Car Radio Unlocking

Tim_L
Tim_L Posts: 3,816
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Highly specific this one, but when you need it it can save a lot of money.

Following a repair for accident damage my radio was left locked. On contacting the dealer I bought the car from I was told that they had no record of the radio code and that it would cost £25 plus VAT to get it for me (nice little earner for them this one, which I refused to pay on principle!).

Anyway I went radioless for a few months, but had a trip to do and wanted the radio. So after a bit of a search yesterday, I found:

http://www.dekodes.com/

This allows you to enter your radio serial number and for a CC payment of £5.88 (this was for a Blaupunkt radio) it will immediately tell you the code. Worked very well indeed. You need to register and provide a 'company name', though I just put in 'no company'.

The only problem I had was extracting the radio itself. In the end I found some help using a google search, but essentially there are 4 grub screws that I needed to extract using a tamper proof screwdriver bit (you can get a set of these at screwfix for £9.99, but probably an allen key would work). Removing these provides 4 holes into which you need to insert 4 small screwdrivers or similar (I used some wooden kebab sticks) whereupon you can pull the radio out by pulling carefully at the cassette slot.

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Comments

  • dave96
    dave96 Posts: 23 Forumite
    Most main dealers will give you this informaion for nothing. All you need to do is ask, have either the serial number of the radio, car registration number (and sometimes VIN).
  • Shinds
    Shinds Posts: 448 Forumite
    dave96 wrote:
    Most main dealers will give you this informaion for nothing. All you need to do is ask, have either the serial number of the radio, car registration number (and sometimes VIN).


    This is so not true. From my experience Main Dealers will charge for this
  • tin
    tin Posts: 502 Forumite
    Very true. In fact my local ford dealer told me a number that was written on the radio was the code and locked it up. Then said it would cost £300 for a new one, no other way around it.

    An independent got me the original code for £20.
  • heathen
    heathen Posts: 475
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    nice find tim,maybe a useful site for the future,dealers do tend to charge to get you your code unless ur lucky:)
  • dave96
    dave96 Posts: 23 Forumite
    Shinds wrote:
    This is so not true. From my experience Main Dealers will charge for this

    Renault have NEVER charged me for this, and I have had to replace two radios in the last year (retreived from car breakers).
    Volvo never charged me.
    So, in my experience, "main dealers will give you this informaion for nothing"
  • Shinds
    Shinds Posts: 448 Forumite
    Dave u have been lucky ;)

    because as written above - Ford charge and I know Vauxhall also charge.
  • rde
    rde Posts: 67 Forumite
    Didn't I hear somewhere if you put the radio in the freezer, it erases the code anyway?

    I accept no responsibility for any consequences of any knackered radios or frost bites for the above statement!
  • dave96
    dave96 Posts: 23 Forumite
    Shinds wrote:
    Dave u have been lucky ;)

    because as written above - Ford charge and I know Vauxhall also charge.

    Thats disgusting! It should be on the main dealer computer system. Less than a minute to find. How they can charge for that is beyond me.
  • Tim_L
    Tim_L Posts: 3,816
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
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    The Vauxhall dealer involved wanted to charge me £25 plus VAT because they claimed to have no record of the number (it was a 2nd hand car) from the previous owner. In my opinion this is profiteering pure and simple, as they know that people won't go without radios for long.
  • There seem to be loads of people on ebay selling PC programs that allow you to retrieve the codes:
    http://search.ebay.co.uk/unlock-radios

    If it its that easy to get the codes it makes the whole security system a bit of a joke!
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