Most modern diesels will not run right on a new injector until the engine ECU is told
about it. Every injector leaves the factory with its own correction code (IMA on Bosch,
IQA on Delphi, IMC on Siemens), and the ECU uses
that code to trim the fuelling for that cylinder. Fit a new one without entering the code
and you get rough idle, smoke, a misfire that moves around, and sooner or later an engine
light.
Signs you need it: a new injector has gone in and
the car idles lumpy, smokes, or has thrown a fault code. Or a garage has fitted it and
told you to "get it coded".
We read the code off the new injector, enter it into the ECU, clear the adaptations and
check the live fuelling balance on a road test.
On most newer BMW, VW group and Ford models, and plenty of others, the car manages its
own charging based on how old it thinks the battery is. Fit a
new battery without registering it and the car keeps charging it like a tired old one.
You get a shorter battery life, odd electrical faults, start-stop that refuses to work,
and sometimes a warning on the dash.
Signs you need it: a new battery is in, and
start-stop has stopped, the dash is showing a charging or battery message, or the garage
that fitted it said it needs "coding".
We register the new battery to the car (type, capacity and a fresh serial where the car
asks for one) and reset the energy management so the car charges it as the new battery it
is. If you want to know why the charging system cares in the first place, we wrote it up
in
why your diagnostic kit needs a battery support unit.
A replacement control module is a blank until it is coded to the car. That goes for an
engine ECU, a body control module, an ABS unit, an instrument cluster or a gearbox
controller. Plug a new or second-hand one in without coding and either nothing works, or
the car runs but half the options are wrong and the dash is lit up.
Signs you need it: a module has been replaced and
the car will not start, will not communicate, or has a cluster full of warnings that
clearing does not shift.
We code the replacement to the vehicle's spec, set the adaptations, and run a full scan
across every module to make sure nothing else has been knocked out of step. Where the
fault turns out not to be the module at all, that becomes a
full vehicle diagnostic,
and we tell you before we go further.
A new key has to be programmed to the car before it will start it, and on most cars that
is done through the diagnostic tool. We program keys at the
vehicle, so the car does not need to move. Ring first with the make and model and we will
tell you straight whether we can help, including if every key is gone.
Signs you need it: you have a new or spare key that
turns but will not start the car, or you want a second key added before the first one
goes missing. The price depends on the car and the key, so we quote it on the phone.
