> wrote in message
...
> in my wisdom i decided to find out how to set the date and time on my
> 535i, that worked, good, what's this code thingy!!! had to find out,
> pressed code and a couple of buttons, not sure what was going on so
> turned off the key, huh! turned off the ignition, doesn't that set the
> code to whatever it was you had just pressed. if so what the hell did
> i press before turning it off. anyway, it now wants a code to start,
> any ideas how this can be reset without having to put in the code in
> the first place...like battery disconnect, does this work. any info
> would be greatly appreciated,
>
> thanks

CODE, displayed on the radio face means the radio thinks it's in the middle
of being stolen. Well, it thinks it has been stolen and installed into
another car. The person that owns the car resumably has the Radio Manual,
and there is a credit card sized card in it with a 5 digit number.

You get three chances to input the correct code, then the radio refuses to
accept any new input. To clear the counter and get three more tries, turn
the ignition to ON but not START, and leave it for about an hour. While the
car is in this mode, look for the Radio Manual in the packet of manuals. The
radio manual is a separate manual from the Owner's Manual for the car.

If you locked the car with the key at some point in your adventures, then
reached in the window to open the door, then got in and tried to use the key
to start the car, you are being locked out of the START cycle by the
ignition bypass that is part of the Central Locking System. To recover from
this one, you have to use the key to unlock the door to turn the central
locking off.

Whatever the problem is, the CODE is only for the radio to prevent theft.
There is no direct link between this and the car's refusal to start.