problem with new key

[Arfur Dent]

Dear friend,

There is a way to have brand new genuine key for much much cheaper price:

- check in Aliexpress for your key type (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/QCONTRO ... C3-Pluriel...)
- Get the key (15-20 day) for approx 7$
- Get your key codes (cut code and immo code) from Citroen delaer - I believe not much than 20£
- Go to key cutter expert and cut your configuration - 5£-10£
- Use Lexia to program the new key to beloved C3 for less than 5 minutes. If you don't have a Lexia, look for a friend in the Forum. Or you can buy one (around 40$) to use it for all kind of stuff. You will be still FAR away from that 100£ or 200£

Well, all that sounds great in theory, but have you actually tried adding one of those ali express keys to a working C3 yet?

I would be interested to know how it went in practice, but as far as I have seen the ali ones have the wrong chip on the board for a working remote locking

The immo chip is is easy to obtain and pair to the car. It's the remote board that is expensive to replace.

[wilflet]

except for the lack of turning in the lock for the old key. This could be due to a worn key, maybe the blade is physically worn? Maybe the lock doesn't now turn for either key?

I wouldnt think it would be too worn- it had been used to make the 2nd key maybe an hour before I started posting here, given the 2nd key works it must have been in good enough condition at that point.

Either way it seems we've come to a consensus that my key is useless- Im now waiting on the locksmiths getting back with me on a price to turn the key theyve made into one that will actually be of use.

The main downside (largely due to them being so slow to respond to me- just sent a reminder on an email thats been unanswered for 5 days) is that the main reason I wanted a second key is that I go away on tour later this week and was planning that I'd drive to a town that has better rail links to london (where I meet the tour bus) park my car there and in her own time my mrs can get there by bus/train/lift off a mate (a lot of her friends live in that town) and she'd have my car to use for a month... obviously with the key situation we'd now have the choice between me not locking it when i leave it or her not locking it during the month.. looks like I'm going to have to get a latter train and her finish work early.

[Citroen-Driver]

the main reason I wanted a second key is that I go away on tour later this week and was planning that I'd drive to a town that has better rail links to london (where I meet the tour bus) park my car there and in her own time my mrs can get there by bus/train/lift off a mate (a lot of her friends live in that town) and she'd have my car to use for a month... obviously with the key situation we'd now have the choice between me not locking it when i leave it or her not locking it during the month.. looks like I'm going to have to get a latter train and her finish work early.

Hi wilflet, a spare key has some many other uses, particularly if one of them becomes useless or lost, the other can be used to drive somewhere to get another cut, a new immo chip paired then to chase around to get the remote lock function sorted

[rroope]

Hi All,

Just another experience share ... I’ve got the new style key working on my 2014 C3 (x2). I purchased the key from AliExpress, got it cut locally (£10) and then programmed it with Lexia. The programming of the immobiliser chip allows the remote control code to be encoded, it just then needs to be synchronised.

All in all, the keys cost me £10 online and £10 to cut, I’ve already got Lexia so £20 each for the new style C4 remote key, very happy!

Word of caution, the 3 button key WILL NOT WORK as the encoding is different. You need to order the 2 button key, with the VA2 blade and FSK modulation.

￡8.13 17％ Off | jingyuqin 433MHz ASK/FSK Modified Flip Remote Car Key for Citroen PICASSO C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C8 CE0536 VA2/HU83 PCF7961 2/3 BTN Key
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/Fw2GbNf4R

Any queries, please let me know, always happy to help

[Ozvtr]

What trouble would it get you out of behaving like this? If it cant be locked without the fob then all I can think this is useful for is if you lock the fob in the car somehow (which I cant think of a way of doing without a second fob).

No one has addressed the elephant in the room! So I'd like to clear a few things up.
The drivers side door lock is basically only an emergency access device. You should be able to lock and unlock the drivers door via the door lock and key. If you can't then the key or lock are unserviceable. The door lock is known to rust up, be aware!!! If this fails you are up sh!t creek if your plip or car battery fail and the lock is rusted up!! The door lock (NOT the solenoid operated door release mechanism) is NOT connected electronically to the car AT ALL!! So the C3 DOES NOT have a "classic" form of central locking! The theory is that under normal circumstances the plip is used to lock and unlock the car, not the key.
The car CAN be secured with out electrical power (non serviceable plip or dead car battery). As mentioned the drivers' door is secured via the key in the lock. ALL the passengers doors have a manual door locking feature under the door latch mechanism between the inner and outer door skin. It is basically a slot that the tip of the key will fit in and turn. Once set, and the door closed, that door can not be opened from the outside but can be opened from the inside and can be opened via the plip if it's working. The tail gate can be opened from the inside without power but can not be opened from the out side without the car being "unlocked"(which is not possible without power).
So the entire vehicle can be locked up or unlocked just by using the key if required.
If you have an alarm and the car battery is fine the alarm will go off if you do not use the plip. Starting the car will cancel the alarm.
My point is that the engineers did their job and there are no short comings in securing you car.

