When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Helpful, makes sense as same was recommended for my failed Boss Cd player (clean the Lazer with IPA on a Qtip). I can't even get the disk to eject so unit might be totally dead?
Until fixed anyone know how to get the radio working when only thing showing on the display is "check your disk?" No display available to enter the radio code.
Unfortunately until you fix your navi you can't do anything. It needs to "verify" the disc first then you'll get the prompt to put your code in. Keep in mind these cars have 2 codes. One for the navi and one for the radio. You can still use the radio without the navi unit. Just hvac controls kind of need the screen to adjust where and how fast it blows.
Once. Disconnected the negative battery terminal but will try again. Also check the fuse and maybe disconnect at the unit and retry again.
Navi hasn't worked for quite awhile, have been using a Garmin, but radio and audio screen were OK. How this started was I disconnected the negative terminal as the horn alarm was going off for no apparent reason. Now that's stopped but all I get is the "please check disk" message. No way to enter the radio code.
May try the Alpine rebuild. At 358 cheaper than the 480 dealer wanted to fix it. Or now that I may have other electrical issue, rates to diagnose.
Thanks for your suggestion and any advice anyone has.
PS-seems these units are not up to Honda/Acura quality. My wife has a newer CRV which has Navi and is impossible to use so there we also use a Garmin.
So my 04 Acura TL is having an issue with the Navigation screen. The screen appears whitish grey. I followed the instructions to remove and clean the DVD player in the trunk but I get the same results. How do we know if the issue is with the LCD screen or the unit in the trunk? The DVD unit in the trunk allows me to remove and add the DVD without any issues. Even with the DVD player completely removed I get the same grey screen. I am guessing its the display rather than the unit in the trunk. What do you guys think? ??
Greyish White screen never changes or goes away unless the keys are out.
Last edited by WirelessRoute; 07-16-2015 at 10:47 AM.
I have a 2008 that just started showing disc errors. I searched the internet to find an alternative to the dealers suggestions of pay us $60 to assess it and $389.00 to fix it.
Disc drives don't last forever and certainly a car is a dusty environment. I followed the instructions and sure enough the laser was easy to access on the 2008 model. I got noticeable dirt on the quetip. Seems to work fine again. Thanks. Is there anyway to get an updated disc without paying $150.00? PM me if you know. P.S. I'm in Canada.
So my 04 Acura TL is having an issue with the Navigation screen. The screen appears whitish grey. I followed the instructions to remove and clean the DVD player in the trunk but I get the same results. How do we know if the issue is with the LCD screen or the unit in the trunk? The DVD unit in the trunk allows me to remove and add the DVD without any issues. Even with the DVD player completely removed I get the same grey screen. I am guessing its the display rather than the unit in the trunk. What do you guys think? ??
Greyish White screen never changes or goes away unless the keys are out.
I dont think you can confirm that the screen is the culprit just by unplugging the DVD unit and having the same problem. If the DVD unit was defective, you might get the same symptom.
Although, because of the fact that you cannot access anything else on screen such as settings menu and sound setup, I can only assume that something in the screen unit is causing the issue.
To know if its the actual LCD panel or something else, you can simply turn the car on and start pressing where the buttons would usually be on the panel, such as bottom right to accept warning about driving and being distracted by the navigation. If the actual LCD panel is defective, the unit should still register touch input as it's two separate and distinct systems. If it doesnt, it means that it has to do with some capacitor or other component that busted. Unless you have some knowledge on how to find that broken component, it would be very expensive to fix.
Before I begin, let me just say im not responsible for any damage you cause to your car. Make sure you are confident with the procedure before just diving in. There is a little but of supplimentary info that I wrote on this thread: Anyone open up the Navi DVD unit? - AcuraZine Community
Im sure alot of people are aware of the issues that the Navi dvd Drive eventually develops. for anyone who hasn't happen yet, it is just a variation of a disk read error when starting up the navigation. In my case, the problem developed. I started out with disk read errors every now and then, to consistently every time I went in my car. Sometimes the navi would manage to boot, but as of recent, it just refused to. I had disconnected the battery the other day, and when I reconnected it, the navi tryed to download the software off the disk. As you can imagine, it didnt work, so I was stuck with a black screen that said "Please Check Disk" on it at all times. My screen was 100% useless.
So I decided to dig around. Alot of people just ended up sending their units to Alpine which they repaired for 158$. As of this year, their prices jumped up to 358$ which is pretty ridiculous. I honestly did not feel like paying that and I figured it would be worth trying a small repair since I am comfortable repairing small electronics
So lets get to the good stuff.
