rangerovers.pub
The only place for a coil spring is up Zebedee's arse
Member
Joined:
Posts: 360

I was just getting a few old fobs I have accumulated over the years ready to send off to have their codes read.
The plan being to input a known fob code into the HSK's Becm and see if I can get a working fob for it.....
Going through the fob bin, I found I had an extra fob for Bolt making 3......The one in the bin said it was key 1.
This got me thinking I could test my theory before sending a parcel to the UK......
I have read somewhere that you can only change the first code number (not correct) so, I went into Bolt's (unlocked) Becm and read the 3 stored codes. The first one happened to be 64, so I went to the HSK to input that into it's (also Unlocked) Becm. I found that the first number in the HSKs Becm was already 64......Caused me to recall I had tried this about 2 years ago without success.....
However, being a bit tenacious about this sort of thing, and seeing as I had no working fob for the HSK, I went ahead and loaded all 3 codes from Bolt into the HSK....What could possibly go wrong??
In this case, nothing went wrong, and the Becm accepted all 3 codes. Figuring one had to be correct, I tried to sync the fob.....
It WORKED!!.
I pulled the key from the non working fob that came with the HSK and inserted it into the now working fob.
As this is the Missus' daily driver, I am now a hero in her books!
I am going to send the other 2 fobs off to be read as they work, but I have no way of getting the codes for them.

This means, of course that if you have a fob on the correct band, a Nano or equivalent, an unlocked Becm, and a way to get the fob code, you can very easily make any fob work! Even the ones that they sell on sleezebay!!
Now for a large celebratory Rum!
Cheers!

Member
avatar
Joined:
Posts: 7848

The main point here is you need an unlocked BeCM and most aren't. They were locked at production of the car and unless someone has been in there before to change something that needs it to be unlocked first and left it that way, you can't change the key codes. The first time mine was connected to Testbook not long after I got it, they checked to see if it was locked or not but advised that there are times when an unlocked BeCM can cause problems. Maybe that is why your missus manages to immobilise it regularly?

BBS can translate a lockset barcode that you should be able to get from LR into the code that needs to be input if you email it to them.

Member
Joined:
Posts: 360

All of the P-38s I have owned (5 that were drivers) have had their Becms unlocked. No issues.
I have heard that one as well about unlocked causing issues. Have you ever heard just what these issues may be?

For the record, The Missus' HSK has never immobilised on me or my Missus.....
For that matter, I have only had 2 incidences of immobilisation on Bolt in 12 years, and I caused both of them.
I do have PsiDoc's emulator boards installed on both now as a belt and suspenders approach to P-38 ownership.
As you know, there are several places that will unlock a Becm, and some clever folks that have worked out how to
derive the fob code from the fob itself. I have just connected the dots as it were to derive a fob for the HSK by using a redundant fob from Bolt. Just saying, if you are determined enough, it can be done.
It is great that Les in Wales can do new fobs for us here in NAS land, but I do like the flip keys, and this cost me nothing to do.

Oh, I am aware of BBS service on the bar code, but this is about using a fob from one P-38 that you know
the code for on any other P-38. As long as it has been unlocked.

Member
avatar
Joined:
Posts: 7848

I've no idea what problems can be caused with an unlocked BeCM, all I know is that I was told by a knowledgeable independent who used Testbook on it that it could cause problems. Marty told me the same thing too so there is likely to be some truth in it.

The Testbook session was because my car didn't have the buttons for the trip computer or overspeed alarm when I got it (something else the police didn't consider necessary when they ordered it) but I noticed the wires for them were there so got a stalk with buttons. After fitting it I found they did nothing as it had to be enabled in the BeCM, so I took it in for it to be done. The guy said he would have to charge me the minimum half hour labour for a 2 minute job so while he was plugged in, we had a good look around to see what we could find.

Member
Joined:
Posts: 634

That’s all good information, both Tom and Richard. So far I’ve only ever had one fob for mine.

