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Post A Comment

I'd like to know what you think about this web site and the information offered within the site. Please leave your comments in this public guest book so I can share your thoughts with other visitors. Newest comments are found at the end of this page (it may take some time for your comments to be processed for viewing)...Thanks.

NOTICE: We have become so big and so busy, it's gotten impossible to process all the feedback that we have gotten. We occasionally pick some comments and post them to the Feedback of the Week. Please see those comments on the HOME page.

We also get so much SPAM that it also becomes a problem to process the emails via this feedback page. If you are looking to add a comment or seeking feedback on a question, please fell free to submit your question/comment to dharrison@FixYourRadio.com

Remote User:
Date:: 05 Sep 2002
Time:: 22:55:30

Comments

I hope you have found this web site helpful. Please feel free to post your comments, suggestions, and success stories here. Regards, D Harrison

Remote User:
Date:: 15 Sep 2002
Time:: 14:41:02

Comments

I had the same problem. The display went dead, but the radio and CD worked. I disassembled the radio and resoldered the surface mount. After reinstalling the unit the display started working. I have a 1998 Explorer with 61,000 miles. Thanks for your help. Paul Penberthy ppenberthy@msn.com

Remote User:
Date:: 19 Sep 2002
Time:: 23:47:13

Comments

I wonder if anyone has documented the various websites pertaining to this issue; whether on posting in forums such as www.ford-trucks.com or websites such as yours and submit the findings to Ford to get them to act on changing procedures so that this problem can be fixed with less work on the consumers part and without charge. It seems to be an unusually widespread issue that should be Ford's responsibility to provide the service in fixing the problem rather than the owners scrambling to find the "right tools" to get theirs fixed, permenantly. I applaude you for managing this informative website that finally gives the consumers an alternative to paying upto $450 for a new system. As owners of Ford Explorers we have gone through enough recall notices and enough disappointing parts on our cars to now expect Ford to really deliver the proof that Ford is "tough". Although I love my car the creators of my Explorer have been poor in delivering the quality of car for the money that's been paid for. I'd like to urge everyone to print out this website and to also print out the forum at www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/explorer which is a posting of questions and suggestions by various Explorer and Mountaineer owners with this problem and to take it to their local Ford dealerships and to submit to Ford Customer Service in Dearborn, MI to make the process more simpler and more cost efficient for the consumer to get this problem fixed. There is a level of responsibility on the part of Ford for delivering effective servicing on defective parts such as this.

Remote User:
Date:: 30 Sep 2002
Time:: 22:37:50

Comments

I did like one of the other guys that posted a comment and not having ever soldered anything decided to try and just clean mine. I used contact cleaner and an old tooth brush and my display has been up and working now for about 3 days. If it goes out again I'll try soldering it or I will take it to someone who knows how to do it better than me. Thanks again for letting me know where to look for the problem. Tom Parker (coptzrss@hotmail.com)

Remote User:
Date:: 05 Oct 2002
Time:: 09:30:27

Comments

Duane is a CLASS ACT! I was having the same issue with the radio from my 1998 Ford Explorer. After finding the website, I contact Duane for help. Rather than risk damage by doing this myself, I decided to send it to Duane. There is an inherit risk with doing any business over the web however this was without a doubt the best experience I have had. I pulled the radio out on a Monday night, shipped on Tuesday. Duane kept in constant communication and not only let me know he received the radio, he informed me he fixed and shipped it back the SAME DAY!. I have received and all is well. A+ transaction and GREAT customer service. Thanks Duane! -Steve S

Remote User:
Date:: 09 Oct 2002
Time:: 07:19:11

Comments

I have a '99 Exploder oops I mean Explorer. At 22000 miles my check engine light came on, I mean change engine light came on. I had to have ford replace my engine, they rebuilt it once but it still didn't run right. So imagine how mad I was when at 50000 miles my radio lights shut off. WOW was I pissed!!! I looked on the web for a fix and found this is a fairly common problem, not saying that I am happy you have extra time on your hands but I am glad you figured this out and put it on the net. The bucks are in your paypal account. Anybody want to buy a '99 Exploder?

Remote User:
Date:: 11 Oct 2002
Time:: 20:42:34

Comments

Worked just as stated in the instructions. Only took me about 30 minutes and I was able to see what the hell I was playing again! Thanks D!!!!!

