Just a week in the life of a P38 owner

[prelude]

Sometimes...

Things go wrong in a big cascade of failures.

Last week I noticed that my dash would say "engine defect" and would not start, we know by now that this is laro speak for "immobiliser is not disarmed" so I wondered what that was. I gave a tap on the key and it would start, great. The occurrences would increase over time and at one point it did not want to start at all. So I got my spare key to try that and... it did not work either. Weird. The dash suggested I press the button on the remote so with great difficulty I took my pen-knife and tried to reach the switch inside the long since perished buttons. It worked, and I could start the engine.

Funny thing this, I never used the remote in the past ohh 5 years I reckon since the buttons have long since given up.

As it turns out, and I explained that to another board member recently I recall, the P38 works differently to most other brands/models. 95% of cars use an RFID chip in the key which is read by a coil that sits in the ignition when you enter the key to disable the immobiliser. The P38 sends a signal somehow to the key which then uses RF (radio frequency) to transmit a unique code to the car. Even though I had not used the buttons for 5 years, the batteries simply died and then you can no longer start the car... So, I found myself some CR2025's and on I went. Really lucky I "broke down" at a petrol station that had those batteries.

Anyway, I left the spare key in the car since I did not want to get stranded somewhere and went on my business making a mental note to dig into this later. I parked the car, at my current temporary address, and closed the door as I always do with the key in the ignition. The next morning I touched the door handle and I heard the distinct "CLICK" of the central locking... locking the car. Now, I am not sure why this happened but one thing is for certain I now had two keys in the car and no way of opening it! Another thing to figure out why it does that...

So I took the only tool I had down here, a wood cleaver, and decided to smash the side window since I have a spare of those in storage anyway and you know what? I tried it twice with some force but no go. You can see the window actually bend and the axe bounce off... Luckily, the missus had been to the dry cleaners and brought one of them very cheap clothes hangers which I could get into the door and pull the pin to open the car.

Buy a range rover, they said, it'll be fun! they said...

-P

[Tins]

Windows don't break like they do in the movies, do they? Once, at around five in the morning, I pulled up in the Scania for a comfort break. Lights on, engine running, phone in its holder... Was out for maybe a minute. Came back to find it locked. I'd say it was two freezing hours later a bloke stopped, well I was blocking his driveway. He had a tool box and a F100 ute for me to stand on. It took 7 or 8 hefty swings with a FBH before it broke the glass and I could get in. Try explaining that to the boss. After that I stashed the spare key somewhere. Never needed it. It's probably still there. The Scania workshop said it wasn't possible, but then they said lots of things.

[V8Ian]

Windows don't break like they do in the movies, do they? Once, at around five in the morning, I pulled up in the Scania for a comfort break. Lights on, engine running, phone in its holder... Was out for maybe a minute. Came back to find it locked. I'd say it was two freezing hours later a bloke stopped, well I was blocking his driveway. He had a tool box and a F100 ute for me to stand on. It took 7 or 8 hefty swings with a FBH before it broke the glass and I could get in. Try explaining that to the boss. After that I stashed the spare key somewhere. Never needed it. It's probably still there. The Scania workshop said it wasn't possible, but then they said lots of things.

That'd never happen in a Western Star.

[Old Farang]

Try this:

[Tins]

Try this:

Next time I'm locked out of a B-Double on the side of the highway at 05:00 I'll give it a go.

[prelude]

That might be because there is tention in a rear window and by cutting it you make it weaker, poring water on there cools the window down and causes stress which results in a crack?

Fascinating

Ah well, I only have damaged paint and a slightly bent doorframe now, on the door I was going to replace anyway since it was wrecked by a tree some years ago.

-P

[Tins]

That might be because there is tention in a rear window and by cutting it you make it weaker, poring water on there cools the window down and causes stress which results in a crack?

Fascinating

Ah well, I only have damaged paint and a slightly bent doorframe now, on the door I was going to replace anyway since it was wrecked by a tree some years ago.

-P

Is this the car you're bringing here?? You'll want to fix it to keep the spiders out..

[V8Ian]

That might be because there is tention in a rear window and by cutting it you make it weaker, poring water on there cools the window down and causes stress which results in a crack?

Fascinating


-P

Thats exactly it, create a point to concentrate the stress.

[prelude]

Is this the car you're bringing here?? You'll want to fix it to keep the spiders out..

Heh, the missus would insist (and does in fact) that the spideys stay OUTside. Not to worry, I'm on it

Cheers,
-P