Issues with coding a second key

[yesheadjon]

Hello,

 

In January this year I bought a 2019 Skoda Octavia from Motorpoint in Derby. In July I paid for a new key at my local main dealer, 2 weeks later I rang to see if it had come in and it had but they didn't have anyone who knew how to code it, and they said that they would be in touch. Last week I chased again and they said they could do it and I took it in. They said it would take about an hour and a half so I waited. After 2 hours they informed me that there was an issue. Here is what they have subsequently said and handed me a quote for £2,500 to fix it:

 

"Mr Dunnington has bought a vehicle into us to get a new spare key and coding, to where we have discovered that the original key that has been supplied and coded to the car isn’t a genuine key, and has been coded incorrectly, corrupting the immobiliser and ECU therefore to rectify this problem the vehicle needs a new immobiliser, ECU, key and coding, the estimate is attached please let me know how you want to proceed."

 

They also told me that until they try and duplicate the key there is no way of telling that it isn't genuine.

 

So, I have 2 questions:

 

1. Does anyone know if Skoda supplied key duplication software is programmed to detect a non-genuine key and then without giving the operative any options or warning just cause the £2.5K worth of damage? If you have any experience of this and believe this isn't true do you know how I might go about proving it?

2. If I want to try and get independent Skoda verification if this can happen how would I do it. Will the contact mechanism on the corporate website be able to help?

 

Any assistance you can give me would be much appreciated as gut feel tells me this isn't all true.

 

Thanks

 

Jon

[ords]

There must be fault codes logged for the supposed corruption?  If the ECU is corrupted how is the engine even running?

[yesheadjon]

16 minutes ago, ords said:

There must be fault codes logged for the supposed corruption?  If the ECU is corrupted how is the engine even running?

Well it isn't. The car is still sitting at the main dealers completely unusable.

[PetrolDave]

1 hour ago, yesheadjon said:

Hello,

 

In January this year I bought a 2019 Skoda Octavia from Motorpoint in Derby. In July I paid for a new key at my local main dealer

 

5 minutes ago, yesheadjon said:

Well it isn't. The car is still sitting at the main dealers completely unusable.

Presumably you were able to drive it betweem January and July - in which case your local main dealer has caused the problem?

[Warrior193]

2 minutes ago, yesheadjon said:

Well it isn't. The car is still sitting at the main dealers completely unusable.

But it was running when you took it in to them, right? This sounds like they have made some sort of mistake and they are now attempting to cover with BS. It is totally their responsibility to return your vehicle in the same condition as when you delivered it to them. 

[yesheadjon]

11 minutes ago, Warrior193 said:

But it was running when you took it in to them, right? This sounds like they have made some sort of mistake and they are now attempting to cover with BS. It is totally their responsibility to return your vehicle in the same condition as when you delivered it to them. 

Well I totally agree with you but I can't see how I can prove that what they are saying is BS. They argue that I gave them a dodgy key so it is my fault.

[Cactusjack]

Smells like BS to me... These ECU's are a funny beast and some coding cannot be changed but as others have said, the key and car were working previously so they have been communicating correctly. At the end of the day the car was driven in, in working order and they have done something to render it unusable, so I'd be pursuing them to rectify it. It's up to them to prove fault, not yours, and driving it in weighs in your favour!

 

The key and immobiliser codes are in the instrument cluster if I'm not mistaken? Surely a new key fob can be coded by an VAG specialist who has the use of ODIS? I would get a second opinion from them.

Edited 4 October, 2023 by Cactusjack

[Ootohere]

@ApertureSmight be one who could contribute on this pith take from the Dealership.

 

& @langers2k

Edited 4 October, 2023 by toot

[Warrior193]

Have you spoken to the manager of this Dealership? If not, request a meeting - point out that the vehicle was working correctly when delivered to them.

The onus is on them to prove their claim that the ECU has been corrupted by the supposedly duplicate key.

What was the reason for only one key being supplied when you purchased the car in January?

[ApertureS]

Well to start with.... you need to ask for the following;

 

- Was the tech qualified to do the work and proof of the relevant training

- Was the tech Geko registered

- A FULL copy of the ODIS log that accompanied all the work that was carried out

- Proof that they have sent a ticket to the mothership (skoda/vw) and had a response

- The key back, take the back off and see if it has any VW stamp or part number to prove/disprove the aftermarket key

 

After you have all that, report back.

 

In the mean time - ive never heard of a aftermarket key corrupting the car, i cant say yes or no to this but the way the car works, if all keys are lost/decoded then i believe they can still recover them somehow. 

 

It sounds like they arent too sure what they are doing and have made a big **** up - if all immobiliser parts were bricked they would also be adding a  instrument cluster to that list, so why havent they.