Remote User:
Date:: 20 Oct 2002
Time:: 15:28:50

Comments

This is a side issue associated with the displays on the Ford CD/Tape units. I am using a 1999 version in my 1996 truck, with the wiring adapter harness. The display is very dim whenever the headlights are turned on and the brightness does not change as I rotate the interior dimmer control. Is there an internal adjustment for making the display brighter. clintchron@qwest.net

Remote User:
Date:: 25 Oct 2002
Time:: 17:52:06

Comments

Thanks D! What a relief. Mine went out two days ago. Of course, I am at 42,000, just out of warranty on my 2000 Explorer Limited. I love my ride, although I've had my fair share of Ford hiccups (short in the horn, airbag sensor, etc.) Needless to say I was not too happy when my display went dark since my warranty had ran dry. I was picturing a squabble with the dealer, and eventually having to replace the dang thing at my own expense. I did a search on the net, found your site from Google immediately. Took out the unit, got to the supply, borrowed my dad's soldering skills and had him touch up the board, put it back together and had display in one hour from the time I took the unit out of the truck. My donation is on the way, thanks again!!!

Remote User:
Date:: 28 Oct 2002
Time:: 13:40:03

Comments

Did this during my lunch hour and initial results are good. Hope it is a permanent fix and not a temporary thing. I took the board to my company's analytic lab. The techs were out for lunch and I was not able to get them to take a look at the board, which may have been very helpful. I did put it under a microscope. When looking at the resistors and caps that you show need to be resoldered, I noted that there was heavy solder on the terminals close to the board edge, but very light solder on the opposite terminals. I added solder to those terminals, put the unit back in my car and the display now works. This was definitely worth money. Thanks for creating this website. Dave Stewart dstewar@aol.com

Remote User:
Date:: 24 Nov 2002
Time:: 10:09:43

Comments

The fix instructions are very good and are accurate. Unfortunately, I just tried the fix on my '98 Explorer radio and it didn't work. When I got the power supply board out, several components (regulator, couple of transistors) were badly burned and I suspect that these components are now bad or a board trace has opened. I waited several months before trying the fix, so I susggest that once you see the problem occuring, don't delay.

Remote User:
Date:: 01 Dec 2002
Time:: 15:10:13

Comments

FIX WORKED GOOD SO FAR. DAY ONE. JUST SOLDERED THE 5 COMPONENTS YOU ARROWED. I WAS HOPING THAT THIS WOULD ALSO FIX A PROBLEM THAT PRECEEDED THE DISPLAY FAILURE BY ABOUT 7 MONTHS. ORIGINAL PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN THE VOLUME KNOB IS TURNED SLOWLY. THE SYMPTOM SEEMS TO TURN THE RADIO OFF. IF YOU CONTINUE TO TURN THE KNOB IT WILL TURN ON AGAIN THEN OFF THEN ON AND SO ON. IF YOU DON'T TOUCH THE VOL. KNOB IT WILL PLAY OK. ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROBLEM ALL THE COMTROLS ON THE FRONT PANEL WILL BE INOPERATIVE EXCEPT CD EJECT AND TAPE EJECT. CONTROL CAN BE RESTORED BY EVER SO SLIGHTLY TURNING THE VOL. CONTROL KNOB EITHER WAY BUT IF YOU TURN IT TOO MUCH YOU WILL CAUSE THE ON/OFF PROBLEM TO OCCUR. WHEN PROBLEM 2 HAS JUST KICKED IN THE DISPLAY WILL READ SPEED VOL. 7 AND ALL CONTROLS WILL BE DEAD EXCEPT CD AND TAPE EJECT. PROBLEM 2 SEEMS TO BE ACCOCIATED WITH THE TWO PAIR OF OPTICAL ENCODERS USED IN THE VOL. CONTROL CIRCUITS. COME UP WITH A FIX FOR THIS AND I'LL SEND YOU 10 BUCKS. THANKS FOR THE FIX FOR THE DISPLAY. STEVE P.

