Hi Guys, Does anyone know if the spare key ( non electronic ) should start the engine. It opens the doors and the engine turns over but displays " electronic ant-theft device is defective " and refuses to start. The main key ( a 2 button electronic key ) now works normally. The car is a 2003 406S HDI.
Has the spare key been programmed into the ECU? We have 3 keys, 2 programmed into the ECU, one not. All can open the car and turn the ignition, but only the 2 which have been programmed in will disable the immobiliser and allow the car to actually start.
Hi and thanks for your reply. I can not see how my spare key can be programmed into the ECU because it contains no electronics. It will open the car and enable the ignition but on attempting to start the message " electronic anti-theft device is defective " there are no buttons, batteries or electronics in the key pod but it was the key that was supplied with the car from new. Its a long story but this has cost me £80 NCP car parking fees and £200 in extra nights in a London hotel but I managed to repair the normal
2 button key in the hotel bedroom eventually.
Does your key that will not start the engine have any buttons etc ? Or have you chosen not to enable that key. I think the question I should be asking is what is the point of Peugeot suppling a spare key that will not start the engine.
I am assuming here that the spare key is roughly the same shape and size as the one with the buttons. The old system used by Pug used to rely on IR codes to disarm the immobiliser, they now use a chip in the key that is read by the car. The car asks the key for its ID as part of the start up procedure. No battery is needed in the key for this just a chip that is activated when in range. The buttons on the key merely work the central locking.
Have you ever used the spare before? I suspect it has never been programmed to the ECU. If you have had the car from new you should contact your Pug dealer to find out which keys have been programmed to the ECU. This is what Pug recomend you to do when you buy second-hand to check that there are no extra keys out there. If it turns out there is only one key programmed I think you have every right to complain to the dealer who sold you the car in the first place.
Of the 3 keys we have, 1 has a button to do the central locking, but the other 2 have no buttons, cannot be dismantled (single casting of plastic), however they do have small chips in them which are used by the immobiliser system. There's a coil near/around the ignition lock which energises the embedded chip and then gives it's ID to the system. If the ID is in the ECU then it disables the immobiliser. If it's not, then the starter will turn, but the injectors/pump/spark plugs or something don't work, thus stopping it from starting.
The history was when we got the car (2nd hand from a Pug dealer) we only got 1 key (the button one). We therefore asked for a 2nd key to be provided and programmed free. A few weeks later we got it but it wasn't a button one for the central locking - queried this and they said this was standard due to the cost etc. Fine with me. Then a few weeks/months later they sent us another key saying the original seller had found their spare key and given it to them. Tried it in the car and it did everything except start it. When asked about it, they explained that only 2 keys could be programmed into the ECU and therefore this one had been disabled.
That's why we have 3 keys and only 2 work, even if it doesn't have a button/obvious electronics in it.
Are you sure about that? Most people I know who have bought new cars with 'plip' type remotes for central locking only received 1 with buttons, the other being a normal key (which works with the immobiliser etc). This includes Peugeots, Fords and Volvos.
Not having buttons doesn't mean it's not electronic.
My Mk2 405 had two keys, both with "plips". My Rover 600 had two keys, both with "plips". My current 406 Coupe has two keys, both with "plips". My parent's Mondeo has two keys, both with "plips". Their previous Rover 800 had two keys, both with "plips". My Brother's 206 has two keys, both with "plips". My Grandad's 307 has two keys, both with "plips".
Do you see a pattern developing here :)
I've *never* known a car to only come with one fully functional key - it's complete loonacy ! A spare isn't a spare if you can't use it inplace of the original.
Peugeots *definitely* come with two fully-featured keys - there's been 7 in my household in the past 8 years.
Remember that dealers lie ! When I bought my used Mk2 405, it only had one key with it. I asked for a second key, and the dealer said they only came with one key from new (because they didn't want to pay for a second one for me). A few weeks later, I tracked down the second key (the one the dealer said didn't exist) - the previous owner still had it.
Also remember that keys are regularly lost - many many used cars only have one key ... but this doesn't mean they didn't have two when they were new !
My 206 has the two "plip" keys so haven't tried this one, but I'm sure I have read it somewhere.
If you put the non plip key into the lock and hold the plip key next to it while turning, would it work then? Not too sure whether the electronics would constantly look for the signal, which would make it a pointless exercise, but may be worth a try, just in case it happens again (unless the problem was with the car recognising the plip key that is).
As for Dave G via CarKB... I think the second key that you have is one without a transponder inside. It doesn't need any other electronics e.g. buttons as they are just central locking or boot release on Pugs. But the key does need the transponder and it does need to be coded to the cars ECU, is there an extra plastic block or glass container with some electronics inside it in the keyfob? That will be the transponder, failing that as one person has said, just use the spare key in the ignition and hold the original key close to the steering lock when you start the car.
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