can't play self-made audio CDs in LS400

[imacutigerfan]

Hi:

I have tried several different times to play CDs that I burned myself in my 1998 LS400. I've tried data and audio CDR's, CDRW, and different burn speeds.

All these CDs work fine in my wife's Denali and other CD players around the house.

Has anyone had luck playing their own CDs?

-d

[Rodders]

I have a 98 GS300, which prolly has the same system as your car. I've had no problems with TDK blue and Kodak gold CDs.

[is300_chica]

My is plays them just fine but it's newer...sorry I am no help

[moocowman]

My 98 GS300 plays burned CD's just fine. But I don't use the head unit's CD player that often. I usually use the changer. I've found that CD changers are usually better at playing CDR's than in-dash units, OEM or aftermarket.

My Acura TL's head unit has probelms with certain types of CD's after about a year. The problem got progressively worse with time. Lense cleaners helped slightly, but in the end, the performance still deteriorated until it wouldn't accept any burned CD's at all. I installed an Alpine changer in the TL and it has had no problems since.

I've also had the same problem with a Kenwood CD head unit I have in another car.

On CD types: You'll have better luck with gold or silver (on the back-side, not label-side) than with blue.

[Millatyme]

im not quite sure if u are talking about a in-dash cd player/changer or an external cd changer......and i dont want to make this seem anyway but a sinsere suggestion b/c i did this myself..... :( :( i have a 94 es300 w/ a changer in my trunk and when i put the burned cds in the changer i inserted them like i would any other cd player around the house but the changer's directions said to make sure the label was facing down................................................... i hope this helps, good luck!

Millatyme

[Gerry]

I have a 91 ls 400, and when it was all stock i had no problem playing burned CD's, sorry yours does not. WHy not install a new Cd player? But take it to a professional, the system was a pain to replace in mine, internal amps for speakers, and just taking everything apart was different from everything ive seen.

[gsackett]

Sorry if this sounds stupid and I do not want to be insulting but there is one possibility.

There are different formats when you write to a CD

One leaves the CD in a "Read/Write" format

The other makes it a "Read Only" CD

The older CD players can only read from the Read Only format. You can make your CD Read Only by "Finishing" the CD when you are done writing to it. This process varies depending on the software used to write the CD but your Help command in the CD creator software should provide the details.

I hope that this helps.

[AG Expert]

Make sure you burned the music in .WAV format and didn't use .MP3 format (not sure if your wife's Denali is compatible with .MP3's, but it's just something to check). My LS 400 stock CD-changer is compatible with my burned CD's.

[jeem]

I have a 99 ES 300 and a 2003 RX 300 and neither of them will play homemde cdrs.These cdrs are finalized and play everywhere else! Are the decks below red book standard or do they have some strange disk thickness compatibilty issue. JEEM

cdrs_won__t_play

[zeta]

this would also depend on the way you create the cd. if the cd is created as a file cd, it will not work in any cd player. my mom has a '00 RX and my burned cd's play fine in her cd changer. as a matter of fact her entire cartridge is burned cd's. the problem may be the way you burn the cd's there are different formats the cd's need to be created in. i personally use Nero Burning Rom to burn my cd's and i have a choice to burn as a file cd (ISO) and an audio cd (CDA). they are of different file types and the ISO cd's cannot be read on a cd player, but can be read on an mp3/cd player, or the computer only. others cannot process this file type.

although burning it as a wav file, it would still not work because it is of a different file configuration. music cd's count cd space using the amount of time (i.e. 80 minutes cd-r's) while the data cd's burnt for backup count by data size (i.e. 700mb cd-r's) there is a difference between these two. you just have to be sure that your program is burning it in the right format.

i use Nero Burning Rom 5.5.6.4

there are other programs such as Roxio. you mainly just have to be sure you're burning it in the right format.

[jeem]

the cdrs are the finest quality HHB and they are burned to red book standard in a ROXIO system. They play everywhere but in the car deck!!! They are of course finalized and wave files . JEEEEM --so use cheep cdrs????

[zeta]

lol i guess that's the only option. the type of cd-r's really doesn't matter i don't think. it only put priority on audio quality if it's an audio cd. it doesn't affect the playability. not sure what's wrong with it then...

[jeem]

Thanks Zeta, I see all this stuff about cdrs not playing and can't help wonder why somebody from LEXUS doesn't respond. I also know a couple of guys here in Toronto that have the same problem with home burned cdrs! Jeem

[zeta]

well i'm not sure what it could be then. my mom's '00 RX plays cd-r's fine. i've never tested my grandpa's old '99 ES300 for playability on cd-r's but i think it should work. my grandpa's new '03 ES plays cd-r's fine. i think it may be something with the changer or the HU. i don't think it's the cd's if the format is burned correctly.

[1999lsowner]

I have a 1999 LS 400 and I've not experienced any problems with self-made CDs. I use Digital Research Music CD-R discs, recorded at 16x.

[mo976]

in my 95 LS4 burned cds play fine... In fact as someone who works in cars and drives just about every common late model car out there ('99 -- brand new) often i have these cars for a day or two and i have not had a problem with burned cds in any car that i am driving and i have not seen this problem until i met my current girlfriend she has a '98 accord ex-v6 coupe and it can be a pain to wait 5-10 min for a cd to pick up the only cd's i had any success with are sony audio cd-r.

hope that info helps someone.