Automatic immobiliser

[Tyger]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find the automatic immobiliser to be a huge pain in the neck. Evidently the alarm needs to have this feature to earn a Thatcham Category 1 approval in the UK, which I am sure has something to do with insurance rates there.
I, for one, am happy to have the immobiliser come on only when I turn the rest of the alarm system on, which is to say, when I walk away from the car, not when I am sitting in it.
Because the Cobra alarm is programmable, one can turn the automatic immobilisation off. Just follow the lengthy (but not complex) process described in the installation manual (which may be found in a "sticky" in this forum). Without me going into too much detail, simply choose #7 from the "Functions Table". The immobiliser will then come on only in conjunction with the alarm. Everything else will continue to function normally.

[kepstein]

Could you further explain how this is done? Does this make it so that the imobiliser works in conjunction with arming the alarm (i.e. pushing the button)?

Thanks,
Ken

[Miguel]

Originally Posted by kepstein

Could you further explain how this is done? Does this make it so that the imobiliser works in conjunction with arming the alarm (i.e. pushing the button)?

Thanks,
Ken

Ken you can find the manuals in:
http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6450

it will be hard to explain in a post but the manual will have the details on how to get to #7 in the functions table.

and yes, I believe that's what he meant, engine imobilizes only when the alarms is armed

Tyger, how many retries to enter your security code? good job, I thought doing it but don't have the patience and would have to find my pin

[Santorium]

I thought the purpose of the auto immobiliser was so that if you're going to be away for a while you can lock the car doors manually and have the alarm active? If you lock the doors using the fob and the battery runs out, you cannot open the doors until you've fixed it?

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by kepstein

Could you further explain how this is done? Does this make it so that the imobiliser works in conjunction with arming the alarm (i.e. pushing the button)?

Thanks,
Ken

Yes, the immobiliser will be activated when you push the button to lock your doors and set the alarm. I have confirmed this, at the cost of some of my hearing.

If you want to do it, the best thing is to download the Cobra Bridge installation manual which is in a sticky thread at the top of this forum, but here's the basic method.
1 Go through the "emergency" procedure to disarm/mobilise mentioned on page 33 of your Elise owner's manual, but detailed on page 36 (not p. 18, as mine says). Begin with step 3 (do not do steps 1 & 2 on pg. 36). When this is done successfully the alarm system lamp will come on and stay lit.
2 Press the "A" (large) button on the fob for 5 seconds; the lamp will blink ONE long flash (putting you in the Mode Table). But keep going.
3 Turn the key to Off, and then immediately back to On. The lamp will make TWO long blinks, indicating you are now in the Functions Table.
4 The lamp will then quickly begin to flash one flash at a time. Press the A button. It will flash quickly twice at a time. Keep pressing the A button till the lamp blinks seven quick flashes at a time. This is the function you want to choose.
5 Press the "B" (small) button to store this function.
6 Turn the key to Off. Wait at least ten seconds.
7 Your immobiliser will now only come on in conjunction with the active alarm and door locking.

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by Santorium

I thought the purpose of the auto immobiliser was so that if you're going to be away for a while you can lock the car doors manually and have the alarm active? If you lock the doors using the fob and the battery runs out, you cannot open the doors until you've fixed it?

No, if you lock the doors so that the posts go down (either by hand, with the interior locking button, or using the fob), the only way to then open them (if the windows are up and the roof on) is to use the fob. If the battery is dead, you must restore power first.
This has nothing directly to do with the immobiliser which merely prevents the car from starting, whether or not you have activated the alarm (in the factory setting).

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by Miguel

Tyger, how many retries to enter your security code? good job, I thought doing it but don't have the patience and would have to find my pin

It's not that hard. If you screw up, you just start over.
For those of you who leave the immobiliser on "auto", I suggest you memorize (or keep in your wallet) your PIN, for the inevitable day when your fob battery dies and you cant get to your backup fob. It is only a four digit number.

[BMJM100]

Thanks!! I will try to reprogram this week.
It is a royal pain in the a&& every time you go to the gas station...

Bruce

[TimMullen]

I'll leave mine on auto...

When I park in the garage, I just let it auto immobilize as it's is much less of a battery drain then parking it with the alarm on (some times fro several days). Besides, the house alarm will let me know if someone has gotten into the garage.

Pressing the button is just something you get used to. It caused me all kind of problems when I first got the car (it would always "time out" before I was ready to start the car, but now things are second nature and it never "times out" on me...

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by TimMullen

When I park in the garage, I just let it auto immobilize as it's is much less of a battery drain then parking it with the alarm on (some times fro several days).

