RANT: Honda "Radio Codes"

[SwampSurvivor]

So, the low beam headlight in the Accord(ian) blew the other night. I figured I'd be nice and replace it.

First - what a pain it was to get the headlight bulb out. OM says wheel and inner fender have to come out - tried that and I wasn't able to get it out. Had to also remove the air cleaner and battery, and then ,I was barely able to do that. NEVER seen a vehicle so hard to replace a light bulb on!

Then, it worked. Success. Tried to set the clock and nope ... radio code error.

Look it up, apparently this car needs a radio code to use the radio after your battery died.

Luckily ... I was able to find the code written in the service book. Otherwise, it would have been a trip to the dealer and paying $75 to have it recovered.

Pretty asinine if you ask me.

 

[SLCraig]

Saturn used to have stuff like that as well, as if someone wanted to steal my tape deck with EQ.
So annoying, I agree.

Same with the headlight.

Rant approved, from me.

 

[stranger706]

Haha yeah the good ole' radio code. Several car makers do this not just Honda. Mine is on sticker located inside the sun glass holder in the overhead.

Why so much trouble for the headlight? What year? My 02' was a snap...just pop the wire connector off and rotate the bulb out.

 

[NHGUY]

Honda....We make it simple.

 

[bepperb]

Dealer would do it for free. I didn't have my code on my last Honda, just walked up to the service desk with the numbers the radio was flashing and they gave it to me. I probably should have just called.

 

[asand1]

At VW we had this as well. We wrote the code on the washer reservoire and on the vehicle info sticker near the spare tire.

 

[Hokiefyd]

That stinks about all the work to replace a bulb! On our CR-V (and MDX for that matter), it takes about 15 seconds.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

There's 3 little screws that hold the headlight into the housing. If it weren't for those, I would have been able to do it without removing the battery.

Luckily, it was wrote on the owners manual. I thought for sure I was going to get arrested - there was an officer a few rows over watching me as I checked all the doors, glovebox, etc trying to find the code.

The radio serial number is on the glovebox.

There's an internet retrieval tool for it but oyu have to know the original owner's zip code and phone number.

 

[JavierG]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Honda....We make it simple.

You're a hater, aren't you?

My Acura has a Radio Code card for the Bose system in the owner's manual. Same with my Ridgeline (not Bose system though). Plus when you register the vehicles you have access to the radio codes online.

Sorry to hear about the headlight bulb difficulties.

 

[The_Jeff]

Free gift from the makers to the dealer.

Saturn dealer, for the record, could not unlock the odd motorola radio in my y2k SL1. Uses a different code/decode system from the 91-99s. They suggested a new one for $611. Also I suspect they had their worst/newest/dumbest tech work on it.

 

[Dave Hess]

All our Hondas came with a small white sticker on the first page of the owner's manual with the radio code.

 

[bourne]

Ive never paid for the radio code. I call the dealer, they tell me a few buttons to push, I read what the display says and they give us the code.

 

[Chris142]

I've been burned by that stupid radio code too. The dealer wont give me the code over the phone. They make the customer take the car and registraition to them then they charged $130 to reset it.

 

[bubbajoe_2112]

Memory saver: $10

 

[Sayjac]

Radio code never really been an issue for me, but I suppose if one didn't purchase the car new and/or the card with the code was lost it could be. Blame the low life dengenates that steal auto radios for that one.

Had to go through the fender liner once to replace one of those little parking lights in the headlight cluster of a Civic. Not ideal but not awful either imo. Having seen what has to be removed in an 03 Altima to get to the headlight lamps, didn't seem all that bad. All relative I guess.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: bubbajoe_2112
Memory saver: $10
that's only good for a few minutes. Like changing a battery. Wont last while you have the dash out doing a A 7 hr heater job. Plus many cars won't have power to the lighter if the keys on. It won't work at all if that's the case. As soon as you turn the key on the 9v battery goes dead

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: sayjac
Had to go through the fender liner once to replace one of those little parking lights in the headlight cluster of a Civic. Not ideal but not awful either imo. Having seen what has to be removed in an 03 Altima to get to the headlight lamps, didn't seem all that bad. All relative I guess.


And I suppose the reality is, for most of the motoring population out there, the OEM headlamp bulbs will stay in until they burn out, which for most low beam applications (that aren't used for DRL) will be many, many years down the road. Miller88 may have just replaced an OEM bulb from what is a 2005 model if I recall correctly. So if taking 10 minutes to change a bulb every 8 years is the compromise for better packing for a more-frequently-accessed item in the engine compartment (or maybe a shorter front overhang for weight distribution), that's a choice I'm sure most would make.

 

[Vikas]

Usually, Honda puts the instruction on how to change the headlight bulb right in the owners manual. Did the instruction actually say to remove the battery and the battery tray? OP has the manual, can he look it up and tell us?

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted By: bubbajoe_2112
Memory saver: $10


I have one of those but they never work on a Honda.

But Honda always provides the code to a proven owner at no cost and it's listed with the owners manual.

 

[bubbajoe_2112]

Originally Posted By: user52165
Originally Posted By: bubbajoe_2112
Memory saver: $10


I have one of those but they never work on a Honda.

But Honda always provides the code to a proven owner at no cost and it's listed with the owners manual.


Yeah, one caveat. The receptacle needs to be hot with the key off...or the key needs to be on.