[maxkoghut]

Hi All,

Just another experience share ... I’ve got the new style key working on my 2014 C3 (x2). I purchased the key from AliExpress, got it cut locally (£10) and then programmed it with Lexia. The programming of the immobiliser chip allows the remote control code to be encoded, it just then needs to be synchronised.

All in all, the keys cost me £10 online and £10 to cut, I’ve already got Lexia so £20 each for the new style C4 remote key, very happy!

Word of caution, the 3 button key WILL NOT WORK as the encoding is different. You need to order the 2 button key, with the VA2 blade and FSK modulation.

￡8.13 17％ Off | jingyuqin 433MHz ASK/FSK Modified Flip Remote Car Key for Citroen PICASSO C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C8 CE0536 VA2/HU83 PCF7961 2/3 BTN Key
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/Fw2GbNf4R

Any queries, please let me know, always happy to help

Hi rroope, thanks for sharing your experience.
Could you please clarify whether we actually need the so-called 4-digit security code to program a brand new key (like your purchased from AliExpress) with Lexia ?
Could you elaborate more on 'The programming of the immobiliser chip allows the remote control code to be encoded' please ? Thanks

[Ozvtr]

Yes, the 4 digit code is needed to get into the appropriate LEXIA menu. LEXIA will validate the code if it's the same as what the BSI is currently using. If it's the wrong code LEXIA will not proceed. LEXIA will allow you to change the engine code the BSI uses, in a different menu but that will lock-out the current engine ECU if you change it and the engine will not run. You would change the code if you changed the engine ECU.
2 things are done when you register keys. 1) the RFID chip is registered with the engine ECU and 2) the central locking RF code is registered with the BSI.
It's an all-or-nothing process, all the keys you want to use are registered at the same time, you cant "add" keys later on. All of the current key details are wiped from memory and you have to start fresh. In total I think you can have up to 5 different keys but I'm not sure about that number.

[maxkoghut]

Yes, the 4 digit code is needed to get into the appropriate LEXIA menu. LEXIA will validate the code if it's the same as what the BSI is currently using. If it's the wrong code LEXIA will not proceed. LEXIA will allow you to change the engine code the BSI uses, in a different menu but that will lock-out the current engine ECU if you change it and the engine will not run. You would change the code if you changed the engine ECU.
2 things are done when you register keys. 1) the RFID chip is registered with the engine ECU and 2) the central locking RF code is registered with the BSI.
It's an all-or-nothing process, all the keys you want to use are registered at the same time, you cant "add" keys later on. All of the current key details are wiped from memory and you have to start fresh. In total I think you can have up to 5 different keys but I'm not sure about that number.

Many thanks for clarifying!
It is however far too common, as in my case, that the 4-digit code is missing, so any ideas on How can we recover the code?
Somehow from VIN number ?
Contacting a Citroen official dealer, any experience ? (I guess it's quite expensive )

[Ozvtr]

LOL! It seems as soon as an owner gets a hold of the documentation pack for there car, they go out of their way to find and throw away the key card. It's a plastic card, about the size of a credit card, with the code written on it. Although, it seems at some point Citroen stopped supplying the cards.
There are basically 4 ways to get the code. 1) pay Citroen money, this is typically a service fee of about 50 pound and you need the cars VIN and maybe some sort of 'proof' you are entitled to the information. 2) Read it off the EEPROM on the engine ECU. This involves removing the potting compound encapsulating the circuit card and either removing the EEPROM or adding wires to the PCB. You then use chip readers and associated software to find the code. 3) Do the same thing to the "paired" BSI. I.E. the BSI out of the car that the engine ECU came out of. 4) there are special code readers that plug into the OBDII port and monitor the traffic between the BSI and the engine ECU and can tell you the code. They are expensive and that's all that they do.
I find it amazing that Ebay sellers want hundreds of pounds for engine ECU's and they do not have the code for them!!!!! They often don't even have the cars VIN which allows you to get the code from Citroen. It makes the ECU's worth very little considering the work you have to do to get the code for them.

[maxkoghut]

I will try to chase my local dealer for the PIN, and will post my experience.