I recently purchased a 1995 M3. I disconnected and removed the battery today and charged it for a few hours. After reinstalling it in the boot, I was unable to get the radio to accept the factory code. According to the instructions, if a beep sounds during entry, you must start the sequence again. The unit beeps always on the last numerical entry and does nothing. Does anyone have any ideas how to get beyond this road block and reactivate the radio?
Make sure you have the correct code. It is possible the PO replaced the radio at some point and you have the code for the old radio. Get the s/n off the radio and call your local BMW Dealership. They should give you the code for free. If you have entered in a code more than three times you will have to let the radio clear itself. Make sure the radio is installed correctly with power from the car. I believe you have to wait 3 or 4 hours. Your radio owners manual will give the specifics on this. What I can't remember is if the radio needs to be on during this time, meaning key in the ignition turned to the first position. Good Luck GR
Unfortunately, I do not have the owners manual. The PO did not have it to pass along when I purchased the car. I tried disconnecting the battery ground overnight and then reconnecting, powering up the unit, and then reentering the code. If anyone has a manual that would apply to that vintage radio, the re-activation sequence should be the same.
Okay, I have my radio manual here. The radio is the factory radio in a 1998 328is, manufacture date 2/98. This car has the H&K sound system as well as a factory CD changer in the trunk. The manuals says you get three tries to enter the code. After the second incorrect entry of the code, the radio will flash "CODE". After the third incorrect code entry, the radio will display "WAIT". You must wait one full hour with the radio turned on before you can enter the code again. So this means key in the ignition and turned to the first click. The code should be a five digit number. It is possible that my radio is a different model than yours and therefore could function differently. I believe even if you enter the correct code the radio will beep at you after the last number. Then it should go right to radio mode and you should be able to get a radio station. If you can't get your radio to work, I would strongly suggest getting the serial number off the radio and get the code from your local BMW dealership. It doesn't hurt to make sure you have the correct code. If that doesn't work, then your radio might be faulty. Good luck. GR
Grant: Thanks for your reply. I called the service department in my regional area and explained the situation. At first they did not want to talk with me, thinking I was scamming them, but I explained that all I wanted was the "procedure" to re-activate. I was told to leave the ignition on (ACC) for at least 75 minutes, with the radio on and then enter the code. When I entered the code and it beeped on the last entry, my heart sank, but then it went into the radio mode and I realized that I had sound again! What a marvelous thing! Thank you so much for your help and support! Les
