Does it follow

[michele]

That my ignition padlock light is going to imobilise the vehicle soon .

 

The question is how do I know that its the vehicle factory fitted alarm or the alarm that we had fitted at our own exspence.

Do I assume rightly or wrongly that if it was the one we had fitted that the dash board padlock wouldnt come up .

 

I have to take it tomorrow to Fiat and according to them they will be keeping it in . I asked why it would be so long they went on about an ECU blah blah all very well if you understand all that ,from what I can make out its going to cost a fortune what they charge by the hour .

How can I find out which alarm it is .

[euroserv]

Hi Michele,

 

If it is the orange/yellow padlock in the instrument cluster that is coming on it is definitely the immobiliser that came as standard with the vehicle. After market alarms and immobilisers will not be able to illuminate the lamp.

 

Have you tried a spare key? Sometimes the immobiliser ring on the steering column does not receive the correct code quickly enough, flags up a potential fault and works anyway.Often this can be cured by using another key.

 

If you ask the dealer to read any stored fault codes and advise you of the likely cause to start with that should not cost too much. Ask them to delete any faults that are stored in the memory when they have read them.

 

This may remove the problem at this time and it may never come back.

 

If the fault is a live one and not just stored, there is a problem and you would be wise to follow the advice of the dealer and get whatever it is fixed because you could be stranded in the middle of nowhere.

 

In your original pack that came with the vehicle (usually blue with fiat logo on it) you should have a package from the 'international security register' that all uk registered Fiats are enrolled in at pre delivery inspection. You should contact these people and once they are satisfied that you are the true owner and relieve you of about £25.00 they will be able to give you the emergency start up code. This would be required if you broke down with an immobiliser fault and would allow the RAC/AA or whoever attends to get the vehicle started. This code has to be entered each and every time the engine is started until the fault is repaired. There are also instructions for how to enter the code in your owners manual. Fiat dealers can supply the code for you but if you are not known to them will charge more.

 

If you know the original supplying dealer you could ask them to obtain the code for you for free. It is after all your vehicle and you are entitled to know it, though for security reasons dealers are not supposed to divulge it to anyone. If the dealer asks you for payment tell them that you want one of their three free codes a day that they are allowed!

 

So, if you can get the fault deleted and it stays away, and you can get your immobiliser code and the instructions for how to enter it you can continue to use your vehicle with at least some confidence that you will not be stranded miles from a dealer.

 

Good luck.

 

Nick

[jhorsf]

Thanks for another very useful and informative post Nick

[spospe]

A small point regarding trying another key.

 

I have often seen key rings with loads of other keys attached and sometimes these additional keys can literaly get in the way and block the immobiliser signals, thus preventing the engine from starting. Trying another key (without all the attached junk) can overcome this problem. ;-)