Tools
Screwdriver
Micro-Screwdrivers
Isopropyl Alchohol
Q-tips
Paper Towel
1. Remove the DVD from the drive (I forgot this the first time around. Felt really stupid at my desk ready to work and then having to start all over).
2. Disconnect the battery (Make sure your trunk is open)
3. Remove the Navi DVD drive. there is about 5 knob type screws and a push fastner stopping you from peeling back the fabric. I also had to remove the hard plastic panel at the rear of the trunk. Just pull up on that and it should come loose. Make sure you know where each knob came from. Several of them are different. Once you peel back the fabric, there are 4 screws that hold down the dvd drive bracket. you'll see them in pictures below. There are 5 clips attached in the back
4. So now you should have the navi drive sitting on your desk, with the bracket attached. there are 2 screws on each side of the bracket. Remove those and the navi will be free.
5. I took a few pictures of each side so you can familiarize yourself with the unit before you tackle this. One thing I noticed was the it was filthy. I took some isoproply alcohol and wiped down the entire unit to clean the dust. the paper towl was filthy after. Also, check out the production date. December 2003! 9 years till fill the lens with dust is actually pretty decent IMO.
6. Next step is to remove the screws holding the top lid. there are six screws, all of the rear of the unit, that need to be removed. 1 black screw, at the top left of the rear, and another 5 golden screws that are located along the top of the backside. its pretty obvious which ones are holding the top lid down. you only need to remove those 6. Nothing more.
7. Now lift the top metal piece upwards from the rear of the unit. you shouldnt need a ton of force. Maybe a bit to break it loose. the thing hasnt moved in 9 years. Once the lid begins to move, start paying attention the the 4 clips holding it on (picture below). this is all thats holding the unit on. It takes a little of moving around to get it free but its possible without removing the faceplate. the 2 center ones are a bit trickier. I used small screw driver to convince it a bit. I saw no signs of cracking or stress in the plastic, but still take caution to not break the plastics clips. After that, simply remove the top.
8. Now is the tricky part. Cleaning the laser. Originally, my plan was to remove the little screw holding in the center spring clamp. it gives you direct access to clean the lens. Unfortunately, none of my screw drivers were the right size, and its difficult to unscrew since that part is sprung (it moves up and down, making it possible to use any force to unscrew it). Anyways, I took a picture of the lens in the first picture below. its that little tiny shiny sparkle coming from right above the center screw from the clamp. At this point, its up to you how you want to clean your lens. Heres what I did. A regular q-tip was far to big to fit in the hole. I stripped alot (most) of the cotton off, and made sure there was no strands hanging out by rolling the tip in between my fingers (kind of how you used to roll your buggers before you flicked them as a kid). then I dipped the qtip in the isoproply alcohol. It still was a pretty tight fit to get it in, but it manages. you then have to angle it towards the lens since the hole is not directly above it. look at my second picture down to see my angle. I shined a light to get the best view I could of the lens. It is really (very) difficult to see from any angle, but you can occassionally see a glimpse. the lens moves up and down so dont worry about damaging by hitting it to hard, but make sure to be gentle with. After my first wipe, I looked at the lens, and actually noticed some crud on it towards the back. about 75% of it was sparkling clean. Went back and made sure to clean it all.
9. You are pretty much done at this point. Slide the top back on. It goes back on much easier then taking it off. Put the 6 screws on in the back. put the 4 screws on holding the unit to the bracket. Go back to your car. Attach all the connectors. Mount the drive back to the car with the 4 screws. hook up your battery, and put in the disk. and give it a shot.
Where my dash would almost instantly read an error, it now immediately went to downloading the software. After it downloads, turn on your car and let it run for several minutes while it acquires satellite location. I took this time to put my trunk back together properly. by the time I was done, the navi was all done and waiting for me to press "ok"
All in all, the job took about 30 minutes on my desk. figuring out how to remove the trunk panel to get access to the drive was actually the most time consuming. the job took a little over an hour. I could honestly probably do it again in under 30 minutes. the job is pretty simple but requires a delicate hand and a patient eye once you actually get to the important step. It was honestly worth my time versus paying 358 to ship out my unit to alpine for them to charge me for some guying cleaning the lens. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Im not on the forums that often, so drop me a PM if im failing to reply to the thread. Also, if the images no longer show up, feel free to bug me and ill rehost them somewhere.
Also, just as an added note. this should work for alot of the cars having this problem but is not always 100% the issue. Sometimes certain power electronics may die. It could be a variety of things. this is just a virtually free solution, that could correct your issue.
Hope this helps someone out.
