Car Stereos: car stereo, Lexus, changer


Question
My cd changer is not working, it does not let me load the cds..took it to the tech here and he said, I need to order cinta for lexus rx 330.year 2003..the dealer is not willing to order it for me but wants to send the whole thing overseas, whcih would take forever, so anyone knows what is it that I need to order? the part for it...thanks..

Answer
Are you talking about the in-dash unit or the peripheral CD changer? Either way, this is a very common problem with the Lexus series OEM CD changers for all years.

I highly recommend that you do not attempt to replace parts in the OEM unit yourself. You would be better off buying a used OEM replacement off of eBay or similar sites. You would save money and also get a warranty for the items from authorized dealers.

I can't tell you how to replace the parts in the factory models without looking at it or having more information (if you truly want to go this route). I do warn you that the cost and time spent on a DIY repair of an OEM unit is higher than buying a new or used known-good item in most cases.

If you truly want to tackle this yourself, send me the following information in a follow-up:

How many CDs are currently loaded? If more than zero, do they play?
Can you hear the moving parts shift when you choose different slots?
Does the receipt module attempt to accept, but hang up or not work completely?
How long has it been since it stopped working?
Does everything else work properly (i.e. AM/FM radio, buttons, etc..)


This will give me a pretty good idea of what's wrong and I can tell you what you'll need to repair it. I cannot, however, give you the step by step repair or teach you how to solder, let alone looking for bad solder joints or overall board integrity.

Please let me know if you have any more questions, and thank you for your time. =)