails so I asked Chris, the workshop controller if I could have a look at the process and even take a few pics. He kindly agreed.
So, firstly Chris grabbed the now legendary 'computer' which reads the ecu on the car and looks for all sorts of faults. It looks like a laptop with a lead and pluggy thing coming from it. This lead plugs in under the right hand side of the dashboard on all Multiplas. Look under your dash, extreme right and there is a little panel that pops out and your diagnostic socket sits there.
We mated Myrtle to the computer. Just to demonstrate the computer's talents, he checked my ecu for faults and there were none (thank heavens, I'd just spent £10,000 buying the bloody thing!)
Chris then explained how the keys worked. In your key there is a transponder. This sends a signal to an aerial around the ignition switch. This aerial sends the transponder's signal to a key code box in the car and if that recognises the key it tells the ecu just that. You can then start the car. Also there is an alarm code in the key unique to your alarm.
There is no way around this. Chris says they have looked and tried but in the end it is excellent security. That is what we pay for I guess. The only thing you can do apparently (if you are an absolute animal...) is remove the transponder, attach it to the vicinity of the ignition aerial, butcher the ignition switch and start the car with a screwdriver! Nice!
My existing key was placed in the ignition. As it was an approved key, the computer read the key code box and ecu and I was amazed to find that it knew that there were two keys in existence for my car. It had all of the info on those keys, including the electronic code which is necessary to program the key to the car. Chris then asked if I had the other key, which I didn't. So he cancelled this key. So if the old owner (an MD at FIat UK!) tries to nick the car with his key, it will no longer be recognised!
He then put the new key in the ignition. The computer was asked for the key code, which he promptly entered and after a bit of software wizardry, he turned the key in the ignition and, a roll on the drums (and a sandwich on the piano....), the car started. Cool. This key code is individual to the key and should come with it when it's delivered.
Unfortunately a problem then arose. The alarm would not recognise the key. When we pressed the plunger to arm the alarm, nuffin happened. Bugger all. Zilch. Not a lot.
Never mind. Chris whized off to Service Reception, prodded another computer and swiftly came up with an alarm code to program in. In went the new key into the ignition, more witchcraft and, wahey, one completely working key.
This was the first nosejob Multi Chris had key coded but despite this, the whole business would have taken about fifteen minutes had he not been explaining things and I'd not been taking photos. However I was amazed at the complexity of programing the key to the car and the level of security we Multi owners appear to get from our key.
And that was that. Job done.
Laura the gorgeous and exceptionally knowledgeable young lady on Service Reception says that they (Northgate) will supply and code a key to your car for about £140. (I assume an hours labour, cost of key and cost of plugging into computer.)
Expensive? Yes.
Worth it? Well, on my year old Multi I believe it to be worth every penny. But I can understand it seem horrifyingly expensive on your ageing uglybug work horse. But there isn't a way round it. Yet..... (I didn't pay, Thames Fiat at Slough coughed up for this one!)
Similarly they will plug you in to the (£3000 plus) computer for a bit of diagnostic for £50 plus the old vat. And it is a cracking piece of technology, I can assure you.
And just another useful piece of knowledge here. Their computer cannot particularly recognise remapping (hoorah), BUT Chris says that it can recognise the signs of it as incorrect values and similar and thus itself alter the remapping if you don't tell them that you've had it done. It could show up as faults or similar which it or an unwary technician could try to correct. So beware. Tell them you've had it done and they'll try not to bugger it up.
Get to know your folk at your local dealership if you can. Some are blithering idiots, I know, but all of the folk at Northgate I have dealt with have been excellent. I have just chatted to them and wandered around the showroom and, yes, had loads of work done there but have developed a rapport to the extent that they let me in to the workshop to see what was going on and I am extremely grateful to all at Northgate Fiat.
I have attached some pics of the escapade. If you hover the cursor over the piccy, the picture name should tell you what's going on. Click on them to make them bigger.
Hope this post proves useful.
