So the battery in my 99 Audi A4 dies. Ok, I replace it. Car starts.
Now the radio has put itself into “SAFE” mode, and wants a code to reactive it. Ok, so I go get the audio manual out, which has the code and… the code is missing! I followed the directions and took it out and put it somewhere safe 6 years ago, and now I can’t find it.
Great. So now I get to see if I can find an Audi or VW dealer around that I can get the code out of without them extorting me.
Who the fuck steals car stereos anymore? Especially manufacturer steroes! Ahh!
What’s the point of that system? I certainly had no idea that radios with this functionality even existed, so were I the car radio stealing type I would’ve totally stolen your radio. Yeah, I’d be pissed afterward when your radio didn’t work for me, but are car radio thieves really the sort of people who do research? Aren’t they more generally crackheads with bricks?
Depriving criminals of their ill gotten goods is a poor substitute for actually preventing crime.
The dealership can look it up. You’ll have to give them your VIN number, and they may also need the serial number from your radio. Take the radio out of your dash yourself. Otherwise the dealership might want to charge you $100 in labor just to remove reinstall the stereo.
If you can put a computer together from newegg pieces, you have more than enough skill to remove/install a car stereo. So, check with the dealership if you can save money on your stereo code retrieval by removing the stereo yourself, and if so, get the stereo removal instructions from carstereohelp.com
Depending on the car, you can steal a radio in about 45-60 seconds if you have a motorized screwdriver. Heck, I know a guy whose dash is held in with clips, not screws. pop pop pop pop, stereo = belong 2 thievzorz. Easiest $30 ever.