I had this over in the Audio forum for a while, and it hasn't gotten any love. Perhaps here in a more dedicated environment someone might have some experience with this. It's OEM, so hopefully this is the correct place for it.

Apparently the factory 6-disc changer in my '05 Ram has stopped reading CD's. In all trays, it will take the disc in, scan it, then read "error" and spit it back out. The truck sat for several months while I was overseas. It worked fine before that, doesn't work now. I've tried all sorts of different CD's and hitting it inside with compressed air. Not sure what else to do with it outside of removing it and looking at its guts, or upgrading, completely. Something with an iPod jack would be nice, though.

I can't take another kilometer of Deutsch '80's pop. Anyone have any ideas what the problem may be, or how to fix it? Preferably without ripping the dash apart to do so. I'm happy with the stereo. I don't need to upgrade it if it works fine. Problem is, it doesn't work right now...

 

Thinking new radio time...

 

You can read through this, I wanted to keep the factory radio and add MP3 input. I've had the same 6 cd's in the dash since I did this, fire one up every now and again for nostalgia. Doesn't address the issue, more of a work around if you aren't interested in a new radio.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/audio-v...ctory-rbq.html

 

Sounds like the laser may be dirty or just died. It will have to come out to be inspected.

 

codiac, that's a pretty cool idea. It may be an option. However, if I'm opening the dash and removing the stock HU, I'm probably just going to go ahead and switch it out with something that has an AUX/iPod input jack, already, as well as the European tuning for the radio band. I don't listen to the radio that often, but, it would be nice to have that option since I'm in there, anyway.

Thanks for the advice. If the laser died, it's pretty much toast then, right? Not a big deal. Kind of frustrating, but not a big deal. Thanks!

 

My wife's old Jeep Liberty had a factory 6 disc CD changer radio in it. RBQ I think it was. There are a lot of plastic parts in there. Her's went from not playing discs to just not even ejecting them. I found a seller on ebay that sold me an identical, refurb'd unit at a decent price and then bought my broken one from me. If it had been my vehicle, I would have just spent the money on a nicer aftermarket radio but she didn't want to mess up the factory look. It worked out okay for us until we traded it in but it's probably only a matter of time before it happens again.

I put a ipod adapter in mine. Can't remember the brand and model but it plugs into the cd changer port on the back of the radio and I ran the wire to the glove box and I just keep an old ipod mini on it in there. It keeps the ipod charged and it plays playlists as if they are CD's and can be controlled from the steering wheel controls. I never even bother with CD's anymore - very rarely even buy or make them. The downside is it doesn't seem to want to play nice with newer apple products like the iPhone 4. But since I got the iPhone, I just leave my old iPod that does work in the truck and never use it for anything else. I keep the same tunes on my phone for other uses.

 

Alright, I think I'm just going to change it out. I've been looking on Crutchfield and, honestly, they all look the same to me. They are all black rectangles with buttons. The descriptions all pretty much read the same for comparable models from different manufacturers. I have no idea what I'm looking at, or for, to tell you the truth.

I just want something that is iPod compatible (even just an AUX port will do), has European tuning (preferably), and a CD player. The HU is the only thing I'm changing out, and I plan on buying a steering wheel control adapter, as well. Any suggestions? I'd like to stay around $100-$150, though I will spend a little more if I really like something a particular unit offers. I'm not an audiophile, I just want some decent music while I'm driving...

(I think this now warrants moving to "general discussion" since I'm looking aftermarket, at this point)

 

Chad, you can't get something pretty decent that will probably still be better than a factory unit, for under $200. If I know what I'm looking for, I would usually buy things online, somewhere like ebay. But, Crutchfield's prices are pretty good and they add value by giving you things like wiring harnesses specific to your vehicle and installation instructions, as well as technical support by phone.

Do you have the premium sound (Infinity speakers) with audio controls on your steering wheel and want to maintain that? If so, you'd want something with an amp built in to it and you may have to buy an adapter so you can still use your steering wheel controls.

The best thing to do is decide what you want as far as features, and then call or live chat a crutchfield consultant to figure out what the best fit is.

The downside to using only an aux port for ipod playback is that it won't keep your ipod charged. Also, if you keep your steering wheel controls, with full ipod control via usb port, you can control your ipod without having to look down at it while driving. Even many budget friendly units have the usb ports for ipod now.

 

Thanks for the reply. Here's what I was looking at from Crutchfield. I don't know much at all, obviously, about car stereo, so I'm not sure how great this one is. It sounds like it has everything I need, except for the Euro tuning. I can always get an adapter for that, if I really wanted to. I doubt I would, though, honestly. Anyway, here's what I found:

Sony CDX-GT56UI

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158GT56...DX-GT56UI.html

Metra CHTO-02 Interface - I guess this is what I need for so the factory amp will work with it. Popped up as necessary.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_120CHTO...Interface.html

Head Unit surround - prices for this and the antenna adapter were adjusted to a total of $15.00

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1209965...eiver-Kit.html

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_12040CR...a-Adapter.html

PAC SWI-PS Steering Wheel Control Interface - I had a different part number from the board here, but I guess it wasn't correct for this stereo HU. This is the one they showed as compatible.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_127SWIPS/PAC-SWI-PS.html

Looks like that should be everything I need, I hope. I'll try and get on the Crutchfield chat tonight after the childrens have visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. I know it's not a high-end unit, but I'm not looking to do a full system.

Thanks, again, for the reply.