Guys, please help me, I TRIED SO MANY OTHER FORUMS, NOBODY WANTS TO HELP.
HERE IS MY STORY:

I have a 99 GS400 and I have always loved the stock headunit and cd changer and amp. the sound quality is exactly the way I want it. However, just recently, it plays CD's like crap. Too much distortion, lots of static, and the song keeps skipping every minute or so. Its really really annoying.
I drive far distances to work and school and back and the only thing that keeps me busy is the CD's playing.
I thought that maybe the burnt cd's were bad quality or scratched or something, but I bought new cd's, cleaned the Lense with those CD cleaners, and tried many different CD"S. still the same problem.

First I went to the Lexus Dealer, and they told me theres no point of trying to fix it because labour is too much. might as well get something aftermarket.
So then I went to a stereo shop and they suggested aftermarket unit because the LEXUS units are known to turn out like that since they are not meant for burnt ****ty quality cd's. So, I said I wanted something close to stock looking, because I love the stock look. they suggested something double din, and I saw an eclipse double din navigation,DVD,CD,etc.. unit that was pretty damn expensive. but it looks nice, although I don't really have that kind of money right now to spend, and I don't want to get a regular cd player, especially single din style.

So what should I do???!!!
I'm in my car for 3 hours a day, and I can't listen to the ****ty radio all the time. So should I wait and buy the good ****, or try to buy another lexus cd changer and see what happens, or what.

I was hoping that I could get some expertise in this area and any comments would be very very appreciated!


thanks for your help.
Majid

 

i am just curious, if you only listen to songs, could it be just the cd player problem?

 

get an ipod and use the tape cassette player to hook up the ipod.. thats what i did.. works just fine and yeah, cd's dont hold too many songs and i dont like waiting for the cd's to change in the deck..

 

Hi,
I don't understand, what do you mean?

 

i replaced the cd changer in my LS a whie back and the second changer now has had those problems again. im thinking u will have the problems in 4-5 years even if u change your cd changer again. maybe replace it with an aftermarket changer, do the ipod conversion or get xm/sirius

 

u could always try the classifieds section here on CL or eBay to try and find a used changer for a reasonable price... good luck tho

 

You should have no problem finding a used factory CD player. I just sold all my '99 components (head unit, amp, cd changer, etc) when I installed a Pioneer AVIC-D1.

Just put out a 'Wanted to Buy' in the classified forum.

Good Luck!

 

How do you like that pioneer head unit so far? also, hows the sound quality without the amp?


thanks,

 

I bought it primiarily for the NAV w/ XMTraffic feature. I did add the XM Radio option because I like commerical free music and the mix of genre and such. I'm driving the factory satelite speakers w/ it's internal amp (22.5 watts/channel) and it performs just fine for me. I did add a separate sub woofer amp (trunk mounted) since the head unit doesn't have a sub output.

Note: You also need to change the factory sub woofer in order to match impedance w/ aftermarket amps. The factory sub woofer has a non-standard impedance; one designed specifically for the Lexus/Pioneer factory amp.

The head unit is a double din form factor and w/ the matching bezel it looks like 'factory'.

Hope this bit of info helps.

 

I just bought my '99 GS4 about a month or so ago. I am enjoying the stock system right now, although I miss my Alpine MP3/CD/XM system I had in my 4Runner. I do want to upgrade down the road and really like the stock look too. Right now money is a little tight (damn GS4 starter replacement!) so I went with one of those small portable XM units with an FM modulator.The sound quality isn't 100%, but it works for now and gets the job done. It was $79 or so at Best Buy. It has a ton of channels and lots of great music. That might tide you over until you have more $$ for a whole new system.

I did see that Eclipse unit I think you're talking about. I think it is this one. That system is SWEET and yes, it is some serious cash to invest. The split screen navi is pretty neat and the Music Juke and 30GB HD are insane. 3000 songs!

Best of luck.

- 4GRAINR -

 

I use the cassette, not the FM modulator, sound quality is much better (assuming your Lexus has a cassette deck).

 

He means, could the problem be with the CD changer and not the Nakamichi head unit.

 

First off, thanks for replying everyone. Your info helped alot to understand my choices.

YES.. I think the problem is from the cd changer not the nakamichi unit, because the cd's obviously go into the changer to play don't they? I'm not sure about internal cd player structure?

but the head unit seems fine, all buttons work, radio works perfect, its just cd's that skip like hell, they like skip for 1-2 seconds then play again, and do this mostly after the frist few songs. its not all the time, but still highly annoying.


??

 

pick up a used cd changer and replace it and see what happens... its a cheaper fix

 

Are these CD you burned or original CDs from a record store? The reason why I ask is that I've had issues with CD I've burned myself. I've found if I burn them too fast (4x,8x etc) they have issues with my older GM CD player, skipping the start of a song, some don't even get recognised by the player. My solution was to burn them at 1x, eliminated the problem for the most part.