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Car Key Advice
Lost Vauxhall Transponder Chip
Are you having troubles getting your Vauxhall car to start? It could be that you have lost the transponder chip from your Vauxhall car key.
This article explains what a Vauxhall transponder chip does and how to tell if it’s missing from your key. If you have a lost Vauxhall transponder chip The Car Key People’s Vauxhall key programming service will get you back on the road.
What is a Vauxhall transponder chip?
When you turn the key in your Vauxhall’s ignition the car’s engine turns over and the car starts. Before the engine starts the car performs a quick security check to ensure a correctly programmed key is being used. This is known as an immobiliser system and all Vauxhall cars have been factory fitted with an immobiliser since 1995. Each car key contains a small chip concealed in the plastic head known as a transponder chip. The chip is uniquely coded to the vehicle and must be present in the key if the car is to start. There are several different types of transponder chips but the ones that commonly fall out of Vauxhall keys are made of black carbon and look like this:
What happens if you lose the chip from a Vauxhall key?
If the transponder chip falls out of a Vauxhall key the car will not start. The engine will still turn over and crank but the car will not run. The car may start for a split second but the immobiliser will do its job and cut the engine straight out. There are lots of mechanical reasons for cars not stating that are not related to the transponder chip or immobiliser, so to make things clearer there is a visual indication of a missing transponder chip displayed on the dashboard. When you turn the ignition on the arial looks to receive the correct signal from the key being used. If an incorrect key signal is received the dashboard flashes an orange / yellow symbol of a car and spanner. This video clip shows the dashboard indication of a missing transponder chip from a 2001 Vauxhall Corsa:
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Lost Vauxhall Transponder Chip
Are you having troubles getting your Vauxhall car to start? It could be that you have lost the transponder chip from your Vauxhall car key.
This article explains what a Vauxhall transponder chip does and how to tell if it’s missing from your key. If you have a lost Vauxhall transponder chip The Car Key People’s Vauxhall key programming service will get you back on the road.
What is a Vauxhall transponder chip?
When you turn the key in your Vauxhall’s ignition the car’s engine turns over and the car starts. Before the engine starts the car performs a quick security check to ensure a correctly programmed key is being used. This is known as an immobiliser system and all Vauxhall cars have been factory fitted with an immobiliser since 1995. Each car key contains a small chip concealed in the plastic head known as a transponder chip. The chip is uniquely coded to the vehicle and must be present in the key if the car is to start. There are several different types of transponder chips but the ones that commonly fall out of Vauxhall keys are made of black carbon and look like this:
What happens if you lose the chip from a Vauxhall key?
If the transponder chip falls out of a Vauxhall key the car will not start. The engine will still turn over and crank but the car will not run. The car may start for a split second but the immobiliser will do its job and cut the engine straight out. There are lots of mechanical reasons for cars not stating that are not related to the transponder chip or immobiliser, so to make things clearer there is a visual indication of a missing transponder chip displayed on the dashboard. When you turn the ignition on the arial looks to receive the correct signal from the key being used. If an incorrect key signal is received the dashboard flashes an orange / yellow symbol of a car and spanner. This video clip shows the dashboard indication of a missing transponder chip from a 2001 Vauxhall Corsa:
Where is the transponder chip in my key?
If your key is a standard manual key with no remote fob the chip will be concealed inside the top plastic head part that you hold. It is unlikely you will have lost the chip from this kind of key. A remote locking Vauxhall key comes in two parts and the remote fob separates from the key blade. The transponder chip is slotted in the horseshoe blade and can be seen when the remote fob is removed. It is common for the remote fob and horseshoe fitting to become weak resulting in the fob becoming detached from the key when it is pulled out of the ignition. This is how the transponder chip normally becomes lost from a Vauxhall key.
Newer models of Vauxhall such as the Astra H operate with a flip style remote key. These types of key still have a transponder chip, however the chip is integrated onto the remote component board rather than fitted separate in the horseshoe blade. It’s worth noting the very first Vectra C and Astra H models still had a two part key, although the chip was integrated in the the remote as in the newer flip style keys.
If you have lost your Vauxhall transponder chip we can supply a new chip and reprogram your key to make the car start. You may like to read more information about our Vauxhall key service or call 07952 941161 to book one of our car locksmiths today.