After a dead battery incident, I followed the procedure to unlock the radio. I'm able to execute the steps correctly ("1000" on the display, etc.), but the code that I've got just does not work. I've tried it four times now.

I've got VAG-COM, but from this Ti Kan: Audi Symphony Radio it does not appear that there's a way to recode the thing.

Am I bound for the stealership?

 

If you call Audi of America with the radio serial number (AUZ...) they will regenerate the code for you.

If you don't have the radio serial number written down, you'll have to pull the radio and read it off the back. Pulling the radio, of course, requires a special set of keys (which are thankfully cheap).

 

Lots of people struggle to get their Symphony radio out of the car. I had a hell of a time getting mine out. Here are some pointers:

- Insert the keys just until you hear / feel them click. You can't screw up the orientation; they'll only go in one way. The keys are all identical.

- If the keys are inserted properly, the radio will just slide right out. The only thing preventing the radio from moving, when released properly, is its own weight. The corollary is, if the radio doesn't slide right out, then there's something wrong.

- If you're pulling hard and the keys pop out and / or get scratched up and / or your fingers are getting torn up, STOP. You're not doing depressing the internal tabs properly and no amount of force is going to compensate for that.

- Try pulling the keys laterally outward, toward the doors, while pulling the radio out. This helps to retract the internal tabs. In my case, the lower keys fully retracted the tabs, but the upper keys had to be pulled out toward the doors to get the tabs retracted enough. I've seen posts that recommend pushing the keys in, toward each other (i.e., the center of the radio). This is absolutely wrong, as you will see once the radio is out.

- If you think you're going to push the radio out from the back side, you can't. There's no way you can get enough force onto the back of the thing (which you can barely even get one finger on -- it's pretty busy back there), and it won't move unless the tabs are retracted anyway. So it is a complete waste of time to remove the driver's side knee bolster and / or the glove box. (Yes, I did this.)

- If you have read the serial number off the radio itself and called Audi to get the code, and yet the code still doesn't work, call them back again -- make sure you talk to a different person -- and get them to figure out the code again. The code is is calculated in real-time from the serial number, not read out of a database. If the code doesn't work, then the dummy you talked to entered your serial number into the computer wrong. (Yes, this happened to me.)

- If the serial number sticker is missing from the top of the radio, it's also stamped into the metal on the passenger's side.

 

Thanks for posting all your struggles.

I'm sure many will find this helpful.