When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
how easy is it to get a missing code? I am trying to buy an original radio for my 97, but the seller does not have the code, he just bought the car and has no info on it.
I had to go through this when i changed my 10 year old battery from a previous owner. Process went well and i disabled this "feature". My honda civic at least put the code on a glovebox sticker. This is a misguided feature and causes a lot of grief with no benefit. No one is stealing factory stereos and if they did would not be detered by this. This seems to be just another reason to force visit to a dealership for a fee.
Obviously you have not read the section of the OWNERS manual to even understand what the THEFTLOCK feature on the factory radio is and how it works!!!
Radios in the C5 came UNLOCKED by default from the factory.
Unless you LOCK the radio you do NOT need a code to unlock it. And if YOU lock it YOU get to decide what the code is to unlock it.
Someone with a radio that is LOCKED and doesn't know what the unlock code is most likely was NOT the person that locked it. Therefore I have to wonder HOW they came about having the radio????
There is a procedure to unlock radios for which the unlock code is unknown but that was originally a dealer only procedure. The procedure is long since been published on the Internet so now almost anyone can unlock a locked radio.