# Sound output from In-Dash CD Player

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/sound-output-from-in-dash-cd-player/70091>\
**Category:** General Discussion\
**Tags:** 535, bmw\
**Created:** [December 22, 2011, 11:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sound-output-from-in-dash-cd-player/70091 "2011-12-22T11:16:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SunnyAl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@SunnyAl](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SunnyAl)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 11:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sound-output-from-in-dash-cd-player/70091/1 "2011-12-22T11:16:22Z")

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Dear Readers:

At unpredictable times, when I am listening to music from the in-dash CD player, the sound output cuts out for a second when I perform another electric function, such as shifting gears to park or reverse, or applying the brakes.

Can the dealer do anything about this matter? They tested the CD player and found no problem. I can not reproduce the issue for the service agent were we to take a drive, so they do not know what to do to the car?

Is the car’s CPU not operating properly?

Thanks!!

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**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sound-output-from-in-dash-cd-player/70091/2 "2011-12-22T17:52:02Z")

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Intermittent problems are ALWAYS difficult to find. If you can’t reproduce the problem…then it may be IMPOSSIBLE to isolate.

It sounds like a short some place. But where that short is…now that’s the hard part.

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**Author:** ![RemcoW](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/remcow/32/2471_2.png) [@RemcoW](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RemcoW)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sound-output-from-in-dash-cd-player/70091/3 "2011-12-22T18:02:30Z")

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Along with mike’s thought, maybe try tying a temporary large ground cable from a beefy part of the frame to the radio and see if that fixes it.

I bet the radio has a loose ground somewhere and ‘found’ another path to ground that is now shares with something else. That path is higher in resistance than normal.  
When that something else is turned on, a voltage drop across that path causes the CD player to be starved, causing it to die.