14,000+
vehicle radios unlocked
Don't pay or wait more than you need to for your BMW radio code. We generate all BMW codes instantly, so whether you drive a 3 Series or a Z3, whether you listen to Heart FM or your own tunes – we'll get you back into your radio or navigation in minutes.
When your BMW radio, stereo or navigation becomes disconnected from the battery, usually due to a garage service or a low battery, it automatically locks and begins to ask for a radio unlock code. As this is an anti-theft feature it's not possible to unlock a BMW radio without this code, but generating your 4 or 5-digit radio code is an easy process that can be done in minutes. Many dealerships and online generators decode the radio code from the VIN number, but this code will be wrong if the radio has ever been changed in the vehicle's lifetime.
The most reliable way to get your BMW radio's code is by decoding it from the radio's serial number. Unfortunately it's not possible to find this serial number without removing the radio. If you've already removed your radio you can skip straight to identifying your serial number below.
Don't worry – removing your radio is not as hard as it sounds, and for most models you won't need to disconnect any wires. Simply slide out the radio from the dash and take pictures of any numbers you can see on the radio. For most models the only tools you will need are a standard Philips screwdriver and a pry tool. Some models may have square plastic clips hiding the screws. To find the easiest and most specific instructions needed to remove your BMW radio, click here to search YouTube for your vehicle's model and model year - for example, how to remove BMW E46 radio.
Once you've partially removed your radio from the dash, take pictures of any labels or numbers on it and compare with the image examples below to identify your radio's serial number. If you can't find a matching serial number on the radio's labels, it may also be engraved into the radio itself (image 1).
Our instant BMW radio decoder currently supports the following serial numbers:
Because we incur costs and fees for every code we generate, our money-back guarantee does not usually cover codes decoded from incorrect serial numbers. For this reason you should always double-check that the serial number you enter has the same letters and numbers as the serial number on your radio. However we will always make exceptions in obviously confusing situations, such as when a Q looks like an O or an I looks like an L.
For Becker models you may need to combine the model number with the serial number to get the full serial number beginning with BE – alternatively you can enter the full barcode number (images 1 and 2).
Once you have your serial number, all that’s left is to enter it into our BMW radio decoder and generator at the top of this page.
Most BMWs built for the US market use 5-digit codes. Although we're not yet able to instantly generate these codes, the quick hack below from our US friends at BS Garage will show you how to use the 4-digit code we generate to unlock your US-region BMW radio.
BMW vehicles and radios that we are able to decode include:
Unfortunately, it's not possible to unlock a BMW radio asking for a security code without entering the code. This is intentional as these codes were originally designed as an anti-theft feature to make it harder for thieves to steal and resell car radios.
Due to the costs of running a small business providing radio codes around the world 24/7, it's not possible to sustainably offer BMW radio codes for free. There are many decoding services out there that attract customers with the word "free" only to reveal a price at the very last second or fail to deliver a code at all (as shown by their reviews). Our prices will always be shown up-front, and our radio codes are already priced as low as possible while still allowing us to stay in business, provide reliable English-speaking support to customers and continue adding support for more models and manufacturers.
Not only were we the first radio decoding company to offer radio codes for all manufacturers at one fixed price, we were also one of the first to charge as low as £4.99 - before we came along virtually no decoding company offered radio codes at such an affordable price, and to this day we still beat 95% of our competitors on price, without making you wait around for your code.
Unfortunately it's not possible to generate a BMW radio code from the registration plate at all. Although most dealerships and some online decoding sites do use the VIN to decode the radio code, this is not reliable due to being tied to the car rather than the radio. This means that if your radio was changed since it was first manufactured, a radio code decoded from the VIN will be incorrect. For this reason RapidRadioCodes - like most online decoding sites - decodes the radio code from the radio's serial number, which gives us the best chance of unlocking your radio.
All our BMW radio codes are decoded instantly, displayed on the screen immediately after payment and sent to your email at the same time. To ensure that your code and receipt are sent to you, double-check that the email you enter when paying for your radio code is correct. If it's been more than 2 minutes since you purchased your code and you haven't received your email, get in touch with us so we can look into why this might be. In most cases this is down to a misspelt email address.
This means an incorrect radio code has been entered 3 different times. To bypass this lock leave the ignition and radio on for between 30 minutes up to an hour, until the radio allows you to enter a new code.
So you've located your serial number, entered it into our radio code generator, and received your decoded radio code in return. Congratulations! Now comes the best part: using your new radio code to unlock your BMW radio.
This process varies depending on your vehicle's radio. Each of our BMW radio codes come with simple instructions to enter your new code at no extra cost. To receive your entry instructions, double-check that your email address is spelt correctly at the payment stage. If it's been more than 2 minutes since you purchased your unlock code and you haven't received your email or receipt, get in touch with us so we can look into why this might be. This is usually down to a misspelt email address.
RapidRadioCodes™ is a small independent business based out of Sheffield, Yorkshire, in the North of the UK. Our mission is to be able to instantly generate radio unlock codes for all cars, vans and trucks, at a single fixed price that's cheaper than both the dealerships and other third-party decoding sites. Since first being established less than a year ago, we've already helped over 14,000 drivers, garages and car dealerships unlock their radios, and received hundreds of 5-star reviews across our TrustPilot and Reviews.io pages. Still have questions? See if we've already answered them in our main FAQ section.
