Technical Marea Wkend 2.0..red key dilemma..

[prettyhatemachine]

Hey all,

Im guessing some of you may be sick of questions like this... but i recently bought a P reg (1997/8) Fiat Marea 2.0/20v HLX... only done 47,000 miles (if it hasnt been clocked..!) pretty good nick other than dent in front side panel and needs a new wing mirror... oh and the boot/rear wiper dont work (which ive heard is a pretty common problem with this model)..

Anyway, point of this being, i stupidly bought the car without a red key...id read a bit beforehand that said you should check for a red key when you buy a fiat...but didnt say why..so figured it may not be that important. (am kicking myself now..)

Now however, the battery on the car died really quick a couple of days ago (not entirely sure why..but thats another matter) and after attempting to jump-start the car, it appears the immobiliser (or something) seems to have kicked in and is preventing me from starting the car without the red key.

My question is: as i only paid £500 for the car in the first place, and the previous owner did not have the red key either, is it going to be worth my while trying to buy a new red key (Ive heard guesstimates of between £200-£500 for how much this is going to cost..) or should i cut my losses and try and sell it, probably for spares/repair? Does anyone have an accurate idea of how much the key will cost?

Thanks in advance for any help... am currently stressing out about this as i dont have much money..!:bang:
Cheers,
-Suzie

 

[dave]

battery being dis conected dont usaly efect the immobiliser, does the code light go off on the dash when you turn ignition on?

 

[prettyhatemachine]

hi dave, thanks for the reply!

bit more info...
basically, I went out a few nights ago and tried to unlock my car/turn the alarm off using the keyfob as usual, but the red flashing alarm light would not turn off inside the car. (the led on the keyfob lit up when i pressed it, so the battery in that is ok).
By the end of the night, the alarm had taken to making blipping noises every couple of seconds (though remaining locked) and by morning the car battery had completely died.

I tried to jump start it, and upon turning the key in the ignition whilst the other car was running, all the lights, including the "code" one i believe (but i cannot test thins again due to not having another car to jump start off at the moment) lit up, the car just sort of choked with out starting or the engine turning over - similar to what happened in my old car when you forgot to type in the immobiliser code.

If the battery is not being jumpstarted by another car it is completely lifeless (clock not working/alarm/central locking not working) and nothing happens when you put the key in the ignition..
hope this has clarified the situation a little more..
any ideas?

thanks!

-Suzie

 

[custard]

could just be the battery is goosed. wondering if the low battery is throwing up some issues.
alarm making sickly chirping noises is often down to a drained battery. really need to get the basics covered before condeming ECU's etc. got a charger or can you get another battery/jump start? to find out what is lighting up on the dash