Anyone have a good idea top keep the dvd player and disc clean after this cleaning? I drive on lots of gravel roads and the system stopped working again, finally got the disc out and it was filthy... What you explained is fantastic, but I'd like to keep it clean so in the summer months I don't have to do this 3-4 times.
I took my player out and then took the tiny screw out of the sprin thing that holds the disc in i cleaned it with alcohol and put it back together and now it still says check disc and now my backup camera quit i bought a new disc and it has same result failure
***Msg me if you want a brand new DVD unit DV36M110. I'll charge $80. $65 for the unit(what I paid) and $15 for UPS ground shipping from Southern CA***
Issue: Start the vehicle, navi screen says 'Please wait now downloading software'. After a few minutes error message is 'Please check disk'. Coincidentally this started happening after I took the vehicle to the dealer for an oil change and they told me my battery was failing. I replaced the battery from an auto parts store and error message still shows.
Same error message for the following:
- Tried different discs.
- Tried no disc.
- Took out unit, took apart the DVD drive and it was very clean. Cleaned the lens anyhow with Q-tips and alcohol. No visible dirt.
- Purchased, paid $65 + $24.41 for expedited shipping and replaced with a new DVD drive from AliExpress - part # DV36M110.
Success:
- Mailed unit to ALPINE, paid $358 (they don't take drop offs). They reported the main board went bad. Invoice paper has 'Service Action': (A-1) Electrical Part, Replace Component, Replace Main PWB, P.C.B., Electrical Component. Under 'Part Used': DV-03042Z01-RM. Googling this part number it gives the DVD drive. Looks like they replaced the DVD drive as well.
Interesting info:
- ALPINE told me on the phone that if they were not able to fix the unit, they will sell you a replacement unit for about $460 (refurbs).
- Tried to sell the vehicle to the dealer. They would give me $2500 less if Navi is not working. If you have the dealer fix this issue, they would send the unit to the same ALPINE location. ALPINE would charge the same $358 to the dealer. The dealer would take over $2100 for labor. Of course YMMV on actual charge if quoted from the service department and not from the Internet sales guy.
***Msg me if you want a brand new DVD unit DV36M110. I'll charge $80. $65 for the unit(what I paid) and $15 for UPS ground shipping from Southern CA***
Vehicle: 2008 Acura RDX
7243332994 is my cell you can text me
***Msg me if you want a brand new DVD unit DV36M110. I'll charge $80. $65 for the unit(what I paid) and $15 for UPS ground shipping from Southern CA***
Issue: Start the vehicle, navi screen says 'Please wait now downloading software'. After a few minutes error message is 'Please check disk'. Coincidentally this started happening after I took the vehicle to the dealer for an oil change and they told me my battery was failing. I replaced the battery from an auto parts store and error message still shows.
Same error message for the following:
- Tried different discs.
- Tried no disc.
- Took out unit, took apart the DVD drive and it was very clean. Cleaned the lens anyhow with Q-tips and alcohol. No visible dirt.
- Purchased, paid $65 + $24.41 for expedited shipping and replaced with a new DVD drive from AliExpress - part # DV36M110.
Success:
- Mailed unit to ALPINE, paid $358 (they don't take drop offs). They reported the main board went bad. Invoice paper has 'Service Action': (A-1) Electrical Part, Replace Component, Replace Main PWB, P.C.B., Electrical Component. Under 'Part Used': DV-03042Z01-RM. Googling this part number it gives the DVD drive. Looks like they replaced the DVD drive as well.
Interesting info:
- ALPINE told me on the phone that if they were not able to fix the unit, they will sell you a replacement unit for about $460 (refurbs).
- Tried to sell the vehicle to the dealer. They would give me $2500 less if Navi is not working. If you have the dealer fix this issue, they would send the unit to the same ALPINE location. ALPINE would charge the same $358 to the dealer. The dealer would take over $2100 for labor. Of course YMMV on actual charge if quoted from the service department and not from the Internet sales guy.
***Msg me if you want a brand new DVD unit DV36M110. I'll charge $80. $65 for the unit(what I paid) and $15 for UPS ground shipping from Southern CA***
Basically I believe your unit may have the same problem as mine and replacing the DVD drive may not solve the issue.
You've tried with two different discs. Have you tried it with no disc? Same error message? When a disc is in, do you hear the drive spinning? Eject and load with no problem?
I'd hate for you to try with this new DVD drive I have only to not address the issue...
If you still want to go down this path, I just ask you not return the DVD drive to me if it doesn't work.
i still have one too, only it's a DV36T02C. i'd sold it to someone, but it didn't help his problem so i still have it lying around here somewhere if anyone needs it.
