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Your Acura TL radio says code on the
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screen and you're stuck without any
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music or news. I'm Tom from Car Justify
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and today I'm going to walk you through
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exactly how to find and enter your Acura
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TL radio code so you can get back on the
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road with your tunes. First off, don't
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worry. This is a common thing that
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happens anytime the battery dies or is
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disconnected. Acura designed it as a
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theft deterrent, but it can be
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frustrating if you don't know the steps.
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The first thing you'll need is the radio
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serial number. In many Acura TLS, you
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can get this without pulling the radio
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out. Just turn the ignition to on
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without starting the car. Then hold the
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number one and number six buttons on the
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radio at the same time and press the
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power button. Your screen will show a
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10digit serial number, so have a pen
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ready. If that doesn't work on your
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model, you might need to check the glove
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box or the owner's manual. Acura
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sometimes puts a sticker with the radio
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code or serial number in there. Some TLS
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even have it on the trunk hinge or under
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the ashtray. Take a minute to check
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those places before you panic. Next
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step. Once you have the serial number,
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you'll need your vehicle identification
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number, usually found on your
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registration or the metal plate at the
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base of the windshield. Then you can
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call an Acura dealer and ask for your
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code or use Acura's official website.
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They'll usually give it to you free if
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you have both numbers handy. Now, let's
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talk about entering the code. Once you
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have the five-digit code, turn your
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ignition to on again and just punch the
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numbers in using the radio preset
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buttons. If you mess up, just turn the
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car off and try again. Don't keep
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guessing. Too many wrong tries can lock
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it for good and you'll have to leave the
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battery disconnected for a while or
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visit the dealer. If your screen says
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error or err, you may have reached the
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limit for incorrect entries. In that
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case, you can try disconnecting the
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negative battery terminal for about 10
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minutes to reset it. Be sure you know
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your code before you try again so you
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don't get locked out. If you bought the
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car used and there's no record of the
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code or serial number anywhere, you
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might have to pull the radio out to read
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the serial number on the back. That's a
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bit more involved, but totally doable
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with some trim tools and patience. So,
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to recap, first get your serial number.
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Check for the code in the glove box or
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manual. Contact Acura if you need the
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code and carefully enter it using the
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preset buttons. Take your time. Stay
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calm. It's a pretty simple process once
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you know the steps. If you found this
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helpful, don't forget to like and
2:19
subscribe to Car Justify for more DIY
2:21
car tips. Thanks for watching and good
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luck getting that radio working again.
