Theft System Problem – Car May Not Start

In the last few years car thefts have slowly but surely decreased in frequency since the new advancements in anti-theft systems technology. Today a new car can have several sensors that can detect any anomaly to the car’s structure or locks and so on. These systems are designed with the sole purpose of deterring and discouraging auto theft. Most of the time they do a very good job in protecting your car, but they also are quite temperamental when they start acting up. An anti theft system can put you in an embarrassing, or potentially harmful situation. Think about it you unlock the door with your own keys and the alarm goes off when you’re opening the door, or even worse, you’re in the middle of the intersection and suddenly, the car decides you’re a thief and suddenly kill the engine as you barely moved at the green light. Besides the fact that, you might receive an endless stream of… unpleasantries from other drivers, but someone might actually crash into you.

Factory installed anti theft systems are a lot more reliable and resilient than aftermarket anti theft systems. One of the main reasons is the way it is integrated into the vehicle. Factory systems are set up into the BCM (body control module) and PCM (which is powertrain control module). These are meant to disable the vehicle if someone tries to get the engine running without the key. They also have a set of hidden horns installed which will emit loud noises if anyone tries to open the door without a key.

On the other hand, the way an aftermarket system installed, affects greatly the system’s performance and the car’s normal behavior. If you have it installed by a professional, than you shouldn’t have problems with the system as long as it’s in perfect working condition. If you get a hack installer that start’s horsing around and splicing inside the electrical system, than my friend, expect a lot of embarrassing moments and a lot of unexpected problems that aren’t related to the anti theft system.

You may ask yourself: how can I disable an anti theft system if I can’t start my car? Well, in case you have a factory installed system than the answer is nearly impossible, at least not by yourself. Keep in mind that these systems were designed to keep thieves off your car, so if it were so easy, the thief would do it as well. Not to mention that if we were to explain in this article the machinations of a factory system, no car would be safe.

If you have an aftermarket system, and have the installation manual around, than you may be able to disable it yourself. Although it’s recommended that you take the car back to the installer and ask for a replacement (or better yet a refund and take your business elsewhere).

For example, if the anti theft lights start to flash and the alarm goes off when you try to start the car and the engine doesn’t budge, than you’re facing an anti theft problem. The system isn’t recognizing your key, or the entry signal. If so you need to get a representative to scan the system with a factory scan tool so that he can determine the source of the problem.

I case you’ve lost your keys, or the chip inside the key is faulty than you have to other choice than to get the system reprogrammed to identify the new entry signal, or the new keys, so be very careful since not all systems are reprogrammable.

Post tags: Tags: car problems, car security, car security issues, car theft