S3 immobiliser / dash fault

[aniesigh]

Hi all,
My S3 has decided to have a paddy.
Basically the orange strip at the top of the dash display is lit constantly (even when ign off), and the rest of it doesn't light up with the correct display when ignition is on. the car will start for a second which is obviously the immobiliser kicking in.
I have checked all the fuses and they all seem good.
Havent had a chance to have a real good look at it yet but was wondering if anyone had any suggestions / common faults for me to try when i get the time to have a look at it?
cheers
Adam

 

[*P3nfold*]

Have you checked for fault codes?

 

[aniesigh]

My bad, wrote that in a rush (very cold hands)
Should have mentioned... VCDS will not connect to instruments / immobiliser , and it definately used to connect to instruments, can't remember about the imob.
Also i have had the light switch out and it has been broke in the past and re-broke when i took it out ( the rod that actuates the actual switch has snapped off the knob and been re-glued in the past. i am going to sort it out but at the minute switch is removed.
Fairly sure i did have it running since the switch was out anyway although can't remember 100%
Cheers

 

[aniesigh]

Bit of an update, plugged a mates clocks in and the display etc came on so deduced it was my clocks at fault, sent them off to bba reman, who have said they are beyond repair. Now what are my options? Can the later clocks with digital clock be fitted? As these seem to be all I can find, and can I actually get it to run without the sku code from my old clocks (which I cannot obtain)
Cheers

 

[@udi A3]

Can bba reman extract the SKC from your clocks?
If not I had a set of clocks read for my car by an autolocksmith in nottingham, although I know there are a few people possibly lurking in the forum also able to do this but dont advertise due to forum rules. I was charged £30 and was able to match the ecu to them when in my car.

What year car is it and do you have any past vcds logs to help somebody check the part numbers would be swappable? Danio is also worth pm'ing as he helped when I did mine.

Where are you based?

 

[aniesigh]

I did ask them before i sent it and they said that if it was beyond repair they wouldn't be able to extract the skc code, when they emailed me to say they couldn't repair it they had already sent it back so didn't even get a chance to double check. a mate of mine is an AA man and he recomended me a local auto locksmith so i'm going to give him a call tomorrow.

The car is a 99 on a V plate, must be a very early one as its got an analogue clock (makes finding a set of replacement clocks a mission).

Ive not got any vcds logs, I'm in North Devon. will PM Danio tomorrow. if anyone on here can help and see's this but can't post it up on here please PM me
cheers

 

[@udi A3]

According to rosstech wiki, just the SKC for the replacement cluster will be needed.
Im currently looking a bit deeper into key coding, still not 100% how coding second hand keys works in this scenario, but when i changed the clocks on my car the keys matched up to the new cluster no problems.

I cant see any reason why a later clock set wont work if the car has the right wiring.

 

[aniesigh]

I think the plug is different on the newer clocks, the center plug (whatever that one does), not sure if the number of wires and colours are the same. need to bribe my mate to let me pull his apart again and have a look, if the same i might be able to splice a connector from a facelift car onto my loom and use newer clocks. have been recomended a local auto locksmith who is pretty clued up, will try give him a call next week but am flat out at work so struggling for time, cheers

 

[Danio]

I can fit you digital clock yif you need but I need at least 10 days to do so and new clocks. Fitting facelift clocks to prefacelift car is not so easy bcoz you need to change pins in sockets and disable can bus on them. If you have already full dis then it is easy stright job for me for about an hour to do, with programming new key and setting a mileage.