BMW 318ti immobiliser?

[jimmymcmahon]

Hey guys,

I just picked my X reg 318ti compact up from the garage..as I was having my thermostat housing replaced due to an overheating engine...

When i got the car it had a custom immobiliser fitted in the glove box....
So every time I want to start the car, I have to open the glove box and stick the black keyfob into the immobiliser dock inside the glove before the car will start...

this is a real pain in the backside!

Anyway...upon picking the car up yesterday..the engineer explained to me that there was absolutely no need for that extra immobiliser to be in the car...as apparently the car already has a bmw one fitted and the car will not start in anyway without the master key that i have as it apparently has a rolling code on the chip inside the key...

so how on earth would I go about disabling this immobiliser in the glove box?

many thanks in advance!

[xxxJohnBoyxxx]

Originally Posted by jimmymcmahon

Hey guys,

I just picked my X reg 318ti compact up from the garage..as I was having my thermostat housing replaced due to an overheating engine...

When i got the car it had a custom immobiliser fitted in the glove box....
So every time I want to start the car, I have to open the glove box and stick the black keyfob into the immobiliser dock inside the glove before the car will start...

this is a real pain in the backside!

Anyway...upon picking the car up yesterday..the engineer explained to me that there was absolutely no need for that extra immobiliser to be in the car...as apparently the car already has a bmw one fitted and the car will not start in anyway without the master key that i have as it apparently has a rolling code on the chip inside the key...

so how on earth would I go about disabling this immobiliser in the glove box?

many thanks in advance!

You need to trace where it goes. Most likely it disables the starter at the EWS system which is your BMW anti theft system. Look for two thick wires coming out of the box or two thick wires off a relay from the box. Normally if you tie these together it will disable the system.

WARNING ~ This is only a internet guess. Pictures would help us a lot. Take pictures of the wiring and where it goes and I can better help you.

[John Firestone]

If I remember correctly, the EWS units retrofitted in Germany disabled the starter, fuel pump and DME. I suspect disabling just one wasn't enough to satisfy the insurance companies during the great retrofitting wave of 1993-94.

As an aside, the demand was so great back then that my dealer ran out of EWS warning stickers and slapped a couple BMW alarm stickers on the front windows (of my then '93 318i). I was lucky they did as the following summer someone in Northern Italy tricked to break in by forcing the passenger door lock. Whoever it was, was apparently a proud, would-be thief as he very discretely left his initials in a corner of the C-pillar!