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Anyone remember this entry, from a few days ago? The one in which I mentioned that I was having problems with Peter, my new used car?
If do remember the entry, you might recall that I asked for advice and described the problem as the following:
Since nothing I tried could get Peter to start, I had the AA come out today to take a look and to tow me to a mechanic. I was pretty convinced that the problem was a clogged fuel line, as the engine sounded fine when started... for the two seconds before it died. Seemed most likely that a clog in the fuel line was preventing the engine from getting an adequate supply of diesel to keep running.
After looking under the bonnet for a moment, the AA guy looked at my key and asked if that was the key I normally used. I said that -- as mentioned above -- it was a new key. He asked me to fetch the original that the key had been cut from. He said that some cars have an immobiliser system and, when they do, the keys have a microchip inside them. Without the presence of the microchip, the immobiliser kicks in and, well, immobilises the car.
Suffice to say that I got an original key, put it in the lock, turned it... and Peter started just fine.
While I am more than a little pleased to not spend about a bazillion pounds getting Peter fixed, I also need to face up to the fact that this was a really, really simple solution that did not even remotely need a visit from the AA to get sorted. True, I had no idea that Peter had an immobiliser or that the key had a microchip. But, gah, I can be such an idiot sometimes!
Pardon me now while I go bang my head against the wall for awhile. Perhaps it will pound some sense into me...
If do remember the entry, you might recall that I asked for advice and described the problem as the following:
Tonight, however, I went to start Peter -- actually just testing the new keys that I had cut today -- and the engine wouldn't stay on. It would start, roll over, and then stop. Holding the clutch down didn't help, neither did giving it fuel.
Since nothing I tried could get Peter to start, I had the AA come out today to take a look and to tow me to a mechanic. I was pretty convinced that the problem was a clogged fuel line, as the engine sounded fine when started... for the two seconds before it died. Seemed most likely that a clog in the fuel line was preventing the engine from getting an adequate supply of diesel to keep running.
After looking under the bonnet for a moment, the AA guy looked at my key and asked if that was the key I normally used. I said that -- as mentioned above -- it was a new key. He asked me to fetch the original that the key had been cut from. He said that some cars have an immobiliser system and, when they do, the keys have a microchip inside them. Without the presence of the microchip, the immobiliser kicks in and, well, immobilises the car.
Suffice to say that I got an original key, put it in the lock, turned it... and Peter started just fine.
While I am more than a little pleased to not spend about a bazillion pounds getting Peter fixed, I also need to face up to the fact that this was a really, really simple solution that did not even remotely need a visit from the AA to get sorted. True, I had no idea that Peter had an immobiliser or that the key had a microchip. But, gah, I can be such an idiot sometimes!
Pardon me now while I go bang my head against the wall for awhile. Perhaps it will pound some sense into me...
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