OEM RADIO

You're in trouble. Unless you're in real good with the Service Manager at your local dealer, they are VERY reluctant to hand out codes.

You can try looking on the web. There are some 'translators' that, when you punch in the S/N or other ID# will give you the code.

Otherwise, I hope you didn't pay a lot for it...

He's the owner of the friggin' car. Either they give him the codes, or he should do something my dad taught me long ago: Visit the service department around 7:30 AM, when lots of customers are delivering their cars for destruction, and make a scene so loud that the help is tempted to call the police.

It's his car. Period. End of discussion.

It doesn't always play like that. Yeah, he can go to the service dep't but that doesn't mean they'll give him the code.

See, the idea is, to keep the radios from being STOLEN. What are the chances the radio he bought on E-Bay is hot?

It sure would look kinda funny, showing up for a code for a radio that's not installed in the car...

Theory collapses in the face of loud noise. Based on your theory, nobody can buy a new radio for a Toyota, ever. That's absurd.

Of course, ANYONE can buy a new radio for a Toyota!

Go over to the Toyota dealer and choose one!

Go ahead and call Honda and ask them to give you the code for a radio that isn't installed in your car. Or Volkswagen. They won't do it unless the radio is in the car, is the right model for the car, and you have to have the registration and a driver's license. Or better yet, the title.

Why give the radio and Anti-Theft code if they're going to give it to every JoeSpareBedroom that calls in and says, I have a radio that needs the code? Sure thing, sir!

But, as someone else said, there may not be an anti-theft code. I don't believe my Scion has one.

Theory? I used to sell Used Cars. We had a Honda that had had the code cleared by having the battery disconnected for a couple weeks, and a VW with the same problem.

In both cases, the dealers wanted me to drive the car to the dealership WITH the title, AND my business license in order to get the code.

OK - so you walk in the the paperwork. Is that all?

Possibly not. AIUI a few car radios have to be "divorced" from one car before they can be "married" to another: some procedure with coding, to reduce the value of a ripped-out radio (&c). I recall this for newer Saabs, with their internal comms network.

And some cars, like the Prius, have the radio so tightly united with the other systems that messing about just isn't an option. (Fortunately, one isn't tempted: the standard unit works well.)

Typical Liberal tactic - it's OK to be loud and obnoxious as long as YOU get what YOU want...

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

Get back in the crib, Marky.

IIRC, they check the S/N also.

Merry Christmas Joe, or should that be "Mildly Pleasant Winter Solstice"? Try not to catch the happy spirit of the season, that would be quite out of character for you.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

Yup stopped in bout '97 - the radios weren't worth stealing and just ticked off the owners when their battery went dead. The codes were owner set - not tied to vin or anything - but they had to be entered in certain amount of time and ya had like 9 tries. I have a locked up one in garage now - just bought unset one off ebay cus idiot dealer said it would cost $80 to blank it out (and I bought vehile from him --- BUT not the next 2!).