Philips car radios — PRE-code at Renault, Continental and the difference

Philips built car radios for the European market for decades. Anyone driving a Renault Megane II, Clio II or Laguna II today has a real chance of having a Philips unit in the dashboard — even if there's nothing from Philips on the radio itself. After the sale of the car radio division, Continental took over production, but the code systems remained virtually unchanged.

Philips started early with car radios. As far back as the 1950s, the Eindhoven company supplied built-in car radios to various brands. The OEM partnerships grew strongly during the 1980s and 1990s, when Renault became a regular customer.

The Philips car radio division focused on the mid-range segment. The units were reliable, cost-efficient and suitable for large production runs. Exactly what Renault and the other customers needed for their standard audio equipment.

Takeover by Continental

The takeover happened in stages. Philips sold its car radio activities to Continental AG, one of the largest suppliers in the automotive industry. Continental then brought the radios to market under the name VDO (another Continental subsidiary brand) and later simply Continental.

For the end user, that takeover made little difference: the hardware architecture, the serial number format (starting with 2811) and the PRE-code system remained largely the same.

Philips' biggest customer in the car radio world was Renault. From the early 1990s until the mid-2000s, Philips supplied the standard OEM radios for a large part of the Renault range.

Tuner List and Update List

Renault divided its OEM radios into two generations:

Tuner List — The older generation, used until around 2005. Supplied by Philips, but also by VDO, Blaupunkt and Bosch, depending on the market and the production date. It's a resistive system without CAN bus and without an AUX input.

Update List — The successor, introduced from around 2005. Supplied by Continental (the former Philips/VDO). Works via CAN bus, has an AUX input and slightly different settings menus.

The appearance of both units is almost identical. The serial number on the sticker on the side tells you which type you have: both begin with 2811, but the manufacturer code in the serial number differs.

Models that got a Philips Tuner List:

• Renault Megane II (2002–around 2005)
• Renault Clio II (facelift, 2001–2005)
• Renault Clio III (early examples, 2005–around 2007)
• Renault Scenic II (early examples, 2003–2005)
• Renault Kangoo II (early examples)

You can read more about the Renault-specific code procedure on pages such as Renault Megane II or Renault Clio III.

The PRE-code system is the most distinctive feature of the Philips/Continental Renault radios. Instead of physically reading the serial number off the unit, you call up a short reference code via the display.

How does it work?

1. Switch the ignition on (the engine doesn't need to be running).
2. The display shows CODE or 0000.
3. Hold down button 1 and button 6 at the same time — the outermost left and right preset buttons.
4. After three to five seconds the PRE-code appears: one letter followed by three digits, for example V873 or D312.
5. Note down this code. This is the number with which you request the four-digit unlock code.

Relationship between PRE-code and serial number

The PRE-code is not a random number. It is identical to the last four characters of the serial number on the sticker on the right-hand side of the radio. With a serial number like 2811A12345V873, V873 is the PRE-code.

This makes verification easy: if the PRE-code on the display and the code on the sticker match, you know the radio hasn't been swapped.

Button 1+6 not working?

On some variants a different combination works:

• Button 1 and button 5 — on certain Update List versions
• Button 6 and button 2 — on certain older Philips units

Radio not responding at all? Then wait an hour with the ignition on — the radio may be locked out due to earlier incorrect attempts.

In early Volkswagen models from the late 1980s and early 1990s, Philips and other manufacturers supplied the radios. Philips OEM units have been found in the Golf II and early Golf III. During that period, the VWZ serial number format was not yet fully standardised.

With the introduction of the Alpha/Beta/Gamma series, Blaupunkt took over the dominant position at VW. Philips no longer played a major role in the VW range after that.

Fiat used Philips units in various models during the 1990s. The first-generation Fiat Punto and the Fiat Bravo/Brava are examples where Philips hardware has been found. The serial number format on Fiat units differs from the Renault format.

In practice, the distinction between a Philips and a Continental unit is virtually irrelevant to the end user when it comes to requesting the radio code:

The code-request procedure is the same on both. The only practical difference lies in the functionality of the radio itself.

If the PRE-code method doesn't work, you'll need to pull the radio out of the dashboard a little to read the sticker. On Renault-Philips units, the sticker is on the right-hand side of the radio.

To remove it, use DIN release keys (four holes in the corners of the radio). The product code for suitable keys is CT22UV01 or similar. Insert the keys into all four corners, push them lightly outwards and pull the radio forwards.

The serial number begins with 2811 and is fourteen characters long. The last four characters are your PRE-code.

Do you have the PRE-code of your Philips or Continental Renault radio? Then you request the four-digit unlock code via the serial number or the PRE-code. Delivery is by email.

See the model page for your Renault for the exact steps — the code system is the same for all models, but the location of the buttons sometimes varies by generation.