scooby remote and HULL!!!
 

i travel to Hull from Lincoln two days a week and have nothing but problems with my car remote control for the alarm/imobiliser....only in HULL!!

i tend to park in the George st area and when i get parked up i cannot get the remote to operate, you can imagine the heart pounding moments that produces. i had wondered if it was the police station antennas causing the problem, but asking the parking attendent if anyone else had mentioned having the same problem, the answer was NO.

are the remotes so crap that is why subaru put an override control panel in the glove box? that has saved me from being stranded in Hull as no amount of "plipping" was either gonna unlock the car or even lock it in the first place.

and i have changed the batteries less than 4 days ago. yesterday i managed to get my car out of the multi storey carpark that i thought was causing the problems and went to an open one, outside. same problem!!!

any help from another member extremely welcome....maybe its just me...though i seem to think there is HULL phenomenon going on here! ta!

Never had any problems. There is a big police station which could cause radio wave disturbance. Dunno.

Mobile Phone Masts are known to interfear with car remotes. They operate on a VERY similar frequency!!!!!

I live in Hull and I have problems with my remote, but its a Clifford one and I thinks its just due to the button sticking sometimes.

Why dont you take yours apart and have a look inside. They aren't hard to get into. Just check the piece of metal that springs inside under the rubber button and make sure it is still springy! I think that they flatten out after they have been used a fair bit.

Si

Had the same thing in Lodon and the AA had to pull out my immobilser!!!!

Took it back to where i got it from and they said that the frequency can be interferred with by mobile radio masts etc. They fitted a manual immobiliser disarm fob for me in case i had it again.....

I live in Hull and I have had this problem a couple of times. I ended up waiting 30 mins till i could get into it. I took it back to RAM, and they said it is something to do with the frequency. Touch wood i haven't had a problem for nearly a year now. :)

i am convinced its the mobile phone masts on top of the george st car park and the police station...can only think its very common for subaru to put the keypad in the glovebox. know i would be well stuck if i didnt have that to get the car started.

thing is the interference cant only affect scoobies and for what sort of distance? the multi storey is right next to the cop shop for those that know Hull, but the other car park is 100 yards plus away and is not an enclosed space. unbelieveable!!!

Im in Hull and it is the police stations and other computer equipment that cause it to interfeare.
If your alarm is standard then i suggest you upgrade as its the only solution, someone i know had to push his car down the road to be able to get it working again!
You could always park in Princes Quay as it doesnt happen in there and that is secure parking especially as scooby owners prefer to park on the 3rd level ;)

thanks for your suggestions guys!!! cheers. thankfully the keypad has saved me...dont suppose i am gaining anything by having the alarm working...who responds to them these days anyway!?? when i had this problem this week i kept tripping the alarm and no-one came from the multi storey i was in, the new car park has a couple of blokes who can see car and its well and truly imobilised so dont have any theft fears...more being stranded fears come to mind.

no probs, just thankyourself lucky you dont live here :)

Although posted before, from the comments above it's probably worth posting again for anyone new to the forum and for the benefit of anyone else who may suffer from this.....

Radio Lock Out:
- All alarm systems manufactured for use in the UK in ’99 were required to operate on the frequency of 433MHz. Subsequently, in late 2000, the government allowed the introduction of the “Tetra” radio network for telecommunications companies, the military, police, fire and ambulance services etc, which was allocated the 420-430MHz bandwidths.

Although not exactly the same frequency, these “Tetra” transmitters are licensed and so are allowed to operate at around 20,000 watts, compared with the alarm systems 0.5 watt radio key (necessary so that your radio keys remain exempt from annual licensing fees!)

As a result, when you are near a transmitting “Tetra” mast you can get a degree of “bleed over” as their signal is so much stronger and this can swamp the transmission from the radio key.

This problem is not exclusive to this system and can occur on any number of manufacturers systems produced prior to 2001.

The receiver boards were redesigned to focus more accurately on the 433.92HHz frequency as soon as this problem became evident, however, systems manufactured before 2001, with the older receiver boards that may have experienced this problem, are not faulty and were not considered eligible for warranty.
However, as a goodwill measure, customers who suffered from “exceptional” radio lock-out (ie lived or worked below a mast) were offered an upgraded receiver board whilst the vehicle was still within the warranty period.

This goodwill period was extended for a further 12 months after the 3 year warranty period expired, but ended in December 2004.
Later ECUs are available from Subaru (part number SACC 3465) but these are now chargeable

Avoidance:
There are a few points that should be remembered:

- All vehicles that passed through the import centre from January 2001 are equipped with the latest receiver boards that are "Tetra Resistant" and so should not experience this problem.

- A keypad is fitted to ALL models with the UK standard fit alarm system (from 99 MY) as an emergency override, in the event of loss, damage, flat radio key battery etc. (The keypad also allows the driver to access a number of features and is a complete programming tool for the dealers) and so pushing/recovery of vehicle’s should not be necessary provided you know your override PIN and ow to operate the keypad.

- The keypad can NOT be affected by "Radio Lock-Out", as it is hard wired into the system and does not rely on a radio transmission.

Keypad Use:
- The keypad allows only THREE PIN attempts and then will "Lock Up" if an incorrect number is entered a third time. This is a secuity feature to prevent random attempts at steeling the vehicle, however, it is also an inconvenience if you are suffering "Radio Lock Out" and enter your PIN incorrectly.

- The PIN number should not be entered too quickly or too slowly - when a digit has been pressed the small LED built into the keypad will illuminate briefly as confirmation and only then should the next digit be entered.

If an incorrect digit is pressed or the delay between entering digits exceeds10 seconds, then the LED above the keypad will flash rapidly and the PIN attempt should be aborted and started again after 30 seconds.

Due to the small size of the keypad some users may find a rubber tipped pencil easier to use. DO NOT use the sharp tip of a ball point pen etc, or press excessively hard on the keypad as this will only damage the membrane and cause a digit to remain pressed, causing a continual incorrect PIN.

Summary:
My advice is to read the alarm system's instruction manual and practice entering the PIN before you need it. If you do not know your PIN, or bought the car second hand (in which case the PIN may have been changed by the previous owner) you can change the PIN to one of your own choosing, using the keypad, provided that you have a working Radio Key.

Changing your PIN:
- Arm and then Disarm the system using a working Radio Key.
- Within 30 seconds of disarming, type into the keypad: *17856*92*wxyz*wxyz# (where wxyz is your new PIN code)
- Arm the system with the Radio Key
- You should now be able to disarm the system using the new PIN code

Further information can be found in the systems Operating Instructions. If you do not have a copy of the Operating Instructions a link to a copy can be found in the post at:
http://www.subaru-impreza.org/subaru...pic.php?t=2476

Ensure your keypad is operational before you need it on a dark night!
If this is an ntermitent problem, use of the keypad should overcome the problem. However, if the problem is more frequent it may be worth considering a new control unit - An SACC 3465 should cost in the region of £70 from a Subaru dealer and your existing keys can still be used.
Although installation may take around 30 minutes, do not pay over the odds for programming the system, as this can be done in 5 minutes using the keypad.

Sorry that this is such a long-winded post, but I hope that it answers the questions raised and will keep everyone mobile.
SS

At least if you get stuck you can nip across Queens gardens and have a quick half in the Empress.......say hello to Kev and Anne if you're there first!


CC