Remote User:
Date:: 10 Dec 2002
Time:: 13:20:54

Comments

HELLO STEVE P. - SEND ME AN EMAIL AND I'LL TELL YOU HOW TO FIX YOUR PROBLEM WITH THE VOLUME CONTROL...HAVE YOUR TEN BUCKS READY. :) dharrison@shareamemory.com

email:: therotters@NOSPAMhotmail.com
Date:: 11 Dec 2002
Time:: 15:35:48

Comments

Thanks, I removed the radio with 4 small pocket screwdrivers (actually my 19 yr old did it) I got to the circuit board an looking in a magnifying glass, did not see problems with the solder joint. In reading some comments from others who had success, I decide to lightly sand (with 220 grit) on the solder joints on the board and that fixed the blank display problem. 100K on the 98 AJ

email:: dharrison@NOSPAMshareamemory.com
Date:: 14 Dec 2002
Time:: 20:00:29

Comments

To: therotters Well, while I cannot endorse the type of repair you did, I am amazed at what people try and it actually works. I think what you have been able to do is by sanding down the solder joints, where there was once a hair line fracture in the solder (hard to see even with a magnifying glass), by sanding these joints, this hairline fracture was probably filled in with metal solder dust from the sanding, thus "eliminating" the hairline fracture...so, while this appears to have worked for you, it may be temporary (or it could last as long as you own the radio). I have to hand it to you for creativity...as goes it for the wirebrush solution too. Cheers, D. Harrison

email:: cookjeffrey@NOSPAMyahoo.com
Date:: 16 Dec 2002
Time:: 16:44:12

Comments

This FIX really works. I am sending my donation this Friday. Thanks for the savings.

email:: jdf66@NOSPAMyahoo.com
Date:: 18 Dec 2002
Time:: 17:25:42

Comments

I went throught the instructions exactly as stated. Nothing worked. Then a bright idea came to mind. Why don't I just buy a brand new radio (non-ford)for about $150. Thats what I did!:) and it works like a champ. They also make wonderful install kits with very nice face plates. Note: They also had free installation:)) I would post this as "try this first" but if you must have a ford radio, then following the solder instructions.

email:: dennismc914@NOSPAMcs.com
Date:: 24 Dec 2002
Time:: 10:52:35

Comments

Hello and Happy Holidays! Your "fix" worked like a champ. Being a Ham Radio Operator, I am familiar with surface mount technology and the repair was almost simple. I found at least 2 cold solder joints on the board. I would highly recommend a magnifying glass to anyone that attempts this repair along with a very fine tipped iron. My wife had lived with the blank display for months as I searched for a replacement radio, all were way too high $$. I came accross your site and decided to try it. 1st time, worked great! Thanks for your help and have a wonderul Christmas! Dennis (IN)

email:: mirras@NOSPAMcharter.net
Date:: 28 Dec 2002
Time:: 17:16:28

Comments

I am one of those guys that hates to buy anything today, almost before you put it to use it breaks then you have to return it, explain what happened, hope the next one won't fall apart. I have an old fridge in my garage built in the 50's and I think the thing will live forever. what happened to quality? Anyway, about this raido thing I have been stooing around for six months, the raido LED'S quit working two weeks after we purchased our beautiful 99 explorer and my wife was driving me crazy complaining about getting it repaired. well I'll be damned if I was going to give Ford $500 to repair it. I told my wife its just a bad solder joint if I only knew how to spot it. I want to thank Mr. Harrison for this web site. Thanks again Duane, I am sending another $10, you made my wife's day!!!.P.S. about the only hard part is getting the raido out if your wire (coat hanger) is not heavy enough. Dave Mirras

email:
Date:: 07 Jan 2003
Time:: 08:10:56

Comments

Hi Duane ... I heard you on Bob and Sheri this morning!!! It's unfortunate that Ford screwed up so many of these radios, but I wish you continued success in helping others help themselves! You rock!!!!

