Subaru Legacy/Outback - Car key woes

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Mon 15 Feb 2016 17:05
Subaru Legacy/Outback - Car key woes - hillman

I had car key woes recently when I swapped keys over and tried to bring the spare into service. I do that occasionally so that the keys don’t lose their program. But of course the spare key wouldn’t work. The car has an alarm and immobiliser that depends on the key being effective.

The fob battery has gone flat in the past and I was stuck in the Waitrose car park. On that occasion I took the key into a nearby garage where the mechanic tested the key and because it lit the light on the tester declared that the key was OK and there must be something wrong with the car. I persuaded the mechanic to indulge me and he then changed the battery in my presence. I was then able to get into the car and start the engine as normal. I was worried that the spare key might be almost flat too so I took that in a week later. This time the proprietor assured me to the point where he became exasperated that even though the fob battery was flat the car would still start. When I asked him nicely to indulge me he took the key into a back room, remained there a short while and then charged me another £5. A month later the fob battery went flat and I had to walk home for the other key so I assume that he had diddled me.

This time I tested the fob battery and it showed the full 3 volts so I assumed the key had lost its program. I tried to reprogram the key several times but no joy. I bought two new batteries and changed in both keys. The regular key worked but not the spare. I then reprogrammed both keys and they then both worked. I had been fooled by a double fault. 1. The battery, although showing the full 3 volts, was sitting down when it was put under load. 2. The key had lost its program. When I replaced both batteries and reprogrammed them, magic. I no longer had to fear paying over £150 for a new key.

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Mon 15 Feb 2016 17:29
Subaru Legacy/Outback - Car key woes - gordonbennet

Yes this key lark can be a game.

My MAN lorry came with 4 keys, no plippers but all coded, one is in full time use, the others spares.

I took the keys home by mistake one night, phoned up the night super see if they could manage, no probs gord we'll use the spares, 20 minutes later phone goes, you'll have to bring 'em back none of the spares work, so i nipped 'em back, my mistake.

We have 2 other identical lorries, they were tested too and none of the spare keys worked, so gradually as they went in for service the keys were updated...good job i did take 'em home cos a lost key 150 miles away would be a major problem.

It appears to be that when software updates are uploaded to the vehicle that the keys have to be there or they get programmed out...cue few months later my vehicle fails to turn over in the yard, i nipped and grabbed the spare keys just in case and you've guessed it the vehicle didn't recognise them again after several services in between, breakdown called and its the usual low tension wire to the solenoid bad contact (no shorting out the starter contacts with a spanner any more folks), however he didn't have the right machine in his van to reprogram the keys.

This might seem trifling, but if one of us fell and broke a key or lost them at a delivery 200 miles away, it would be the icing on the cake when the spare keys turn up after a rush car journey only to find they don't work, so every now and again when work's quiet i test the keys, and make sure my set at least goes with the vehicle when its in for service...and talk of the devil its VOR'd today for yet another coolant problem (recent but now affecting all three) and i have the week off so the keys won't be with it, so soon as i start back Saturday it'll be spare key testing time again.

All this faff and they're not even plippers.

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Mon 15 Feb 2016 23:12
Subaru Legacy/Outback - Car key woes - galileo

Mechanical problems tend to be due to bean-counters overruling engineers.

Electronic problems tend to be because:

a) it is reckoned that it is impossible to avoid minor bugs in complex software and b) software designers are never content to leave things alone, even if they are working, they can't resist "improving" things by updates.

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Mon 15 Feb 2016 23:39
Subaru Legacy/Outback - Car key woes - nick62

SWMBO's car went in for a service a few days ago at the main dealer, and I was instructed to ensure both keys were to accompany the vehicle as there was "a new central locking module to be fitted under warranty".

First message I get when I go to collect the car.... "we'll have to have it back ASAP as we ran-out of the central locking modules". Oh deary me I think, how hard is it to ENSURE a unit is allocated to a vehicle confirmed as coming in for a service?

I've worked as a site engineer all over Europe for almost 30 years, I wouldn't like to think what reception I'd get if I turned-up on-site without the relevant parts, (but what do I know)?

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Tue 16 Feb 2016 09:31
Subaru Legacy/Outback - Car key woes - jc2

Some manufacturers need to have the spare(s) used regularly as they use "rolling" codes which need the spare keys to be updated.

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Tue 16 Feb 2016 13:49
Subaru Legacy/Outback - Car key woes - jc2

Or rather the ECU to be updated to the keys.

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