Shaker 500 problems. (I Know...Yes I Searched...Please Help)
Hi guys...I know this topic has been brought up, countless (and I do mean countless) times. I've spent the past 3 hours since 7 a.m. this morning looking for an answer to my Shaker 500 problem (besides replacing the radio with an aftermarket one). If anyone can point me to a thread with the answers I need, or give me an answer to my problem I would greatly appreciate it as I'm ready to bash the Shaker 500 radio in with a sledgehammer (I wouldn't actually do it, this is just how I feel like).
O.k. first off, I'm continually getting the bad disc errors on cds, whether they are commercially pressed, cd-mp3s, data-mp3s, or home-burned audio cds (it will play home-burned audio cds after a few attempts). It seems in most instances, the unit will try to read the disc, display the first 12 characters of the song title, then the display goes blank, comes back with "D1 F1 T255," flashing this about 4 - 5 times before it just finally displays "Bad Disc" and ejects the disc.
I've used 4 different kind of CD-R discs to make my mp3 discs (Verbatim, Fuji, Memorex, Verbatim w/LightScribe) and I'm getting the same results with all 4, no matter the format the disc was burned in. I'm at my wits end with this situation and just want to be able to play mp3s in my car (the reason I opted to go for the premium Mustang as opposed to the basic or deluxe). Is there a cure or a fix out there that corrects this problem on the Shaker radios that I may have overlooked? I've tried doing every suggestion I've found on various Mustang forums to no avail. I am very frustrated and can't believe Ford would put something such as a mp3 cd player into this (or any other vehicle) without actually ensuring it works properly before it leaves their plant.
Edit:
I forgot to mention that this head unit indeed played a mp3 cd in the past as when I took my Kenwood head unit out of the Cavalier, I put the mp3 disc that was in the Kenwood head unit (Memorex disc with 262 songs, the Shaker only recognize the first 255 songs) into the Shaker radio and it played fine. Even the mp3 disc my friend created so she could have her own "sound" when she rides won't play anymore and it played in the past.
Have you burned all your CDs on the same computer? You might try burning a CD on a different computer, possibly with a different brand of CD-ROM drive to see if you get the same results. It might be a head or format issue with the particular CD-ROM drive you are using. Kind of a shot in the dark, but assuming your CDs are clean and the head on the Shaker is clean, about all I could think of. You might try a cleaning disk in the Shaker too, but again, kind of a last ditch deal.
My Shaker 1000 starts to skip after extended use, or every once in a while for no apparent reason. I'm also kind of disappointed with its sound so I'm planning on replacing it with an aftermarket unit.
I'd say stlwagon is correct - visit the dealer. I had problems with my homemaid mp3's ("Bad Disk"). Had the Quaker500 replace by the dealer and still couldn't play them. They got it to skip when playing a commercial disk - so it was OK to replace.
My solution was a different CD burner. Tried a couple of differnet disk mfgrs with "no joy". Pyrat may be on the right track. Take one of your homemaid mp3 disks to a buds house and copy it to a new disk on his PC (assuming you have friends - sure you do! You own a Mustang)
Pyrat - do you use a cleaner disk in your unit? What kind? Does it help?
Now that you mentioned it, the mp3 CD disc that did play in the Mustang was burned on my old HP Pavillion 7940 computer using MusicMatch Jukebox 8.2. On the other hand the disc my friend burned was done on her HP Media Center PC using Rhapsody...and the discs I've tried to burn for the past day or two have been done on my new computer which is a HP Pavillion a1514-n using MusicMatch 10. I haven't figured out how to use Rhapsody to burn mp3 CDs, in fact I hate the Rhapsody software on my computer but that's beside the point. This was my first actual attempt at burning a disc on the new computer, since the old disc has so many good songs, I didn't bother to redo another until I went on a CD shopping spree a couple of weeks back. I can't use the old CD now because when I did my 6 discs, I thought they would work fine with no problem and the old disc is gone (trash pick up). I may just take it to the dealership this afternoon and tell them about my problem and see what they say or can do.
Edit:
I forgot to add that I have two 2nd burners installed on my computer. (1) is the DVD+/-R/CD-RW with Lightscribe that came standard with the PC, and (2) is the Sony DVD/CD-R(W) drive that I picked up at Best Buy and installed in the computer as I didn't want the DVD+/-R drive to be my only source for playing DVDs, CDs, and burning CDs.
O.K., here's an udpate for anyone that may be interested.
I took the Mustang to the Ford dealership where it was purchased and explain the problem to them about the player not playing mp3 CDs. The first thing they tell me is that I was using the wrong kind of CDs to create mp3 CDs and that the Ford head unit is very particular about what type of blank discs it can read. I retorted by saying that I have use blank data CDs, all purpose blank CDs, and blank CDs specifically made to hold just music and I'm getting the same result every time. I also informed them I have used 4 different brands and the same results still occured. I demonstrated the problem in front of them and they seemed to be shocked. After I had told them about the TSB and how this had been a problem Ford had reported on some Shaker radios manufactured in 2005, they told me to bring the car back Monday and their service department will have a look at the radio to see if it's one of the defective ones.
While I was there, I asked the salesman I talked to if I could sit in one of the 2007s to see if my mp3 CD would play in their car. I put the disc in the player and while I didn't get a "BAD DISC" error, it didn't play the disc either. It was kind of like it was scanning each track before it played but I didn't give it enough time to go through the paces if that was the case.