email:: markg253@NOSPAMcox.net
Date:: 08 Jan 2003
Time:: 15:46:21

Comments

Just a note to say.... "It worked"! I didn't realize that there was such a widespread problem with these radios. I originally went on E-bay to see if I could find another radio...which there were plenty of.. then... i saw some guy offering to fix the display for $ 89.00 + $ 13.00 shipping. Then I went and did a search on Yahoo and found you, so I took a chance and it definitely paid off. It took about 1 1/2 hrs. start to finish. Your directions and pictures are great.. Thanks again. Mark G

email:: ncsol@NOSPAMbellatlantic.net
Date:: 09 Jan 2003
Time:: 09:37:19

Comments

The fix is well worth the small sum asked. It saved many hours and $480 as the local ford shop wanted $500 (an estimate) to do the same. All they would do was replace the board. If they had better pcb design and soldering skills we wouldn't have to do this. Anybody have trouble with the rear wiper motor not working well. I have to jiggle to get to work sometimes and now it just makes a noise.

email:: keiser@NOSPAMsedona.net
Date:: 14 Jan 2003
Time:: 19:47:11

Comments

Mr Harrison, What a web site. Been on the computer for years, but never had such a good feeling about this one. I have a 96 Ford Ranger, and now might think about upgrading to a Ford CD/Cass Radio.

email:: psiler@NOSPAMcharter.net
Date:: Wednesday, January 22, 2003
Time:: 10:35 AM

Comments

Up 3 days and still working! Good directions, pics and website design. I'll send the additonal 10 bucks gladly. One commment on your directions - don't know why you show removal of the EMI shield. I just hit the 5 devices to reflow - found one other (at the extreme front of the board) that looked suspicious, flipped the cable and put it back together. Was greeted with that pretty "12:00". I suggest you recommend removing the EMI shield only if required (to replace some of the devices?) Anyway thanks for the help. P Siler

email:: cyclpete@aolNOSPAM.com
Date:: Thursday, January 23, 2003
Time:: 11:54 AM

Comments

And, now it works. The instructions on radio removal seemed a bit extensive, I just used 4 pocket phillips tweekers (small screwdrivers), stuck 'em in and popped it out. I couldn't identify any really bad joints but the power resistors mounted tight to the board probably cause the surface mount devices to have shear joint failure through heating and cooling cyclicly. The 19.99 is a bunch less than the price of a photo-fax for this radio. Thanks Pete

email:: mirras@NOSPAMcharter.net
Date:: Wednesday, January 29, 2003
Time:: 01:38 PM

Comments

THANK YOU,THANK YOU,THANK YOU!!!!!! it has been over a month since my husband fixed my radio, and every time I get in there I am one HAPPY girl!! I have passed your e-mail on to two other people with the same problem. thanks again teri mirras

email:: the.fossil@verizonnospam.net
Date:: Saturday, February 01, 2003
Time:: 01:45 PM

Comments

Thanks. Downloaded your instructions with comments - read all the comments from others with the same problem - went and purchased the stuff suggested - did everything everybody suggested regarding solders and repositioning components - reinstalled in the explorer and everything works fine now. On the first try! Thanks, you have done everyone that hates constantly getting "ripped off" by Ford dealership repair departments a great service. Ron

email:
Date:: Wednesday, February 05, 2003
Time:: 09:57 AM

Comments

Duane, I read your comments about other problems you've been having with your Explorer, in particular the noises and such from the front end. I have a 2000 Explorer and a 98 Mountaineer. Both have had a problem with a squealing noise from the front end, especially in cold weather (maybe not a problem in NC). The fix was replacement of the "half shaft excluder seals" on both vehicles. Evidently there was some form of engineering design problem with the front hub assembly with the newer torsion bar/ball joint front end. I believe this is just a grease seal that doesn't like cooler weather. I think there's a TSB on this. Both were replaced under warranty, but if your vehicle is out of warranty, and if this is the source of some of your noises, you may be able to make a case with the dealer and/or the Ford zone people. Hope this helps.

email:: keiser@NOSPAMsedona.net
Date:: 13 February, 2003

Comments

Mr Harrison, This is my second e-mail. I told you I was in the process of purchasing a CD/Cass/AM/FM Ford Radio as described, such as used in the 98 & Up Explorer. I have purchased a New Model; Manuf sticker says Manufactured in 2000. I purchased the necessary wiring harnesses from METRA and installed the unit into my 96 Ford Ranger Extra Cab. Works Beautifully. With your FIX could I head-off any problems in the future by doing anything that would help eliminate problems in the future? Such as adding small head sinks to Power type resistors or raising resistors for better air circulation? I have no idea what the Circuit Board looks like or its component layout. I would be very happy to make a donation if you think your fix will head-off some problems in the future.

