Radio turns off before I can put in code

[Littlemini]

So… I have been having trouble with my daughter’s 2011 Ka radio.
It says wait for absolutely ages because the incorrect code has been input so many times. We have even taken it to Ford who couldn’t be bothered trying & said it would be best to have a new stereo at a cost of about £700!!!!

Anyway, they gave us the code and today I’ve left the radio on thinking that if I left it on long enough, the radio display would change from wait to code.

The problem is that the radio switched itself off before I had the chance to try the code.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do?

Thank you so much

[Charlie Croker mk2]

Go for a drive with a full fuel tank until the radio changes !

[Littlemini]

We are not sure if the wait is for 4 hours or 8?!? Could be a long drive

[bigandclever]

WAIT should only be for 30 minutes, with the radio on.

You could also try; radio off; hold button 6, and keep holding; turn radio on; keep holding button 6 for 10 seconds to unlock it (if it’s actually locked). You don’t want LOCKED 13 on the screen, because that’s the permanent, needs a visit to Ford, bad message.

Edited by bigandclever on Sunday 19th September 19:46

[Littlemini]

We are not sure if the wait is for 4 hours or 8?!? Could be a long drive

[Littlemini]

We left it on for such a long time yesterday (many hours) and it still said wait & then turned itself off again before the message changed from wait to code. So annoying.
I will try pressing the buttons you suggest to see if it makes a difference. Ford just dismissed it and said they could fit a new radio for £700. I don’t think the car is worth that much 😀
It is actually a Fiat radio in a Ford car so not sure if that makes a difference. I did see a table posted online saying that the timings for entering the code increased every time you enter a wrong code 😫

[bigandclever]

So it's not a ford ka radio then? That might've been a pertinent bit of info to provide. FFS

[Littlemini]

Sorry - it is the standard radio in the ka 2011 but I think it is a Fiat low radio which is probably a law unto itself!

[rix]

Is the ignition on? A lot of cars will turn the radio off after a predetermined amount of time if the ignition is off. Can you block the car in and leave the key in the ignition set to the acc turn?

[Littlemini]

Will it damage the engine if I leave the car switched on for that amount of time??

[Chris32345]

Remove from car and connect to an external power supply and leave in hose until unlocked

[Littlemini]

Thank you. Maybe worth a try before having to shell out for another radio

[oilslick]

Littlemini said:

Thank you. Maybe worth a try before having to shell out for another radio

I wouldn't bother shelling out £700 for a factory replacement, you'll get change from £250 for a decent single din head unit, fascia adapter and loom adapter with steering wheel control support.

[Littlemini]

Well - we tried to wire the radio up in the garage and it displayed ‘can check’ so couldn’t really do anything with it.

Such a pain - may just go with changing the radio.

Thank you all for the advice!