The drain from the alarm system is negligible: less than 14 milliAmps armed and 10 disarmed. You stand to save about 4 mA by leaving the alarm off.
As a comparison, the interior lamp alone draws about 440 mA.

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by Tyger

The drain from the alarm system is negligible: less than 14 milliAmps armed and 10 disarmed. You stand to save about 4 mA by leaving the alarm off.

True, but even the manual points out that the battery will drain less with the alarm off. Even a few milliamps adds up to a bigger drain over an extended period of time.

Like I said, I don't bother with the car alarm in my alarmed garage. Everywhere else, the alarm is on...

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by TimMullen

True, but even the manual points out that the battery will drain less with the alarm off. Even a few milliamps adds up to a bigger drain over an extended period of time.

Like I said, I don't bother with the car alarm in my alarmed garage. Everywhere else, the alarm is on...

Probably if you turned off the auto immobiliser in your alarmed garage you could even save a couple more mA!

[Miguel]

I have a question,

This is the function table:

1 blink Immobilizer on, alarm on, siren continous
2 blinks Immobilizer on, alarm on, siren Intermittent
3 blinks Immobilizer on, alarm on, siren controlled by B button in fob
4 blinks Immobilizer on, alarm off, siren continous
5 blinks Immobilizer on, alarm off, siren Intermittent
6 blinks Immobilizer on, alarm off, siren controlled by B button in fob
7 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm on, siren continous
8 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm on, siren Intermittent
9 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm on, siren controlled by B button in fob
10 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm off, siren continous
11 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm off, siren Intermittent
12 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm off, siren controlled by B button in fob

Note that it doesn't say that the immobilizer will be armed when the alarm is on, meaning that someone could hot wire your car and drive it with the alarm buzzing.

Is that right?

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by Miguel

I have a question,

This is the function table:

1 blink Immobilizer on, alarm on, siren continous
2 blinks Immobilizer on, alarm on, siren Intermittent
3 blinks Immobilizer on, alarm on, siren controlled by B button in fob
4 blinks Immobilizer on, alarm off, siren continous
5 blinks Immobilizer on, alarm off, siren Intermittent
6 blinks Immobilizer on, alarm off, siren controlled by B button in fob
7 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm on, siren continous
8 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm on, siren Intermittent
9 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm on, siren controlled by B button in fob
10 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm off, siren continous
11 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm off, siren Intermittent
12 blinks Immobilizer off, alarm off, siren controlled by B button in fob

Note that it doesn't say that the immobilizer will be armed when the alarm is on, meaning that someone could hot wire your car and drive it with the alarm buzzing.

Is that right?

Actually what it says is "Passive Arming (immobiliser)" and "Active Arming"
Under Passive it should really say "(immobiliser ONLY)".
When you "actively" activate the system, the immobiliser is activated with it.

[demarco]

I just did this stuff last night.

its a major pain.

The first time that i did it i put the alarm in a mode where it would activate automatically after about 2 minutes or so.

But i did finally get it working. The alarm manuals are not very clear at all, they basically describe the same things that are in the directions here, but the version posted here is much clearer.

I finally have one of the things i hate about the car fixed.

Thanks.

Vince

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by demarco

The alarm manuals are not very clear at all, they basically describe the same things that are in the directions here, but the version posted here is much clearer.

I finally have one of the things i hate about the car fixed.

Thanks.

Vince

Sometimes it's easier when it's in (almost) plain english. Happy to be of help.
Tyler

[kepstein]

Originally Posted by Tyger

simply choose #7 from the "Functions Table". The immobiliser will then come on only in conjunction with the alarm.

Now that I have set it to #7, I would like to know if #6 was the default setting.

Thanks,
Ken

[Miguel]

Originally Posted by kepstein

Now that I have set it to #7, I would like to know if #6 was the default setting.

Thanks,
Ken

I changed mine to #7 too, and before I did it was in #1 (one blink) I think that's the default.

On a side funny note, after changing it, I kept on hearing the alarm warning after attempting to lock it. played around all the settings and try to reprogram it several times and kept on doing it.

After a while I noticed my trunk/engine lid was open

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by Miguel

I changed mine to #7 too, and before I did it was in #1 (one blink) I think that's the default.

It's hard to be sure what the default is/was. Now that you are on #7, you will notice that it will still blink only once now if you go back into the functions table. Both the functions and mode tables start with one blink, regardless of what the actual setting might be (in this case, now #7)

[Miguel]

well by the behaviour it's probably 1, on/on/continous.