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Hey, so you turned on your Honda or
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Acura and your radio just says code
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instead of playing music. Yep, that's
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the dreaded security lockout. I'm Tom
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from Car Justify and today I'll walk you
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through exactly how to get your radio
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code and unlock it, even if you lost it
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years ago. First off, don't panic. This
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is super common, usually after the
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battery dies or gets replaced. Honda and
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Acura radios have this anti- theft
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feature that thinks the unit's been
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stolen if it loses power. Annoying,
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sure, but fixable. The first thing to
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try is checking your glove box or
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owner's manual. A lot of times there's a
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little card or sticker with the
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five-digit radio code on it. I've seen
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people drive around for months blasting
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podcasts on their phone speakers before
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realizing the code was right there in
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the manual the whole time. If it's not
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there, check around the glove box edges
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or even inside the fuse box door. Some
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dealers stick the code there during
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prep. Yep, that's usually the culprit
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when someone swears they don't have it.
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They just never spotted the sticker.
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Now, if you really can't find the code
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anywhere, you'll need the radio serial
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number. This part trips people up. On
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most Hondas and Acuras, you can get it
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without removing anything. Just turn the
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ignition to accessory. Turn the radio
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off, then hold the one and six buttons
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while turning it back on. The screen
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should flash a serial number. Write that
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down carefully. It'll be something like
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That's your ticket to getting the unlock
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code. Once you have the serial number,
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you can visit Honda's or Acura's
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website. They usually have a lookup page
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where you enter your VIN. That's your
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vehicle identification number found at
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the base of your windshield or on your
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registration, plus that radio serial
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number. If you'd rather do it the old
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school way, you can also call the
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dealer. Some will give you the code over
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the phone for free if you provide proof
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of ownership. Others might want you to
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come in, which can be a pain, but hey,
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they're trying to make sure you're not
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stealing someone's stereo. One thing to
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remember, if your battery died recently,
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make sure your battery is healthy before
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you enter the code. You don't want it
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dying in the middle of unlocking the
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radio. I had a buddy who had to do the
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whole thing twice because his battery
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was on its last legs. If you've got an
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older Honda or Acura, you might even
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find the serial number on the side or
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top of the radio unit itself, which
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means you'll have to pull the radio out.
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That's a bit more work, but not too bad
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with the right trim tools. Don't worry,
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it's easier than it sounds. Just take
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your time and don't break the clips. So,
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quick recap. Check for the code card or
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sticker first. If it's not there, get
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the serial number using the one and six
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button trick. Then go online or call the
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dealer with your VIN and serial number
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to get your code. Enter it carefully on
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the radio. It should unlock right away
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if you got it right. And that's it. No
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more silent drives unless you want them.
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If this helped you out, don't forget to
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like and subscribe to CarJustify. I do
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these walkthroughs to save you time and
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money. Got questions? Drop them in the
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comments. See you next time.
