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THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHCan't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Leading reported evidence
Replace car's electronic vin
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
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Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
So, basically you just changed your car's electronic VIN to that of the car those replacement parts came from.
Can't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Frequently discussed work
Disconnect battery asap (most important
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
If you get water under your driver side seat, don't wait until the alarm/immo module starts malfunctioning, but rather disconnect the battery ASAP (MOST IMPORTANT to stop corrosion) and remove and open the alarm/immo module and dry it out, preferably with compressed air to get the water out from under the relays.
Can't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Read full discussion summary
Leading evidence: 'Replace car's electronic vin' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'best course of action' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Disconnect battery asap (most important' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
Well, you can get a new immo/alarm from your local dealer for $500-$900 depending upon the part number, and have the dealer program for $150 or so, or you can get it repaired, or get a replacement used alarm/immo module and get it "cloned" to match your original.
Can't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
best course of action
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Identified cause
1
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that suspect a cause
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suspected cause
Having Qmulus or ECU Doctors repair or replace your current box is probably the best course of action to keep the car correctly configured.
Can't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Disconnect battery asap (most important
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
If you get water under your driver side seat, don't wait until the alarm/immo module starts malfunctioning, but rather disconnect the battery ASAP (MOST IMPORTANT to stop corrosion) and remove and open the alarm/immo module and dry it out, preferably with compressed air to get the water out from under the relays.
Can't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Repair first, right
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion · Original poster
But first, I should try to be my immobilizer repaired first, right?
Can't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Frequently discussed actions (10)
These are separate views of the same evidence. Frequency alone does not establish a fix, and these counts must not be added together.
Disconnect battery asap (most important
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
If you get water under your driver side seat, don't wait until the alarm/immo module starts malfunctioning, but rather disconnect the battery ASAP (MOST IMPORTANT to stop corrosion) and remove and open the alarm/immo module and dry it out, preferably with compressed air to get the water out from under the relays.
Can't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Replace dme, immo and key transponder "pill"
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
Replacing the DME, Immo and key transponder "pill" with the parts from another car will get it working, but is a BAD idea in my opinion, as your car will now have the electronic ID of the car those parts came from.
Can't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Replace identity of the car
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
You can change the Immo with a couple other parts (can't remember their names) along with the keys to make it all work, but doing that would basically change the identity of the car.
Can't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Replace immo
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
You can change the Immo with a couple other parts (can't remember their names) along with the keys to make it all work, but doing that would basically change the identity of the car.
Can't I just replace the Immobiliser? Why do I have to go to the dealership? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Coverage and how to read this overview
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
12 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
986Forum: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
1 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Outcome without a verified action link
There are places where you can get it fixed besides the dealer.
My 2001 Boxster S got caught in a New Orleans flash flood and corroded my immobilizer and now the car won't start and does a faint ticking.
Because it was under the drivers seat and super easy to remove, I took it out and put it in a Crest Ultrasonic cleaner. Alas, it didn't save it.
So I went on eBay and
found this complete with keys
: But someone told me that
"only the dealership can replace ECU/immobilizer"
The immobilizer is programmed to the car. You can change the Immo with a couple other parts (can't remember their names) along with the keys to make it all work, but doing that would basically change the identity of the car. It will take on the VIN of the donor car.
There are places where you can get it fixed besides the dealer. ECU Doctors is one, but their prices are close to those of the dealer. There's also a member on here who could fix it for a lot less.
JFP is (of course) correct, but there is a difference between having a car that is correct and a car that you can enjoy without having to spend lots of money at a dealership. Two of my current (5) 986s have had the "immobilizer box" swapped and not been reprogrammed. Both cars are highly depreciated in value with a rebuilt title due to flood damage. It will present a problem if I need to have them serviced at a dealership, but there really isn't anything on these cars that I won't do myself if time is available. I don't expect to sell either car in the foreseeable future, but I would fully inform a buyer. My '04 Flood car:
http://986forum.com/forums/show-tell-gallery/70709-houston-04-se.html
* Check to see if your insurance policy will cover the correct repair. Many full coverage policies will, but it may actually 'total' your car.
* The set that you linked is
NOT
what you need. it does not include the box under the seat and will be a waste of your money.
*To make the car function you will need a matching set compatible with your car's model and year consisting of: key fob with
transponder
"pill", Engine computer (called
DME
or ECU and mounted in the trunk on the firewall), and immobilizer box (called
central locking unit
) under the driver seat). The ignition switch, key blade, and signal transducer module on the ignition stalk are irrelevant, but are often included.
*Try to find a set for sale with multiple keys. I got one with 3 keys for $500.
*Forum member
Qmulus
has made affordable repairs for many forum members, swapping the correct coding to a good immobilizer box.
ECU Doctors
can repair and recode these for less than the dealership cost as well and makes a good waterproof box.
*You may find the best deal here in the forum classified section if you ask someone who is parting out a similar car.
1. Why from the factory wasn't the immobilizer installed in the trunk/firewall?
2. Could a DIYer install the immobilizer in the trunk?firewall?
Thank you.
No, the one I pictured is the one I bought for my '04. You can find deals like that though for the '01 if you keep looking.
Yes, you can just swap the electronic guts of one key to another - circuit board AND transponder.
Here's the minimum set of what you need to swap. A couple years ago I watched for them and picked up several sets for about $300 each. Forum classified and eBay, but prices have been going up on parts.
Having Qmulus or ECU Doctors repair or replace your current box is probably the best course of action to keep the car correctly configured.
I have no idea why they chose to put it there. I think the best place to move it would be up under the dash. You'd have to pull out the interior on the left side, unwrap and split out the harness, then probably splice/extend some of the wires.
I have not tried it, but here's a pic I took of a harness I removed. you may not even have to extend any of the wiring after it's separated out:
main-mid
by
Jon Russell
, on Flickr
There are lots of threads on this, but I will summarize.
If you get water under your driver side seat, don't wait until the alarm/immo module starts malfunctioning, but rather disconnect the battery ASAP (MOST IMPORTANT to stop corrosion) and remove and open the alarm/immo module and dry it out, preferably with compressed air to get the water out from under the relays. That is where the worst damage is done. The longer it is wet with power applied, the worse the corrosion. If things are not working, just drying it out will not save it. The corrosion damage must be repaired and damaged components replaced.
Replacing the DME, Immo and key transponder "pill" with the parts from another car will get it working, but is a BAD idea in my opinion, as your car will now have the electronic ID of the car those parts came from. Therefore, you will not be able to program new keys or replace any of those components as the programming codes Porsche has for your car will no longer work. So, basically you just changed your car's electronic VIN to that of the car those replacement parts came from.
What is the "correct" way to fix this? Well, you can get a new immo/alarm from your local dealer for $500-$900 depending upon the part number, and have the dealer program for $150 or so, or you can get it repaired, or get a replacement used alarm/immo module and get it "cloned" to match your original. Note that you really must have the exact same part number and sometimes also software revision for this to work.
