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E320 Radio Code Input Procedure?

Hi all,

I'm hoping someone here can offer some advice on this subject.

My father just bought a used 2001 E320 and when he got it the radio code had not been punched in. After some effort he was able to get the radio code but has been told that once he enters the code the radio MUST STAY ON for 8 hours in order for the code to be accepted.

This seems like utter nonsense to me. Although he insists that's what the dealer told him my experience with dealer service advisors is that they are not very knowledgeable and, since my dad is getting on a bit in years, his comprehension of technical things is pretty limited.

Last time I checked the radio was showing "WAIT" when you turned it on and he thinks that will reset to asking for the code again after a few hours.

My question is, what is the real procedure? Will the radio not start working immediately once the correct code has been input? Is it really necessary to keep the radio on for 8 uninterrupted hours in order for the code to be accepted?

In my car the radio works right after you give it the code. Even still the radio (as is the case in my dad's car) is not worth stealing and the whole code business is pointless. Who would steal this radio except if they wanted to stand on it to reach something on a high shelf?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Cheers, blurp

Reply to
blurp
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:) blurp,

I can't speak directly to your year and model, but on my 99 E430, the code is entered in the manner prescribed in the manual and the radio works. No time limits unless it 1) breaks or 2) the battery goes flat or is removed.

Reply to
me

Yes, you must wait... keep car in acc mode and just go away and come back in a couple of hours..

Reply to
Tiger

Some misunderstanding here, you only need to wait if the code has been entered incorrectly a few times, when the radio should state "wait". This could be even 24 hours.

But if you have the code, enter it, then that's it. No need to wait after that.

Reply to
Anonymous

- although you must hold the last digit for 10 seconds or so to get it to take when entering the code ?

Reply to
news

thanks gang, that's lots of interesting (and somewhat conflicting) info to work with. I mentioned the issue to my brother-in-law who works for Porsche and he said it's not uncommon with their cars to have to wait several hours for a correctly entered code to validate and begin working.

There is, of course, the possibility that it's not the original radio and that the code given (and verified by the dealer) may not be the right one after all.

What a pain!

Thanks again, blurp

Reply to
blurp

Conflicting comments sure, you have to decide yourself what to believe. Or better yet, try it on the car.

I would suggest asking a clarification from your brother-in-law, is he seriously claiming you would need to wait for hours AFTER entering the correct code? I admit I have no experience about Porche car radios but it really cannot be the case. He must refer to the wait period before a new code entry is allowed.

Usually the code entry is terminated with a specific key press, no need to wait for 10 seconds after that, perhaps 100 ms to allow the microcomputer to store the info to the non-volatile memory.

Reply to
Anonymous

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