Stereo Repair advice needed

B

BobN

I have a 1998 Outback Limited with 215,000 miles. Recently the CD player in
the OEM stereo unit failed: it will feed a CD in, but doesn't seem to spin,
and ejects the CD in about 10 seconds. The dealer said their only repair
option is to have the entire unit "refurbished" at a cost of USD 400 and 5
weeks waiting time. The radio and tape player work fine.

Is there an easier and cheaper alternative for repairing the stereo?

TIA
 
I have a 1998 Outback Limited with 215,000 miles. Recently the CD player in
the OEM stereo unit failed: it will feed a CD in, but doesn't seem to spin,
and ejects the CD in about 10 seconds. The dealer said their only repair
option is to have the entire unit "refurbished" at a cost of USD 400 and 5
weeks waiting time. The radio and tape player work fine.

Is there an easier and cheaper alternative for repairing the stereo?

TIA


That's insane. For that amount of money you could have a very nice
aftermarket unit with better sound and features than the OEM. If you
want to keep an OEM unit in the car, check out the classified sections
on www.nasioc.com and www.i-club.com
You will find OEM stereos in good to like-new condition in the
$100-200 range, including the 6-CD changer found in the WRX which will
fit directly into your car with no modifications.
 
Go to crutchfield.com and you can find a better than oem CD unit for
under $120. Installl it yourself and save,
 
That is totally insane. Go to Crutchfield.com or Circuit City or
wherever and buy a replacement cd/receiver for under $150. I recommend
Kenwood. You can buy a quick install wiring harness (install the
harness onto your stereo in the comfort of your home (only need a
crimper), then go plug it into wiring harness in car - much easier than
connecting wires while sitting in car holding a flashlight in your
mouth.
 
lkreh said:
That is totally insane. Go to Crutchfield.com or Circuit City or
wherever and buy a replacement cd/receiver for under $150. I recommend
Kenwood. You can buy a quick install wiring harness (install the
harness onto your stereo in the comfort of your home (only need a
crimper), then go plug it into wiring harness in car - much easier than
connecting wires while sitting in car holding a flashlight in your
mouth.

Let me second that. I bought a CD player from Crutchfield. I ended up
calling them many times with questions, before I bought it, while
installing it, and after installing. They were courteous, helpful,
knowledgeable, and pleasant. Excellent in every way. They sold me a
crimping kit, including the tool, for $3. The adaptor to make wiring
easy was free. I bought a unit that plays MP3 CD's and also allows a
cable input, so my daughter can hook her iPod in. The whole thing only
cost $150. I'm very pleased.
 
I recommend Kenwood.

I live 80 miles from a couple large cities (in different directions) and
Sony's tuners are the best in my experience. If you live IN a big city, the
quality of the tuner is less of an issue.

-John O
 
If you buy an aftermarket stereo, the adapter wiring harnesses are
available from Sound Conceptions, an online e-tailer. I bought a
harness from this company for $7 in order to quick install a Kenwood in
my 99 OBW.
 
Tom said:
Let me second that. I bought a CD player from Crutchfield. I ended up
calling them many times with questions, before I bought it, while
installing it, and after installing. They were courteous, helpful,
knowledgeable, and pleasant. Excellent in every way. They sold me a
crimping kit, including the tool, for $3. The adaptor to make wiring
easy was free. I bought a unit that plays MP3 CD's and also allows a
cable input, so my daughter can hook her iPod in. The whole thing only
cost $150. I'm very pleased.

What kind of CD player was it? If you have a brand name/model #, I
would really appreciate it.
 
K-dog said:
What kind of CD player was it? If you have a brand name/model #, I
would really appreciate it.


I got an AIWA CDC-X504MP which you can see here:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-0yD9KN7urwM/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?I=055CDCX504

They have a way to help you choose by checking off the features you
want. That's how I found this model. The MP3 and the input cable were
important to me.

I think I'll be able to fit about nine alba on a single MP3 CD. (As far
as I'm concerned, "alba" is plural for "album".)
 
Tom said:
I got an AIWA CDC-X504MP which you can see here:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-0yD9KN7urwM/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?I=055CDCX504

They have a way to help you choose by checking off the features you
want. That's how I found this model. The MP3 and the input cable were
important to me.

I think I'll be able to fit about nine alba on a single MP3 CD. (As far
as I'm concerned, "alba" is plural for "album".)

I have one of these too and it's good. I'm actually about to replace it
because I want more preamp outputs. If anyone wants to buy mine (I see
that link says they are no longer available - mine is only about 5
Months old) I'd be interested in making a deal.
It will be available in the next couple of weeks. Email this yahoo
address and I'll get back to you. Thanks.

Matt
 
If you buy an aftermarket stereo, the adapter wiring harnesses are
available from Sound Conceptions, an online e-tailer. I bought a
harness from this company for $7 in order to quick install a Kenwood in
my 99 OBW.

If you buy from Crutchfield, they supply the adapter harness for free
along with whatever else you need to install it. They aren't the
cheapest retailer out there by far but their service is excellent, and
they also allow you to return the unit within 30 days if you decide
you don't like it.
 
Thanks to all for the advice. I'm prepared to go up to $200 to replace the
stereo, although if I could find a changer that fit in the glovebox, that
might be even better.

I've gotten to wondering if the existing CD unit can be repaired. I imagine
the problem is a broken drive belt or something jammed in the mechanism.
This could be a $1.00 fix during the weekend if I can remove the stereo in
under an hour without trashing the trim.

What do y'all think? How do I remove the trim without damage?

