Car Stereos: Malibu CD player, 2005 chevy malibu, chevy malibu

Question
QUESTION: I have a 2005 Chevy Malibu that came with a factory installed CD & radio.  The CD Player suddenly stopped working once before, and magically started working months later.  Now - about 6 months later - the CD player has stopped again (and this time right after I ran a lens cleaning CD).  Sometimes I run the CD non stop for 1 hour - no radio (Commute time) - could this be shorting out my CD Player??  What should I do??

ANSWER: Hi Bird

It's hard to say what's wrong with your player.  There could be so many different things causing the problem, it all depends on how much time and money you're willing to spend to find out.  

When you say it stops working, explain what it does exactly.  

Running your CD player for an hour or more per day is normal use and should not cause a short.  Also, I wouldn't use lense cleaning CDs as I've never heard anything but bad news from those things.  The only real way to clean your CD lense is to actually get in the unit.  

Let me know what your CD player is doing exactly and I'll try and help out.

Thanks

Dave

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Stops Working:  When I put in a CD - the CD player trys to play (switches from radio), does not read the CD, gives an error message, and switches back to radio.

When I first got the car, there was minimal noise (of the CD spinning) when it would play.  Then, the CD Player stopped working.  After that, it magically started working again, but I could hear the CD spinning in the player.  Now, it has stopped working again.

In the past, I have also noticed that when I run the CD player, the unit gets warm to the touch.  

Answer
Hi there

Basically it sounds to me like the player isn't doing to well.  It could be a bad motor, it could be a bad internal connection, malfunctioning hardware..  As far as the player getting warm to touch, that's pretty normal (unless it's actually hot, then it could be a hazard).  

Regardless, you need to make a choice:  Is the player nice enough to pay to have a repairman look at it?  In most cases, it's not worth it and a replacement is recommended.  

I'd say consider the fact that you might have to get it replaced.  It doesn't sound to me that there is anything you can do to fix it yourself.

Sorry!  Hope that helps a bit.


Thanks!


Dave