Spare Key Advice

Spare Key Advice

Author
Discussion

nickofh

Original Poster:

603 posts

117 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
At least you have or can get a spare key for emergencies. The only other thing is to see if that sigma fob is sending out a signal.

I bought one of these to see if my friends key was sending out a signal or if it was the car( it was the key ) . It does also work on my sigma fob and Subaru key.

GUNSON 77013 VEHICLE KEY FOB TESTER

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GUNSON-77013-VEHICLE-KEY...

They are all stupidly expensive on ebay currently , but only a fiver on here

http://www.toolsave.co.uk/product-gunson-77013-gun...

Let me know how you get on! :-)

nickofh

Original Poster:

603 posts

117 months

Tuesday 16th December 2014
quotequote all
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-SUBERU-IMPREZA-ECT-S...

£20 for that one,

They are new on this website for £38

http://www.southerncarsecurity.co.uk/index.php?rou...

and this company were helpful in giving me some of the info that I have put on here.

http://scorpionauto.com/home/products/SIGAC110

NailedOn

3,114 posts

234 months

Friday 6th February 2015
quotequote all
A quick update on my Outback key.
The Sigma beeper did not mate to the car.
I bought a (non-remote) physical key/blade so I could use it as a spare, when combined with the PIN code to shut the alarm off.
This appeared to work. As in I could lock the car with the remaining original key, then unlock it with the physical key and shut the alarm down with the PIN. the car would then drive with the new physical key.
So far so good.

I then bought a replacement ‘original’ Subaru key on eBay. Obviously the blade would not be the same but I have the replacement one. But it looks identical to the original.

But the car would not mate the new key to the car. All the beeps sounded when I keyed in the sequence, but it would not unlock/lock/start the car.
Hm, tried several times, but no. I did install a new battery too.

Then I reverted to the steps above with the blade/PIN combination and that does not now work!
I am wondering if my reprogramming the keys I have knocked out the blade? Dunno. Out of my depth now.

The blade still opens the door and the PIN disarms the alarm, it is just that the engine will not fire, even within the 30 second window.

I am now selling the car and would like at least for the blade/PIN combo to work.

Frankly, I am stumped and as the car is only worth £4k it is not worth paying a dealer £400-500 to fix.

Any further suggestions would be welcome.

nickofh

Original Poster:

603 posts

117 months

Sunday 8th February 2015
quotequote all
NailedOn said:
A quick update on my Outback key.
The Sigma beeper did not mate to the car.
I bought a (non-remote) physical key/blade so I could use it as a spare, when combined with the PIN code to shut the alarm off.
This appeared to work. As in I could lock the car with the remaining original key, then unlock it with the physical key and shut the alarm down with the PIN. the car would then drive with the new physical key.
So far so good.

I then bought a replacement ‘original’ Subaru key on eBay. Obviously the blade would not be the same but I have the replacement one. But it looks identical to the original.

But the car would not mate the new key to the car. All the beeps sounded when I keyed in the sequence, but it would not unlock/lock/start the car.
Hm, tried several times, but no. I did install a new battery too.

Then I reverted to the steps above with the blade/PIN combination and that does not now work!
I am wondering if my reprogramming the keys I have knocked out the blade? Dunno. Out of my depth now.

The blade still opens the door and the PIN disarms the alarm, it is just that the engine will not fire, even within the 30 second window.

I am now selling the car and would like at least for the blade/PIN combo to work.

Frankly, I am stumped and as the car is only worth £4k it is not worth paying a dealer £400-500 to fix.

Any further suggestions would be welcome.
Oh Bugg3r, I really feel for you! Firstly , do you have any working key ?

It could be that the used key that you have bought is not working correctly. One of the reasons that sent me down this route was that my only key ( the original one button one ) would not always remote lock / unlock etc. I tried a new battery , cleaning the contacts etc and bought I little key fob tester that tells you if the key is giving off a signal. Sometimes it did , sometimes it didn't. Often it had to be pressed stupidly hard to make it work. That's why I ended up with the sigma fob.

I am not 100% here myself , but did you have this new key coded at a dealer / locksmith etc. My understanding of the system is that there is the original Subaru system with locking and immobiliser which we cant mess with like we can with the sigma one. So you have to have the new key coded before it will start the car. Then you tackle the sigma system separately which is the alarm and the second immobiliser.

