what would be the best course of action to take considering l know a good deal about my car but l have not been able to find a new E46 CD player. Should l buy an aftermarket player and install that or take it to the dealership and have them fix it. Input?

Fixing stereos will often cost as much as replacing it with a used one in good condition. l would check Ebay for either a new one, or a used one from a reputable seller with good feedback. l buy plenty of stuff off Ebay & have never had problems. Before l brought it to the dealer (if u choose to fix it instead), check with Audio specialty places around you, & ask them to check it out. That would be a lot cheaper than paying a BMW mechanic $50 & hour to look at the CD player.

CD players r so 20th century. In the 21st century, music entered the digital age. Why? Because it is better & easier.

You can rip all of ur CD is to a memory card or USB stick (my BMW has a 64 GB stick & thousands upon thousands of tracks on it - ripping the CD is took weeks!!).

You can rip CD is into WMA or MP3 format & play them via u original Stereo Head Unit & use the buttons on the steering wheel to select the album u want.

All u need is an attachment that allows u to play music from a USB stick.

The best on the market is The DENSION Gateway: -

''Dension is Gateway systems r designed to allow u to bring virtually any device into ur vehicle & control it using ur vehicle is original radio.

A step up from the GW100, the Dension Gateway 300 will allow u to control & browse ur iPod & USB content from ur car’s original radio. The simple aim is to provide integration but without the mess. You can further achieve this by installing ur iPod using our docks or simply having everything neatly tucked away in ur glove box, giving u complete integration without the mess.''

It is ''Plug & Play'' & easier to install than a CD player.

You know it makes sense,

Andy