Aiwa CDC-X917M Car CD Player

Purchased this unit from Crutchfield to replace a Honda (1994) radio that had died. Installation instructions from Crutchfield were invaluable, making the job very easy. I don't think I could have gotten in to the old radio without them.

The radio includes a wiring harness with bare wire ends. So does the adapter kit from Crutchfield, which plugs right into the existing factory harness in the dash area. Both had documents that were very clear on which wire was which, and the color coding matched from one harness to the other, so 45 minutes of soldering the two harness together made a perfect adapter.

Installation of the new system was pretty easy. I had a little trouble getting the plastic nose piece (surrounding the front of the unit to hide the edge gaps) to snap into place. A minor adjustment to the protrusion of the radio nose allowed that to snap on okay.

The unit powered on, and I ran through the functions. All worked well, except the AM section is DEAD. I tried the FM section with and without the antenna plugged in, proving that the antenna was connected correctly. I called Crutchfield Tech Support. After explaining that I had tested the antenna plug-in, they agreed that the radio is defective, and are to ship a new one ASAP. I'm using the current one until the new one arrives, at least for CD and FM.

The remote control mounts on the steering wheel with a wide rubber band designed for the purpose. Makes the basic functions more convenient to use, without reaching for the radio. Works off of IR (infrared) control, so I have to remember to keep my hand from behind it when I press the buttons.

(2 days later) The replacement arrived. I uninstalled the defective radio, and installed the new one. Success ! The AM works. I packaged the defective one for return, and dropped it off at the UPS office. Postage prepaid made it quick !

(6 months later) The faceplate started intermittently coming up blank (not responding to button presses). Now it will not work at all, rendering the entire unit useless. Guessing it must be a loose wiring connection to the faceplate. Faceplate still opens and closes correctly, but is dead.

(1 year later) The CD section fails when the car interior is hot, so I finally put the unit into the repair shop near the end of the one year warranty to get the CD and the faceplate repaired. It took five weeks, and only the faceplate was repaired. Returned to have the CD fixed. It has now been ANOTHER five weeks, and I still don't have the unit back.