,it eject with no problems but on start up it tries to read disc then makes a baf noise and quits then says check disc
I would like to buy your player it is worth trying i think give me a day i have a guy local checking to see if he has one I'll let you know asap thanks QUOTE=armus;15534812]Hi Pgh, I sent you a text from my phone.
Basically I believe your unit may have the same problem as mine and replacing the DVD drive may not solve the issue.
You've tried with two different discs. Have you tried it with no disc? Same error message? When a disc is in, do you hear the drive spinning? Eject and load with no problem?
I'd hate for you to try with this new DVD drive I have only to not address the issue...
If you still want to go down this path, I just ask you not return the DVD drive to me if it doesn't work.
I just purchased a 2005 TL and had "Please Check Disk Error". I used the post by Sutitan and now I have a working navigation. I appreciate all the feedback regarding this because it really helps new users.
I had the same navi problem in my 04 tsx. Randomly happened today... i researched and saw the current $358 price tag. I am open to fixing on my own or at least attempting to but bought a maxell dvd lens cleaner for $15 from CVS down the street from my house. Tried it... didnt work... tried again didnt work... (i was sure unit was spinning) .. read/searched more... "clean the lens they say".. remove / replace. Big painin the ass. I dipped my fingertip in alcohol... touched the little brushes on the dvd cleaner... quickly inserted and let it spin. PERFECT FIX!!!
try it.. only $20 at most. I felt compelled to share my experience so i signed up to write and i have 2 hondas.
Thank you. I have a 2005 accord that did what you described. I followed your directions, cleaned the head, and hooked it back up without the cover to make sure it worked. After reacquiring the gps signal, the "ok" came up and when pressed the map came up. I took it back out, put the cover on, and reinstalled it and had to wait again for the gps to reacquire, but it was worth the wait. Nothing feels better than fixing something yourself.
Another success story thanks to this thread. Even if my lens didn't look dirty at all, i did have issues where i'd get errors 75% of the time when starting car and after doing all the steps in the OP, it works 100% of the time.
It is cheaper to buy just laser assembly for $22 but it is more headache to take a part. It is about 40-45 min of work and you don't need to be very handy to do it . I have Honda Odyssey 2005 and I fixed my problem less the in 1 hour. Thanks for your post.
It is possible to use pc card instead but I have to try this first.
Another success story thanks to this thread. Even if my lens didn't look dirty at all, i did have issues where i'd get errors 75% of the time when starting car and after doing all the steps in the OP, it works 100% of the time.
Just wanted to post a follow up on my laser cleaning experiment. It worked great at first, didnt have any errors, but now that weather is shifting to colder and colder mornings and days, the issue came back. I now have to completely take the disc out in order to use my bluetooth music streaming, if not it just keep on rebooting my navi system and cutting my music
just curious, anyone successfully replaced the dv36m110(07+ TL) unit and have it as a long term fix? I figured its been about a year since most of you guys have posted so Im wondering how it's holding up.
So my screen works because it says loading and then it goes black, without reading all 9 pages I wonder if just a new drive for $168 would work? Also I don't hear the disc spinning when I insert it
Interesting read, I had no luck trying this out on my DVD unit which reads "Please check your disc" so I'm resorting to replace it. Quick question to make sure, I own a 2005 model so would any other unit from a 3rd generation fit on mine? Thanks ahead.
I have an 2005 Acura TL with 85K miles. Just recently I got the "DVD Disc reading error please consult your dealer message" I cleaned the lens with alcohol and a q-tip.
After I did that I turned the car on and it started to download software and then it says "Please check disk" worded in a green box.
I have an 2005 Acura TL with 85K miles. Just recently I got the "DVD Disc reading error please consult your dealer message" I cleaned the lens with alcohol and a q-tip.
After I did that I turned the car on and it started to download software and then it says "Please check disk" worded in a green box.
Fixable my a DIY'er?
sounds like you need to replace the unit. i still have one for sale in the classifieds if i can find it...
I have an 2005 Acura TL with 85K miles. Just recently I got the "DVD Disc reading error please consult your dealer message" I cleaned the lens with alcohol and a q-tip.
After I did that I turned the car on and it started to download software and then it says "Please check disk" worded in a green box.
Fixable my a DIY'er?
Ive Got the same exact issue with my 04 Acura TL. Tried cleaning and now its just that black screen with some green box looking at me anytime I drive. If you find a fix let me know. I'm probably gonna try taking it apart again, nothing to really lose at this point. I tried a laser cleaning disc and it didn't work ether.
