My car (2006 IS350) was running great. I took it to the car wash and drove it home. The next day it would crank, but wouldn't start.

I thought it was the battery so I charged it to full and it still wouldn't start. Attached a code reader and the only code it reads is B2799, which is the aptly-named immobiliser. If I clear the code it comes back again immediately. I tried both of my keys and no luck. Today I did "Procedure G" (shorting pins 4 and 13) and while it seemed to be resetting the ECU based on the dashboard lights going crazy the car still didn't start and the code is still present.

I am really irritated that I can't drive my car because of a freaking anti-theft feature! So what next? I really don't want to go to the stealership. Is it worth it trying Procedure G again? New battery? I poked around under the hood and it seems pretty dry under there but obviously washing the car did something bad. I have read that people frequently have this issue after washing their cars, which just seems crazy to me.

 

Tell us exactly how you performed this procedure? Hint - if it didn't involve a battery charger over the 30min, it likely failed as voltage going low during procedure will cause it to fail.

GL

 

Yes, it was on a charger the entire time.

This is what I did:

1. Disconnect negative terminal from battery for > 30 seconds
2. Reconnect battery
3. Connect battery charger
4. Jumper pin 4 to pin 13 on the OBD-II
5. Press start button to power on car
6. Leave car door open and let car do its thing for > 30 minutes
7. Press start button to turn off car
8. Disconnect jumper
9. Try to start car. It will crank but not start.

 

Have you watched any videos of this process and how the gauge cluster behaves? Did yours do everything correctly?

Does still have the code? I would assume, yes?
If you try again, do verify battery voltage remains above 12.3V.

 

I have not watched any videos, but my dash was lighting up. I will look up some videos.

I took it into a shop for them to look at and they can't get rid of the code either.

They want to test the continuity between the code id box and the ECU, which requires taking apart the dashboard. This seems expensive and also sort of drastic.

If the continuity is good then they would replace the code id box first. If the error remains they would replace the ECU. If there is a continuity problem they would try to find out where it is. They are looking at the wiring diagram to see if there is a junction box or something where they can at least partially test for continuity (maybe from the junction to the ECU for example) without taking a lot apart.

It is crazy that a car wash would do this and it sounds like it could be an expensive wild goose chase because of an anti-theft system gone awry. There is no mechanical problem with the car and this might set me back $6K in the worse case scenario.

 

If you have the skills to study a schematic I'd highly recommend you make an account on Toyota's TIS site or alldatadiy.com both have schematic and I'd imagine this stuff is on CAN bus which would detect an error if there was one, so it does sound like a wild goose chase which could get costly. Fwiw - I doubt the car wash had anything to do with it unless your sun roof drains are plugged in the front.

Do some searches for other Lexus / Toyota's of this era. This has happened before and there is fix. I just don't know what it is.

Also, reach out to local locksmith. Maybe they can shed some light as they've seen these smartkeys fail a hundred ways. Some really know their stuff.

 

Thanks.

I am pretty certain it did have to do with the car wash because something similar happened once before and it was also after a car wash.

If you read threads on the Internet, this occurring after a car wash is a common theme. It is possible the drains are plugged. I wouldn't know.

 

Well that begs for an answer regarding 'where is water intruding that it can impact this system'.

Two common things that happen are plugged sunroof drain tubes that flood the A pillar(s) and plugged HVAC evaporator drain that flood the pan. The later is usually on the passenger floor or right side of vehicle on LHD cars.

Sunroof check is to open SR while the car is nose down and pour water in the perimeter. If it doesn't drain, it's plugged. Usually one would notice wet carpet first. Any chance of that?

Clearly I haven't gone looking for this code related to water intrusion. However, if water is the source, there is much more at risk than this symptom, as everything in the dash is electronic. How did only one thing fail?

I'd still take it to a locksmith or send them to it.