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      06-29-2018, 07:40 PM   #1
antennahead
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CD player dying

Hey guys:

My CD player is dying on me. Screen says "No Disc" and it won't eject the disc currently in the machine. For those of you that replaced or repaired your unit, what's the best options out there? I looked the part number up on RealOEM and ECS wants stupid money for a new one. I have the Carver system with the CID unit. Thanks!
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      06-29-2018, 11:04 PM   #2
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Mine is going out too exactly as you describe. Just give the eject button a press or two every now and then in hopes to to get that CD out. I never use my CD player anymore. These days I'm running audio through my phone directly.

There are aftermarket units with built-in screens (screens that fold in/out). It sucks to use something like that if you already have CID equipped because then you'd have two screens. :/ I'm not sure if there are any aftermarket units out there that would integrate with the CID.

It would be nice if someone created some kind of CID delete where we'd fill that space with a tray or something. Then I'd go aftermarket with a flippy screen.
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      06-29-2018, 11:31 PM   #3
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And that damn center vent clip attachment system. I've tried 3 times now to remove the vent, and I'm scared I'm going to break it. I finally stuck a flathead into the opening right below the front of the clip ..... the opening you access from inside the top of the vent. I can bend the clip down, but I've been unable to pull the vent forward
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      06-29-2018, 11:58 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by antennahead View Post
And that damn center vent clip attachment system. I've tried 3 times now to remove the vent, and I'm scared I'm going to break it. I finally stuck a flathead into the opening right below the front of the clip ..... the opening you access from inside the top of the vent. I can bend the clip down, but I've been unable to pull the vent forward
This video might help.

It's a bitch getting that out the first time. But once you figure it out it's not that bad. Notice the two clips in the video. What I did was once I loosened one, I shimmied it a bit out. Then loosened the other clip and shimmied it a bit out. When you shimmy some of it out, use a plastic card or something to maintain that gap. After I did that I just pulled it out with my hands (no prying or additional leverage).

Go to the part in the video where the guy pulls out the vent (about 0:50 in). Notice that "bumper" looking thing in the back of the vents? That's just foam that creates a seal between that vent and the air channel. From what I remember, and what I believe, that foam seal is what keeps the vent in tight (I could be wrong). That foam, however, may tear a bit when coming out so be careful. Mine tore a bit but hasn't affected airflow at all.

Side note: For those who ever want to replace the dash panel that surrounds this area, you need to remove both the vents and the radio before removing the dash panel.
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      06-30-2018, 01:31 AM   #5
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Finally got the vent out. The foam that seals the connection at the back was dry rotted and basically crumbled away in my hands. Luckily I had some thin window sealing foam with adhesive on one side that I replaced the disintegrated foam with.

I removed the CD player. Took off the top cover and carefully cleaned the laser with a Q-tip and alcohol. Then I blew out the insides with some compressed air. Put it all back together and it's working for now. I think my loading mechanism is the problem though. One thing I noticed is that if you don't load and unload a CD regularly, the mechanism, when you try to unload a CD, will eject it about 2/3 of the way, they pull the CD back into the player. I have to grab the CD as it's coming out and pull it the rest of the way or it reloads.

I wish I knew of someone that sold re-furbished units with a core charge so you could send your unit back for a core refund and not be without a unit during repair. Looks like search time.
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      06-30-2018, 01:56 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by antennahead View Post
Finally got the vent out. The foam that seals the connection at the back was dry rotted and basically crumbled away in my hands. Luckily I had some thin window sealing foam with adhesive on one side that I replaced the disintegrated foam with.

I removed the CD player. Took off the top cover and carefully cleaned the laser with a Q-tip and alcohol. Then I blew out the insides with some compressed air. Put it all back together and it's working for now. I think my loading mechanism is the problem though. One thing I noticed is that if you don't load and unload a CD regularly, the mechanism, when you try to unload a CD, will eject it about 2/3 of the way, they pull the CD back into the player. I have to grab the CD as it's coming out and pull it the rest of the way or it reloads.

I wish I knew of someone that sold re-furbished units with a core charge so you could send your unit back for a core refund and not be without a unit during repair. Looks like search time.
Glad you were able to take care of that!

You know what else is breaking down on mine? My DVD GPS computer. Some people have been able to refurbish that themselves by salvaging parts from used units. You could technically try that with the CD player, find a used unit on eBay or something. But repairing this kind of equipment is something I haven't attempted yet. Kind of hard without a garage. hehe
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      06-30-2018, 12:34 PM   #7
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koruptor - Since you're in LA, there's a company called "Hi-Tech Electronic Services, Inc." out in Van Nuys that does repair to BMW's DVD and CD units. I just had them repaired my DVD GPS unit back in December when it was having trouble reading the DVD disc - very happy with the repair. I believed they replaced the drive unit. It cost $350 for the repair, but it is definitely better than taking a gamble with buying a used unit on ebay which may or may not have the same issue. The turn-around time was fairly quick (about 1 week from when I sent it in to getting it back).

antennahead - I'm seeing similar issue with my CD player as well and are considering sending it in to Hi-Tech reference above for a repair at the moment. I think they charge $200 to $250 for the CD player repair. I haven't been using the CD player enough to "need" to get it repaired - maybe someday.
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      06-30-2018, 10:17 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XMetal View Post
koruptor - Since you're in LA, there's a company called "Hi-Tech Electronic Services, Inc." out in Van Nuys that does repair to BMW's DVD and CD units. I just had them repaired my DVD GPS unit back in December when it was having trouble reading the DVD disc - very happy with the repair. I believed they replaced the drive unit. It cost $350 for the repair, but it is definitely better than taking a gamble with buying a used unit on ebay which may or may not have the same issue. The turn-around time was fairly quick (about 1 week from when I sent it in to getting it back).

antennahead - I'm seeing similar issue with my CD player as well and are considering sending it in to Hi-Tech reference above for a repair at the moment. I think they charge $200 to $250 for the CD player repair. I haven't been using the CD player enough to "need" to get it repaired - maybe someday.
Thanks, XMetal! I'll keep this in mind.
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