So my CD player stopped working on my OEM in dash CD player, am thinking about getting it fixed, has anyone ever had an OEM radio repaired? Google resulted in many companies, but they all look shady as hell...

OEM ... hell get something else ...

Why bother? I'm sure the OEM deck interchanges with a crapton of other fords.

Well guys I have to defend Brandon on this one, if he's anything like me.

#1 aftermarket radios at an attraction for theft.

#2 the displays/faces don't match up to factory looks

#3 some of us really like the fact that everything is stock, and I would be more inclined to buy AND pay more monies for a vehicle that's stock rather than modified, including the audio system.



I have paid as much a $90 for a factory AM/FM/CASS for my 1985 F150 to have a factory radio to put back in, and i get more comments on my vehicle's interiors, that they look great stock than having an aftermarket head unit in there.

But hey that's just me, that's the cool thing about us, we are as much individuals as our vehicles.


My$.02 for what it's worth :shifty:


Dr. SVO phd

You can swap it with 100 other Ford decks for cheaper then repair would cost. Better yet, man up and put a real stereo in there.

You could probably swap it with any other ford vehicle, however, only one from a lincoln is going to have a lincoln emblem on the face. Gen 1 guys can get a radio out of a t-bird but then it has a big 'ol ford emblem on it.

Well guys I have to defend Brandon on this one, if he's anything like me.

#1 aftermarket radios at an attraction for theft.

#2 the displays/faces don't match up to factory looks

#3 some of us really like the fact that everything is stock, and I would be more inclined to buy AND pay more monies for a vehicle that's stock rather than modified, including the audio system.



I have paid as much a $90 for a factory AM/FM/CASS for my 1985 F150 to have a factory radio to put back in, and i get more comments on my vehicle's interiors, that they look great stock than having an aftermarket head unit in there.

But hey that's just me, that's the cool thing about us, we are as much individuals as our vehicles.


My$.02 for what it's worth :shifty:


Dr. SVO phd

They make aftermarket decks now that you can get to match the int. lights.

This deck is rare... most Marks have the 10 cd in the trunk

Its worth fixing, I know there is a local place, I used to get the ex's fixed there.

Did you ask Stack?

I never could understand why people down grade the stock stereo in these cars, for more thump? The stock head units are made by Alpine, the amp designed by JBL manufactured by Ford. The stock units are designed for Quality reproduction not bam, thump, bang. The units offer low THD flat frequency response smart soft clipping. Just my two cents, thats what I do for a living, design high end audio.

They are 13 to 18 years old, most sound like ass.

I never could understand why people down grade the stock stereo in these cars, for more thump? The stock head units are made by Alpine, the amp designed by JBL manufactured by Ford. The stock units are designed for Quality reproduction not bam, thump, bang. The units offer low THD flat frequency response smart soft clipping. Just my two cents, thats what I do for a living, design high end audio.


Exactly, had one in my Mark, and I still have the JBL system in my Mazda Navajo rock crawler, they jam!!!




Jeff

the single cd deck was only made for the Mark, others singles cd decks may fit but the lighting color will not match, theyll have the nasty Ford green, instead of the nice green-blueish in the Mark.......

i thought Sony made the units?, then ford moved from sony/jbl to alpine/? around 99+


oh and i still have my stock deck, the motor that spins the CD went out..........

Yes Gen 1's are Sony designed, all are manufactured by Ford sub suppliers under original license. 98 started the Alpine roll in the Town car Mark ect.....

Yeah I was going to correct that. Only latter LS got the Alpine plus some Crown Vics. The earlier changers were Sony but Sony did not make the deck. Also the factory system was not designed for superb clarity or accuracy. It was to get the most decient output for a tight ass Ford budget. The "JBL amp is a POS. It does not even have 180watts RMS power ability. Plus the sumed mono per side signal for the 6x8 is a joke.
Paper cone tweeters lack any kind of sizle or accuracy and the 6x8 "subs" were designed for maximum low freequency output in a free air design so their upper bass freequencies suffer.
The amp has a S/N under 80db and the THD is like 5% :eek:
Just not a good system by any meens.

You know that's the interesting thing about audio its one of the few technologies that's not moving forward but backward. Cramming more into a smaller space is not always better :( Class D amps, monolithic all in one control chips with piss pour quality ect..........

Class D is fine for sub applications. Much more efficient and 1% THD isnt going to be heard on freequencies below 200hz.
Also since most sound controll is done in the digital domain now you can have an all in one chip for DSP, EQ, X-overs and it will still be cleaner then tech from 10 years ago.
Of course you have cheaper crappy versions which is what most people will hear and just say they all suck.

They are 13 to 18 years old, most sound like ass.

Agreed.... A lot of things have changed with stereos in the past 15 years. The speakers are :q:q:q:q, the head unit is :q:q:q:q and the amp is :q:q:q:q. Bulk production for millions and millions of cars means a lot of it is mass produced to be as cheap as possible. I haven't had time to pull mine out yet but when I do, it's getting power slammed in the driveway. It only has cassette and works but you can't turn it off. So needless to say, my antenna gets a workout every time I start the car and turn it off.

Only reason it's still in there is because I have had other things to do before putting the system in.

KK, I'm sure you can find another one and I do understand the people that want to stay stock with different parts of their car. We're all different in our own ways. Some agree and some don't.

KK, try Maxx or Tasca.com but have your vin# ready because they will ask for that and they aren't bad on their prices. I wouldn't buy used if you plan on keeping the car.

