hey guys,

seems like an awesome forum you guys/gals got goin here. nice job! anyway, i actually belong to s-series.org, but, i have 2 specific questions regarding a 97 A4 stereo setup...

i'm installing an aftermarket FM modulated cd changer (Pioneer CDX-FM627S) into one of buddies A4. I was gonna try to take the dash apart on the thing, cuz i thought i needed in there, apparently not though, and awesome, cuz its no GM dash! lol. got it all installed awesome, except 2 hitches...

1. I made the boo-boo of pulling the factory radio's fuse on the block, and when i put er' back in, the radio says safe. procedded to hit myself in the face! my friend bought the car used. he doesnt have the little tag that has the radio number on it. We did find on a keychain that he thought might be it, two little black tags. with a number pressed into them. both are more than 4 digits long, and one of them has letters in it. I take it that the safe code will not have letters, as theres no way to input them, as far as i know. So he said he would call the previous owner, and with hope, he'll have the number. i have yet to hear back if he has the number or not. i read on here that sometimes, the owner who ripped the card out in the manual, will also write it somewhere else in the manual, need to search that too. I figured that if worse comes to worse, take it to the dealership, and give them the darn money to get the code. My buddy called, and they informed him that they stopped doing that 2 years ago, and that if he still wanted them to do it, they'd have to pull his radio, pull a chip from it, and ship it off to i'd guess Germany? and this would probably cost a lot more. We're at a loss here. one last piece of hope that i read here was that some Audis have a sticker on the passenger" side spare wheel well, where it will have the number. not sure if this is correct, or if its only certain models that had it. Any help on the radio safe code would be super awesome. sorry for the length! but i still got one more.

2. Like i said, the pioneer changer is FM modulated. it has a silver box that you are supposed to plug the car's factory antenna (at any point in the line to the radio) into the box, and then plug the other end into the box also. I have found this to not be the only way its functional. the silver box can be within ~3 or 4 inches to any antenna line, and it will pick it up. although the direct connection is best sound quality, and with the box almost directly ON the line, its fine. My question comes down to asking where the antenna line is? I know that the antenna is interal, in the rear window, but am not 100% sure where there may be a plug for it. It may not even have a plug, but if anyone has any idea where there may be an antenna wire anywhere in the trunk that i could possible even attach the FM modulater near the wire, that'd work too.


spark notes:
what do i do about the radio safe key?
where is the antenna line?

sorry for the length, but i figure the more specific, the more specific answers i can get back! but like i said, any help at all would be super. Just for kicks, i'd like to add that his A4 is pretty sweet. i drive a 4x4 chevy blazer, and its a totally different expierence, less the 4 wheels moving, as his A4 is awd! anywhoo, they are sweet cars, and i love the looks of em. maybe in the future, i just may purchase one! thanks guys and gals, and keep up the awesome forum!

 

HI there,

I have the same problem too (radio in safe mode). Most dealers retrieve the code for you by pulling the radio out and taking the SN of it and then they pull the data from the database for you. I'm suprised that the dealer you called doesn't do that anymore. Try a different dealer. The job takes less than 10 mins so you pay the min. charge (half an hour). Remember that you only get 3 tries with the safe code and after that the radio locks itself! You can try and get it back in safe mode again but it requires a small procedure (I was doing a search on it here when I found your post!). You can also purchase a replacement on ebay (make sure they give you the safe code). Hope this helps.

 

thanks for the reply. one thing i thought i'd mention, the radio isn't permanently locked after 3 codes, you just have to leave and wait for an hour, then you get 3 more tries. the kid still hasn't looked in the places that the code may be in, and hasn't called the guy he bought it from, who may have it. he's just lazy. anyway, yah, i'll have him try a different dealership, see what they say. thanks. if anyone else has some input, that'd be sweet. thanks!

 

so my friend got the radio code, thats fixed. he actually guessed the code! the original owner said he coulda swore it was 7991, but he tried, and it wasnt it, and somehow, he twisted the numbers around, and changed some, and eventually got it. now all i need to know is where the antenna line is.

 

great work. the messing with the radio code does work sometimes. we have been making some changes in our lifted chevy for past some time. lets see how this ends up.