Dude, I don't know how you could do that. A few weeks ago I changed my headlight bulb and was quite (happily) suprised when the whole assembly didn't explode when I started my car.

I love it . . A college education and nary a clue about things mechanical . . . . there is a "Chilton Manual" for each and every vehicle out there . . It's "the Instructions, Stupid" and can be bought for about $20 at any Auto Zone or Checker. If you can't do simple maintenance on your automobile . . You shouldn't be driving it . . .

The funny thing is . . most of the really good troubleshooters in the Automobile Repair Business have a High School diploma and some tech school . . no BA's or BS's here . . but they do understand "Lefty Loosey, Righty tighty" . .

Just my 2 cents worth as a teacher at a Community College . . .

I am a firm believer in shelling out the big bucks to have some middle-aged, fat mechanic with his butt-crack visible above his belt make any and all repairs on my car (and probably a few that either weren't necessary or he caused them) because believe me, I can screw up a cup of coffee. BUT...I've never been in an accident that was my fault, so I guess that makes me a good driver, sort of.

For all you folks out there that have disconnected power to you Heidelberg VI "anti-theft" radio in your Volkswagen, heres how you restore it. First you have to remove the radio from the dash by prying off the faceplate very carefully with a slotted screwdriver. Next remove the fasteners and slide out the radio. The 4 digit security code should be written on the back. Slide the radio back in. Now here are the instructions for powering it up:
-switch the radio on. "SAFe" should appear on the display
- push AM/FM and SCAN buttons. hold them until the display changes to "1000" then release.
- enter the code using the first four station programming buttons. the code will appear on the display.
- again, push the AM/FM and SCAN buttons. hold them until the the display changes to safe mode again.

after two incorrect tries the radio will lock up for an hour. leave it switched on for an hour and try again later. the radio shouldn't lock up permanently.

posted february 25 /05 by trevor dinwoodie of kelowna bc

If you own a Honda, you can register to American Honda Motor Owner link.

http://www.ahm-ownerlink.com

After fustrated looking for the code all over. I remember something about the honda owner link website. Log in and there it is... The radio code.... All you need to register is your VIN number which you can find easily anywhere on the vehicle....

Most Hondas have a drivers-side coin tray. Pull out the tray and look on the bottom of the tray. This where I found my code. As mentioned above, it has a series of numbers that begin with an "M" then a seperate set of 5 numbers. The magic 5 numbers!

"I decided to do the dangerous and risky maneuver of changing the battery with the car running."

You might have added, 'stupid' to the list. You stand an excellent chance of lethal electric shock, burns, and accidental damage to your car's electric components when pulling this stunt. Far better to look up and pay for a radio code, if that's so important, than break such a basic safety rule and get a $2,000 trip to the emergency room.

you guys ROCK!!!!! The site is very Helpful! :)

American Honda Motor Owner link is a joke. Went on, registered, gives info about vehicle EXCEPT radio code. Waste of time.

Re:
"You might have added, 'stupid' to the list. You stand an excellent chance of lethal electric shock, burns, and accidental damage to your car's electric components when pulling this stunt. Far better to look up and pay for a radio code, if that's so important, than break such a basic safety rule and get a $2,000 trip to the emergency room."

This is the stupidest, lame bullshit, I've ever heard.
It's impossible to get a "lethal ellectric shock" from a 12 volt system.
The best you could hope to do is cook your self to death.
To do that you'd have to:
1. Tape one wire to each hand.
(to keep connected after you pass out.)
2. Puncture the skin (which is VERY GOOD insulation.)
3. and then throw the switch.

Ass hole

This is the best, most helpful site I found. I was able to fix my radio in 5 seconds with the information given here. I am eternally grateful and so happy right now! I don't care how you changed your battery. I'm just happy you told me where the code was:)

I found the radio code for my 1999 honda civic in the main fuse box under the hood.

Yo! Retrieve your radio serial number by holding down the 1 & 6 buttons while turning on the radio. Two sets of numbers will appear Uxxxx then Lxxxx. Write them down and call Honda at 800.900.1009, Option 5. Provide the VIN #, your name, address, telephone #, and the serial numbers from above. The very nice person will then give you your unlock code.

Now, go to the Honda Ownlers Link website and enter your code in your account.

Mike J.
2004 Honda Civic
Torrance, CA

Smokey,

Your comments are interesting. Did you know that a defibulator only puts out a few volts of electricity, and only requires 360 milliamps to restart your heart? So, lets see, 12V battery, yep low voltage, 500+ AMPS!!! Yikes, you could definately be KILLED by 1000+ times the amperage it takes to restart your dead heart on the operating room table.

The charging system on the car can do the same thing, most alternators put out 45-60 AMPS at 13-15 Volts. STILL more than enough to kill a person.

I won't call you names...

MikeJ
15 Yrs as a USAF RADAR Maintenance Technician

As an auto technician, I feel I have to clear some things up:

1) A car battery will not shock you or kill you. Period. It doesn't contain the required voltage to pass current through your body. However, any modern secondary ignition system component can contain somewhere around 25,000 volts - it's enough to knock you to the ground (watch your head).