Thanks,

Bob
 
Thanks to all for the advice. I'm prepared to go up to $200 to replace the
stereo, although if I could find a changer that fit in the glovebox, that
might be even better.

I've gotten to wondering if the existing CD unit can be repaired. I imagine
the problem is a broken drive belt or something jammed in the mechanism.
This could be a $1.00 fix during the weekend if I can remove the stereo in
under an hour without trashing the trim.

What do y'all think? How do I remove the trim without damage?

Thanks,

Bob

You're probably wasting your time. Even if you were able to open the
unit up and find something like a broken belt or gear, then what?
Where are you going to get the parts? But, if you have nothing better
to do with yourself then by all means go ahead. :)
 
You're probably wasting your time. Even if you were able to open the
unit up and find something like a broken belt or gear, then what?
Where are you going to get the parts? But, if you have nothing better
to do with yourself then by all means go ahead. :)

There's a specialty stereo repair shop in a nearby town and I think I can
get parts there. The way I see it, the old unit is coming out anyway if I
buy a new receiver/CD player, so it isn't much extra work to fiddle with it
once it's out. And yes, on the weekend I do have more time than money.
 
There's a specialty stereo repair shop in a nearby town and I think I can
get parts there. The way I see it, the old unit is coming out anyway if I
buy a new receiver/CD player, so it isn't much extra work to fiddle with it
once it's out. And yes, on the weekend I do have more time than money.

Well ok then, let us know how you make out.
 
There's a specialty stereo repair shop in a nearby town and I think I can
get parts there. The way I see it, the old unit is coming out anyway if I
buy a new receiver/CD player, so it isn't much extra work to fiddle with
it
once it's out. And yes, on the weekend I do have more time than money.

You're going to need to know who manufactured the unit, and if replacement
parts are even available. I'm willing to bet you a beer that not only are
there are no parts to be had, but that you won't even be able to locate
documentation to identify the part you need...let alone in English :)

Given that the cost of a replacement deck is ~$100, and that labor costs
~$75 per hour, and parts are a minimum of a few bucks...there's simply no
economy in repairing them. Thus, docs, no parts. BTDT.

I could be all wrong, and honestly, there little more interesting than
taking something like that apart and playing with it's innards. If nothing
else, at least have fun with it.

-John O
 
Hi Bob!

What do y'all think? How do I remove the trim without damage?

Remove the trim by carefully prying it out, starting at the top.
Probably will be 4 snap-in fasteners; two at the top, two at the
bottom. Removal of the cup holder (does the OB have a cup holder above
the stereo?) may make it easier to get started. From there, 4 or 6
screws hold the stereo brackets in the dash. These brackets will allow
you to mount any DIN compatible stereo, tho you might need to find a
storage tray if your OEM stereo is one of the double height ones, and
you replace it with a single height unit.

By all means open the dead OEM unit up; nothing to lose there! Sounds
to me like the unit isn't able to read the lead-in track on the CD,
and so is spitting it back out. Since the insert/eject is functional,
you probably have a working drive mechanism. I'd suggest using rubbing
alcohol and a Q-tip to clean the lens of the laser diode (will be
obvious once it's apart). Also clean the CD handling mechanism; use a
soft brush and vacuum to remove gross particulate, and a tissue and
alcohol for sticky spots. If you re-lubricate anything, apply white
Lithium-based grease (try RadioShack) sparingly with a toothpick or
similar. Should you find broken belts or idler wheels, it's probably
time to give up, but you may be able to find replacements if you take
the dead parts to a car audio repair shop.

I've never opened one of the newer Subaru stereos (the older ones were
Clarion, FWIW), but usually there is a combination of small screws,
and snap-togeather tabs. Look it over real well before exerting undue
force; usually there will be a spot to insert a flat screwdriver to
"pop" the cover off.

If repairs fail, look on ebay for a 6 CD changer as found in the WRX
and others. It will drop right in to your dash, and is a pretty good
unit. Probably get one for ~$100.

I'd suggest upgrading your speakers before spending much for a
performance head unit; the OEM speakers (at least as found in my WRX,
and in my wifes Forester) are pretty poor. Infinity Kappa speakers
coupled to the OEM changer in my WRX sounded superb. I have an Alpine
MP3 head in it now, but the speakers were the big upgrade as far as
sound quality, not the electronics.

Feel free to contact me directly if you have questions. Good Luck!

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101
 
BobN said:
Thanks to all for the advice. I'm prepared to go up to $200 to replace the
stereo, although if I could find a changer that fit in the glovebox, that
might be even better.

I've gotten to wondering if the existing CD unit can be repaired. I imagine
the problem is a broken drive belt or something jammed in the mechanism.
This could be a $1.00 fix during the weekend if I can remove the stereo in
under an hour without trashing the trim.

What do y'all think? How do I remove the trim without damage?

Thanks,

Bob

Crutchfield sent me an illustrated manual that showed how to remove the
stereo. Start at the trim around the shifter. I don't remember the rest.

With MP3 CD's, you don't need a changer. I just put 10 CD's on a single
MP3 CD!
 
With MP3 CD's, you don't need a changer. I just put 10 CD's on a single
MP3 CD!

How's the sound quality? I'm just messing with my son's castoff MP3 player,
(he got a 40 GB MuVo) and as a guy who likes CD-quality sound, some MP3's
sound awful. I'm experimenting with compression rates, and the
highest-quality rate sounds ok in this cheesy MP3 player...

-John O
 
192kbps sounds excellent on my home system and my kenwood car unit with
pioneer speakers. I fit about 100 songs on an mp3 cd at that rate.
 

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