Forty-two Seventy

April 18, 2007

Reading time ~1 minute

I just cracked the security code for my car!

I need to remove the whole centre console unit of my car to replace a blown LED, but the thing that’s been holding my up is the fact that I don’t know the 4 digit security code that the previous owner had set.

I worked out a few weeks ago that if you go to the “change code” screen, it starts by asking you what the current code is, and if you get it wrong it just asks you again. So, occasionally at lunchtimes I’ve been going to the car and entering security codes in blocks of 100, which takes about 5 minutes.

I decided that I’d hop around the complete 10,000 number set rather than starting at 0000 and working my way up linearly. Then today I cracked it - the number was 4270. I had decided to start at 4200 this lunchtime in honour of Douglas Adams.

I did quite well statistically. The 4200-4300 block was only the 13th block of numbers I’d tried.

I had to keep a list so I knew where I’d got up to:

  • 0000 - 0100 – might as well start at the top
  • 8700 - 8800 – start choosing random start points
  • 5400 - 5500
  • 2600 - 2700
  • 3200 - 3300
  • 1800 - 1900 – I wondered if it had been set to a memorable year
  • 1900 - 2000
  • 2000 - 2100
  • 0100 - 0200 – Next I wondered if it was a date in the form dd/mm
  • 0200 - 0300
  • 7400 - 7500 – go back to random start points
  • 6100 - 6200
  • 4200 - 4270 – found it! Thanks Douglas!
  • Sorry to anyone coming to this worthless page after searching Google for a phone number

If you are a blog stalking car thief you should probably know that the code is not 4270 any more.

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