Toad Power Key Immobiliser..??

[bridgdav]

Has anybody had any experiance with TOAD systems..??


I have a Toad Powerkey system fitted to my ‘S’. The system is less than 1 Yr old but failed following the Brighton run.....

Actually outside a pub on the way home....

Resulting in a call out for the AA. The system would disarm, allowing the car to start but within 10 seconds, it cut the power to the fuel pump. This was proved by using a multimeter accross the contacts. The LED would then flash after this 10 seconds.

We disconnected the battery to determine if the system would reset itself but this did not prove successful. After 3 hours waiting for the vehicle to be collected,

Flat bed turns up...ramp looks bldy steep...

Me thinks...My cars not going on that...

SO...I tried the car a final time...wehey... continued to run.

Is this to be an intermittant fault..? Is it shagged..?
It has also been fine ever since...(I'm confused)

To be honest I've lost a bit of confidence in it already...

Local dealer wants £35 /hr just to have a look at it

Any Ideas...???

[Colin BlueS2]

Hi Dave

I guess it was fitted before you got the car and so the people that fitted it are not local to you. How about giving them a ring and seeing what they can suggest, maybe they could arrange for a local Toad supplier to have a look. Failing that try contacting Toad directly and ask what they can do about it. If the unit is faulty it should be covered by the warranty and that should include the cost of getting the unit replaced.

Might be worth mentioning to Toad that you have lots of friends online that are interested in seeing how companies treat their customers.

Colin

[zumbruk]

IME, Toad don't give a monkeys about cutomer relations, and I wouldn't touch them with yours.

[bridgdav]

Right here goes...

I sent a mail to Toad basically outlining the problems I have had, similar to my post on here.....

Toad said:

Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding your Toad Powerkey. I have completed a search for you in the Berkshire area and have located a dealer for you. The details are below. If you require anymore help, please contact the sales department on the number provided.

Not much help really....

I contacted the installer from Bristol......

He said:

I believe your problem is a fault with the unit rather than our installation. In my experiance the unit fails rather than has intermittant faults... Seeing as you were not the owner of the car when the installation was made the warranty is invalid. You can have a new one for £165....Goodday....click brrrrrr....

Mail back to Toad...

I said:

I have been in touch with the original installer of the unit - Automotive Control in Bristol. He seems to think there could be a fault with the unit itself rather than installation. He also informed me that there is a lifetime guarantee with Toad Powerkey. But this guarantee is not transferable, could you please confirm this..?? The unit was installed 17/01/03 so it is not even 1 year old yet. I cannot see how a lifetime guarantee can be offered with this type of equipment fitted to a motor vehicle as the vehicle is almost certain to be sold within a few years. Can you please advise what service either you can offer or what action I should take from here.

Toad said:

The Dealer was correct in informing you that the Life Time Guarantee stays with the owner of the vehicle the new Toad product was fitted to. However, this only includes parts and not labour costs. If you was the second owner of this vehicle then it is possible as the product is only a year old that we would still up hold the warranty on this for you. You would be liable for costs for the removal of the Powerkey and this would then be sent to our Warranty Department who would repair and return the unit to the dealer in question.

So I'm pretty much screwed don't you think...???
I will have to pay for the removal - be without an immobiliser - pay for re-installation...

This will probably / convieniently add up to the cost of a new unit, but with lots of hassle to me...

I wonder if all alarm / immobiliser guarantees are the same....
Might be worth a look at yours......

[zumbruk]

Well, I did warn you ...

[bridgdav]

zumbruk said:

Well, I did warn you ...

Horse and bolted springs to mind.....

Thanks for that anyway.

[zumbruk]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be anti (well, not you, anyway). My sympathies on your predicament, but it appears to be Toad's SOP.

[bridgdav]

Not a problem....Z

It cut out whilst I was driving last night, so it looks like I will have to get it sorted pretty quickly...

Any ideas of a better one - Thatcham 2 cat