From digest.v5.n59 Thu Aug 1 15:59:40 1996
From: AddysDaddy_at_aol.com
Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 17:25:45 -0400
Subject: Whine From CD Player

Well, taken the car back to the dealer today and they are unable to find the whine generated from the alternator. They tried inserting a variety of capacitors from the power source but nothing seemed to help. Actually, as they increased the rating on the capacitor, the noise increased as well.

Hold the phone, the dealer just called and they took the car over to a high end audio shop that specializes in car stereos and they couldn’t fix the problem. They feel that the DIN cable which is bundled in the wiring harness from the head unit to the CD player is picking up noise from the wire that leads from the engine to the battery (I have a 96-M3). The stereo shop is suggesting running a new DIN cable down the left side of the car and re-mount the CD on the left. This way, you isolate the DIN cable and avoid the problem altogether. Does this make sense to anyone else?

The stereo shop called the dealership back and advised them of the problem. Because they would be messing with the electrical system, they are having to get permission from BMW Technical Support in order not to void my warranty. The dealer has given the stereo shop the information and is supporting their recommendations to BMW Technical. So far so good. I haven’t spoken to the dealer directly, but it would seem that they are handling the problem professionally. I reserve final judgment until the problem is fixed.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? On my recommendation, my dealer went back and drove two other 96-M3’s and sure enough, they both had the same problem. Seems like we’re on a roll. If you have a M3, I would give the CD player a good listen. While you’re driving (at any speed), listen to the quiet passage between songs. You’ll probably hear a high pitched sound that changes as you accelerate. The whine is there all the time, is just easier to hear during the quiet sections. However, there is no whine generated from the radio.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Stuart M.
96-M3