mckellyb

I'm having issues with the nav system reading backup discs. It will for an hour, maybe longer, but then it freaks out...not showing the map, giving "disk error", etc.

Many times 'rebooting', the car being in-gear is crucial, by turning the ignition key to 'start', will get it going again, but if it's been misbehaving for a while, like on a trip, the only solution is to eject the disc and reinsert it into the DVD player for the nav under the cargo floor. Usually it's fine after that, but not for as long as a cold-start. It's obviously heat-related, though I don't know if ambient temperature has any effect.

I've gotten good enough so that I can eject/reinsert the disc at a red light and not hold up traffic.

Has anyone removed the DVD player and taken a Q-tip to the lens in order to clean it? If so, are there any secrets surrounding removal? If not, when I do this, I'll take pictures and make notes. I know you can buy the discs with brushes on them, but I'd rather clean it properly. The nav system's player is in a bad area for keeping clean...though under the front seat might be worse.

My0gr81

Does this happen when you use the original disk? If not, then the backup disk is bad, probably a bad sector or scratched disk that gets read and corrupts the system memory. The lens pick up assembly on a DVD drive should be a no touch item. Or your drive assembly may be on the way out, and you have nothing to loose, heat shouldn't be an issue on the lens, but the servo motors and other electronics can become heat sensitive with age.

HarrierAWD

What do you mean by "backup disc?" Are you using a burned copy of it? Some DVD drives don't read burned copies well. Try the original.

Or use a CD/DVD cleaning disc, though I doubt the laser lens got dirty because the drive is tucked away.

YoshRX300

I would have to agree with whats said here, I tried making a "Hybrid disk" and it wouldn't read very well, very much like the symptoms you are having. Put back my original and its works like it should. To save you from headaches I would recommend you to get the original disk.

mckellyb

Yeah, it's a burned DVD. The original, read: old, works still, and while this one has many fewer issues than the last one I had, if it acts up this weekend on our Austin-Dallas-Austin trip, I'll likely just have to get a fresh OEM data disc.

So it goes.

I can't believe this DVD player is so picky about the disc's reflectivity. Hmmmph. Go figure.

I removed the player, it's three 10mm nuts, three electrical connectors, and some creative turning to get it out with the brackets attached. I removed said brackets with a Phillips-head screwdriver and removed the cover from the player. I actually managed to get the drive itself removed from the chassis of the player, but never saw how to clean the lens. After seeing how clean the interior of the player was, I'm not concerned with dirt in the player... Maybe ten years from now, but maybe not.

Thanks for all the help/advice!

Who_Me

This could be caused by the type of DVD format used to make the copy. If it was a DVD-RW, it probably won't work. A DVD +/- (plus/minus) should work OK. It would be best to use the same type as the original.

How do you access the Nav system DVD? I don't even know where it is located on my 2007 RX 350. I know my Nav system gets me lost as much as it helps me find something. I frequently get "no such address/number" for locations that have been there for 10 years or more. I got a notice that an update DVD is available, for $185, plus installation cost. I can practically buy a 3rd party portable GPS for that price.

mckellyb

This is a DVD+R, which I'd think would be okay. It works for a while, sometimes up to an hour, or so, then it starts to freak out. I've checked it for errors, and there are none, which means Steven burned it correctly.

Not something you normally find on epay.

Gen 2/3 systems are known to be a little pickier than we'd expect from a DVD system.

On an '07, I haven't a clue where it is, but on my wife's '02, it's under the cargo floor in the rear, on the right side of the vehicle. Back in the spare tire area.

The player should have a sliding 'door' which covers a switch, and allows you to eject the disc, if you need to. Make certain there's nothing in the area immediate to where the disc will come out. It would really suck to eject it and find it rubs on something when it's 2/3rds of the way out of the player.

I'm sure you've made certain your search area is where you need it to be, though it may have changed to not need this in later versions. On our old generation 2/3 system, you must select an area in which the system will search for whatever you ask it for. You cannot search the entire US simultaneously, which is a good thing, as you don't need to provide as much detail when searching.