Immobilizer stuck

Hello Steve, and thank you so much for your insightful reply. You obviously know what you're talking about, it's immediately evident. I read everything you said and believe you're right. However.

Part of the problem (a big part, actually), is that I know absolutely nothing about cars, except I love them and I spend too much money on them. This purchase was a heart-over-head one, i.E. Didn't have it inspected pre-purchase for a variety of reasons; it rode great, no leaking, all power options worked, top in perfect shape, etc. Only 247000 km after 24 years was decent.

About a month ago I decided to finally get it to a mechanic who was recommended to me for a complete "physical". I was told it needed 2 new rear tires (they were really dry and in bad shape, actually could have blown out at any point), new brakes/pads, new timing belt, alternator belt, at which time I also did complete fluid change. Picking up the car, I immediately noticed an improvement in handling and speed and general performance, so I was a happy camper. Yesterday, being a nice day, I took the car to an automated car wash, hadn't been washed since purchase in March, and as a result I went for the whole shebang, including a strong under body wash, which, as you say, may be the problem. But I don't know.
When I got back to my garage about an hour later, just as I pulled into my spot, I heard what I thought was my hitting the front of my car on the wall of the garage, but that was not the case. The car just stalled and that's when the immobilizer prevented me from starting the car. I will go back today to see if time away from the car has re-enabled the ignition, but I think you're right, it won't have.

I should never have bought a car with this TexAlarm crap. It was one of the biggest car-buying mistakes in my over 25 years of buying cars. I moved to the Netherlands 2 years ago and yes you're right, this alarm was only available here, but I've been told that almost all VW dealers at the time installed these immobilizers - I have yet to see a VW without one from this time period.

So the car is now "stuck" in the garage, no access to a mechanic, or lift, and I'm a complete useless moron when it comes to checking anything you mentioned. I will have to contact a dealer tomorrow to see if they can help me either by sending a tow truck, or s mechanic. I wonder if the guys who did the tires/repairs, etc. A few weeks ago would know, however unfortunately they're a 40 minute drive from where I live and for obvious reasons I can't do that.

Help! I will first look in the engine to see if the cables are loose (or broken!), Then try the immobilizer again, but as for finding the wiring location, or the fuse, wire or whatever I am at a total loss. I once asked someone if the TexAlarm can be removed and was advised that it can't, but if you say that it was a dealer-installed (and NOT factory-installed) option then I think they didn't know what they were talking about.

Thank you for any advice, so sorry for the long sob story.
Andrew

Issue resolved. Sort of. So, I had a thought that maybe it was the fob that was the issue, so I took the other one and voila! Car started up like a charm. Original fob still doesn't work, I don't know if the battery drained, or if now it will never work, i.E. Does the immobilizer 'recognize' the frequency from that particular fob and block it for all eternity? I will try a new battery and see what happens. I will see about replacing the batteries in both of them, actually. I am also going to investigate having the immobilizer removed/deactivated altogether, it's more of a pain than a benefit, especially in a 24 year old car. Thanks for your help in the meantime, if you have any thoughts on the above, I'd love to hear them. Cheers. Hope you're staying safe and healthy in this catastrophic time.

What really worries me is that should the new battery not be the answer, then I’ll have only one currently working fob. If that one fails, I’m bumming because there’s no other way to start the car. I guess I can contact an auto electrician to try to remove/disable it? Honestly this is taking away from all the fun it is to drive this car. I’ll let you know. Thanks again.

A picture for you.

Hey again, well I opened the fobs and there is no battery. Everything is on the board. So I presume now the first one is basically dead now. Crazy!

Yes it seems that way. Here Are both sides of the board:

Also I think it may not be the battery because the light flashes when I press on the button. Anyway, I’m waiting to hear from an auto electrical tech sometime.

Oops my bad. There is a battery right next to the red light. I will remove it and get a new one. Stay tuned.

Hi, I decided that it’s too risky to have these things fail (or if I lose them), as If they do the car will be useless. So I’m having the whole thing removed and rewired on Friday by an auto electrician who specializes in VW audio and electronics. No more immobilizer. It’s a 24 year old car so nobody is going to steal it anyway.

Removed! What a pleasure. Now I have to decide what to do about broken antenna and speakers. Lol.