Help me reactivate my car radio!

December 24, 2008 8:00 AM

AAA replaced my car battery which caused my radio to reset itself. I need a code to re-activate it that can only be found in the manual (lost), or obtained from a dealer (all away for the holidays). Help me reactivate my car radio before my three hour road trip tomorrow!

I've got a 1999 Nissan Altima that is equipped with an anti-theft device which makes the radio reset when a new battery is installed. The problem is, I've long lost the manual, and every service station within 30 miles is (rightfully) closed for the holidays. I've searched high and low for the code on the internet to no avail. Can anyone help? MeFi mail me if you need registration/serial number specifics, and, of course, Happy Holidays!

posted by a lot is two words to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total)

Often the code is written on a sticker on the back of the radio (smart, huh? like etching your password on the bottom of your laptop). Try extracting the radio and looking there. Also try calling another Nissan dealer -- any of them, anywhere in the country. One's got to be open, and they should be able to look up your code through your VIN.
posted by incessant at 8:06 AM on December 24, 2008

YES. Second incessant. I've had the same issue (Honda, though) and ended up calling a dealership several states away and they looked it up for me, no problems.

What a security device ;]
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:32 AM on December 24, 2008

When this happened with my Ford, I had to remove the radio and yes, the code was stuck on a label on it. The radio should slide out far enough to find the label.
posted by essexjan at 8:35 AM on December 24, 2008

This happened to me once with a VW Golf on a road trip; we ended up buying a super-cheap battery-operated radio to use until the dealership opened up again (it was totally worth the $10). If you'd rather not deal with the hassle of getting the code today, that's always an option.
posted by chowflap at 8:48 AM on December 24, 2008

In my vehicle, the number is also on a sticker in the glove box. There is nothing else identifying what the number is - just a sticker on the side of the glove box.
posted by dforemsky at 8:49 AM on December 24, 2008

The number may also be on a sticker near the spare tire (donut) in some instances.
posted by inigo2 at 9:13 AM on December 24, 2008

If none of these other suggestions work, could you have filed it away with other car paperwork? My Accord's code was on a little card tucked in a clear plastic envelope. It was given to me by the dealer, separate from the manual, and I put it in my "car" file with the title, sales ppwk, etc.
posted by peep at 9:57 AM on December 24, 2008

This just happened to me and the code was on a sticker on the side of the glove box (when opened, ours was on outer panel of the drivers side. As mentioned, no indication of what the number was, just a six digit number using 1-6 to correspond to the station key numbers.
posted by genefinder at 12:54 PM on December 24, 2008

Mine was on the back of the removable ash-tray (1997 honda accord).

It is a sticker that the dealer usually applies ... they are supposed to apply them on the side of the glove box or, as with mine, on the ass-end of the ash-tray.

Fixya.com and others suggest other places where your code might be found, but if you cannot find it you'll likely be able to get it from the dealer based on your VIN.

Best luck on the long drive =)
posted by unclezeb at 10:10 AM on December 25, 2008