Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Silence is Not Golden

Last year, when I had to get an expensive new AC compressor on the car, the shop that fixed it reset the car stereo. I don't know who's bright idea it was to require you to enter a code to get the radio back. I even have the original owner's manual for the car – but of course the required code is no where to be found in it. So while I now have a running car with air conditioning, I no longer have a radio.

Now, instead of having a relaxing drive into town, rocking out to the local station, I'm alone with my thoughts. I'm driving into town to do some creative financing. Taking money from one account, depositing it into my husband's account so that I can make the payment on the first account (or something to that effect). I know, it's bad. I'm bad. For years I was debt-free and somehow, through a series of unfortunate events, I ended up in the mess I'm in. It was always emergencies that kept coming up just when I thought I was finally catching up.

I'm also thinking that I haven't heard back from the job yet and it bothers me. I'm going to need a paycheck soon because this creative financing thing is not (and I hate to use this word) sustainable. These things are going through my mind as I pass the Lutheran Church on Buckeye Avenue. There was nothing on their leader board except two words.

Fear Not.

I started to laugh. Ok, Lord. Thanks for the reminder. It's all good.

Take care out there.


 

9 comments:

wendyworn said...

Excellent comment Justin. Yeah, I think I'm not being fearful and then reminded that yes I am. I believe that I'm fully trusting God, yet stressed out about paying the bills. Then I'm not really trusting Him.

I will look into your advice about the radio.

wendyworn said...

thank you eraser. it is a honda!

Peteforester said...

I had the same issue with my wife's (Honda) Acura. Look around in the glove box and thumb through the pages of the owner's manual. The code is on an easily lost card that kinda looks like a credit card. It might be between the pages of one of the several manuals that come with newer cars. If you can't find that, then unfortunately you'll need to go to a dealer to have them retrieve the code... for a fee, of course...

Like Justin said, next time you have the battery swapped out, hook up a 12V DC source to the leads of the battery before disconnecting them. This will hold the code in the radio and will also hold any other "user-defined" options you've selected.

After finally finding the code for my wife's system I made up a P-Touch label with the code on it and stuck it to a discrete location for future reference.

wendyworn said...

thanks Pete!

Cederq said...

Not only with Hondas, my brother bought a 2017 Ford F350 and it came with an aftermarket stereo and it isn't working well. He wanted the stock Ford radio and found one at a local car stereo shop. He had to get a code from the dealer keyed to his VIN number, it cost him $25.00 bucks just for the parts guy to hit a few keys on his 'puter to retrieve it. A scam on top of all the other scams we have to participate in! At least now he gets to use the controls on his steering wheel to change stations, volume and mode. A code so it couldn't be used if stolen and yet they are being stolen. All a thief has to do is get a VIN and hit the parts department and bobs your brother, viola! You have the code and no ID required or a title/registration to prove you own it.

wendyworn said...

yeah - its stupid

Peteforester said...

Concerning what Cederq said; anyone perusing this thread and thinking of buying an OEM sound system for their vehicle from say, Ebay, be SURE the seller provides the code for the system! Otherwise, like Cederq said, a trip to the dealer and a swipe of the debit card is in the offing.

There is another reason a code is used. Many of these OEM sound systems are coupled with the vehicle's GPS system. If you use that GPS system it'll let you do it, but won't let you click on the "HOME" destination without the code. Face it; if your car is in a parking lot, the crook knows that you're probably not home. Without an access code, all he needs to do is click "HOME" and he can drive your car right to your house and potentially rob that was well...

Craig said...

I program HOME as the local police station.

wendyworn said...

Lol