I thought about rewiring one of the ford's 6 disc in dash units but naw I already have a carputer with wifi and navigation I'm gonna overclock and also need to get a Lilliput 7" VGA Touchscreen Monitor before I install it...every oem sound system sucks in my book...Although five years ago when I was 19 I owned a 94 Lexus ES300 and the oem system was LOUD, the loudest stock system I ever encountered......

There are exceptions. The new Jag system sounds killer. The Z8's had a very nice HK system and a couple years ago I was in a new Lexus with the Mark Levinsion system and it was really really nice.
Caddys 5.1 THX systems were decient too.

You could probably swap it with any other ford vehicle, however, only one from a lincoln is going to have a lincoln emblem on the face. Gen 1 guys can get a radio out of a t-bird but then it has a big 'ol ford emblem on it.

Just swap out the cd mechanism or swap out the face plate and you're done. IIRC, to swap the cd mech it is 4-6 small screws and one or two cables. As a side note, for the 10 disc changer, just get a 10 disc sony (of the same vintage) and swap the guts out. Leave the ford/sony board that has the wiring plug going to the car on it. Everything else is the same. Found that out recently.

For the CD changer you can get one from any 10 disc Ford truck/Expidition. Thats what mine was from. All you have to do is change the side load springs from vertical to horizontal. Easy peasy.

I'm with SVO I'd rather have a OEM. Hell we got ipod no need for cd players.

I guess its all in what you enjoy.

The stuff that is out today runs away form the stock oem jbl junk.
I cant wait to install a new HU amp and speakers.
Its my next project.
It makes the car much more enjoyable to drive for me.

I will keep the stock stuff in case I sell the car.

You want to see an excellent stock sound system, check out the Audi A8L W12.

i was happy with my stock systwm....then i added my subs off the stock deck. my only complaint is the stock tweeters sometimes have a hard time keeping upw/ the 3 12's.

^^^Exactly...they suck...the Lexus I had was so loud you can hear the sound like 1 block away...our Marks is more like 20 feet away

i was happy with my stock systwm....then i added my subs off the stock deck. my only complaint is the stock tweeters sometimes have a hard time keeping upw/ the 3 12's.

i agree i did the exact same as you. prevents theft and keeps it stock. i didnt want a fancy head unit because its distracting when driving

No kirk he didn't ask me...

Big Dummy

i agree i did the exact same as you. prevents theft and keeps it stock. i didnt want a fancy head unit because its distracting when driving

yea, i've had fancy headunits in all my cars, this is the first car i've had that came with a factory cd. i like the stock look of the m8...aint gunna change it unless it breaks

I bought one for $35 on Ebay. They really aren't that hard to find.

There are exceptions. The new Jag system sounds killer. The Z8's had a very nice HK system and a couple years ago I was in a new Lexus with the Mark Levinsion system and it was really really nice.
Caddys 5.1 THX systems were decient too.

Lincoln LS some have the THX system

Try this website - http://www.broadwayradioshop.com/page/page/3773445.htm

Mine is starting to mess up also. I would also like to have it repaired. I realize that there are better aftermarket units, but NONE of them truly fit the look of the dash as well as factory.

So my CD player stopped working on my OEM in dash CD player, am thinking about getting it fixed, has anyone ever had an OEM radio repaired? Google resulted in many companies, but they all look shady as hell...

There's a place in Tampa and they also have a place in Cleveland,,they're really big THEY FIX RADIOS & DASH INSTRUMENTS even real old dash stuff. Before I discovered this site I had the radio in my Mark fixed. They get radios and other stuff from all over the country,,dealers,,private stuff. The place in Tampa has about 75 employees. I couldn't believe it. They have radios EVERYWHERE stocked. At first the guy told me on the phone he had my radio but when I got there he had found out he didn't. He had a Mark V11 one. So they fixed mine. I waited while they fixed it. Very nice showroom and waiting area. Before they took my Mark back in the shop I had to go over everything with a guy and sign a statement that everything worked or didn't work. Wipers,,all blowers,,air cond,,lights,,horn,,turn signals,, etc etc etc. When I find the name of the place (I file everything--unless we left it in Fla.) I will Post it. The place was a CLASS place and it was out in the suburbs. I will check with Jamie also he may know,right off. Later MOJ'

Ill have to start looking for a place too. turns out my perfect gen 1 in dash cd player doesnt work either.

I'm not that OCD ...

Well guys I have to defend Brandon on this one, if he's anything like me.

#1 aftermarket radios at an attraction for theft.

#2 the displays/faces don't match up to factory looks

#3 some of us really like the fact that everything is stock, and I would be more inclined to buy AND pay more monies for a vehicle that's stock rather than modified, including the audio system.



I have paid as much a $90 for a factory AM/FM/CASS for my 1985 F150 to have a factory radio to put back in, and i get more comments on my vehicle's interiors, that they look great stock than having an aftermarket head unit in there.

But hey that's just me, that's the cool thing about us, we are as much individuals as our vehicles.


My$.02 for what it's worth :shifty:


Dr. SVO phd

Hmm when I sent my old 94 to the junkyard the OEM in dash CD went with it... I'll see if it's still there next time I'm out there, they have a 94 listed in their inventory still.

Needless to say I was not a fan of the stock setup. I am a fan of an in car PC with a Soundblaster X-Fi running through a Clarion amp/Infinity Kappa components and an Infinity amp and their Perfect 10 subs... but that's just me.