2016 Rapid 1.4tdi spare key = immobilizer active

[Urtyboy]

Hi guys,

 

I've recently purchased a Skoda Rapid and made a rookie mistake by not testing the spare key. It can manually lock/unlock the doors but that's about it. The remote central locking does not work and it also is unable to start the car as it triggers the immobilizer (immobilizer active message + SAFE on bottom right corner).

 

I have been searching through forums and cannot find anything that works; I did reach out to my local Skoda dealership who wants £135 just to investigate plus however many hours it'll take to fix the issue. It's absurd and I can't pay that to be honest so I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions. I spoke to a garage who have a electronics/key specialist who have quoted £175 for a new key. Even then, seems nuts just for a spare key.

 

FYI my main key works perfect eacha nd every time.

 

What could be wrong?

[camelspyyder]

Flat battery? Does the LED on the key flash when you press a button?

 

Worth the 3 quid to change it and try it out.

 

Its just a standard CR2025 in mine and they fail every 18 months (Kessy keyless).

 

The non Keyless ones need a battery every 3-4 years.

 

 

Edited 3 June, 2021 by camelspyyder

[camelspyyder]

Lots of Youtube guides to be found on reprogram or resync VW Audi key fob.

 

Seems as if its quite easy with one working key and one not. Get a new fob battery and give it a go.

[camelspyyder]

for example

 

RIPPED OFF FROM CLUBGTI.COM

 

 

best to open the drivers window after item 1...

 

 

Remote Key Registration Procedure:
1 Switch ignition ON.
2 Insert key to be programmed into driver’s door lock.
3 Lock vehicle manually (rotate key in lock)
4 Press lock or unlock button on new key.
5 Wait at least 1 second.
6 Press lock or unlock button again.
7 Vehicle horn sounds briefly to indicate successful programming

 

 

Edited 3 June, 2021 by camelspyyder

[camelspyyder]

different method

 

How to reset/re-program VW remote key, or change the battery (Audi, Skoda, SEAT) - YouTube

 

 

[camelspyyder]

Cut from the 2017 Rapid manual

 

Synchronising the remote control

If the buttons on the remote control key have been depressed several times beyond the effective range of the equipment or the battery has been replaced in the remote control key and the vehicle cannot be unlocked with the remote control, the key must be synchronised.

 

› Press any button on the remote control key.

› Unlock the door with the key in the lock cylinder within 1 minute of pressing the button.

 

Fault with the central locking If the warning light in the driver's door initially flashes quickly for around 2 seconds, and then illuminates for 30 seconds without interruption before flashing again slowly, you will need to seek the assistance of a specialist garage. In the event of a failure in the central locking system, the vehicle doors and the boot lid can emergency locked or unlocked » page 225.

 

Failure of the system KESSY If there is a fault in the KESSY system, the appropriate error message is displayed in the instrument cluster.

 

Low voltage of the key battery If the voltage of the key battery is too low, a message appears in the display of the instrument cluster referring to the need to replace the battery. Replace the battery

 

 

Edited 3 June, 2021 by camelspyyder

[Urtyboy]

2 hours ago, camelspyyder said:

Cut from the 2017 Rapid manual

 

Synchronising the remote control

If the buttons on the remote control key have been depressed several times beyond the effective range of the equipment or the battery has been replaced in the remote control key and the vehicle cannot be unlocked with the remote control, the key must be synchronised.

 

› Press any button on the remote control key.

› Unlock the door with the key in the lock cylinder within 1 minute of pressing the button.

 

Fault with the central locking If the warning light in the driver's door initially flashes quickly for around 2 seconds, and then illuminates for 30 seconds without interruption before flashing again slowly, you will need to seek the assistance of a specialist garage. In the event of a failure in the central locking system, the vehicle doors and the boot lid can emergency locked or unlocked » page 225.

 

Failure of the system KESSY If there is a fault in the KESSY system, the appropriate error message is displayed in the instrument cluster.

 

Low voltage of the key battery If the voltage of the key battery is too low, a message appears in the display of the instrument cluster referring to the need to replace the battery. Replace the battery

 

 

I'm not sure why I didn't see any of these articles but I will certainly try all of these methods.

 

Fyi The initial battery was fine but I swapped it with what I now know was a ****e battery and then ordered a durocell battery which made it flash again. 

 

But nonetheless, Thanks dude I'll keep you posted on how i get on :)

2 hours ago, camelspyyder said:

for example

 

RIPPED OFF FROM CLUBGTI.COM

 

 

best to open the drivers window after item 1...

 

 

Remote Key Registration Procedure:
1 Switch ignition ON.
2 Insert key to be programmed into driver’s door lock.
3 Lock vehicle manually (rotate key in lock)
4 Press lock or unlock button on new key.
5 Wait at least 1 second.
6 Press lock or unlock button again.
7 Vehicle horn sounds briefly to indicate successful programming

 

 

Haha yes j was thinking the same thing!!

