The damn dealership broke my radio and I am pisssssssed.
July 13, 2010 4:43 PM   Subscribe

The dealership broke the sound system in the car, claims they did not, and did not fix it. It's a 2002 Saturn LS and when you try to turn on the radio/cd/cassette player it just beeps and says LOCK on the display. What are our options?

So I drive a car that belongs to my mother. It needed repairs (oil leak from before). It is a 2002 Saturn LS 4 Door Sedan. When I drove it to the dealership for the repairs the radio definitely worked and I turned it off... Then I get the car back and I try turning it on and it just beeps and says lock. They mess around with it for an hour and a half, doesn't work still, I leave. The car comes back in a few days to complete the repairs and to fix the radio. Today I get the car back... and apparently they told my mother they tried everything and it still doesn't work. They claim that they didn't mess with anything electrical so I think they are not assuming responsibility.

So what do I do? They beyond a doubt broke it, this has never happened before, it beyond a doubt worked before I dropped it off. My mother is going to call the dealership back tomorrow and tell them they need to fix it considering they broke it (I don't know why she didn't do this today). (and she's calling as she's the one who brought the car in).

I'm concerned about what happens if they refuse to fix it and still deny responsibility. This is ridiculous and I am irate.

So my options are...

Someone here knows how to fix it! Problem solved.

And then after that I don't know. Call the Better Business Bureau? This is a GM dealership. So in the event they say we can't do anything what do I do? I want my radio and I firmly believe it is their responsibility to fix it.

Thanks.
posted by tweedle to Travel & Transportation (21 answers total)
 
That sort of display usually indicates that battery power was disconnected at some point, sending the radio into a theft-prevention lockdown. The manual will usually have directions on how to reset the radio, possibly using a radio lock code that is usually included in a packet along with the manual.
posted by speedgraphic at 4:47 PM on July 13, 2010 [5 favorites]


What speedgraphic says.

This happened to me when I had a flat battery. When the new battery was installed, the radio had locked itself. I had to take it to a dealership who then phoned someone (the manufacturer?) to get an unlock code. Believe me, I wrote the code in the owners manual before I left the dealer. I can't live without music.

But you are dealing with the dealership itself? I'm suspicious of a dealer who doesn't know how to unlock a stereo (or where to go to get the information needed to do so). I'd escalate. Maybe call the head office?
posted by malibustacey9999 at 4:48 PM on July 13, 2010


I have no experience with your model of car, but the dealership should be able to unlock a factory radio. If this one can't, call another dealer and ask if they will fix it.
posted by zippy at 4:50 PM on July 13, 2010


Response by poster: Okay my mother just called the manager of the dealership and left a message because they're closed right now. They tried all sorts of unlock codes as far as I know, tried resetting the battery presumably, tried bunches of stuff. We bought the car used so we don't know any codes. We are definitely dealing with the dealership. In fact I think that's where my mom purchased the car.
posted by tweedle at 4:50 PM on July 13, 2010


I have no idea if this site is above board, but if you're willing to risk $7.99...
posted by malibustacey9999 at 4:51 PM on July 13, 2010


Yes, exactly - check the radio portion of your manual for the code, it might be in there. Also be aware that if you enter the wrong code a few times, it might lock itself for a longer time for security reasons.
posted by beyond_pink at 4:52 PM on July 13, 2010


Response by poster: Oh, and I forgot to add, they told my mom earlier that she could buy a new radio.
posted by tweedle at 4:52 PM on July 13, 2010


It sounds like an anti-theft lock. The dealership should be able to fix this.
posted by fifilaru at 4:54 PM on July 13, 2010


Is this radio original to the car? If not, the dealership may not be able to figure out the unlock code because the radio is linked to a different vehicle id number (VIN) in the factory database.
posted by zippy at 5:11 PM on July 13, 2010


Try googling around on things like "saturn radio codes." You'll find a ton of sites about it, but just keep clicking.

I bought a used car and had the same thing happen to me. Mitsubishi was more than happy to unlock it for me for like $50. So I searched around and eventually came across some sort of central Mitsu number where I had to provide my name, the VIN number of the car, and the code from the side of the radio. No charge. Total time, all told: searching, calling, taking the stereo out to find the code, calling back, being on hold.....1.5 hours. More than worth the $50.

Keep searching, I'm sure the answer is online somewhere.....good luck.
posted by nevercalm at 5:12 PM on July 13, 2010


As nevercalm noted, any paid resolution to the lock code fiasco to this will likely be more expensive than buying a new, better radio.
posted by speedgraphic at 5:14 PM on July 13, 2010


Yes, its the anti-theft on the radio.

When I bought my used VW, the radio was locked and we did not have the code. We pulled the radio, and my husband noted the code on the back. With that serial number, the VIN of my car, and my proof of ownership of the car the dealership gave me the code to unlock it.

FYI: Be less irate. The unlock code is supposed to be something that comes with the car when you buy it, just like the keys. The didn't "break" it, they just assumed you would have the unlock code. In the morning when you speak with them, there isn't any need to be irate with them - just let them know that the radio locked when they disconnected the battery, and you were not given the unlock code when you purchased the car.

