Free VW Passat Radio Code

Which radio is in your Passat?

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.

VW Passat radio code by year

From 1993 to 2014 the Passat came in 4 generations, and the factory radio — and with it the serial you need — changed along the way. Find your year below.

VW Passat B4 radio code (1993–1996)

If your Passat is from 1993–1996, it is the B4. The radio fitted was usually one of: Alpha, Beta, Gamma. The serial reads VWZ…; label on the top or side of the unit — pull it out with U-shaped release keys. 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.

VW Passat B5 radio code (1996–2005)

If your Passat is from 1996–2005, it is the B5. The radio fitted was usually one of: Gamma, Beta, Monsoon, Symphony. The serial reads VWZ…; 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.

VW Passat B6 radio code (2005–2010)

If your Passat is from 2005–2010, it is the B6. The radio fitted was usually one of: RCD 300, RCD 500, RNS 510. The serial reads VWZ…; 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.

VW Passat B7 radio code (2010–2014)

If your Passat is from 2010–2014, it is the B7. The radio fitted was usually one of: RCD 310, RCD 510, RNS 315, RNS 510. The serial reads VWZ…; 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 Passat

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.

• Digit keys
• Confirm

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 VW models

VW Passat radio code: questions

Where is the serial number on a VW Passat radio?

B4 (1993–1996): VWZ…, label on the top or side of the unit — pull it out with U-shaped release keys. B5 (1996–2005): VWZ…, label on the top or side of the unit. B6 (2005–2010): VWZ…, label on the top or side of the unit. B7 (2010–2014): VWZ…, label on the top or side of the unit.

Is the VW Passat 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 a VW Passat?

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.