[Urtyboy]

2 hours ago, camelspyyder said:

different method

 

How to reset/re-program VW remote key, or change the battery (Audi, Skoda, SEAT) - YouTube

 

 

I tried this a few days ago to no avail

[Urtyboy]

3 hours ago, camelspyyder said:

for example

 

RIPPED OFF FROM CLUBGTI.COM

 

 

best to open the drivers window after item 1...

 

 

Remote Key Registration Procedure:
1 Switch ignition ON.
2 Insert key to be programmed into driver’s door lock.
3 Lock vehicle manually (rotate key in lock)
4 Press lock or unlock button on new key.
5 Wait at least 1 second.
6 Press lock or unlock button again.
7 Vehicle horn sounds briefly to indicate successful programming

 

 

Unfortunately this did not work either.

 

I'll keep searching for another method for syncing

[Urtyboy]

So I managed to start the vehicle with the spare key by turning the ignition on with the main key and then pulling it out and replacing it with the spare key and turning the ignition on and starting. The immobilizer on error didn't display and the car remained started for 25 minutes until I switched it off. However, the key refused to start the car again and the remote buttons still don't work :(

 

 

[langers2k]

There are a few parts to the key:

- the key blade which needs to be correct for the locks

- the immobiliser chip which needs to be paired to the car and should never become unsync'ed

- the remote fob which uses rolling codes and can become unsync'ed if used out of range repeatedly

 

The remote fob is the only part that uses the battery so even if it's been removed or flat, you can unlock and start the car with it.

 

Given only the key blade seems correct, it feels like a previous owner lost the original spare and did the bare minimum (eBay used key + new blade) to avoid fees when they handed the car back?

 

 

Assuming you bought it from a dealer, you should go back and ask them to resolve this for you...

 

[Urtyboy]

6 minutes ago, langers2k said:

There are a few parts to the key:

- the key blade which needs to be correct for the locks

- the immobiliser chip which needs to be paired to the car and should never become unsync'ed

- the remote fob which uses rolling codes and can become unsync'ed if used out of range repeatedly

 

The remote fob is the only part that uses the battery so even if it's been removed or flat, you can unlock and start the car with it.

 

Given only the key blade seems correct, it feels like a previous owner lost the original spare and did the bare minimum (eBay used key + new blade) to avoid fees when they handed the car back?

 

 

Assuming you bought it from a dealer, you should go back and ask them to resolve this for you...

 

Ahh that make sense and unfortunately it was a private seller I purchased from.

 

I have reached out to a car key specialist who has stated that they can reprogram it for £65 which seems reasonable. Based on what you've stated, I'm assuming the immobilizer chip and remote fob can only be repaired by a specialist? 

[langers2k]

I'm not super familiar with a 2016 Rapid so this isn't gospel...

- The remote fob is usually pretty easy. Tools like VCDS (probably OBDeleven) can ask the BCM to relearn them by pressing the lock buttons one by one.

- The immobiliser (immo) chip is harder. You'll need a decent auto-locksmith with the right (specialist) tools and knowledge for your vehicle.

 

At least when I was messing with stuff on a 2012 Octavia, there were two parts to the immo chip coding:

- the immo chip is 'precoding' to the vehicle, this can only be done once and if a dealer orders a key, it'll come 'precoded', they can't do it themselves

- the immo chip needs 'pairing' to the vehicle, this is normally done using Skoda's servers and can be done by a dealer using ODIS

 

Whether the key you have will work, will depend on:

- if it's not 'precoded', it's probably usable

- if it's 'precoded' to your car, it should be fine

- if it's 'precoded' to a different car, it's probably useless

 

I think some 3rd party tools might be able to re-apply the 'precoding' but a dealer certainly can't. The other gag is that many auto-locksmith's simply clone an existing key rather than creating a new unique ID. This means that if you do misplace a key, you can't remove it from the car unless you replace both keys!

 

I'm not 100% but I think the latest cars actually need a connection to Skoda to pair keys, not sure when this came in but I don't think a 2016 car will be effected.

 

Basically it's all just a game of cat and mouse between VAG and the 3rd party tool creators. VAG make it harder for third parties to create/add keys, the 3rd parties reverse engineer the new immo version forcing VAG to change again, repeat, repeat... One take on a brief history for VAG immo and the 3rd party workarounds: https://lockmedic.com/2018/02/08/a-long-explanation-of-why-we-dont-do-vw-audi-keys-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-war/

 

Sorry - that seems to have gotten a bit long winded!

 

In short, yes, immo work needs a good specialist:

- if you're lucky, you may be able to reuse the existing spare

- if not, you may need to order one from a Skoda dealer and have them sort it

 

[Urtyboy]

25 minutes ago, langers2k said:

I'm not super familiar with a 2016 Rapid so this isn't gospel...

- The remote fob is usually pretty easy. Tools like VCDS (probably OBDeleven) can ask the BCM to relearn them by pressing the lock buttons one by one.

