Hello Ladies and Gents

I have a weird question (well at least i think it is).

A few days ago i was thinking as to HOW WOULD I CHANGE THE BATTERY IN MY CAR? Well the good thing is, i was able to find the battery just under the back passenger seat. The bad thing is, my friend told me it cannot be done(well it can be but there is some sort of a trick to it which he is not aware of). The reason why it cannot be done is because from the moment you disconnect the battery not only does the computer reset but the radio/cd/cassette player locks up as well. I was also told that in order to obtain that CODE to the radio (if it does lock up) i would have to contact the local dealer and face a fee of about $200.

So my question is as follows: Can i safely change the battery in my car and not worry about the radio/cd/cassette player locking up? How can i obtain the code to my radio/cd player?

I have a standard 2003 SE model, with the stock radio/cd/cassette player and all that mombo-jumbo that comes with it.

Guys as always thank you very very much for your help and time.

yes, you wont have any problems... i did mine, and have had my battery diconnected atleast a half dozen times with no problems at all....

I think maybe the radio will lock if you disconnect its ground...?

Where did I hear that?

i herd that too


I would get the code out of the radio brfore you take out the battery....then you have no worries

Do you have a flashing light on your radio as well ?

How do you go about getting the code out of your radio?

You see i am an idiot. Thats the question i should have asked, but yet i asked about the light :( stupid old me

You can do it with no problems guaranteed IF you supply the vehicle with a remote source of 12 volts DC BEFORE you disconnect the battery and leave the external source attached untill the new battery is installed.

A small car battery charger will do the job. Just make sure you have all the power consuming devices in the car shut off....ignition key mainly. Make sure head lights have timed out if they are automatic. The dome light can stay on as it does not consume much power.

They actually make a little "tool" that runs on 9V batteries(?) and plugs into the cig. lighter to do this, but I would recommend a charger as most people already own one of those.

ive used those tools, very important on some cars... especially VWs but i have never run into any problems with my car.. however, i forgot that i didnt have the OEM radio in the vehicle at the time...

Unless you or the previous person locked the radio with a code, you will have no problem. If you did lock it you should have the code to unlock it. Refer to your manual for operation of the radio lock.