Audio Systems: car head unit, CD dirty, laser

Question
hi, i have a kenwood excelon head unit in my car, after having it running for over 45 mins it has trouble read discs, it will start with not being able to read parts of an mp3 cd then wont read any cd mp3 or normal. is these because of overheating or a dirty laser? and what can i do to fix this, its only about a year and a half old

Answer
If the headunit is properly installed, it may be time for a new Timex, Bradley.  :(
The laser could be dirty or mis-aligned. Since it is occuring after it warms up, it may be a mis-alignment issue which could get worse as things start heating up and expanding. The laser is not an inexpensive thing to have aligned/cleaned for you in a shop.
If it is dirty:
You can use a laser cleaner like an Allsop but they are more about 'preventive' maintenance than they are for fixing one that is dirty enough to cause problems.
That said, I am not saying it wouldn't help.. it very well may, but keep your goals reasonable at this stage.
This is why (thesedays) it is best to get the cheapest headunit you can find which has the features you want.
The industry has basically made them a throw-away item since it is nearly always cheaper to replace one than it is to repair one.

Of course, check your CD's and be sure to try a regular 'store bought' one to see if it may be an MP3-only issue.

This may not be the cure that you are seeking but I hope this helps in some way.

JM