I bought a 97 Maxima SE a couple weeks ago and the factory Bose CD player is all jacked up. Before I bought it the guy told me that the problem started about a month ago (now about a month and half). Sometimes it will play a CD for a few minutes, but before long it starts skipping out of control or just displays Err on the screen. Compressed air and lens cleaning CDs don't help.

Based on the research I've done, I think I want to get my CD player fixed. I don't want to go aftermarket and I don't want to buy a used unit of the same kind, because it sounds like these players are highly prone to this kind of problem and another player of the same age, if it's working now it might not be for long.

Following is a list of some of the repair services I've seen out there and their estimated cost for repair:

Local Nissan dealership
$160 not including parts (if necessary)

http://www.carstereohelp.com/
$200 or less

http://www.willmanselectronics.com/
$120

http://www.boserepair.com/
$100.00 + Parts

http://www.johnson-electronic.com/
$140

I'd appreciate any good advice, including information about any of the repair services I mentioned or others I didn't.

 

have you looked on the 4th gen facs, "madchef" has found The to fix the 95-96 bose problem. I belive the 97-99 might have the same problem and same way to fix it.

 

Check this out

http://madchef.5u.com/maxima/bose/fixes.html

You might want to open up the cover of your Bose Radio and then plug in the power. Stick in a cd and check to see if it's spinning. My cd's weren't spinning and hence the "err" on the display. I just gave the cd a "push" and everything was okay again. I think about 6 months later I had to do the same thing again.

 

As an alternate how about adding on a 6-disk CD changer? This way at least your getting an upgrade for your money. Courtesy has them for $142. You can just rest it under passenger seat, or spend additional $40 for the trunk mount install kit. Once I installed mine I stopped using the original CD player.
Do a search on:
http://www.courtesyparts.com/

You might even do better on E-bay.

 

Thanks Guinader and Supa, I didn't know about that. I don't have those skills though -- I 'd only break it worse.

Supa -- I think mine are spinning Ok, because sometimes it will play the CD for a couple minutes before it starts skipping uncontrollably. If I end up having to remove the unit anyway, sounds like it's worth a try.

hurley, that's not a bad idea at all. I don't know much about car audio and I only knew about CD changers that worked by FM -- and I'm pretty sure that would sound ****ty. But I see that the one you pointed me to is hardwired.

Did you install yours under the passenger seat / does that work right, it doesn't skip too much or anything? How hard is it to hook up one of those changers? Any idea if the Bose unit in my 97 Maxima is a 2-DIN or 1-DIN receiver? It has a CD CHG button.

My player looks just like the one in this picture except that where this has a CHG button and a CLOCK button side by side, my player just has the CHG button (I forget exactly how it's labeled).

http://www.shokdeals.com/ebay/radio/...d1%20front.jpg

 

Prince,
Yep your double DIN (aka 2-DIN). I bought the changer for myself last Christmas and just slide it under the passenger seat during the winter, coiling up the 15 or so feet of wire harness behind the seat. Never had a CD skip, and your right since its hardwired the sound quality is excellent.
Install is no harder than pulling your BOSE out far enough to plug in the harness connections.
With the nice weather I moved the install to the trunk. Not hard either, just pop off the 2 door sills on the passenger side and pull back the carpet an inch or two to tuck and hide the harness, then pull out the rear seat bottom to run harness into the trunk.

I know that some people like the changer within reach. I suppose you could hack your glovebox or stick it under the seat, but if you do you might want to cut 10 or 15 feet of the harness out since it is quite long. If you go this way don't waste your money on the 'install kit' (its basically just an L shape mount bracket).
I kinda like having the changer in the trunk though, I mostly drive by myself and it keeps me from crapping and trying to change CDs while driving.
Bob

 

Alright, cool. Thanks for the suggestion and info -- sounds like my best bet at this point. I'm guessing it's pretty unlikely that whatever is wrong with my CD player right now would interfere with the changer working properly . . . what do you think?

 

just my .02 , when i bought my first car I had no Idea of what to do, what engine meant, what wire meant, basicaly I knew a car was supposed to make me go from point A to point B, faster then what my bike was doing. heck it took me 2 weeks to to comfront the fear to go to my car and do my first car moddification... put my clear cornners in.

it has being 1 year that I have started playing with my maxima, and I learned one very important thing.
Don't be afraid, to play with your car, be careful but not afraid, If I were you, I would try to fully remove the HU of your car and put it back in. and you will learn how easy is if just to take it apart.
then next, take your HU apart, and just take a look at it., play with your car, (buy a haynes manual as well)

one last thing, you live in NH, I was unable to locate "port city on the map, but if you are willing to do some driving, I think me or madchef can relp oyu soldering new fuses.

again, you have a 97 HU so it might be different and it may not be in the same location. I'm not as skillfull as mad chef to fix this, so you might want to ask him about it.

Have a good day.
Gui

 

Since it sounds like a mechanical problem with your player, as long as you don't try to stick a CD in it I would expect your system to simply ignore it (your broken player).
I know with my system my *CD changer* is always selected when I press the CD/CHG button as long as my head unit CD player remains empty.

 

Guinader -- I should ask him if he thinks it would fix the problems with my player. Or do you know? Mine doesn't always just show Err, sometimes it plays briefly. Port City is a euphemism for Portsmouth. I am reluctant to do that kind of stuff because I really don't get it most of the time. But I think I'll be able to handle removing the unit when the time comes.

Bob -- thanks for the opinion. I'm still considering my options, but the changer sounds like a good idea. I just wish I knew for sure if it would work with the head unit as is.