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Car Stereo Skipping

post #1 of 7
6/18/04 at 2:09pm
Thread Starter 
hey all

I have what is a rather annoying problem, but is probably simple to fix: my car stereo is skipping a whole lot, regardless if CDR or actual CD. It has happened to brand new, unmarred CDs as well.

I have a feeling that the lens needs to be cleaned, or some internal fix is necessary. Any suggestions?

Are there any (affordable, im broke) kits to clean the lens, or fix this problem?
I realize I'm being vague, so perhaps if you folks have some questions, you can get me in the right direction.

thanks!!
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post #2 of 7
6/18/04 at 2:41pm
Yeah, it either needs to be cleaned or realligned. Cleaning is something you can do yourself -- most entry-level electronics stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, et al, have a little CD with a brush on it that you can use for this purpose.

Alligning it is a little more work, and you should probably take it to a professional shop for this. So try cleaning it first, to see if that's the problem.
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post #3 of 7
6/19/04 at 12:01am
Thread Starter 
thanks dusty!!

are all kits basically the same? if so, maybe i'll grab one this weekend and report the results
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post #4 of 7
6/19/04 at 12:09am
If a normal CD Laser Lens cleaner kit doesnt work, then it is most likely the alignment or tracking system.

9/10 it is alignment in car stereos because of the riggorous abuse put on the deck from every day driving. How old is the deck, if you don't mind me asking?
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post #5 of 7
6/19/04 at 12:12am
Thread Starter 
the car and deck are 4 yrs old. Your allignment argument makes sense. But I definitely want to try the cheapest fix possible...
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post #6 of 7
6/19/04 at 12:23am
Oh, at 4 years it could go either way. But yes, indeed try the laser cleaning cd first and hopefully that will fix it.

If not, sometimes dust over time can even form on the underside of the laser system (usually in the form of a ball), in which a few quick bursts of compressed air can help remove and loosen it up also.

Finally, if the other cheaper methods fail, you might want to take it to a quality repair center have it completely cleaned and the laser realigned. This averages around 25$-112$ depending on where you get it done.

Good luck.
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post #7 of 7
6/19/04 at 1:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nanahachi
thanks dusty!!

are all kits basically the same? if so, maybe i'll grab one this weekend and report the results
Don't know -- I've only used the one from Discwasher (ancient -- but hardly used). I would suspect so.

Be careful with compressed air. I believe that's how I screwed up the allignment on at least one of my CD players (portable one).

At four years, I would suspect dust/dirt before alignment. I've had decks go far longer than that before losing their alignment.
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