Locked out of a Subaru Impreza

eagles9999, Jan 8, 3:42am
Daughter has sent me an urgent call She parked the car, locked. Came back and the central locking wont work because the sender on the keyring ihas just broken. Car is alarmed and has an imobiliser.Any suggestions to fix without waking up the whole neighbourhood when the alarm goes off.

rednsr, Jan 8, 3:47am
Why would the whole neighborhood be woken at 4:45 pm! or is she in mexico!

lookoutas, Jan 8, 7:31am
That's when alarms are a pain. Had that happen to me once - dropped the keys and the remote splattered into a thousand pits. Just had to unlock the car with the key and disconnect the alarm. Fortunately no immobiliser was fitted, which is one good reason to hate them.
Normal thing happened - here I am immobilising an alarm, and no-one took any notice!

At Stockcars in Palmy over Xmas, and daughters partner pulled keys out when we got back to the car to find the remote gone. Pissed off and about to panic, he looked down and there in the dark was the remote lying on the ground right where he'd stuffed the keys in his pocket after locking the car as we left.Lucky no-one had crunched over it!

kazbanz, Jan 8, 8:31am
Grab the spare remote and take it to her.

bubbles244, Jan 8, 8:36am
just hire a teenager to break into it.quite easy apparently.

jokerboss, Jan 8, 8:47am
go you know what brand alarm! ther are overides.

foxdonut, Jan 8, 8:53am
If she had the alarm installed the guy doing it would have given her a the override.

Can't she just unlock it and start it with the key! Seems like a pretty shit alarm if it seizes the car immediately after manually unlocking the door and trying to start the ignition with a proper key.

jokerboss, Jan 8, 9:10am
that's the point of an "imobiliser" keys aren't the greatest security device on a car. open the car : she should have a the siren "mute key" as well! 2 mins of screaming will still get her in the car

mugenb20b, Jan 8, 9:16am
+1 (Guess what the reply to your advice will be!)

eagles9999, Jan 8, 9:27am
Bet you are wrong. There is one (!) but itsseveral hundred KM away and I cannot get access to it.

kazbanz, Jan 8, 8:55pm
Eagles- Ok heres alarm 101 for ya
Theres a heap of different brands out there from $100 cheapies to $1500 units. -In theory they do the same job.First scream when the doors opened without being turned off and second . Immobilise the car in one or two places.
The DECENT alarms all come with a litttle key thats with the remote.
So you can open the car -Open the bonnet--the alarm will be screaming and you will see on the siren (the bit screaming) a rubber bung or a keyhole -insert the key and turn it. The siren will shut up.
NEXT -Im hopefull for you here, In her purse will be a credit card sized card with a bunch of numbers on it.from the alarm installer.
This is the alarm override code.-unique to each alarm
it will be a squence of numbers4 6 8 2for example.
Put the key in the ignition and in essence try to start it in that sequence--ie turn the key to start 4 timesthen pause six times then pause etc. -by the end ot the sequence--NOT forgetting the pauses -including at the end - the car will start.
Incidently the instructions should be in the glovebox but the codes should be in her purse.
ifshe has done what most folk do--at totally disregarded itthen you go to plan B
on the siren and often around the car is the brand of the alarm.
NOW being monday morning you can look to see who the local agent for that alarm is. An installer should be able to code a new remote to the car for you and/or put the guts of the old remote into a new case.

eagles9999, Jan 8, 10:19pm
Thanks kabanz, Your email has been answered. Its all fixed now thanks to a local electrician.

jokerboss, Jan 8, 10:32pm
#11 generally correct : my brand of alarm (used to be rated 5star/insurance companies have since dropped all star ratings I have been told) you hold key in the "on" position and count the LED blinks to the same pin code rather that the "on/off" style entry you described, some ppl think (or I used to) once you silence the alarm Siren with the wee key it is deactivated : which is incorrect as it is only silenced :P

kazbanz, Jan 8, 10:53pm
JB-yep you are bang on right. My theory was try method A before suggesting methood B

richard198, Jan 8, 10:58pm
Same with mine (count the led flashes etc.) Now all I've got to do is remember the numbers.

jokerboss, Jan 9, 12:35am
Richard : they are recorded in a secret location in your car : ring your installer for advice if needed :P (not fibbing!)

richard198, Jan 9, 1:35am
Not with mine. I installed the alarm myself about seven years ago.
I have the numbers at home but have a lousy memory!

(I used to install them for a living and told customers to hideown numbers.)