Your thinking was similar to mine in some ways , when I first bought the car and before I realised that timpsons did keys so cheap I bought a cheap new Subaru looking key off ebay for a fiver and I thought I will get this cut and at least I wont have to replace the locks / ignition if I lose my key ,because Ill have a copy of the blade and will know the sigma code.

Let me know what happens :-)

NailedOn

3,114 posts

234 months

Monday 9th February 2015
quotequote all
nickofh said:
NailedOn said:
A quick update on my Outback key.
The Sigma beeper did not mate to the car.
I bought a (non-remote) physical key/blade so I could use it as a spare, when combined with the PIN code to shut the alarm off.
This appeared to work. As in I could lock the car with the remaining original key, then unlock it with the physical key and shut the alarm down with the PIN. the car would then drive with the new physical key.
So far so good.

I then bought a replacement ‘original’ Subaru key on eBay. Obviously the blade would not be the same but I have the replacement one. But it looks identical to the original.

But the car would not mate the new key to the car. All the beeps sounded when I keyed in the sequence, but it would not unlock/lock/start the car.
Hm, tried several times, but no. I did install a new battery too.

Then I reverted to the steps above with the blade/PIN combination and that does not now work!
I am wondering if my reprogramming the keys I have knocked out the blade? Dunno. Out of my depth now.

The blade still opens the door and the PIN disarms the alarm, it is just that the engine will not fire, even within the 30 second window.

I am now selling the car and would like at least for the blade/PIN combo to work.

Frankly, I am stumped and as the car is only worth £4k it is not worth paying a dealer £400-500 to fix.

Any further suggestions would be welcome.
Oh Bugg3r, I really feel for you! Firstly , do you have any working key ?

It could be that the used key that you have bought is not working correctly. One of the reasons that sent me down this route was that my only key ( the original one button one ) would not always remote lock / unlock etc. I tried a new battery , cleaning the contacts etc and bought I little key fob tester that tells you if the key is giving off a signal. Sometimes it did , sometimes it didn't. Often it had to be pressed stupidly hard to make it work. That's why I ended up with the sigma fob.

I am not 100% here myself , but did you have this new key coded at a dealer / locksmith etc. My understanding of the system is that there is the original Subaru system with locking and immobiliser which we cant mess with like we can with the sigma one. So you have to have the new key coded before it will start the car. Then you tackle the sigma system separately which is the alarm and the second immobiliser.

Your thinking was similar to mine in some ways , when I first bought the car and before I realised that timpsons did keys so cheap I bought a cheap new Subaru looking key off ebay for a fiver and I thought I will get this cut and at least I wont have to replace the locks / ignition if I lose my key ,because Ill have a copy of the blade and will know the sigma code.

Let me know what happens :-)
Thanks for getting back to me and please now ignore a DM I sent you on this.

I have one original working key and as of today I have sold the car and advised the buyer that there is only the one. It is the remaining original key and has a new battery.

Bizarrely I found the missing original key today. Well my wife did. It was underneath the dishwasher and the cat takes the blame!
Of course, I have since reprogrammed the keys so this newly found key does not work.

The keypad is now no longer responding to the reprogramming sequence, the light does not blink. It did yesterday but today, nothing. As the one key works and the car is going this week, I am quitting whilst I'm ahead. The buyer has one good key and if he wants to take the other one to a dealer then he can.

I appreciate all the advice here and one of my Maine Coons is going to be on short rations tonight!

nickofh

Original Poster:

603 posts

117 months

Monday 9th February 2015
quotequote all
Good news on the sale then. Hopefully someone else will find the info useful in the future.

Who knew a cat could have so much fun with a car key!

gforceg

3,524 posts

178 months

Wednesday 11th February 2015
quotequote all
Apologies for a minor thread hijack...

I've got the two original fobs that came with my Legacy. I've been using one for a few months now since the other seemed to fail around the time the car battery died.

I finally got round to replacing the button battery in the (probably) failed fob, not before testing it with the battery it already had fitted.

It does seem that fob is not talking to the car. Or the car isn't listening.

Is there a recognised and hopefully cheap way of getting the car and the fob reintroduced and on speaking terms keeping in mind I do still have one perfectly working fob?

Any advice appreciated.

AWG

854 posts

155 months

Wednesday 11th February 2015
quotequote all
I hate digital stuff! It is beyond me all this fob tech so will be asking a mobile auto lock guy to have a crack at the second fob on mine. Apparently £65 will match it with the car. Lets see.

nickofh

Original Poster:

603 posts

117 months

Wednesday 11th February 2015
quotequote all
gforceg said:
Apologies for a minor thread hijack...

