R Reg Megane immobiliser problem

Hmmmmmm MIL eh? Try feeding a rubber hose from the exhaust to inside the car. Close all doors and windows and tell her it's an emmissions test.

ATP electrioonics (www to find your local agent) will test the ECU and repair it. You can opt to have the immobilizer "zero'd" at the same time, but must notify the insurance company after. ECU's are coded to the car normally, but after zeroing it will work on any car.

Are you sure its not:

a) the key- try the spare. b) the transponder ring around the ignition barrel, its cable, or the plug. c) the immobilzier unit (commonly fail!)

before blaming the main ECU???

Tim..

Remove it from the Renault dealer for a start. Then get a decent mobile car mechanic to check it, and if necessary remove the ECU. She can then send it to :-

will check it for a nominal sum. Around £30 unless the price has gone up. If faulty they can supply a reconned ECU at about half price, and forgo the checking cost. She can then have it fitted by the mechanic.Mike.

Don't tempt me.

All I can go on is the third attempt at diagnosis by the Renault dealer. This car does not have a transponder. The immobiliser is part of the remote locking AFAIK. They claim to have changed what I understand to be the immobiliser unit to no avail. I do hope they tried the spare.

I'd recommend you post the question on

detailing the simptoms for advise - if you solve it please let the forum know to maintain the knowledge

I had a problem with my megane where the car wouldn't start, no click, nothing, the immodiliser light did it's thing correctly and it happened intermittently. Each time I was lucky as each time I was on an incline and could coast/jump it, but I lick ran out when it happened to me 20mile from home in the lakes and of all the hills available I hadn't parked on one so it was a friend call to my dad for a quick tow to jump it. It turned out my problem was the wire to my starter solinoid had vibrated loose to the point of a hit/miss connection. Cost to fix it - =A316 for a haynes manual because I could figure out where it was, who'd put it behind the engine where you can't see it.

Others with similar simptoms people turned out to be a TDC (Top Dead Centre) sensor which temporary can be cleaned but from the forums doesn't seem to be a problem for a diy maintainancer to replace.

it's shocking that a renault dealer changed a part by assuming it was at fault, sadly from reading the renaultforums they seem to do this alot.

Dave

Diagnosis by replacement, it's standard when the ECU doesn't give a familiar error code and has been for years in most main dealers. It's not entirely down to poor staff, the change in the way engines are regulated has had a nock on with a lot of faults causing the same symptom, limp home mode.

But of course we have to get over the immobiliser problem first....

There's a hole in my bucket, dear Lisa, dear Lisa :)

They have a branch in Ashford which is quite near. Will try them. Problem is trying to find for a suitable mechanic in her area.

Had a good look there, I already knew of that forum. They just seem to think that replacement of ECU is common.

Yes, if I ever get to the bottom of this I will post the results. Knowledge is a valuable thing.

Well, she has just got onto the AA who are sending one of their guys to give an independent report. We wait with interest.

Yellow Pages. I'm sure there must be some mobile mechanics listed that cover her area, and it might be better if you spoke to them to explain the situation, rather than letting her handle it on her own. Mike.

AA then said they could not assess the electronics, and referred her to another company, who also said the same. Anyway, The renault garage offered her £100 from a scrappy for it, and she has got the new tax disc back for a refund, so she has accepted that. Thanks for all the replies. Renault garage also offered to sell her another Renault, needless to say she wasn't impressed.