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The Radio Code
Guide · 1995–2015

How to find your Renault & Dacia serial

Renault calls the value on the label a pre-code. It is only four characters long, which makes it easy to mistake for a production code — the pre-code always has a single leading letter.

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What to look forFree guide

Pre-code

X482

Example format

One letter A–Z followed by exactly 3 digits.

Everything on this page is free to read. Once you have the serial, you can key the code in yourself using the steps below — or have us calculate it.

Step one

Where to look

In rough order of how little work each option takes on a Renault unit.

  1. 01

    Label on the case

    Slide the unit out. On the top or rear of the housing there is a line reading PRE CODE or PRECODE followed by something like X482. That is the whole value.

  2. 02

    Behind the flip-down fascia

    On Clio II and Kangoo units with a folding face, the sticker sits on the chassis directly behind the panel — fold it down and shine a torch in.

  3. 03

    Service records

    Renault dealer paperwork and the service book often carry the pre-code stamped in the radio box.

Got the serial?

We can turn it into the 4-digit unlock code

Optional — this guide stays free either way. If you would rather not chase the code down yourself, enter the serial and we return the digits straight away.

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Step two

Entering the code

However you got the four digits, this is how they go in.

  1. 1

    Turn the ignition on. The display shows CODE.

  2. 2

    Use preset buttons 1 to 4 to set each digit of the four-digit code.

  3. 3

    Press and hold preset 6 — or the volume knob on later units — to confirm.

  4. 4

    The radio plays as soon as the code is accepted.

If the unit locks you out

Three wrong codes trigger a fifteen-minute wait, then a longer one. Wait it out with the ignition on; power cycling restarts the timer.

Worth knowing

Tips from the workbench

  • Some Trafic and Master vans mount the unit deep in the dash; a long trim wedge saves scratching the surround.

  • If the display shows only dashes rather than CODE, the unit has lost its keypad calibration — reconnect the battery firmly and retry.

Got the serial? Get the code.

$9.99 for the 4-digit unlock code · Money-back if a code is wrong

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How to find your Renault & Dacia radio serial number — The Radio Code