Hi,

I have a 2000 Octavia 1.9 TDi. I've owned the car two years and only ever had one key. I put some new batteries in the keyfob yesterday and it wasn't working so a colleague of mine fiddled about for a bit, taking batteries out etc, to see if he could get it working, with no success. Now my car won't start (had to get the bus home and back to work today), the immobiliser light flashes constantly so something has gone wrong. Any clues?

Immobiliser isn't recognising the key. I think you are going to have to try to get the SKC from Skoda & get the key coded back to the immobilser.

The fact that he had removed the battery will of made no difference at all, did he remove the screw under the Skoda badge? because if he has damaged / cracked the transponder then it is well and truly fubared and will need a new transponder (a couple of quid) the cars SKC and someone with VCDS to code the new transponder.

Hello again,

thanks for the quick replies. I forgot to mention that I do have the 'key tab' with four digit code (is this the SKC?). I have just input the code, overridden the immobiliser and started the car, let it run for a few minutes and taken the key out. The car now recognises the key again (tried twice), so hopefully that's it.

I might look into getting a second key anyway (found a thread explaining a cheap way to do that)

Result! Most people lose the SKC key tab. Well worth getting a spare key though.

Yes the older cars had the SKC on the plastic tab .

Once you have that code a brand new key can be done for under £50, or pay a dealer £160+ for essentially the same thing.

I would be looking a cheap backup key. Something like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-VW-SEAT-SKODA-BLANK-KEY-TRANSPONDER-LIGHT-/180584592875?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2a0bae35eb

Anyone with a bit of knowledge and VCDS could get you a working spare key.