Key not found..is there any hope?

Dottie · Jul 7, 2016

had AA man out tonight, I apparently have an immobiliser issue. To a layman, the van turned over but wouldn't fire up and dashboard warning
said 'key not found'. It did this with both sets of keys!

I was to get away this weekend and meet up with fellow VW campers (and dogs), so this is a huge last minute setback which has scuppered plans to get there on Friday.

Anyone any ideas how serious this could be.....is there any hope of it being fixed in the same day so that I can get away this weekend?

(Edinburgh Van Centre here we come....again...the van's just come out after a two week problem 'solving' exercise....they maybe didn't solve it!?!

Teejay · Jul 7, 2016

Dottie said:
had AA man out tonight, I apparently have an immobiliser issue. To a layman, the van turned over but wouldn't fire up and dashboard warning
said 'key not found'. It did this with both sets of keys!

I was to get away this weekend and meet up with fellow VW campers (and dogs), so this is a huge last minute setback which has scuppered plans to get there on Friday.

Anyone any ideas how serious this could be.....is there any hope of it being fixed in the same day so that I can get away this weekend?

(Edinburgh Van Centre here we come....again...the van's just come out after a two week problem 'solving' exercise....they maybe didn't solve it!?!

Hi Dottie
Not sure this will work but I've had that problem in the past,with Volvo and the solution was to hold the lock button on the key while the it's in the ignition and turned to position II. It sort of resyncs the key.

Teejay

Geezso · Jul 8, 2016

Sounds like the keys need pairing/ coding to the vehicle. If that's the only issue it wont take longer Than an hour. Strange they have done this, however better at home than away. Hope you get this resolved.

Isa Neal · Jul 8, 2016

Really really gutted for you Dottie, hope you have it solved very very soon.

Dottie · Jul 8, 2016

Thanks tee jay, I'll try th...will let you know how I get on.

Isa Neal said:
Really really gutted for you Dottie, hope you have it solved very very soon.

We're not having a great time recently, so van life and this weekend's plans were a godsend...now this at the eleventh hour.....sometimes life is just sing (hee hee this is not the word I typed....! But it is being 'translated when saved...funny!)

Heh hoh, we're up early with packing on the mind....I'm not giving up yet...here's hoping one of the above works and we're off and running again....second wind...!

Dilemma for day: van is empty due to recent 2 week stretch at van centre for repairs so I'm wondering how much I could fit in my car so that if I get van back quickly I could transfer stuff at work and set off without needing to come home again....added problem today is T in the park traffic if I need to come home to pack...I thought I was avoiding it!

I do hope it stops raining...both actually and metaphorically! Could do with some rays of sunshine....that said, I pick up Dottie on the way through, so if I get the van too, my mini family will all be back together! Life can be wonderful

Teejay · Jul 8, 2016

Dottie said:
Thanks tee jay, I'll try th...will let you know how I get on.

We're not having a great time recently, so van life and this weekend's plans were a godsend...now this at the eleventh hour.....sometimes life is just poo (hee hee this is not the word I typed....! But it is being 'translated when saved...funny!)

Heh hoh, we're up early with packing on the mind....I'm not giving up yet...here's hoping one of the above works and we're off and running again....second wind...!

Dilemma for day: van is empty due to recent 2 week stretch at van centre for repairs so I'm wondering how much I could fit in my car so that if I get van back quickly I could transfer stuff at work and set off without needing to come home again....added problem today is T in the park traffic if I need to come home to pack...I thought I was avoiding it!

I do hope it stops raining...both actually and metaphorically! Could do with some rays of sunshine....that said, I pick up Dottie on the way through, so if I get the van too, my mini family will all be back together! Life can be wonderful

Fingers crossed for you.

GrannyJen · Jul 8, 2016

Dottie,

Gutted for you.

I hope it's just nothing more than reset, a 10 minute job.

Really hope that you get away.

Jen

Dottie · Jul 8, 2016

Van on its way to Edinburgh Van Centre.
Told them my sob story, Dottie is being picked up, car is being loaded...Dottie's food is in van fridge, fellow campers will feed me....I just need a van!
I suppose van is getting a holiday, if not me! Ironically it had only been driven from van centre to farm a few weeks ago...this was first chance of an outing!
Colin's going to do his best....AA men have been lovely too.

GillianC · Jul 8, 2016

Dottie said:
View attachment 14990 Van on its way to Edinburgh Van Centre.
Told them my sob story, Dottie is being picked up, car is being loaded...Dottie's food is in van fridge, fellow campers will feed me....I just need a van!
I suppose van is getting a holiday, if not me! Ironically it had only been driven from van centre to farm a few weeks ago...this was first chance of an outing!
Colin's going to do his best....AA men have been lovely too.

Totally feel for you Dottie.
I collected my van on 8th June from the dealer, problems with roof and control panel very quickly became apparent, It went into the Guildford VW van centre on 20th June and hasn't been since! Three weeks.
I am hopping mad. the warranty work has apparently been done long ago but the problem is fitting the reversing camera (beware if you are thinking of getting one retrospectively).
I am desperate to have it back, play with it and fit all my new accessories. Grrrrrrrrrrr

Dottie · Jul 9, 2016

3 cheers to Edinburgh Van Centre!
True to their word, they diagnosed the problem as soon as AA turned up with my van on board! It was a 'simple' fix: the key codes of both keys had gone!

Big thanks to Colin and his colleagues for fixing my key coding, and satnav....so here I am at my destination...I made it!

Word of warning...my spare key had been sitting next to the house Combi boiler for 2 years...it may have screwed up the coding. Then when put alongside the key I normally use, the spare may have screwed it up too!
End result was van was transported to Edinburgh van centre to reprogramme keys, then an hour to pack!

Dottie · Jul 9, 2016

...and 3 cheers to my fellow campers who gave us a massive welcome, along with a meal...and wine!
We're now looking forward to our weekend of escape in our mini home....

snowy55 · Jul 9, 2016

Good result and well done one and all.
I don't get the combi boiler connection.

SimonB · Jul 9, 2016

Well done for getting it all repaired on making the weekend.

The keys can be affected by magnets which affect the programming. A friend put his Audi car keys in a pocket with his Blackberry. The magnet in the case used in prolonging the battery life of the Blackberry affected his car keys and he kept on having problems starting.
Most of the modern touch screen devices, iPads, iPhone covers, etc have a magnet which keeps the cover closed, but also prolongs the battery life by shutting the device down. That could have been an issue possibly.

snowy55 · Jul 9, 2016

Our combi boiler has a big megnetic water cleaner thingy perhaps it was that.

SimonB · Jul 9, 2016

snowy55 said:
Our combi boiler has a big megnetic water cleaner thingy perhaps it was that.

Those are very powerful magnets. I have one that the casing broke on, so I just have the magnet part. Very hard to pull it from a radiator or other steel surfaces.

Keith Smith · Jul 9, 2016

I've been told that if you have two keys but only use one try to alternate them, as the codes change each time you use them and the unused one can get out of sync. We've had this trouble with our Audi but it only stops us opening the door

WelshGas · Jul 9, 2016

Keith Smith said:
I've been told that if you have two keys but only use one try to alternate them, as the codes change each time you use them and the unused one can get out of sync. We've had this trouble with our Audi but it only stops us opening the door

Also it can avoid having the battery fail. They should last about 4/5 years so I swap my everyday one around every year..