Szybka odpowiedź
A security coded radio is a factory car radio with an anti theft lock. Cut its power, with a flat battery or a battery change, and it stays locked until someone types in a short code. That code belongs to the radio, not to the car or its owner, and it never changes. It is very common: in the last six months we took more than 37,000 orders for radio codes across more than 25 car makes.
Na tej stronie
What it means on a listing
You will see it on adverts and spec sheets, somewhere near central locking and electric windows: security coded radio, or sometimes security coded stereo. It is a feature line, copied from the car's original specification. It is not a fault, and it is not a warning that something is missing.
It means the radio fitted at the factory has a lock built in. The idea was to make a stolen radio worthless, because without its code it will not play. Plenty of cars have one, from small hatchbacks to vans, and the line simply tells you this one does.
So the words themselves are nothing to worry about. The question that matters is whether the code comes with the car.
What it means once the car is yours
Most days you will not notice it. The radio works like any other until its power is cut. A flat battery, a battery change or the radio being taken out will all do it.
When the power comes back, the radio wakes up asking for its code. Depending on the make, the screen says CODE or SAFE. Put the right code in once and it plays again.
What a coded radio shows after a battery change, and after too many wrong tries.
If wrong codes go in, it starts making you wait, and the screen may say LOCKED or show a timer. Our guide to LOCKED, SAFE and ERR screens explains each one and how long it lasts.
The same code works every time the radio locks, for as long as you have the car. Once you have it, keep it somewhere safe and the next flat battery is a one minute job.
Does the code come with the car?
It should, but often it does not. Many cars left the showroom with the code on a small card, and owners keep it in different places. These are the two to check:
- A code card, often tucked in the wallet with the handbook.
- The service book, where plenty of owners and garages write it in.
After a few owners, cards go missing and service books get replaced. If you are buying, ask the seller for the code before you pay, and make sure it is written down, not just remembered. Whether the seller is a business or a private owner, it takes them a minute to look.
One thing to know: a code in the paperwork only fits the radio it was written for. If the radio has been changed since, that code will be refused however carefully you type it. Our guide to why a radio code does not work covers swapped radios and the other common reasons.
No code with the car? What to do
It is not a problem. The code was never tied to the paperwork or to the previous owner. It is worked out from a number on the radio itself, so we can find it without them.
For most makes that number is the radio's serial, from a label on its casing or, on many radios, from the screen. Renault, Dacia and Suzuki SLN radios are different, because their codes can come from the car's VIN, as long as the radio is the one the car was built with. Our guides to VIN or serial number and where to find the radio serial show which number your make needs and where it is.
What not to do is guess. A lot of people try 1234, 0000 or the last four digits of the number plate first. It never works, and every wrong try counts. After a few, most radios lock you out and make you wait, often longer each time.
The one exception is Nissan Connect and Daewoo radios. On those, three wrong entries bring up a screen with the serial on it, which is exactly what we need. Our lockout guide shows that screen.
Selling a car with a coded radio
If you have the code, pass it on. Write it in the service book or on a card kept with the handbook, and tell the buyer where it is. It saves them a job, and it saves you a phone call the week their battery goes flat.
If the radio was changed while you had the car, give the code for the radio that is fitted now, not the old one.
No code to hand over and the car is going soon? The radio's serial is all we need, so you can order the code yourself before the buyer arrives. Each make's page shows how long its codes usually take.
What each make needs
Five makes, Renault, Volkswagen, Honda, Nissan and Ford, account for three in every four of the radio codes we are asked for. This is the number each of the common makes needs.
| Make | What we need | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Renault, Dacia | The VIN, if the radio is the one the car was built with. Older radios use a precode instead: one letter and three digits. | VIN: the registration document or the windscreen. Precode: the radio label. |
| VW, Audi, SEAT, Skoda | The radio serial, starting VWZ, AUZ, SEZ or SKZ. Not the VIN. | The label on the radio case, so the radio has to slide out. |
| Honda | The radio serial. | Most radios show it when you hold presets 1 and 6 with the radio on. Otherwise the label. |
| Nissan | The radio serial. | Connect, Daewoo and Visteon units: on screen after three wrong entries. Clarion and Blaupunkt units: the label. |
| Ford | The radio serial: a letter and six digits, such as M123456 or V123456. | Many Ford radios show it on screen. Otherwise the label. |
| Vauxhall | The radio serial. | Connect and sat nav units: on screen after three wrong entries, with a device number and date. Vivaro and Movano vans: the label. |
| Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge | The radio serial, which usually starts with T, such as T00AM. | Many touchscreens show it on the screen that asks for the code. CD radios: the label. |
| Peugeot, Citroën | The radio serial. | The label on the radio case. |
| Suzuki | SLN touchscreen: the VIN. Other Suzuki radios: the radio serial. | VIN: the registration document or the windscreen. Serial: the Suzuki page shows where. |
If your make is not here, the button below shows every make we cover, with photos of where to find the number.
Najczęściej zadawane pytania
I just bought a 2008 Nissan Note and I do not have the radio code. Can you help?
Yes. We work the code out from the radio's serial, so you do not need the previous owner. If the radio has buttons and a CD slot, the serial is on a label on its casing, so the radio has to slide out. Touchscreen Nissan Connect units show it on screen after three wrong entries. Our Nissan page has photos of both.
The previous owner did not write the code in the service book. What now?
That happens a lot, and it does not stop us. The code comes from the radio's serial, or from the VIN on a Renault, Dacia or Suzuki SLN, never from the paperwork. Find that number and we can get the code.
The previous owner must have used another code. Is there a way to bypass it and enter a new one?
No. The code is set in the radio when it is made, and nobody can change it or bypass it. Every owner of that radio has used the same code. Once we have the radio's serial we can find it for you.
I am buying a Vauxhall van and the radio code is missing. How do I get it?
We need the radio's serial. On Vauxhall Connect and sat nav units, enter any wrong code three times and the screen shows the serial, device number and date. On Vivaro and Movano vans the serial is on a label on the radio, so it has to come out. Our Vauxhall page shows both.
We bought a Honda with full service history. Is the number you need on our MOT certificates?
No. Roadworthiness certificates like the MOT, service records and the registration document describe the car, not the radio, so the radio's serial is not on them. It is on the radio itself. On most Honda radios you can bring it up on screen by holding presets 1 and 6 with the radio on, and it shows a U number and an L number. The one time the paperwork helps is a Renault, Dacia or Suzuki SLN, where the VIN on the registration document can be enough.
I am selling the car this evening and need the radio working. What time will the code be with me?
It depends on the make. Each make's page shows how long its codes usually take, and some come back much faster than others. Have the serial ready when you order so nothing holds it up. If the code arrives after the car has gone, you can still pass it on to the buyer.