- The immobiliser (immo) chip is harder. You'll need a decent auto-locksmith with the right (specialist) tools and knowledge for your vehicle.

 

At least when I was messing with stuff on a 2012 Octavia, there were two parts to the immo chip coding:

- the immo chip is 'precoding' to the vehicle, this can only be done once and if a dealer orders a key, it'll come 'precoded', they can't do it themselves

- the immo chip needs 'pairing' to the vehicle, this is normally done using Skoda's servers and can be done by a dealer using ODIS

 

Whether the key you have will work, will depend on:

- if it's not 'precoded', it's probably usable

- if it's 'precoded' to your car, it should be fine

- if it's 'precoded' to a different car, it's probably useless

 

I think some 3rd party tools might be able to re-apply the 'precoding' but a dealer certainly can't. The other gag is that many auto-locksmith's simply clone an existing key rather than creating a new unique ID. This means that if you do misplace a key, you can't remove it from the car unless you replace both keys!

 

I'm not 100% but I think the latest cars actually need a connection to Skoda to pair keys, not sure when this came in but I don't think a 2016 car will be effected.

 

Basically it's all just a game of cat and mouse between VAG and the 3rd party tool creators. VAG make it harder for third parties to create/add keys, the 3rd parties reverse engineer the new immo version forcing VAG to change again, repeat, repeat... One take on a brief history for VAG immo and the 3rd party workarounds: https://lockmedic.com/2018/02/08/a-long-explanation-of-why-we-dont-do-vw-audi-keys-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-war/

 

Sorry - that seems to have gotten a bit long winded!

 

In short, yes, immo work needs a good specialist:

- if you're lucky, you may be able to reuse the existing spare

- if not, you may need to order one from a Skoda dealer and have them sort it

 

Not long winded at all, very useful as I now know how it all comes together. I will certainly ask the technician if it will be a clone when I go to see him on Monday which for the pricing it may well be. The good thing is that he is supposedly a VAG specialist so I'll see how it goes. The article is brilliant, made me chuckle at the end:

"If you’re truly in need, Jeremy Arnwine with Keymax in Knoxville is a glutton for punishment and isn’t afraid of Ze Germans. "

 

So to summarise, if the key a newly cut and not pre-coded, there is no chance of having it programmed properly as the only other way would be to clone it.

If pre-coding is not applied to this version of keys, then there is a slim chance of having it programmed if the technician has the correct equipment.

 

Also, when you say "this means that if you do misplace a key, you can't remove it from the car unless you replace both keys!" , do you mean that it is impossible to assign a new UID to a newly cut key hence making it a big risk if someone happens to find your key and your car?

 

Thank you to everyone who has responded thus far because as I stated before, Skoda will want at least £135 to look at the key plus labour on the repair which is absolutely ridiculous.

[langers2k]

Just now, Urtyboy said:

Also, when you say "this means that if you do misplace a key, you can't remove it from the car unless you replace both keys!" , do you mean that it is impossible to assign a new UID to a newly cut key hence making it a big risk if someone happens to find your key and your car?

 

When they clone a key, it has exactly the same UID in the immo chip so the car can't tell the two keys apart.

 

This means that if either of the two keys are lost, you can either:

- remove the UID meaning neither can start the car

- leave the UID meaning both can still start the car

 

The former sucks as you then need two new keys, the latter sucks as someone may use the lost key to steal the car  Depending how the key was lost, the latter may not be an issue...

 

4 minutes ago, Urtyboy said:

So to summarise, if the key a newly cut and not pre-coded, there is no chance of having it programmed properly as the only other way would be to clone it.

If pre-coding is not applied to this version of keys, then there is a slim chance of having it programmed if the technician has the correct equipment.

 

If it's newly cut and not pre-coded, with the right tools it should be possible to correctly pre-code it. However, a dealer can't...

 

As mentioned in the article I posted, pre-coding came in around 2006 so your keys will definitely use it.

[Urtyboy]

28 minutes ago, langers2k said:

 

When they clone a key, it has exactly the same UID in the immo chip so the car can't tell the two keys apart.

 

This means that if either of the two keys are lost, you can either:

- remove the UID meaning neither can start the car

- leave the UID meaning both can still start the car

 

The former sucks as you then need two new keys, the latter sucks as someone may use the lost key to steal the car  Depending how the key was lost, the latter may not be an issue...

 

 

If it's newly cut and not pre-coded, with the right tools it should be possible to correctly pre-code it. However, a dealer can't...

 

As mentioned in the article I posted, pre-coding came in around 2006 so your keys will definitely use it.

Ahh I missed the date but yes sounds good. Let's see how it all goes on Monday.

 

Thanks again bud

[Urtyboy]

I managed to get my spare key fixed; Daniele at The Automotive Expert LTD (Hampshire) took a look at it and found that the key had not been programmed and did so correctly in 30 mins and for £65. Great chap and I highly recommend using him if you are having car key issues! Certainly beats the stupid prices Skoda were quoting me!

 

Thanks for all your help guys