Cobra Tracker - Car wouldn't start...

[AndrewO]

Drove my new to me 997GT3 2007 car home last week and put all the paperwork, keys, cobra fobs in the house. Insured the car with Porsche Insurance (no cobra tracker required) and spent the week driving it about.

This morning it wouldn't start. No click of the ignition which I thought was odd. Went inside and grabbed the spare key plus the 3 fobs, started straight away. Two fobs are still in their new plastic cases, one is used if you like with a very dim light flashing on it. The two new ones have no lights.

I'm guessing there is an immobiliser function on the one with a dim light ? The garage bought a spare one of these hence two new ones, are these coded to the car ? Can anyone fill me in on all this, thx

Another question, one of the headlight washers needs pushing up a bit, can this be done from popping the indicator lense out ?

[threespins]

If you have driven the car without the Cobra fobs on you then it is not activated (you will know wether you have paid a subscription)
Seems like a key fob problem, hence working ok with the spare key. Some one else may have more knowledge than me, but that's my take on it.

[AndrewO]

Although I took the spare key to the car I used the first one again.

My complimentary insurance (7days) would have switched today, might be linked ?

Edited by AndrewO on Monday 10th March 22:44

[Alpinestars]

The Cobra system does not immobilise the car, certainly not on the ones I have it on. It's only a way of telling Cobra Central that the car is being driven without the fob being in or around it.

Is it possible you didn't depress the clutch the first time?

[alscar]

No they are not linked so either coincidence due to the clutch as suggested.To turn the others on and see the flashing light just press the button and hold for a few seconds.

[DT398]

(Apparently)there is a mode that can be activated that will prevent the car from starting if the fob is not in or very close to the car but your car should not have been delivered with that mode activated (but it might have been delivered that way in error).

The obvious issue with this mode is that you can drive off from home when the fob was close enough but not take the fob with you and you will not get the car started again.

Might all be BS but I had this exact problem that the car would not start without the fob close by and the OPC gave me the above explanation and fixed it for me.

Have you checked to see if it's one of the keys that's faulty? Do they both start the car with the fobs in the car and neither of the keys work when the fobs are out of the way?

[AndrewO]

Not really got to the bottom of it but I'll see what happens over the next few days/weeks.

Spoke with Cobra, they said they have the ability to remotely immobilize the car but only if stolen. I've been driving around without the fob and their system has been raising stolen alarms. System now marked as "ready for next owner/on-hold".

Are there any funnies like it won't start with the door open or twisting the key and then pressing the clutch ?

[sharky67]

I had this on my 997 turbo with cobra tracker. I purchased it from porsche... never took the cobra subscription. Car would not start if the fob was not in the car.

I had the car towed in to the dealer via assist... Gave them the tracker fob etc..

They told me the tracker units are set up in different ways .. This one was setup so the car will not start unless a valid fob for the tracker unit was around.. I realised the hard way as the fobs were in the house (Turned On though).. Car started as they were detected from in the house... Got to supermarket... and would not start again..

Another thing could have been the tracker unit was still in a half baked state as the previous owner had the tracker activated.. So could be in a sleep mode and not fully shut down. OPC can shut it down completely

The moral of the story the tracker unit in your car can immobilise the vehicle without the fob.. Happens to me without the fob. I got the same story from cobra...

I quite like it... weird but true.

Edited by sharky67 on Wednesday 12th March 16:35