Cor1vette

Just got a call from the Chevy dealer and he says I have to pay $550 to have my ignition cylinder and ignition key replaced because my car has been programmed to the anti-theft mode.

Background: Took my car to a Lube shop and after they programmed out the Oil Change light indicator, the car would no longer start.

If you short acoss the starter terminals, the car starts but dies within 3 seconds (repeatably).

Found on line that this vette has a anti-theft system that prevents power to the starter relay and the fuel pump when in theft mode.

So now the question is...how to unprogram the theft mode. Can't believe that I really have to replace the ignition cylinder and key to fix this. I would think if it can be programmed ON, it can be programmed OFF, but the dealer mechanic says no.

Anyone got any ideas for a fellow vette brother that doesn't like getting robbed by the Chevy dealer mechanics?

JackDidley

That just sounds wrong. Post this in tech where more guys will see it.

ddahlgren

This is priceless. Why did you have the lube shop programming the car? Half the time you are lucky they don't strip the drain plug. There is a procedure in the owners manual to clear the code but it does not require any programming of any kind.

Tell the dealer to have his ace mechanic look up VATS in the service manual and follow the diags chart. It may very well need a lock cylinder but I doubt it needs a $550.00 one. Better yet buy a DVM and a service manual and post this in the tech section.

Dave

bjankuski

What year is the car? Depending on the year easy to very easy to fix.

Pit Bull 49229

Ive got a similar issue posted over in Tech - I believe it is the VATS... should be able to be bypassed or deleted.... check over in Tech or search the forums or Google VATS for a ton of info.
Also, a Factory Service manual is invaluable for troubleshooting/diagnosing these PITA electrical problems and can/will save you a bundle.

Pit Bull 49229

Racerjar8

According to the dealer service manual, if the system is in the theft alarm mode, the deterent system can be disarmed by placing the oval key in the door lock and rotating it like you would normally open the door.then insert the square headed ignition key on the steering column.
Good Luck!
Jim

Cantab

Ha ha i ended up doing this AFTER i pulled part of my dash apart thinking the aftermarket stereo had an inbuilt alarm, ( set off by an earthquake mag 4.7 )

tuxedokat

I have a 1990 Corvette that has temporarily stranded me about 5 different times. This always occurs when we are out somewhere and we turn off engine temporarily (stop for gas, etc.) The symptoms are: no starter or solenoid response upon attempting to restart the car. Dash lights come on, but zero, zilch, nothing from the starter. In all cases, after about 45 minutes to an hour later, the car will start and run just fine. On two occasions, I had to cancel a towtruck order. At first, I concluded that this was temparature related even to the point of replacing the starter, and shielding it from the catalytic converter heat! No help.

The last time this happened, my wife was with me, and we noticed that I had tried to start the car before she had closed her door. We were at a restaurant, so we went inside for about an hour and came back out and the car started.

I am blaming the VATs system for this, but I still don't have a definite cause & effect.

If anyone can shed any light on this I would appreciate the insight

Tuxedokat