reb0101

Hey guy’s,
I just got a CL today. I have been looking around trying to find just the one I wanted and finally found it.
It’s a 97 3.0 CL, Black, leather and Automatic. 53K miles.
After reading several posts on this board there was no way in hell I would go one day without an extended warranty so I got one of those as well.
I replaced one transmission on a Nissan in August, won’t be doing that again, at least with it coming out of my pocket.

I have one question for anyone here who has had this issue and then would welcome and appreciate any and all tips anyone here could give me regarding this CL.

The dealer I got it from claimed to have had a lot of vehicle thefts from their lot. Because of this they unhooked a lot of the batteries from the used car lots.
Long story short when they hooked it back up and started it up, the radio/CD-Player is now asking for a ‘code’.
While I was waiting for them to complete the deal ( this was not at an Acura dealer ) I called a couple of Acura dealers and this is what they told me:

“There is a 5-digit code to get the radio working. It is in one of these places:
open the Glove Compartment and it will be on the outside ‘wall’ of the glove compartment.
No luck there.
It is imprinted on the ashtray so pull it out and look there.
No luck There.
It is on the cover for the fuse box under the hood
No luck there.
Last but not least, you have to pull the radio out of the dash ( which they charge $40 to do ) and if it is not in any of the above listed places, it will be imprinted on the back of the radio once you pull it out.
I have never heard of anything so damn ludicrous in my life !
All of the other places maybe, but if you steal the friggin radio and the code is imprinted on the back, what sense does that make?

I asked both Acura dealers if I give them the VIN number can they give me the code and they both said ‘no’.

I have a feeling that they can give me the code with the VIN number but won’t do it over the phone because it obviously would not be too much trouble to get the VIN looking through the windshield right after I had broken in and stolen the radio.
I’m hoping that If I show up at Acura in person, show them the papers where I have just bought the car they will give me the damn code without having to pull the radio from the dash.
Any thoughts on this ?

Reb0101

dcsquirm88

Welcome to the site and congrats on your new car. In order to get your radio working your going to need to get that code. The code is not printed on the back of the radio. The radio has a serial # which an acura dealer can trace and find out the code to that particular radio. Your going to need that serail # and proof that you own the car in order for acura to give you the code. It can't be done with the VIN #. Before you even go to acura they forgot to tell you the most obvious place to find the code. Your car came with the code on a credit size card. That card should be in the leather case that the manuel came in. If its not there then your going to have to pull your radio out. Its not the hardest thing to do. Do a search and I'm sure you can find good instructions on how to do it. Even with the serial # of the radio my acura dealer wouldn't give my code over the phone. I had to go in person and prove that the car was mine. Oh well good luck and enjoy the new car.

1StGenCL

They should be able to give you the code if you bring the car in. Someone said the code is on the back of your ash tray or something

dustbuster4

Congrats on your wise purchase and welcome to the site!

Everything that dcsquirm88 wrote is right on, but I had a couple of comments.

Did you check under the ashtray (once you pulled it out) for the code?

If you need to pull out the head unit, it's pretty easy (but it may be easier to take your CL to a dealer, show proof of ownership, and they'll look it up for you (although I've heard that some dealers charge you for this ).

If you need to pull out the head unit, do this:

Gently (with a small flathead screwdriver) pry the trim ring that surrounds the clock, CD player, and storage compartment (under the CD player) loose, then "pop" it off. The trim ring should be black plastic (unless you were lucky enough to get the plastic "wood grain"). Once the trim ring is off, use a flashlight and look under the storage compartment. You should see 2 screws that are holding the mounting bracket to the car. Remove these screws, and the head unit should come out. Disconnect the factory harness, and the antenna, and Bingo, you can look at the back! Installation is the reverse of above.

If you need any help, let me know. I am possession of the Acura Service Manual for our 3.0CL (thanks to eBay), and can always e-mail you scans of whatever you need.

Good luck!

When you can, post some picture of your CL.

reb0101

many thanks to:
"dustbuster4"
"dcsquirm88"
"Ultimatest' Cleric Member"
for your prompt replies !
Problem is, is that the CL came with no books at all. I will buy an owners manual but even when I do it will not have the credit card type card with the code on it as the manual I will buy at Acura will be off the shelf.

I am going to yank the ashtray out again and look once more. I was looking at the actual ashtray and maybe it's in the slot it goes in or something.

If it comes to yanking the radio it will be Acura that does it and they will be charging the dealer I got it from the $40 bucks to do it.

The whole purchase took forever and a damn day to complete and I just wanted to get the hell out of there and be over it.
I had talked to 2 Acura dealerships on the phone and like you have said, they won't give me anything over the phone.

Thanks again guys and I guess I'll find out tomorrow

reb0101

SumkidwithaCL

they CAN give the code with just the VIN, unless the deck was changed for some odd reason. Pulling the deck out seems a little ridiculous... so if the radio was in the car when the car left the plant in 97... they can do it from the VIN with proof of ownership.

DJ Iceman

Welcome to the board and good luck with the radio code. Just curious--what posts did you see here that made you think an extended warranty was an absolute necessity? I disagree with the premise of extended warranties in general, but on this car in particular I think it's a waste of money. For the most part, CLs are rock-solid for years and years!

gjr2001

I agree!! Extended warranties are usually P.O.S. They just want your money, and you will be lucky to get anything in return when your car does break down. I know that Honda makes solid cars and the Cl is no different. I bought mine for about $5,000 less than the cheapest Cl I saw on a lot. So if something does go wrong It won't break the bank.

daveg3030

Great directions reb0101 on removing the radio from the bracket. It wasn't terribly difficult. The only thing I would add is, make sure you're extremely careful with the screws coming out of that bottom bracket. I dropped one down into the abyss and it took forever to recover it.

Thanks again for the sweet instructions.

DaveG3030

97 CL 3.0

Gshock

Welcom to the board, you had made a wise choice on buying an Acura CL. It is a great car. On the radio deal, I went to the dealer in person, show proof of ownership, and asked them to print out my warranty status and also my radio code. took them 2 mins and there I have the code. Try it, it might work. but it is also true that some asshole in the dealer would not give you the code. anyways good luck.

dogfight

The radio code for my '98 2.3CL was on a tag attached to the remote's keyring... I put it in a SAFE place cause I know how much trouble it is to get another. I went through this with a '92 PASSAT and it took almost 2 weeks - was just about ready to buy a new stereo instead!

FrstGenCL

Welcome to the board.. no need for my 2 cents, looks like everyone has it covered...

Darltk

DAYUM! I had this problem for the first time last weekend when I had Fogs put on. I got in the car and the radio said COD 1. I was like :What the hell did they do to my radio!" I pressed the buttons to many times and it went to err. I finally decided to read the manual and of course I found out I needed THE CODE! I found mine in the leather manual case. You learn something new all the time!