Now here's my question on the new head units, I remember reading somewhere that new head units were released that should (seemingly) avoid this "BAD DISC" situation. The head unit I looked at was a Shaker 500, but the little digital clock was now located in the upper right corner instead of the lower right and the text and scan functions shared the same button in the center of the radio. Is this the new radio that's isn't suppose to suffer from the "BAD DISC" fate? I want to be sure before I go in Monday and have the most up to date information available because I have a feeling their Service Department may tell me it's a bad disc on my part (which it's not...these same discs played in my friend's factory in-dash 6 disc mp3/CD changer) and I don't want to get jerked around by their lack of information.
On a side note, they are so impressed with my "technical knowledge" as they call it that they pitched the idea to me to be their computer tech guy since they seem to have so many problems with their computer so who knows, I may have lined myself up a 2nd part time...it'd be good for mod money, lol.
O.K., here's an udpate for anyone that may be interested.
I took the Mustang to the Ford dealership where it was purchased and explain the problem to them about the player not playing mp3 CDs. The first thing they tell me is that I was using the wrong kind of CDs to create mp3 CDs and that the Ford head unit is very particular about what type of blank discs it can read. I retorted by saying that I have use blank data CDs, all purpose blank CDs, and blank CDs specifically made to hold just music and I'm getting the same result every time. I also informed them I have used 4 different brands and the same results still occured. I demonstrated the problem in front of them and they seemed to be shocked. After I had told them about the TSB and how this had been a problem Ford had reported on some Shaker radios manufactured in 2005, they told me to bring the car back Monday and their service department will have a look at the radio to see if it's one of the defective ones.
While I was there, I asked the salesman I talked to if I could sit in one of the 2007s to see if my mp3 CD would play in their car. I put the disc in the player and while I didn't get a "BAD DISC" error, it didn't play the disc either. It was kind of like it was scanning each track before it played but I didn't give it enough time to go through the paces if that was the case.
Now here's my question on the new head units, I remember reading somewhere that new head units were released that should (seemingly) avoid this "BAD DISC" situation. The head unit I looked at was a Shaker 500, but the little digital clock was now located in the upper right corner instead of the lower right and the text and scan functions shared the same button in the center of the radio. Is this the new radio that's isn't suppose to suffer from the "BAD DISC" fate? I want to be sure before I go in Monday and have the most up to date information available because I have a feeling their Service Department may tell me it's a bad disc on my part (which it's not...these same discs played in my friend's factory in-dash 6 disc mp3/CD changer) and I don't want to get jerked around by their lack of information.
On a side note, they are so impressed with my "technical knowledge" as they call it that they pitched the idea to me to be their computer tech guy since they seem to have so many problems with their computer so who knows, I may have lined myself up a 2nd part time...it'd be good for mod money, lol.
Make a copy of this TSB and take your Pony to service.
Wow, I had forgot I started this thread. Anyway, it's been resolved. I'm using Sonic to burn all my home-made CD-R mp3s, which is the main concern with me since I hardly ever listen to comercially pressed CDs in my car. I'm still at a loss of words why the CDs burned on the MusicMatch software is illegible by the Shaker headunit.
I haven't had any problems with the headunit since I switched to Sonic, which provides me with enough time until I'm able to find a suitable Kenwood in-dash DVD headunit to replace it.
Wow, I had forgot I started this thread. Anyway, it's been resolved. I'm using Sonic to burn all my home-made CD-R mp3s, which is the main concern with me since I hardly ever listen to comercially pressed CDs in my car. I'm still at a loss of words why the CDs burned on the MusicMatch software is illegible by the Shaker headunit.
I haven't had any problems with the headunit since I switched to Sonic, which provides me with enough time until I'm able to find a suitable Kenwood in-dash DVD headunit to replace it.
That's good news... So the dealer never swapped out your existing Skipper500?
That's good news... So the dealer never swapped out your existing Skipper500?
Well I had went to the Dealer that Friday afternoon to talk to them about the Shaker and showed them what it was doing. They told me there was nothing they could do til Monday as their Service Dept. closed at 6 p.m. and the time I arrived (a little after 4:30 p.m.) didn't allow their guys enough time to order the parts they need and install. Also they aren't open on Saturday (first Service Department at a car dealership that I ever saw do this) so that gave me plenty of time until Monday to see if I could come up with a solution. The last thing I wanted to do, is have my radio taken out (I'm still skiddish to these things after what went down with my Cavalier in the past).
My last resort was changing the program I was using to burn .mp3s to CDs and it works. I still don't understand why the MusicMatch .mp3s don't work but the Sonic .mp3s do in the Shaker. I guess it's a mystery I shouldn't worry about, it works, which is really all I ask and it buys me time until I'm able to get some of my debt down to buy a descent Kenwood in-dash DVD headunit.
Since you writing about the Shaker 500 -- Anyone know how to get the AM tuner on the Shaker 500 to step in increments of 10Khz vs the 9Khz steps I have now. For example... I want to listen to 940 AM but the closest I can get is either 936KHz or 945Khz. I read somewhere that they use 9KHz spacing overseas. There has to be a hidden control like pressing memory presets simultaneously. Any clues?
there was this one instance that my shaker500 completely froze, even with the car off and the door open. A few bangs to the head unit solved the prob and saved me gas going to the dealer =).
Shaker 500 problems. (I Know...Yes I Searched...Please Help) 
