Confirmed: Not all MkIV's have immobilizers!

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

Oh man, now you've got me worried /images/graemlins/eek.gif

[ QUOTE ]
Insert key. "bend" it so the switchblade key is at a right angle to the fob. With key still bent, turn and start the car. It should fire up normally, but 1-2 seconds later it should die as if you turned they key back off. The immobilizer light should now be on/flashing (can't remember which).

[/ QUOTE ]

When I come home in 2 weeks, this will be the first thing I do. Interestingly, I can't recall ever seeing the Immoblizer light at all. In the eurocluster, the light is yellow. Is it the same in the us-spec unit?

-Jason
 

blitzoid

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2003
Location
NYC
TDI
Blue '02 Golf GLS TDI
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

On my '02 golf, it looks like a warning triangle, with an Exclamation point in the middle. If memory serves (from the one time i've had it go off - the car was towed from a *sigh* illegal parking spot) it's on the speedo side of the cluster.

Opening the door once the immo has been triggered results in the alarm going off. The car would not start until I had re-armed the alarm and disarmed it again. Again, this is all from memory, and it's been a while. I've had a good 3000 trouble-free miles since that cold december night.

What did bother me was that the guy who towed the car from the Philly parking authority had NO trouble getting my door open to let the car out of gear for the tow....
 

DoubleReflex

Veteran Member
Joined
May 31, 2003
Location
California, USA
TDI
jetta,02&03, reflex silver (both autos)
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

[ QUOTE ]
In the eurocluster, the light is yellow. Is it the same in the us-spec unit?-Jason

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes it is yellow, mine is the side profile of a car with a key on top of it.
 

GeWilli

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 6, 1999
Location
lost to new england
TDI
none in the fleet (99.5 Golf RIP, 96 B4V sold)
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

99.5 cars DO NOT have the immobilizer

and there are different versions of the immobilizer... and they act differently...
 

LNXGUY

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Location
Barrie, Ont, Canada
TDI
'05 Jetta TDI Wagon
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

Well this sucks, lol. Looks like I am going to need a aftermarket alarm.
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

I wonder... how hard is it to retrofit the immobilizer. I'de need the sender, FOBs, ...

-Jason
 

TDIBri

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2001
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

[ QUOTE ]
I wonder... how hard is it to retrofit the immobilizer. I'de need the sender, FOBs, ...

-Jason

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I'll let you know as my car will not be leaving the dealer without one. I'll know more today as I'm going to the dealer later to go over the damage from the theft.

On another note - I'm still really confused with this immobilizer thing. Am I supposed to have one or not? I mean, I don't have one (despite all the previous reasons why I thought I did), but why on earth did I get a plastic tag with a 7 character immobilizer code on it when I bought the car?!?!?!

- Brian
 

Ed's TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 30, 2001
Location
Victoria, BC, Canada
TDI
2001 Bora and 2016 Touareg
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

If I'm not mistaken, the plastic tab with the 7-digit number is a key code for having a key made up for the car. I've owned a couple of cars that had those. Nowadays, dealerships can get that information from your VIN number on their computers.
 

TDIBri

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2001
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

OK - I have it from the "source" (VW Canada) that some 99.5 G/J will in fact have a factory passive immobilizer.

How do you tell if yours does? See the link in the parent post for the details!!! (I know - I'm evil!!! /images/graemlins/grin.gif )

- B
 

TDIBri

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2001
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

OK - The information in my previous post was from someone at VW Canada who did not know what they were talking about (imagine that)... I do now have definitive, official details and what that means to me. Tune in to the link in the parent post for details!

- B
 

weedeater

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Location
Reston, VA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Baltic Green
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

You say you have a 'November 98 build' on your car.

That is not a 99.5 .
 

xanctus

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Location
New Z + Indo + Milwaukee
TDI
VW Golf, 01+black
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

Damn I thought VWs are free from theft..especially diesels engines...I guess I'm wrong...curse thieves
 

unixb0y

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2003
Location
Manitoba, Canada
TDI
2013 Passat Comfortline 6MT Nav
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

TDIBRI,

Most likely the insurance company got a list from insurance burean of canada eg: http://www.vicc.com/English/downloads/APPROVED_TDSE.pdf to load into their database and therfore it becomes an automated process.

Or the insurance company doesn't have a validation process in their database and it's up to the insurance salesperson to make the determination.

I wonder if the 1999 brochures have the immobilizer as a feature.
 

Jettawolfs98

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2003
Location
Omaha,NE
TDI
JETTA TDI 2009, JSW 2013 DSG PANO
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

Sorry about your car.

Maybe this is not related, but last Sunday night we came home late and left my 02 tdi jetta outside and I didn't push the alarm, well that's my guess because on Monday morning my car had the 4 doors open and no signs of the red light blinking as usual on the drivers door.

My question is:

When you turn your car off after few minutes the alram should goes on and the red light start blinking?

Why this thing didn't happen ?

Good thing that nobody notice because I left my wallet inside the armrest and my golf bag inside the trunck (My tax return help me to change the whole thing: new clubs, driver,bag,3&5 wood, putter,etc /images/graemlins/grin.gif, by the way my wife was really really really upset about with me).

The same happen with my wife NB one time, but the car was inside the garage, but we notice that the car was open, when we open the garage.

Maybe I'll ask the service guy about this.

Like I said this is not related to this post, but I want to know if this happen to somebody else.

Have a nice weekend.
 

Norman

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 11, 1999
Location
In a flood zone
TDI
'00 Golf GLS, '03 Wagon GL
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

[ QUOTE ]

My question is:

When you turn your car off after few minutes the alram should goes on and the red light start blinking?

Why this thing didn't happen ?



[/ QUOTE ]


Are you confusing UNlocking a LOCKED car, but not actually opening any doors/hatch within 30 seconds of doing so?

Ain't no car gonna lock itself w/o at least a little help from a digit...
 

weedeater

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Location
Reston, VA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Baltic Green
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

If the car is in a LOCKED state and you unlock it but don't open a door, then the car will RELOCK itself after a few minutes.

However, if you open the door (and get in and drive), it will not RELOCK itself.
 

TDIBri

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2001
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

[ QUOTE ]
You say you have a 'November 98 build' on your car.

That is not a 99.5 .

[/ QUOTE ]

Umm... Well, it is a MkIV body style and it was literally one of the first ones off the truck in Greater Vancouver (in April 1999). The 99's were the MkIII body style (and there were no MkIII Golf TDI's in NA) and it certainly is not a 2000 MY (it is a German build - the 2000's were Brazilian). I don't think it could be anything else but a 99.5 MY... /images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

LNXGUY

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Location
Barrie, Ont, Canada
TDI
'05 Jetta TDI Wagon
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

Its a 99.5, our friend has no idea whats he's talking about /images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

weedeater

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Location
Reston, VA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Baltic Green
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

Perhaps.

Perhaps halfway through 99 would be somewhere around June.

And perhaps halfway through the 99 model year would be around December 98/January 99, depending on when the model year started.

So I'll concede that a car built in November 98 could be halfway through the 99 model year.
 

mgwerks

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Location
Texas Hill Country
TDI
black 1999 New Beetle
Confirmed: Not all MkIV\'s have immobilizers!

Mine is 12/98 and has no immobilizer. The light is in the speedo, but it is never illuminated.
 
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