Member
Joined:
Posts: 1306

Bolt wrote:

I was just getting a few old fobs I have accumulated over the years ready to send off to have their codes read.
The plan being to input a known fob code into the HSK's Becm and see if I can get a working fob for it.....
Going through the fob bin, I found I had an extra fob for Bolt making 3......The one in the bin said it was key 1.
This got me thinking I could test my theory before sending a parcel to the UK......
I have read somewhere that you can only change the first code number (not correct) so, I went into Bolt's (unlocked) Becm and read the 3 stored codes. The first one happened to be 64, so I went to the HSK to input that into it's (also Unlocked) Becm. I found that the first number in the HSKs Becm was already 64......Caused me to recall I had tried this about 2 years ago without success.....
However, being a bit tenacious about this sort of thing, and seeing as I had no working fob for the HSK, I went ahead and loaded all 3 codes from Bolt into the HSK....What could possibly go wrong??
In this case, nothing went wrong, and the Becm accepted all 3 codes. Figuring one had to be correct, I tried to sync the fob.....
It WORKED!!.
I pulled the key from the non working fob that came with the HSK and inserted it into the now working fob.
As this is the Missus' daily driver, I am now a hero in her books!
I am going to send the other 2 fobs off to be read as they work, but I have no way of getting the codes for them.

This means, of course that if you have a fob on the correct band, a Nano or equivalent, an unlocked Becm, and a way to get the fob code, you can very easily make any fob work! Even the ones that they sell on sleezebay!!
Now for a large celebratory Rum!
Cheers!

Just a little bit of info for you on how this actually works....
You cannot input 3 fob codes into the BECM. The FOB code section is actually 3 bytes of data, as a hardware ID transmitted by the fob to the vehicle. The fob code you program into a BECM is the 3-byte ID of Key #1 of a lockset. The BECM then will accept this code and the following 3 ID's. This is how they get a 'lockset' of 4 fobs, and how they can program a new one from the factory, as there will be a record of the lockset barcode (which must have the ID 1 encoded in it somehow) and then say you want key 2 - then you can know what the lockset ID1 is, and then work out from that what the ID of 2/3/4 should be and program a fob to that ID, so that it would sync to the BECM.

The fob reader that I have will read the ID that the specific key is transmitting, and work out whether it's a Key 1/2/3/4 and tell me that. I can then work out (in the case that it's not a key 1) what the key 1 code would be, and this is what would get programmed into the BECM.

So if you have programmed your other BECM with the same codes, then they will both listen to the same fob codes (so you could in theory sync fob 1 to one vehicle and fob 3 to the other vehicle. but if you someone synced the remote from one vehicle to the other, it would operate it (on the fob at least) which could put the rolling code out on the other vehicle and de-sync it from there.

If you have other working fobs, then I would still probably get one of them read (especially if you have 2 from another vehicle/lockset) as then you could write the fob 1 code from the other lockset to the other vehicle and then have 2 working fobs for both vehicles... or at least 1 for one vehicle and 2 for the other. Or if you have multiple fobs, then read all of them, so if you need to replace one at some point then you have the codes needed for the rest.

In theory, I could get any key from any vehicle, read the fob code, work out what the #1 code from the lockset is and program it to any BECM - BUT you CANNOT take 2 keys from DIFFERENT locksets and get them programmed and have the BOTH work on the SAME BECM. you could program the fob code from one OR the other lockset, not both.

Regarding unlocked BECMs... I have read that there CAN be issues with unlocked BECMs, but I haven't been able to find out what they are either. The only thing I have read for sure is that you could get problems with communicating with the HEVAC if the BECM is unlocked. And that the fix for it is to unplug the connector to the BECM that has the diagnostic wires in it. I haven't however had the issues myself (my BECM is unlocked, and never have trouble talking to the HEVAC - not any worse than any other P38).... so I'm wondering if it was an issue on earlier ones that got fixed in later revision BECMs/firmware versions.

Marty

Member
avatar
Joined:
Posts: 87

One of mine reads 'unlocked' on the nanocom, but it isn't. It was when I got it, after it half locked down and deleted its codes I had it unlocked and sorted out by Rick at Callrova - he left it unlocked just in-case because I had an odd electrical problem at the time.
Of course I put the charger on one day but forgot to remember to take a lead off the battery. It didn't wipe anything that time but it did lock itself so the (luckily still correct) fob codes are blank. All the rest looks just as a locked BECM should (my other one is the same except that it says it's locked). I can't get it to actually lock with the nanocom, so it's currently pretending to be unlocked in a half hearted fashion.