My navigation system no longer reads the disks... does anyone know if the drive is replaceable?

 

The laser head can be replaced cheaply, or you can replace the drive. See this: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ead-error.html

 

Thanks, has anyone replaced their drive? How easy is it?... changing the alternator, LCAs, belts, brakes, etc on my MINI is no problem.. soldering makes me nervous.

 

You don't need to solder if you buy the ~$90 drive mechanism, but it's more expensive by ~$90-20. Whatever you feel comfortable with.

Some time with Google should find a BMW MK4 DVD drive replacement photo DIY for you to follow.

 

Before you dive into a drive or laser head replacement, first check the following. I've had a couple of periods when I thought the laser was failing, but these resolved it for me in separate incidents.

1. Check the condition of the car battery. A low battery can cause errors during Nav startup that it doesn't recover from.

2. Try copying the map DVD to a fresh new disc, at lowest burning speed. The original disc may have developed micro-scratches or media deterioration.

 

New battery, new disk