Any UK members out there got any advice about the crappy UK imobilliser fitted by Bauer Millets? Mine has suddenly started to play up, sometimes I'm stood outside pressing the unlock button for ages until it finally opens, sometimes it's then unlocked but not un-imobillised, sometimes it won't lock. I've changed the battery in the fob, changed to the spare fob. Its intermittant, sometimes it works fine but I can't live with it as is. I'm not bothered about having an imobilliser, I'd rather have it removed but am I right in thinking it has to go to someone with a tech 2 system to tell the ecu it ain't there anymore? Bauer Millets want £96 for the first hour on the computer to diagnose it which is steep so is there anyone else out there that could do it?

Help, its getting worse as time goes on and I really need it to be reliable living out in the sticks like I do.

 

Ok please forgive me but your prose has me somewhat confused.
Is this an aftermarket anti-theft or just the from the factory remote door-lock and passlock.

 

I'm confused as well. Is it the Chevy passlock your talking about or aftermarket?

 

Look up these guys - they can remove the troublesome secondary immobilizer.


www.iangoss.co.uk


They did mine several years ago & have had no problems since.
The secondary immobilizers fitted on arrival in the UK were a requirement by Thatcham for insurance purposes as the (perfectly adequate) GM Passlock system was relatively unknown in the UK at the time.

 

Hi Dave, long time no speak, hows tricks? Things peaked yesterday when the damn thing refused to start at all and I had a three mile walk in sideways sleet down single track country roads in places ankle deep in water/cow**** to collect my two six year olds from school as my wife was in London so her car was sat cosily at a railway station 30 miles away. All the (well both of them) local taxis were pre-booked with school runs. Fortunately one of our neighbours bless her saw us walking back and gave us a lift most of the way.

This is a UK approved immobiliser fitted by Bauer Millets the only UK GM agent at the time these Blazers were sold in the UK and the main importers, they basically had to remove the GM Passlock system and fit a UK insurance industry approved system before they could sell them. These have turned out to be a total bag of crap and caused endless people non starting issues.

I've found these guys local-ish to me who are GM trained with all the tech II gear who are going to replace it with a GM passlock module in the new year. American Vehicles, West Midlands American Vehicles Suppliers of American Car Parts and Spares for American Cars UK They are also going to sort out my intermittant "Service 4wd light" that I've been unable to sort out myself so it should be a lot healthier afterwards. Just need to get the LPG (propane) system working properly then.

Annoyingly after my trek yesterday it worked perfectly this morning when I tried it, bet it was laughing sideways when we trudged past it when I was soaked to the skin below the waist. (of course, I couldn't find my waterproof trousers and didn't have time to look for them!)

I was considering chopping the damn thing in for an older Cherokee 4.0L but frankly we haven't got the money at the moment after we "needed" to spend £14K on new windows for the house!

 

Hi, good to hear from you too. Yeah i'm doing OK - although having to work all over Christmas is not good. However it means I get more time off in the summer.
Sorry to hear about your breakdown & trek in the bad weather - I don't envy you that one.
I knew the previous owner of my Blazer & I remember him getting a quote from Bauer Millet to remove the UK immobilizer & they wanted around £400 for the job + had to get the vehicle all the way to Manchester for them to do it. Ian Goss evidently did it for just over half of that.
I seem to remember when I spoke to Bauer Millet about something to do with my Blazer they said the UK fitted immobilizers were kinda "piggy-backed" onto the GM Passlock system? I also spoke to Ian Goss for some advise about an unrelated issue & they remember doing the immobilizer on mine. They said they didn't fit anything new, just removed the secondary system & rewired a couple things.
I just have the GM system now where you have to use the fob before starting the vehicle otherwise it just runs for a couple seconds then dies. Slightly annoying sometimes but I've got used to it now. In the event the fobs should fail then the only way to start the European models is to enter the 5 digit immobilizer override code (that is provided with the vehicle from new) via the foglight switch, that then gives you 2 minutes in which to start the vehicle.
This code is also required if new fobs need to be programmed. Unlike the US market vehicles, there is no transponder in the key for the European market ones. However there is still a module in the ignition barrel that prevents the vehicle starting if the ignition switch is bypassed in any way.
Overall I am still pleased with my vehicle despite it being over 13 years old now & having covered 112000 miles. I have just got through the MOT again having only had to fit new anti-roll bar link bushes so I can't complain at that. I think however my next major expense is gonna be a catalytic converter as I got an advisory on the emissions being only just acceptable. I don't actually think there is much material left in the cat as it sounds quite hollow now, in fact I quite like the exhaust note - gives a lovely burble now, wheras it was almost silent a few years ago. The entire exhaust system is the factory original so I don't know what might break when I take out the converter - might be easier to just replace the entire exhaust from the Y-pipe back when I do the cat?
Good to hear from you & I hope you get yours sorted.
Keep in touch.

 

I meant to say - I had problems with my "service 4wd" light coming on about 3 years ago. All it turned out to be was the switch on the dash. I got a new one from RockAuto, can't remember how much it was but it wasn't that expensive. It is a very common switch as it's used on the LHD Silverados. GMC Sierra's & the early Cadillac Escalades as well so not difficult to get hold of.
In the unlikely event it turns out to be the actuator motor on the transfer case, don't buy one as a I have a couple here amongst my collection of spares. Would be more than happy to send you one if you should need it - but my bet is that it will be the dash switch? Let me know how you get on?

 

Thanks for the kind offer Dave, not sure though if mine uses the same transfer box as it's a manual transmission rather than an auto. I might try a new switch anyway, apparently it can also be a loose or split vacuum pipe so I'm going to have a crawl around and see if theres anything obvious and I have a roll of lovely red silicon vacuum hose in the garage. I had this issue on my old Isuzu trooper that used a similar system (hence the remains of the rolll of hose!). I need to order some other bits from Rock auto and my wife is off to a work thing in Orlando in January so to save shipping I might order the switch etc and get it sent to her hotel. She was in New York for work earlier this year and came back with a full set of brake parts for my 67 Chevy C10 in her suitcase! I also need to do the bushes/end links on the anti roll bar on the blazer as that was an advisory at the last MoT.

 

Haven't been on this forum for a while so only now seen this thread. Lippyp, I feel your pain, I have been through this immobilliser nonsense already with my Blazer.

I do now own a Tech 2 and can read the 5 digit code that is required both to start the vehicle and to re-program key fobs.

Because most UK fobs are now 13+ years old and getting unreliable, I got 2 new US fobs and a new US receiver and programmed them in. All works as new now.

I am located in Berkshire so probably not much help to you but if any more southern owners are having problems, I can probably be of assistance.

Just for your information, the C shaped battery holder inside the fob has 3 soldered connections to the circuit board. All 3 soldered connections are prone to fractures in the solder and all 3 connections MUST be complete as each one appears to serve a different part of the board. May well be worth checking/re-soldering your existing fob.

Good luck with yours.

 

Leaky, if it wasn't for the fact that you'd probably snot me one I could kiss you!

I checked both remotes and both battery holders had broken connections, one had one loose side and the other two. Five careful minutes with a soldering iron and both now seem to work reliably again. I am still going to put it in tomorrow though as clearly this isn't the only issue as I get random flashing of the hazard lights as if the alarm is going off with no noise so I want to get it right as I really need it to be reliable as I live out in the sticks and as I do the school run a three mile walk to and from school down single track country roads with no footpaths is a non starter if the wife is out in her car. They're also going to sort out my random "Service 4wd" light as well which will be handy if we get snow as it does refuse to go into 4wd if the light is lit.