I've got the two original fobs that came with my Legacy. I've been using one for a few months now since the other seemed to fail around the time the car battery died.

I finally got round to replacing the button battery in the (probably) failed fob, not before testing it with the battery it already had fitted.

It does seem that fob is not talking to the car. Or the car isn't listening.

Is there a recognised and hopefully cheap way of getting the car and the fob reintroduced and on speaking terms keeping in mind I do still have one perfectly working fob?

Any advice appreciated.
If your car has the sigma alarm system fitted then it should be possible for you to reprogram the other fob. I bought I used fob for mine and successfully mated it with my car. Providing the fob is working.

Good luck , Ill try and help if I can but I'm not a professional alarm guy!

gforceg

3,524 posts

178 months

Wednesday 11th February 2015
quotequote all
Thanks, mine has the one button Subaru fobs as pictured on page one. It has the key pad near the driver's right knee but, guess what! I don't have a code number for it. Unless the number on the small metal tag on one of the key rings is the right one.

This could either be interesting or expensive!

nickofh

Original Poster:

603 posts

117 months

Wednesday 11th February 2015
quotequote all
gforceg said:
Thanks, mine has the one button Subaru fobs as pictured on page one. It has the key pad near the driver's right knee but, guess what! I don't have a code number for it. Unless the number on the small metal tag on one of the key rings is the right one.

This could either be interesting or expensive!
I think the number should be on a card in your cars paperwork if you have any. Two things to try if your feeling brave.......

Unlock your car like normal , wait a minute , then with the drivers door open press the code you might have into the keypad and if it works it will start to beep , shut the door and lock with the key in the door lock. Your car is locked and alarmed. You can then disarm with the key like normal or the code if you don't mind hearing the alarm for a few secs.

Since you have a working key you should be able to change the code to your own. I did this successfully with mine. I didn't know the code and it wasn't in the cars history. My instructions for this are on the previous page for Sigma S34.

Good Luck !

gforceg

3,524 posts

178 months

Wednesday 11th February 2015
quotequote all
Thanks, I'll give it a bat at the weekend.

Cheers.

Stoatman

592 posts

166 months

Saturday 6th June 2015
quotequote all
So , I'm happy to admit I copied this exactly . I now have the identical key with the the identical bipper for the immobiliser . 35 quid for the key and I had the code for the alarm and the instruction book . Wins all round. Thanks for the heads up originally .

nickofh

Original Poster:

603 posts

117 months

Saturday 6th June 2015
quotequote all
Very Happy to have helped.

beer

Stoatman

592 posts

166 months

Sunday 7th June 2015
quotequote all
PS

Just realised the blipped operates the central locking too so even more convenient .

NailedOn

3,114 posts

234 months

Monday 8th June 2015
quotequote all
,
Stoatman said:
PS

Just realised the blipped operates the central locking too so even more convenient .
Result!
It felt like a high stakes game to me.
At one pour I posted the one remaining working key to a specialist to be cloned. It came back two days later but was a bit "w-her" so I am pleased your recoding routine worked.

I no longer have the Scooby but I still have the cat!

ajexp

39 posts

162 months

Tuesday 10th November 2015
quotequote all
Very useful info here...My Scoobie's boot opens after I press Lock on Single key fob...so need to correct that ..

Any pointers welcome

Edited by ajexp on Wednesday 11th November 14:49

Keep it stiff

1,762 posts

172 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
nickofh said:
I think the number should be on a card in your cars paperwork if you have any. Two things to try if your feeling brave.......

Unlock your car like normal , wait a minute , then with the drivers door open press the code you might have into the keypad and if it works it will start to beep , shut the door and lock with the key in the door lock. Your car is locked and alarmed. You can then disarm with the key like normal or the code if you don't mind hearing the alarm for a few secs.

Since you have a working key you should be able to change the code to your own. I did this successfully with mine. I didn't know the code and it wasn't in the cars history. My instructions for this are on the previous page for Sigma S34.

Good Luck !
Top marks OP, this is a really helpful.

kevinwilson

6 posts

139 months

Tuesday 11th December 2018
quotequote all
Hi nick any chance you could email me over the instructions as I have the exact car and year with only one key.

Kevin-wilson@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks so much in advance. Kev

Stoatman

592 posts

166 months

Tuesday 11th December 2018
quotequote all
http://tinyurl.com/sigmaM30

Instructions here as word document