I have a Kenwood CD head unit that I bought from a Kenwood outlet store. I got an unbelievable deal, and I'm pretty happy with it. My problem is that it has a tendancy to skip a lot. All I have to do is hit a medium bump or go over some railroad tracks at it skips. Does everybody's Kenwoods do that, or is it because I bought a factory reman unit?

 

Back before I had a larger budget, I used Kenwoods in all my vehicles and loved them. The only skipping problem I ran into was my changer would skip on cold mornings.

 

i have my Pioneer Premier, and it hasnt skipped once, railroad tracks, bumps, anything, I;'m kinda amazed acually, however, make sure you got your deck SECURLY mounted in there, something about the like 45 degree angle the cd player mounts in at leaves a lot of room for skipping if not securly mounted...

 

My guess is that either you have a mounting problem, or a bad unit.

Personally, I've always had bad luck with remanufactured electronic products.

Besides the fact that Kenwood is pretty good stuff, even the cheapie CD decks hardly skip any more these days.

 

I would first assume that it is mounting problem. Did you use a backstrap? Is the back of the HU supported at all? I suspect the front of the HU is well supported but that the back just bounces up-and-down when you hit a bump. If the HU doesn't skip when the car is parked then this may be your problem. Secure the back of the HU!

 

What do you suggest I use to support the unit? I've never done something like that before, so you'll need to be pretty specific.

Right now it's mounted with a standard mount kit and the factory brackets on either side. It doesn't look all that secure for the weight of the HU.

 

Mine (KDC-215S) skips too like that (though it really is good and doesn't do it that often). But I think that they're right. I don't think that mine's mounted securely at the back either, and that would make sense for problems

 

I have a KDCX615s excelon unit that skips more than the JVC el Kameleon that was previously in the car. I am in the car audio business, and have noticed the Kenwoods do skip more than the other brands. the previous advice is great... make sure that everything is secure, including the head unit, CONSOLE and the surrounding dash areas. any movement in these areas will also create additional vibrations..

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[This message has been edited by Tigger84TA89BIRD (edited March 25, 2001).]

 

The most common method of securing the back of an aftermarket radio is with a backstrap.

A backstrap is nothing more than a long piece of metal that is about 1/2" wide with a buch of holes drilled in it. You could make one from a strip of steelmetal.

The backstrap is bolted to the back of the radio and then bolted to the inside of the dash in such a way that it supports the back of the radio. It's unusual to have easy access to the back of the radio so you may want to consider an easier (more creative) way of securing the radio.

One common technique is to use a board or foam to make a "shelf" that the back of the radio can sit on. This would help some.

Anyway ... the whole idea is to come up with some way (be creative) to support the back of the radio. Mounting kits are strong enough to keep the radio attached to the car but aren't strong enought to keep the radio from bouncing.

 

So, it isn't risky to put a piece of foam rubber up under the radio? I mean, there's no excessive heat that could create a fire hazard?

 

Go with the mounting strap method. The foam is a good ideal but will not securly hold the head unit like it is suppose to unless you really pack it in there tight. I don't think there would be a heat problem(catching the foam on fire)though. But the more solid it is the better. I also had the KDC-X615 and it would skip some, but as posted above making the stereo console secure and the head unit will prevent alot of this.

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'87 Trans Am:
(Engine)
305 TPI
160 Degree Thermostat
TB Bypass
Accel 300+ 8.8 Racing Wires
Accel Super Coil
Bosch Platinium Plugs
Custom Ram Air with K&N
Removed Emissions Equipment
(Stereo)
Kenwood Excelon

 

IMO Kenwood is great but yes try to make or buy somthing that will stop it from moving. Notice Gm had that lil rubber bump stop thing in back of the radio i wish my kenwood had one you could try to make a braket that holds simliar to the gm thing. although the "strap" might be easier. just tryin to help good luck.

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"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."

 

my blaupunkt has one of those things. the peice of metal that comes out of the back like an inch or 2 with a rubber "cork" on the end? call blaupunkt dealer or gm and ask for one, then just VERY CAREFULLY, depending on where the circuts are, drill a whole that will allow it to screw in and attach. i havent put my blaupunkt in yet so i cant tell you if it works, but the guy above said it did so its just another idea.

-JJ