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If your car's radio has been replaced, the code from the VIN or the service book will not work, because that code belongs to the radio the car was built with. Read the serial on the label of the radio that is fitted now, and the code comes from that. On many Renault and Dacia radios it is a short code on the label: one letter and three digits.
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The code belongs to the radio, not the car
A radio code is set inside the radio when it is made. It stays with that radio for life, whichever car it ends up in.
That matters because of where most people look first. A code worked out from the VIN, one written in the service book and one on the little card in the handbook wallet all belong to the radio the car left the factory with. If that radio is still in the dashboard, they work. If it has been swapped, they will be refused every time, however carefully you type them.
It makes no difference how the swap happened. A radio from a breaker's yard, a second hand unit bought online and an identical model fitted after a fault are all the same here: a different radio, with a different code.
How to tell your radio has been replaced
You may know already, because you fitted it yourself. If not, these are the usual signs:
- A code from the VIN was refused. On a Renault or Dacia this is the most common clue. The VIN finds the factory radio, so a refusal often means that radio has gone.
- The code in the service book was refused, and you have checked every digit.
- You or a garage fitted the radio, after a fault, a break in or an upgrade.
- You bought the car used and it came with no code card, so you cannot be sure the radio is the one it was built with.
None of these proves it on its own. A refused code can also be a typing slip or the wrong number read from the label, and our guide to why a radio code does not work goes through those. But if the radio could have been changed, the safe move is to work from the radio itself.
What to send instead, make by make
Every make below can be decoded from the radio that is fitted now. Send the number in the middle column and the code comes from that radio, not from the car.
| Make | What to send | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Renault, Dacia | The number on the radio label. On older radios that is the precode: one letter and three digits. Newer radios carry a long number starting 2811, 8200 or 7700. | The label on the radio case, so the radio has to come out. The precode is often in a box marked Security, or the last four characters of a longer barcode. |
| VW, Audi, SEAT, Skoda | The radio serial: 14 characters starting VWZ, AUZ, SEZ or SKZ. These makes always work from the serial, so the serial of the radio fitted now gives its own code. | The label on the radio case, so the radio has to slide out. The label also shows a part number, but only the line starting VWZ, AUZ, SEZ or SKZ is the serial. |
| Honda | The radio serial, not the VIN. | Most Honda radios show it when you hold presets 1 and 6 with the radio on, as a U number and an L number. Otherwise the label on the radio case. |
| Ford | The radio serial: a letter and six digits, such as M123456 or V123456. Not the longer part number on the same label. | Most Ford radios show it on screen when you hold presets 1 and 6 with the radio on. On the 4500 RDS, hold 2 and 6. Otherwise the label. |
| Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge | The radio serial. It usually starts with T, such as T00AM, or with A2C or A3C on Continental units. | Many touchscreens show it on the screen that asks for the code, and some radios have it on the front. Otherwise the label on the radio case. |
| BMW | The radio serial, starting BP, BE, PH or AL. | On many BMW radios a hidden service menu shows it on screen, and the BMW page shows how to open it. Otherwise the label. |
Labels carry a part number as well as the serial, and the two look alike. Our guide to reading the radio label shows which line is which, and the VIN or serial guide explains when the VIN is still the better choice.
Mercedes is different
Newer Mercedes units work another way. COMAND and Audio 20 or 50 units, fitted from about 2004 onwards, lock with an anti theft protection message when they come from another car. A second hand COMAND from a breaker is the most common case we see.
That lock is cleared by an anti theft PIN, not a code you type in. The PIN is found from the 14 character serial on the sticker on top of the unit, then written to the unit through the car's diagnostic port with Mercedes diagnostic software. You will need those tools, or someone who has them, to put it in.
Our Mercedes anti theft page covers which units it applies to and where the serial is. Check every character of the serial before you order, because there is no refund for a PIN found against a mistyped serial.
An older Mercedes that asks for a code on the radio itself, with no message on a screen, takes a normal radio code. That is on our Mercedes radio code page.
Before you order
If you are not sure the radio is a factory unit for your make, send a photo of its label on chat first. Radios get moved between cars more often than you would think, and the label tells us straight away whether we can decode it and which number to use.
A clear photo in good light, with every line readable, is all it takes. If the radio is still in the dashboard and shows its serial on screen, a photo of that screen works too.
In the meantime, stop trying the old code. Every wrong try counts, and after a few most radios make you wait before the next one. Our guide to LOCKED, SAFE and ERR screens explains the wait.
Already ordered with the VIN?
If you ordered with the VIN and the radio will not take the code, the radio has probably been replaced at some point. Nothing is wrong with the code. It is simply for the radio that used to be in the car.
Reply to your code email with a photo of the radio screen and the label on the radio, and our team will help from there.
Once you have the code for the radio that is fitted now, write it in the service book and keep it with the car's documents. If the old code is written there too, cross it out, so the next owner does not try it.
Întrebări pe care le primim
I need a code for a replacement radio I have bought. Can you help?
Yes. The code comes from the radio's own serial, so it does not matter which car the radio came from. Read the serial from its label, or from the screen on radios that show it, and order on your make's page. If you are not sure which number to use, send a photo of the label on chat.
I am still buying the replacement radio, so I do not have its code yet. Can I order now?
Not until you have its serial. The code belongs to that radio, and we find it from the serial on its label. Some sellers will send a photo of the label before you buy, and that is enough to order. The price shows at checkout once the serial is in.
I just put a new radio in my Jeep. The code is on the front and the radio will not accept it.
That number on the front is the radio's serial, not its code. On Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge radios the serial usually starts with T, or with A2C or A3C on Continental units. Enter it on our Jeep page and the code comes from that.
The radio in my 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan is being replaced with another working radio. Will it need a code?
Most likely, yes. It lost power when it came out of the other car, so it will ask for a code, and that code belongs to the replacement, not to your old radio. Read the serial from the replacement's label, or from the screen asking for the code, and use our Dodge page. If the code is then refused, send us a photo of the screen on chat.
My radio broke and I replaced it with an identical one with the same part number. Will my old code work?
No. Two radios can share a part number, because the part number only says which model they are. Each radio has its own serial and its own code. On a Ford the serial is a letter and six digits, such as M123456, and most Ford radios show it on screen when you hold presets 1 and 6 with the radio on.
I replaced my Mercedes head unit with a second hand one and it has gone into anti theft mode. How do I unlock it?
That lock needs the Mercedes anti theft PIN, not a radio code. We find it from the 14 character serial on the sticker on top of the unit, and it is then written to the unit with Mercedes diagnostic software. Our Mercedes anti theft page has the details.
