Hello! I am desperately seeking some assistance in regards to my car, and someone from another more general forum directed me here.
Here's my story. About a month ago I purchased an otherwise decent 1995 Micra LX 1.3 from a private seller. The car came with most of the original documentation, 1 ignition key and 1 black remote (for the immobiliser).
Anyway, the car ran great from the start. However, after the first week, I noticed that I had to push the "unlock" on the immobiliser remote increasingly more to get it to disarm. Finally, a few days ago, after trying repeatedly, I was completely unable to disarm the immobiliser. In all other respects, the car still wants to start, and the engine tries to turn over, but can't because the immobiliser doesn't appear to respond to the remote anymore. When I press the "unlock" the car makes a systematic "clicking" noise like a switch is being turned on and off somewhere. I'm not sure whether that is related, but I thought I would add it.
My first approach was to consult the manufacturer's booklet that came with the car. The booklet suggested changing the battery in the remote and then pressing the "lock" button 4 times within range to reset the remote to the system. I tried this procedure several times with no success.
If it will help at all, the remote itself is pretty worn down cosmetically and it is fairly hard to push the "unlock" button. I took the remote out of the plastic casing to examine the buttons directly but, apart from the "unlock" micro-button being significantly worn down, there are no other external signs of damage.
The immobiliser itself continues to blink as it always has, and when you try to turn the key in the ignition or open the driver's side door, the light goes solid red, so the system is armed.
My second plan was to contact the local Nissan Dealer. At first the news was good. They only wanted £40 to reprogram my remote (granted, the Nissan booklet made no mention of having to have your remote "reprogrammed"). However, they indicated that they would not perform this service on-site so it would cost £190 to remove my car to the garage, since, for obvious reasons, I can't drive it there myself. This, of course, excludes any charges for "underlying issues" that Nissan might discover.
The bottom line to all of this is that I'm a student, and the price that Nissan suggested will cost me almost as much as the car, so, needless to say, that's not an option right now. I'm hoping that someone out there might have some other suggestions for what I can do at this point. I've contacted a few auto locksmiths in the area and one gave me a quote for £86 to completely replace and reprogram a new remote while the other told me that the remotes "don't simply stop working" and that I need to contact the Nissan Dealer because there is probably something else wrong.
I'm willing to pay the locksmith £86 if that if it means that my car will be able to start, but as the Nissan dealer effectively scared me by suggesting that there might be an "underlying issue", and due to the increasingly conflicting information I'm getting, I'm not sure what to do.
Has anyone run into this sort of problem before? I consider myself a fairly car-savvy lady when it comes to basic maintenance, etc, but as this appears to be beyond the scope of general work, I'm out of ideas. I've heard that fuses can be suspect or that it can be the immobiliser itself, etc etc.
I'd really love to still have a working car rather than being forced to sell it for spares but at this point this looks like the only option. Tragic for a car that I've only owned for a month and that, in all other respects, is mechanically sound.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Here's my story. About a month ago I purchased an otherwise decent 1995 Micra LX 1.3 from a private seller. The car came with most of the original documentation, 1 ignition key and 1 black remote (for the immobiliser).
Anyway, the car ran great from the start. However, after the first week, I noticed that I had to push the "unlock" on the immobiliser remote increasingly more to get it to disarm. Finally, a few days ago, after trying repeatedly, I was completely unable to disarm the immobiliser. In all other respects, the car still wants to start, and the engine tries to turn over, but can't because the immobiliser doesn't appear to respond to the remote anymore. When I press the "unlock" the car makes a systematic "clicking" noise like a switch is being turned on and off somewhere. I'm not sure whether that is related, but I thought I would add it.
My first approach was to consult the manufacturer's booklet that came with the car. The booklet suggested changing the battery in the remote and then pressing the "lock" button 4 times within range to reset the remote to the system. I tried this procedure several times with no success.
If it will help at all, the remote itself is pretty worn down cosmetically and it is fairly hard to push the "unlock" button. I took the remote out of the plastic casing to examine the buttons directly but, apart from the "unlock" micro-button being significantly worn down, there are no other external signs of damage.
The immobiliser itself continues to blink as it always has, and when you try to turn the key in the ignition or open the driver's side door, the light goes solid red, so the system is armed.
My second plan was to contact the local Nissan Dealer. At first the news was good. They only wanted £40 to reprogram my remote (granted, the Nissan booklet made no mention of having to have your remote "reprogrammed"). However, they indicated that they would not perform this service on-site so it would cost £190 to remove my car to the garage, since, for obvious reasons, I can't drive it there myself. This, of course, excludes any charges for "underlying issues" that Nissan might discover.
The bottom line to all of this is that I'm a student, and the price that Nissan suggested will cost me almost as much as the car, so, needless to say, that's not an option right now. I'm hoping that someone out there might have some other suggestions for what I can do at this point. I've contacted a few auto locksmiths in the area and one gave me a quote for £86 to completely replace and reprogram a new remote while the other told me that the remotes "don't simply stop working" and that I need to contact the Nissan Dealer because there is probably something else wrong.
I'm willing to pay the locksmith £86 if that if it means that my car will be able to start, but as the Nissan dealer effectively scared me by suggesting that there might be an "underlying issue", and due to the increasingly conflicting information I'm getting, I'm not sure what to do.
Has anyone run into this sort of problem before? I consider myself a fairly car-savvy lady when it comes to basic maintenance, etc, but as this appears to be beyond the scope of general work, I'm out of ideas. I've heard that fuses can be suspect or that it can be the immobiliser itself, etc etc.
I'd really love to still have a working car rather than being forced to sell it for spares but at this point this looks like the only option. Tragic for a car that I've only owned for a month and that, in all other respects, is mechanically sound.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
