Published in the November 2014 issue of “Die Porsche Kassette”

This is KEY INFO, literally.

We will try to give you as much “Key” information as possible in this article, as there’s a lot of misinformation regarding this topic.

Most of our cars came with 2 keys from the factory.

Many times, if the car is sold, the second key doesn’t transfer ownership or the original owner may have lost or misplaced a key throughout the years so the car is left with just one key. I see this a lot when I perform Pre-Purchase Inspections.

It is good to note that the keyless entry (remote) is an option. Porsches do not come standard with remote controlled locks, so there are plenty out there with a good old-fashioned manual entry.

I ordered my 1998 with keyless

entry and my car came with 1 key

with remote and one manual key.

Now a days, cars that are ordered

with the keyless entry option come

with 2 keys with remote.

A Porsche key is made up of multiple parts:

Blade - The mechanical portion of the key that actuates the tumblers in the lock

Immobilizer Pill - A passive RF unique identifier, which allows the car to start

Remote Control - Radio transmitter to set or open the locks / alarm or other

Battery - Powers the remote-control operations

O-ring - Helps keep the key water-resistant

Fob - Contains all the parts

The blade is laser etched and

unique to each car.

It only operates the mechanical

tumblers in the door and steering

locks.

If lost or damaged, the factory can

supply a replacement as each car’s

key info is stored in their archives.

Visit your local dealer for this service.

The immo pill is the security (anti-

theft) feature in your car. It is a

unique passive identifier which

reflects a string of numbers that must

match what is programmed into the

Central Locking Unit’s memory.

The Remote Control is a small radio transmitter, and like the immo pill, sends a string of numbers that have been preprogrammed into the CLU to actuate the door locks, front trunk lid, rear trunk lid, etc.

The remote control uses a common, 3 volt button battery which needs to be replaced every few years.

The battery model is 2032.

The Fob keeps all the parts together

in one easy-to-operate enclosure

which also is water-resistant to protect

the electronics. It is not water-proof

and many have been damaged when

sent through the wash cycle having

been left in a trouser pocket.

If you purchase a new key fob it will contain a new immo pill and a new remote control with a new battery but not the blade.

If you want to have a complete second (or third, or fourth) key, keep in mind that you’ll also have to order a new laser-etched key blade.

The cars have capacity to store up to four (4) different remote / immo combinations.

But sometimes the remotes stop working.

What can it be?

Several things:

•The most obvious is a dead battery. Carefully pry open the fob and replace. 

The telltale sign that it’s a dead battery is that the red LED won’t light up or will

be very faint when one of the buttons is pressed. Note, the (+) side goes

towards the outside.

• If the car has been parked for over 6 days, the remote’s receiver is automatically deactivated. Open the door with the key, insert the key in the ignition and start the car. The remote is now active again. 

• You could have the “Outside Lock-in Range”. If the remote transmitter is operated more than 256 times without reaching the associated receiver (e.g. vehicle out of range or vehicle battery dead or disconnected), the vehicle will not recognize the remote the next time it is activated.  

This can happen if the key button is pressed continuously in a pant pocket or

purse. If the number of operations is less than 1024, it is possible to perform

re-synchronization as follows:

1.- Switch on ignition with key and valid transponder

2.- Switch off ignition

3.- Remove key from steering lock

4.- Operate remote within 6 seconds after the key has been removed

The lock-in range has now been reset to zero (0) as is the case with every

recognized remote operation.

• The remote itself may be damaged. 

When a door doesn’t immediately

open upon depressing the button,

what do we do? We press harder!

After multiple times the delicate

circuitry in the remote may break a

line or a component may just die.

Whenever you replace a remote or an immobilizer pill, they have to be programmed into the car’s memory.

The new fob with a remote and immo pill will come with its security codes and they need to be input into the car’s Central Locking Unit using a Porsche-specific computer (PST-II or PIWIS) which the Porsche Dealers and some Independent Shops have. This way, the old key blade is just transferred over to the new key fob.

For more information on “Key Information” and more, please visit my website: www PedrosGarage.com.

Happy Porsche’ing,