***Msg me if you want a brand new DVD unit DV36M110. I'll charge $80. $65 for the unit(what I paid) and $15 for UPS ground shipping from Southern CA***
Issue: Start the vehicle, navi screen says 'Please wait now downloading software'. After a few minutes error message is 'Please check disk'. Coincidentally this started happening after I took the vehicle to the dealer for an oil change and they told me my battery was failing. I replaced the battery from an auto parts store and error message still shows.
Same error message for the following:
- Tried different discs.
- Tried no disc.
- Took out unit, took apart the DVD drive and it was very clean. Cleaned the lens anyhow with Q-tips and alcohol. No visible dirt.
- Purchased, paid $65 + $24.41 for expedited shipping and replaced with a new DVD drive from AliExpress - part # DV36M110.
Success:
- Mailed unit to ALPINE, paid $358 (they don't take drop offs). They reported the main board went bad. Invoice paper has 'Service Action': (A-1) Electrical Part, Replace Component, Replace Main PWB, P.C.B., Electrical Component. Under 'Part Used': DV-03042Z01-RM. Googling this part number it gives the DVD drive. Looks like they replaced the DVD drive as well.
Interesting info:
- ALPINE told me on the phone that if they were not able to fix the unit, they will sell you a replacement unit for about $460 (refurbs).
- Tried to sell the vehicle to the dealer. They would give me $2500 less if Navi is not working. If you have the dealer fix this issue, they would send the unit to the same ALPINE location. ALPINE would charge the same $358 to the dealer. The dealer would take over $2100 for labor. Of course YMMV on actual charge if quoted from the service department and not from the Internet sales guy.
***Msg me if you want a brand new DVD unit DV36M110. I'll charge $80. $65 for the unit(what I paid) and $15 for UPS ground shipping from Southern CA***
Thanks,
PK
If you're still doing this I'm interested for my '05 Acura TL considering it fits my model.
3 - For the Alpine OEM repairs, these guys I've not seen a follow up update, but I would imagine these may be the longest lasting since OEM repair I would assume is "best."
The posters who didn't care for money and just wanted a guaranteed fix, the Alpine OEM has been the choice to go.
If money were no object, I would probably lean towards Alpine OEM as the safer route for long-term reliability.
I posted on this thread awhile back. I did the DIY repair and it worked temporarily. Then I sent mine to Alpine, paid the $$ and the unit failed again after about a year. I spoke with a rep from Alpine and he told me to send the unit back in with a description of my circumstances and we would go from there (30-day warranty). I got the feeling it would likely end up costing the full amount to repair the unit again. At this point, I'm at a crossroads. I'm going to end up repairing the unit again but will prob leave it in the box and not install it until I'm ready to sell the car. What a hassle!
I have a 2007 type-s and I actually just unhooked the unit all together a few years ago and have been doing without. My disc is extremely scratched/burned and I was wondering, before pulling this navigation apart would this happen from just being dirty? I have read many posts about the laser being bad and burning the cd's and the only fix is to replace or repair. Do you think cleaning it would actually help fix this?
Looking to remove my unit, but cannot for the life of me find a guide on how to remove it from under the cupholders. Please help!
I sold my 2008 RDX but from what I remember:
- Drivers side, remove the side panel that attaches to the center console. There's a small screw that faces the pedals. I used a Philips screw driver to remove it. Once this panel is open, you'll have access to all the plugs that go into the DVD Navi unit. Be careful and gently remove these.
-Passenger side, remove the side panel that attaches to the center console. I remember this panel just snaps off if you start from the front of the car and work your way back. Once this panel is open, there are two or three bolts that connect the DVD Navi unit to the car. I remember one of the bolts is way back inside so you'll need a extension on a socket wrench to remove that bolt.
-Once you remove the bolts and all the plugs, then you can remove the DVD Navi unit off the hinges.
To put the unit back in, follow the steps in reverse.
Tried this on my 2005 TSX and it worked great. Took about 30 minutes. FYI my reader glass didn't look dirty and it didn't look like my Qtip was dirty after, but nonetheless it worked! Thanks so much for trying and then taking the time to share!!!
I just wanted to say thank you to Sutitan
I was getting the disc error for a little while and as noted it built up over time to last longer and longer. Finally it just would not work. I was quoted a price of $800-$900 to have it looked over. I had actually just missed the warranty period by 1000 miles. I went on line and found your post and told my husband about it and asked if he could do the instructions. He fixes computers and I figured if he could deal with intricate parts of a computer he could fix this. He was hesitant for a little while until we were driving somewhere and needed the navi which went out. He went ahead and did the instructions and it has worked ever since. So thank you for saving me a ton of money.
07-08-2015, 09:44 PM
Thanks so much
