2FAST- First I do not think this is all vw's/audi's, never said that. I am talking strictly about my car because I think it is an oddball. If the previous owner had disabled the system (which I heard you could not do) or put a chip in a bypass, wouldn't the icon the dealership described still come up at start-up? Just curious why would anyone put in a bypass or deactivate the system except to put a remote start which mine doesn't have, YET! Thanks!!

LYMAN- I have done a couple VIN breakdowns, is there a special one you are talking about, because all the ones I did mentioned nothing about an immobilizer. Do you have a link? I am not looking to replace my immobilizer, like redline said I am looking to put in remote start and need to know if I need a bypass. Thanks!!

REDLINE- I know exactly how an immobilizer works, you should go back and read my other posts, because those keys you mentioned with the chips. . .again my keys are hollow and have no chips. If you would like I will send you pics of all three of them empty. So if it was your job to know if the car had an immobilizer what was your system to check? Or did you just look up the year of the car and assume? Because your 100% is pretty arogant for an assumption.

 

im positive cause i looked when i worked there i looked up what was necessary to install a remote starter in my car. its a 2001 just like yours and a bypass was required. in fact, pretty much all cars besides shitty ones like kias past 95 or so need a bypass. stop by your local best buy and have them quote you on a remote starter. they will tell you that you need a bypass. i think the one we would have used at circuit city is a directed electronics 556uw. best buy usually uses similar bypasses

 

Dude, you aren't doing a very good job of convincing me, my sister works at bestbuy. Her friend that is the head of their install dept. thought mine had it to and then I asked him how I can be sure and he told me to look at my keys, now he says I don't need a bypass. No offense man but just because your computer system tells you it needs a bypass isn't necessarily true. Thanks for your input though. By the way do you have remote start on yours?

 

Just an update, I just had a remote start successfully installed without a bypass!

 

I thought no North American B5s had immobilizers. If they did why would so many B5s get stolen, especially in Jersey?

 

LOL, yeah that is what I am hearing too. But I was also told mine was a 2001.5, and so it was "different". But at the time I was trying to get a new swithblade key and so I think the stealership was just trying to milk it. Crazy AUDI. Oh well just happy I didn't have to pay for some unnecessary parts.