Also, if you have the instruction manual for the radio it will probably be there (inside the back cover is where mine is supposed to be) or it might also be in with the paper work you got when you bought the car, if you still have that.
posted by anastasiav at 5:18 PM on July 13, 2010


RED FLAG! RED FLAG! RED FLAG!

Please don't buy a new radio. I think your mum is being scammed by someone dodgy who knows it is more profitable to sell you another radio (no doubt at a huge markup) rather than take 10 minutes to get the correct code from head office and fix it out of the goodness of their hearts (as my dealer did, there was no charge for restoring my stereo).

And if they disconnect the battery next time the car needs work, I'm guessing they'll be unable to 'fix' the locked stereo again.

I'm not a mechanic but I worked as the office chick for a mechanic for years and I've been a revhead for decades. I've never heard of a stereo that cannot be unlocked. As someone above pointed out, codes are often/sometimes printed in the owners manual. They're not state secrets. They're not impossible to find.

Please, take it elsewhere and get a second opinion. And if it was me, I'd also make a formal complaint about the dealership to the head office.

(Oh, this is me stereotyping, but I wonder if they are sexist. "Here's some women, if we can see that they're not mechanically inclined we'll tell them that we can't unlock the stereo and maybe we can sell them a new one!". Illegal and immoral, I know, but still far too common in the industry.)
posted by malibustacey9999 at 5:19 PM on July 13, 2010 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: They are claiming they didn't do anything with the battery, which I guess absolves them of any responsibility (yeah right).

I don't know what happened but it is their fault. They've tried to fix it twice on two separate occasions about 6 days apart and now claim there is nothing they can do and want us to buy a new one.

Just to sum it up. Some people seem confused.
posted by tweedle at 5:25 PM on July 13, 2010


Definitely sounds like the radio code to me as well.

I had the same problem with my Honda Accord. I was able to log in to Honda's Owner Link site and get instructions on retrieving my radio code from there. I think it involved calling a particular phone number and punching in my VIN and radio serial number, or something along those lines. You might want to check out Saturn's version of that site and see if it offers similar functionality.
posted by av123 at 5:32 PM on July 13, 2010


This is a dealership? You should be screaming "stealership" to their national office. It's absolutely unacceptable for them to not deal with a locked stereo. Jeez.
posted by rhizome at 5:44 PM on July 13, 2010


Okay, let's slow down and review:

1) We're all pretty clear on exactly what's going on here. The stereo system isn't broken, it isn't trashed, it isn't kaput; it works just fine. The only problem is that the security lock, which engages when the battery is disconnected (to prevent theft) is on. That means this will be very easy to fix once you have the code.

2) The dealership is generally the first place you're supposed to go to deal with this sort of thing; and they'll usually charge you a few bucks for it. The fact that they are acting aloof or putting you off only means that they're lazy; they have phone numbers they can call for this sort of thing, but they're apparently not willing to do it.

3) That just means you have to try to get the code yourself.

Here are some decent-seeming instructions on how to open a similar car, the 1998 Saturn SL2. Unfortunately they're from four years ago, and even then it sounds as though the phone number given was a bad one.

Here's my advice: forget the dealership. Dealerships are lazy, they like to take your money for nothing, and they hardly ever give really good service to anybody who didn't buy a new car from them on a service plan.

Find a decent local mechanic who specializes in Saturns or at least GM cars. Any mechanic will have heard of this problem (it's a common one in these cars) and a good one will either know what number to call or know who to ask to find out.

In fact, I'd just jump into the phone book and look around a little and see if you can find one, then drive on over and ask. A lot of times they'll have the phone number right there and can call it for you. Since all you need is a lousy code, you shouldn't have to go through all this hassle.
posted by koeselitz at 6:39 PM on July 13, 2010


Is this actually a GM/Saturn franchised dealer? This sounds more like something an independent car dealer like Crazy Eddie's Discount Saturn would pull.
posted by chazlarson at 7:30 AM on July 14, 2010


Never mind; totally glossed over that phrase in the question.
posted by chazlarson at 7:36 AM on July 14, 2010


Okay, at this point you probably can't punch in the code and then have it working again. This happened to me after I stupidly left my lights on and killed my battery, then came back the next day and my audio system wasn't working.

I thought the system had just finally died on me, but in the meantime I punched in a lot of buttons randomly. After a quick Googling, I learned that after the battery dies, the audio goes into lockdown mode, and that gives you 3 chances to punch in the code written in your car's manual. I used up my 3 chances with the random button-pushing.

In order to reset it completely, I had to open up the car's hood, disconnect the battery for about 5 minutes, reconnect it, and then input the code using the radio's preset buttons.

The code was not only typed into the manual's front page, it was also scribbled on 2 loose sheets of paper and written on the back cover of the manual. That made me feel better about things, because the previous owner clearly also had some issues with it...
posted by rachaelfaith at 10:13 AM on July 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


Ask your question where the saturn experts hang out.
posted by damn dirty ape at 7:13 PM on July 14, 2010


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