2) NEVER and i mean NEVER disconnect the battery with the engine running. The battery acts like a voltage regulator for the alternator by controlling spikes and AC leakage. If you disconnect the battery while the car is running on a modern car, there's a very good chance you might fry a sensitive electrical component. An alternative is to use a "memory saver" device. It's basically a 9V battery with a diode connected in series. It connects to the cigarette lighter. You can probably find it at your local auto parts store for about $10.

I just got my code!!!

Call Honda at 1-800-999-1009 and go to option #5.
The representative will ask you for your VIN # and some personal info like phone #, address and radio serial # (press 1, 6 and "on" button on your radio at the same time, record 10 digit code). They then proceeded to have me get in my car to try different codes and the first one worked!!! 41654 was my code for my 2001 Honda Civic EX.
Don't bother paying for a code or spending time dealing with dealerships, it's all a waste.

Highly Recommended!

Hey everyone!

I have a 2004 HOnda Civic Hybrid and I went through the whole Code thing with my radio. Thankfully the dealership helped me out with it so that's all cool. But Know I need to find out how to set the clock on the stupid car? Can anyone help me with that? I know there is a button on it that says clock and then the "H' which I'm assuming indicates Hour and then "M" for minute but I can't seem to get it to work. I bought the car used and no manual came with it. Thanks a bunch!

Hey Galen. I believe you hold the clock button in until it beeps and then adjust with the H and M buttons. When you're done press the clock button again.

HELP PLEASE! MY RADIO IS ASKING FOR A CODE. I FOUND A CODE IN MY GLOVE BOX M98K497816. HOW IS THIS CODE USED TO UNLOCK MY RADIO?

Call honda 800-999-1009...i have a 99 accord. i called, gave them the VIN. they updated all my owner info, then asked for the number on a sticker in the glove box. mine started with an F followed by 8 numbers. 2002 cars and newer can get the info from the radio itself via the lcd screen they said. anyway, gave me the code immediately, no problem. less than 2 minutes on the phone. i got the code from the dealer 4 years ago, but never kept it figuring i could get it again. they had purged their files since and gave me the same bring it in and crack open the dash story. just another phone call got it done. good luck.

ANOTHER GOOD APPROACH...

I just bought a used 2003 Odyssey. The battery was dead so I needed the unlock code. No sticker with the unlock code could be found anywhere. The local dealer couldn't find the sticker/code either. The holding the 1 & 6 preset approach didn't reveal the serial number. So the dealer wanted $85 for an hour of labor to remove the sterio and get the serial number off the back. Apparently they need to remove certain dash panels to accomplish this. I passed.

I called Honda (800-999-1009). They had me try the 1 & 6 preset approach -- no luck. He mentioned that the original dealer often keeps the information for a while. Honda was able to tell me the original dealership and provide their phone number. I called them and talked to Service. The dealer asked me for the last 8 digits of the VIN and looked up the Reset Code in their records.

Galen, I forgot how to change the time on my Civic every time daylight savings came around for about the last 3 years. The key is that the car has to be in the ignition, in the I position (not with the car started, just with it going on battery power.) If it's not in that position, the clock won't work! :) At least, that's the problem I seemed to have whenever changing my time.

I'm about to go look for my own radio code, since I got my battery changed. Wish me luck!

I also don;t know how this works.
I found the code:
M98D349230
in my glove box and I am not sure how this translates to a radio code.
Thanks!
Jordan

I have a 1999 honda civic and had this issue. I looked the places mentioned earlier and mine was in the trunk, when you pop the trunk, i looked that the left side, on the bottom of the trunk itself, and it was right there plain as day. The tricky part is your looking for a 5 digit number with only numbers 1-6. since there is no 0,7,8, or 9. Thanks for the help!!!! Works great now!

Hey Jordan. I believe that is your serial #. So your almost there. Now you need to call America Honda at 1-800-999-1009 and you will probably be asked to fax the serial #, a copy for your drivers license, and vehicle reistration to Honda. The two fax #s they gave me are 310+783+3785 or 310-783-3273. Once you fax that info in they will call you back in 48hours with the code. I would first call into them so they can give you a case #. They are very polite and will help you out a lot. Though I did not get the code this way, but i found it it was one of them. I just called the dealership and the lady just gave me the code but she only did it as a one time courtesy and we agreed that she never gave me the code =) Hope this helps!. Galen

BTW thanks Lindsay and Digger for your help!!! Clock issues has been resolved! TY again

Thank you all so much for the info. Some idiot at the dealership gave me a random code over the phone that didnt work so I retrieved the serial number by pressing 1 and 6 as I turned on the radio. I called Honda and they asked for VIN, serial # and address and gave me the code over the phone right away. Unbelievably easy and the Honda lady was very nice.

Great site,

Honda Civic 2004.

