Keyless Entry Probs

[Hunterkiller]

Hey all,

I recenly bought a 98 celica sx and the remote central locking dosn't work. The central locking still works fine. I took it to an auto repair place, and the guy told me it was the battery in the remote and i switched that with no results.

Does anyone know if there is an easy way I can fix this, as buying it reduced my available funds down quite alot.

Thanks

-Michael-

[flex-appeal]

if you take it to a sparky they will probably charge you a lot in labour to diagnose the problem, especially if you dont have details of the alarm system from the previous owner. i found it more cost effective to install a new immobilizer and get it hooked up to the central locking. if you are in Perth i can give you the number of an installer who will come to your place and install the thing, should be about $200 all up, and you will get a discount on your insurance when you tell them about the new immobilizer.

[Hunterkiller]

flex-appeal,

I'm in sydney, I think its the factory alarm + remote, but some people I talk to, seem to think its not, For instance when I rand a Toyota dealer he asked if the remote has a single button, mine has 2. So your recomending taking it to an alarm installer and fixing it that way? Wouldn't it be easier just to get a Toyota service department to take a look at it? Toyota guy said it could cost upto $465.00! and to me thats way too much for me at the moment.

-Michael-

[flex-appeal]

well the problem with alarms is that the repairer may spend a long time figuring out how the last person fitted everything, and time is money.
overall i think any competent auto electrican can fix it, its just the cost factor.
if you are thinking of weighing up options, get your local ad paper (its quokka in WA, maybe trading post or something in syd), and look at the ads... if you can find a goverment licensed installer then you know he will do the job properly, and it will be really cheap compared to a shop (remember you can bargain with these guys a little bit too) ...
like i said, i got quoted 250-300 ish for a new immob, this guy i found eventually came to my place and did it for under 200.. thats a bargain, especially since you dont ahve to miss work or anything to get the silly thing sorted out.

one thing to remember : if switch inside the door works to lock/unlock the central locking, then your problem is not big! it means that your central locking is fine, just not being activated...so if you see an electrician, remember to point out that the door switch is fine so that he knows what to expect when giving you a quote.