Cinquecento Immobiliser issue

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Cinquecento Immobiliser issue

trevortron

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Looking for some help for a neighbour's y2000 Cinquecento.
Apparently the battery went flat and when it was charged up again the car wouldn't start. Via the lights on the dashboard it was established that the problem was to do with the key. He got the emergency toe-tap code from the local main dealer and after doing the tap-dance the car starts.
The same main dealer says it will cost €500 to resolve the issue which, even here Portugal where car values are higher than in the UK, is more than the car is worth.
Hoping the experts here can maybe suggest a cheaper way.
He has the original keys, including the red/brown one.
 
Looking for some help for a neighbour's y2000 Cinquecento.
Apparently the battery went flat and when it was charged up again the car wouldn't start. Via the lights on the dashboard it was established that the problem was to do with the key. He got the emergency toe-tap code from the local main dealer and after doing the tap-dance the car starts.
The same main dealer says it will cost €500 to resolve the issue which, even here Portugal where car values are higher than in the UK, is more than the car is worth.
Hoping the experts here can maybe suggest a cheaper way.
He has the original keys, including the red/brown one.

Hi. That is typical main dealer money..

Options would be. A virginised ECU

Used ECU and lockset..with matching coded keys

Gettinh somebody to reprogram your current ECU to keys.

Its NOT my firlc of expertise.. you may find its the BODY COMPUTER .. RATHER THAN ENGINE ECU.

Charlie
 
Wait a minute, am I understanding this correctly?
If the battery goes flat, will I have to pay 500EUR to make the car "driveable" again?

I've got a Cinq Sporting without the RED key, so I get the chills just imagining how deep in crap my neck will be when something similar happens to me.

Isn't there a way to bypass this?
 
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Thanks @varsecrazy for the quick reply.
Any idea why this should happen? Surely a car (especially a Fiat!) cannot be expected to live its whole life without the battery ever going flat. I am wondering if it's been cleverly programmed into them to foreshorten their life and/or generate work for the dealerships.
Re-programming the ECU would certainly seem to be the best route of these options but finding someone around here to do that? Fortunately we're not far from the Spanish border and they seem to be a bit more 'up' on modern tech.
I'm surprised the Chinese haven't come up with a 'universal' ECU / body computer that simply does away with all this coding nonsense.
 
Wait a minute, am I understanding this correctly?
If the battery falls flat, will I have to pay 500EUR to make the car "driveable" again?

I've got a Cinq Sporting without the RED key, so I get the chills just imagining how deep in crap my neck will be when something similar happens to me.

Isn't there a way to bypass this?

Ha ha! I understand your concern. Until you get a define answer I would get a new battery sharpish & do a "live" changeover.
 
Thankfully none of this has ever happened to me.
But..its a relatively common question on the forum.

Just thinking aloud here..
The coil packs can burn out the pins on the ECU terminal... commonly by worn sparkplugs putting excessive electrical loads through them..

So ..

Is there another scenario that can strain parts of the immobilser circuit.??

I am tempted to think that DAMP isn't a major factor in your case... but jumpstarting:power spikes could...

A guy across the road has a renault clio that had similar problem. Having fitted a 2nd ECU.. when a battery died.. he then was reluctant to do it all again 5 years later.


I am a believer that its often poor connections at fault
.and wrestling the plus and loom around to swap an ECU can restore such make:break connections.

Only non.immob. isdue zi had was fixed by a relay replacement.. VERY ODD.. and far from common
 
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Agreed ..
that is possibly WHERE the basic issue shows.
but WHY it has happened is a worry.

Supposedly..using the emergency pedal tapping..the system needs resetting by FIAT. TO RECOGNISE KEY CODE once more.

Might be worth trying a GOOD autolocksmith..who can reprogram keys into the cars system.. it won't be cheap.. but less than €500.. ;)
 
Thank you for the replies guys, really appreciated.
I've just realised the car is actually a Seicento, don't suppose it makes much difference, it still doesn't go!
I will certainly try cleaning the contacts on the body computer, that's more in line with my 'day job' (repairing TV's, Hifi's etc.), it's a zero-cost option which is always worth a try.
Where will I find that? The car is LHD.

Thx again :)
 
Quick update.
Car still in the same state, but having read other threads here on similar issues we have decided to go for a replacement lock/immob/ECU set. There are several listed on the "famous auction website" but none of the UK ones suit this particular one's 1.1 spi engine. However I found a set in Italy (logical I suppose) for €70 inc P&P. So if that is guaranteed to get the car back on the road again it's well worth it.
Before I go ahead & order it is there anything I should look out for? I did notice in the seller's photo that it comes with a blue and a brown key.
(And is the immobiliser unit in this picture in fact the 'body computer' - one is included in the advertised set.)
 

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I've removed the ring and it is showing a DC resistance of around 34Ω. No amount of wiggling & tugging caused any variation so I am assuming it is OK. But as we all know, assumption is the mother of all ****-ups!
I am going to try holding a spare key right next to where this antenna plugs in (tomorrow when it's light) and see if that does anything.
 
Update: Got the replacement 'kit' (ign barrel, ECU and immob? box & antenna loop + 2 keys) sent over from Italy; fitted in 5 minutes and the car started first time. €70 inc. P&P, and as a bonus the car even passed its annual inspection first time!
Thanks everyone for all the helpful info - if he keeps the car I'll no doubt be back before long! (y)
 
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