Turns over,
will not start?
Dash lights on, key in, and the engine will not fire, or the key symbol flashes at you. Often that is the immobiliser rather than the key, and it is usually a quicker and cheaper fix than people expect.
Your registration tells us the job and the price before we set off.
immobiliser & ecu in progress · client photography
Often not the key at all
People assume a car that will not start has a dead key. More often it is the part of the car that reads the key.
The immobiliser reads a chip in the key through a small coil around the ignition barrel. When that coil fails, the key is perfect and the car still refuses it. It is a common fault and a cheap one to fix.
The other regular cause is lost coding, usually after a battery change or a flat battery, where a module forgets which keys it trusts. That is reprogramming rather than new parts.
We start with a diagnosis, and if the fault is something other than the immobiliser we tell you what it is and who should fix it, rather than cutting you a key you do not need.
Six things in the price
Everything below is in the figure you get on the phone.
Diagnosis first
We find the fault before quoting the repair.
Deducted
The diagnosis fee comes off the repair if you go ahead.
Receiver rings
Failed coils around the barrel replaced at the roadside.
Recoding
Modules that have lost their key list reprogrammed.
Straight answers
If it is not our kind of fault, you hear so and why.
Twelve months
Guaranteed on repairs and coding.
Three kinds of fault
The diagnosis tells us which one you have. These are the bands most jobs fall into.
Diagnosis
Reading the fault codes and testing the key and the reader.
- Fault codes read
- Key chip tested
- Receiver coil tested
Recode
Module has forgotten its keys, often after a battery change.
- All keys reprogrammed
- Lost keys stay deleted
- Usually under an hour
ECU work
Module repair or replacement coding where it has failed.
- Module read and repaired
- Coding matched to the car
- Some need the unit
Not sure it is the immobiliser? Describe what the dash is doing on the phone. It often narrows it down before anyone travels.
What happens when we arrive
Listen
What the car does
Dash lights, noises and symbols tell us a lot on the phone.
Read
Fault codes
The diagnostic port shows what the car is complaining about.
Test
Key and reader
The chip and the receiver coil tested separately.
Fix
Or say so
Repaired and coded, or a straight answer about what it is.
Before you ring
If yours is not here, ring and ask. Two questions usually settles it.
Call 0115 960 4128The key light is flashing. What does that mean?
Usually that the car cannot read the key’s chip, which is either the chip or the reader around the barrel. A diagnosis tells us which.
It happened after I changed the battery. Why?
Some modules lose their coding when power drops. It is reprogramming rather than new parts.
What if it is not the immobiliser?
We tell you what it is and who should fix it. You pay for the diagnosis only.
Can a main dealer not do this?
They can, but the car usually has to be towed to them. We diagnose it where it stands.
Does it always get fixed at the roadside?
Most of the time. A few modules need the bench at the unit, and we say so before starting.
Anywhere on the patch
The van covers everywhere below at the same price. Where you are decides how quickly we arrive, not what it costs.
Dispatch
Open now · until 21:00 tonight
Sunday 09:00–18:00
Ring with the registration
You get the job, the price and a real arrival time in one call.