Free Audi A3 Radio Code

Which radio is in your A3?

Radio names are what is written on the fascia, not the name of the company that built the unit — a “6000 CD” or an “RCD 300” is what you see in the car. Unit fitment varies by market and trim, so treat the list as the usual case and let the serial decide: it is the serial that determines the code, not the model.

About “in our database”. For these units the code is not calculated from the serial — there is no formula, the code lives in the radio's own memory. Every service that answers by serial, ours included, is reading a collected database. Most serials are in ours; when yours is not, we say so on the spot rather than guess at four digits — and there is nothing to pay for a code we do not have.

Audi A3 radio code by year

From 1996 to 2012 the A3 came in 2 generations, and the factory radio — and with it the serial you need — changed along the way. Find your year below.

Audi A3 8L radio code (1996–2003)

If your A3 is from 1996–2003, it is the 8L. The radio fitted was usually one of: Concert, Chorus, Symphony. The serial reads AUZ…; label on the top or side of the unit. We look that serial up in our database; most are there, and if yours is not, the page says so before you leave any details — there is nothing to pay for a code we do not have.

Audi A3 8P radio code (2003–2012)

If your A3 is from 2003–2012, it is the 8P. The radio fitted was usually one of: Concert II/III, Symphony II/III, Chorus, RNS-E. The serial reads AUZ…; label on the top or side of the unit. We look that serial up in our database; most are there, and if yours is not, the page says so before you leave any details — there is nothing to pay for a code we do not have.

How to enter the code in your A3

1. Switch on the ignition and the radio. Most units show SAFE, then 1000 by themselves after a few seconds.
2. Older units that stay on SAFE (Gamma and Beta with separate TP and TA keys, Audi Concert, Chorus, Symphony): hold the pair of keys printed for it — TP + TA, FM1 + AM, AS + RDS — until 1000 appears, then let go and don’t press the pair again yet.
3. Presets 1–4 each set one digit: press button 1 until the first digit is right, then 2, 3 and 4.
4. To confirm: older units with the key pair — hold the same pair until SAFE shows again; red-lit Gamma / Beta (Golf IV era) — hold the cassette key or the seek key for more than 2 seconds; RCD 210 / 310 — the button under OK on the display; RCD 300 — the button beside ENTER; Seat Aura — hold PTY until it beeps; Seat Alana — hold SCAN until it beeps; Škoda Swing — press key 6; Škoda Blues — hold key 6.
5. Touchscreens (RCD 510, RNS 315 / 510, Bolero): type the code on the keypad and tap the confirm field.
6. You get two tries, then the unit locks for about an hour: keep the ignition and the radio on for the whole hour.
7. SAFE in the car the radio came from, after a battery change, means it has lost its link to the instrument cluster — tell us before entering anything.

Careful: most units lock for good after about ten wrong attempts. If a code does not take, stop and email us before trying again.

Other Audi models

Audi A3 radio code: questions

Where is the serial number on an Audi A3 radio?

8L (1996–2003): AUZ…, label on the top or side of the unit. 8P (2003–2012): AUZ…, label on the top or side of the unit.

Is the Audi A3 radio code free?

Yes, if your serial is in our database — the page tells you before you leave any details, and a code we do not have costs nothing.

How do I enter the radio code in an Audi A3?

Switch on the ignition and the radio. Most units show SAFE, then 1000 by themselves after a few seconds. Older units that stay on SAFE (Gamma and Beta with separate TP and TA keys, Audi Concert, Chorus, Symphony): hold the pair of keys printed for it — TP + TA, FM1 + AM, AS + RDS — until 1000 appears, then let go and don’t press the pair again yet. Presets 1–4 each set one digit: press button 1 until the first digit is right, then 2, 3 and 4. To confirm: older units with the key pair — hold the same pair until SAFE shows again; red-lit Gamma / Beta (Golf IV era) — hold the cassette key or the seek key for more than 2 seconds; RCD 210 / 310 — the button under OK on the display; RCD 300 — the button beside ENTER; Seat Aura — hold PTY until it beeps; Seat Alana — hold SCAN until it beeps; Škoda Swing — press key 6; Škoda Blues — hold key 6. Touchscreens (RCD 510, RNS 315 / 510, Bolero): type the code on the keypad and tap the confirm field. You get two tries, then the unit locks for about an hour: keep the ignition and the radio on for the whole hour. SAFE in the car the radio came from, after a battery change, means it has lost its link to the instrument cluster — tell us before entering anything.