My cousin borrowed my car yesterday and for the first time ever it did not want to turn on, she got a jump start and safely return my baby back to its mommy. I was devastated when I turned my car on and noticed that the radio was giving me an error code, I put in random numbers with no achievement.

Later I relized that the number maybe in the user manuall which I have the slightest idea of where that maybe hidden.

Luckly I came upond this site where it stated that the code could be in the glove compartment...which it was wooo hooo, thanks to whom ever made that suggestion.

My morning commute did seem like an eternity without my radio.

Hi everyone Please help me with de stero activation code of a Honda pilot 2004 the serial number is:

U 1110 L 4076

Help would be greatly appreciated.

PLEASE my email is aasley@yahoo.com

thank you! I just had my battery replaced and you saved me hours of searching for the little anti-theft card with the code on it. I may not have even found it at all. the code was on a small sticker affixed to the back of my glove compartment of my 2002 honda civic.

hey everyone, my name is binh and I have a 2001 s2000 am in need of my car radio code. same incidence as everyone else as my sister drained the battery of my car my leaving my lights on. and i did most of all what everyone did by pressing 1 and 6 and the power on and the code shows as follow:

U 2400 L 9393

I still still cant figure out how this would be my radio code. and inside my glove box shows:

B C G 2 4 0 0 9 3 9 3

can anyone help me with this?? thanks alot. my e-mail is binhly27@gmail.com.

i tried calling that 1-800-999-1009 number for honda and it worked a charm all they asked for was the vin # and the code from the radio when you hold down the 1 and 6 then the power button to get and it was resolved. very nyce people. worked a charm.. thank to this site..

I lost my radio yesterday evening when cleaning off the battery terminals, it was after hours and I couldn't call until today.

I called the 18009991009, opt 5 and she talked me through getting the radio's serial number.

First turn off the radio

Second hold down preset 1 and preset 6 AND turn on the radio

Third you will get two sets of numbers, a U number and an L number.

Once I had those radio serial numbers she wanted me to fax registration and my drivers license to honda and it would be a few days before they could give me the radio unlock code. That sucks because they wouldn't help. They told me of some honda dealerships local to where I am staying on travel and I called them to explain what had happened and gave them the radio serial numbers and THEY GAVE ME THE RADIO'S UNLOCK CODE! Way to go! Now why couldn't honda do this? They didn't ask me for any VIN or anything! No cost either!

ALSO one more thing I forgot to mention is that to get the radio's serial numbers you need to eject the CD from inside the radio if you have one before you try the 1 and 6 routine.

I can only repeat what others have said:

Call 1800-999-1009.
Have the U--- L--- numbers ready. (Hold 1 and 6, then turn on to get the flashing numbers.)

Also, its free. Don't pay anybody for this, its not necessary.

ps. I have a 2001 Civic. Couldn't find the number on the car, but i'm still looking just for the fun of it.

Changed out dead battery in my 2004 Honda Odyssey.
Didn't have "unlock code" handy.
Opened up rear hatch, 5 didgit code is located at upper right corner just on outside of rubber weather seal right next to the hinge.

I JUST PURCHASED MY 2000 HONDA CIVIC EX FROM A USED CAR DEALER, AND THEY DID NOT HAVE THE CAR RADIO CODE :( THE USED CAR DEALER PURCHASED THE CAR FROM AN AUCTION.

I CALLED LOCAL HONDA DEALERS AND THEY COULD NOT HELP ME BECAUSE I DID NOT PURCHASE THE CAR FROM THEM!!!

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT ANYONE KNOWS WHAT TO DO TO HELP?

MY BROTHER TOOK APART THE ENTIRE DASH BOARD FOR ME AND WE DID NOT FIND ANY TYPE OF CODE.

THANKS FOR ANY UPDATES I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

Look inside the glove compartment. The code should be on the airbag bar. Good luck.

I found my sticker with the serial number and code in my door frame FWIW. There was no letter "M" but the code worked. It worked after I finally realized I was pressing the CD changer buttons (also 1-6) and not the station presets.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

This was the fourth google hit and your article hit it on the nose. Exact same thing happened to me. Your article suggested fuse blocks under the hood as one of the potential secret locations. Perfect! That was it!

Thanks!

I have a 2006 Honda Civic. I was able to find my code on the inside of my glove compartment! Thank you very much for this informative site!

I have a 2001 Honda Accord EX. My radio displayed a "C" after changing the battery. I found the activation code on a white sticker, at the back of the glove compartment (there was another, longer number on the same sticker).

As I entered each number, the "C" became "Code" and when I entered the fifth number, the radio came on. It was that easy - thanks, all!

i have the code to unlock my radio for my 2001 honda civic but it includes #0 and there is no #0 on the radio? how do i unlock it if the numbers are not there?

One other way I did not see mentioned here is online retrieval. Once you register at Owner Link (www.ahm-ownerlink.com) you can retrieve your unlock code online and for free with nothing more than your VIN and your radio serial number. It even gives you instructions on how to get your serial number (2001's and later).