cityrover immobiliser woes

LuvSpudz

Hi all,

My wife got a cityrover a year or so ago, it's a grand little crap car really, rattles like a bugger over 80kph but what can ya do!

Anyway, a week or so ago it wouldn't start up. We think it's the immobiliser, as do the good few mechanics we have had looking at it so far. I'll start at the beginning of this wonderful saga and see if anyone could shed some light:

We got some friends to tow it to one garage first of all, and during the towing it made some noises and unlocked the immobiliser, allowing me to start the car and drive it the rest of the way. Prior to this noise not even the car horn would work (which is how I realised it was back in action) The mechanic there claimed it was the battery being low on juice, so we promptly drove for an hour to charge it up.

Next morning wife drives to work, car starts up but this time air con wouldn't work. When she finishes work the car wouldn't start at all. Security guy on duty has son who is mechanic, gets him to come out to look at it a few times - can't figure out the problem.

After this we got our regular mechanic to come and tow the car to his garage, where it has lain ever since.


So basically:

• The central locking won't unlock
• The car won't start (though the dash lights up and the battery has been tested - fully charged by me with a battery charger I have and also checked in the garage)
• Driving it that first time seemed to 'release' it to allow it to start without issues, be stopped and started again a few times (until the following evening) - I don't know if this was attempted again

The immobiliser has always been an issue with it, mainly due to the unlock button on the key fob being broken. However when we bought the car there was a second fob type device which could be connected under the drivers seat by a wire to deactivate it. Now in my research this evening I read somewhere that the immob might think we are tampering with it if the proper fob isn't being used, but does that explain the other electrical things not working? Also the radio used to seemingly power off on occasion in the weeks running up to this. (According to our mechanic he has checked the wiring in relation to the immob etc.

So can anyone help with this conundrum? With MG Rover off the market sine '05 we need someone else to help.

It's a 2004 Rover Cityrover Select 1.4 Petrol, any other info will be of course provided and any help or suggestions greatly appreciated! Even if we could bypass the bloody thing that'd be great.

Thanks to all for your help in advance.

pburns

.

LuvSpudz

pburns wrote: »

.

Believe me, that thought had occurred to me!!

EDIT: heh, I got a laugh out of it, so don't worry about removing the image pburns

Any non immolation based advice?