email:: dharrison@NOSPAMshareamemory.com
Date:: 14 February, 2003

Comments

Hi keiser@NOSPAMsedona.net...Congratulations on your new radio...they are great radios when everything is working. I live by a common saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." So, I would say that even though you'd like to try and avoid future trouble, I'd say cross that bridge when, and if, you get there. I have talked to owners of these radios that have not had any display problems, so there is a chance that you could be fine. If your display does go out, then contact me and I will help you with your repair. Cheers, Duane

email:: dsaito@NOSPAMprodigy.net
Date:: 15 February, 2003

Comments

This is very interesting. I was quoted over $1000 to fix this problem. Did you find a place to get this done in Hawaii?

email:: dharrison@NOSPAMshareamemory.com
Date:: 18 February, 2003

Comments

dsaito@NOSPAMprodigy.net, Thank you. I am now helping out in Hawaii too. A quote of $1000 for this radio repair!...I'll partner with you to set up a repair shop there. Let me know when I should head to Hawaii. Cheers, Duane

email:: bhall@NOSPAMdfwair.com
Date:: 10 March, 2003

Comments

Hi Duane: Read your info on the radio fix on the "Explorer" news group,and lo and behold my radio went south yesterday. Am sending a M.O. today to you for the $19.99

email:: gety@NOSPAMgwi.net
Date:: 13 March, 2003
Time:: 06:00 PM

Comments

Thanks Duane Worked great had to do it twice, went over all connections the 2nd time and then worked great. Best $20 I ever spent. Thanks again

email:: hrseycarNOSPAM@optonline.net
Date:: 30 March, 2003
Time:: 10:42 AM

Comments

Your fix is outstanding!! I repaired both my wife's 99 Mountaineer and my 98 Explorer radios with perfect results. Your $20 charge is more than a bargin, it's an outright steal! Thanks from both of us for saving a ton of money!! Robert & Maureen Fazzio

email:: gdtgdt@NOSPAMatt.net
Date:: 07 April, 2003
Time:: 11:32 AM

Comments

IT WORKS!!! First attempt and it went like butter melting on toast. 1,2,3, BINGO!!! I really appreciate this as I was being quoted $300.00 for a repair. I fixed it for ONLY $19.99. Thanks a million from Atlanta, GA

email:: crispvideo@msn.com
Date:: 16 April, 2003
Time:: 05:31 PM

Comments

The fix took me about two hours. Thanks for taking the time to share this info. You saved me a bundle of money! Mark Huffington

email:
Date:: 29 April, 2003
Time:: 05:41 AM

Comments

I thought that a fix for my radio could not be easy. I never thought it could be had for $19.99. But both are true. The instructions were detailed and the pictures were very helpful. It only took about a half hour to get my radio back in working order. Thanks for the help!

email:: bjdell@mmm.com
Date:: 30 April, 2003
Time:: 05:59 AM

Comments

Duane, Thanks for the info on fixing my radio. When the original radio display went out 1 week after I purchased my '98 Explorer XLT, I puchased a second one on eBay. One week after installing the new radio the same thing happened. I have now fixed the original radio and it is working GREAT! Barbie Dell Oakdale, Mn

email:: ecorfanedes1NOSPAM@charter.net
Date:: 03 May, 2003
Time:: 12:13 PM

Comments

Taking the radio out was probably the hardest part. As you said, it takes three hands and a lot of wiggling. I'll bet the boys that steal DIN radios are real fast at this, but with the Explorer radios known problems, they probably do not bother. I religiously followed the circuit board picture, and went over all the suggested resolder points. I was a bit nervous about touching a soldering iron to that board, but I did not have much to lose. The instructions were very clear, even if I had to squint a bit (with a magnifying glass) to see the solder points on the actual board. I reconnected the radio, and the display did not light up. This did not feel good. But after a second I remembered that the radio needed the ignition key tuned on. After that happiness was a lit display. It seems I will also need to order the volume encoder board, since the radio sometimes will not come on until you press the on button eight or ten times (anyway, I hope that is the appropriate fix). Thanks for your web site. You should send info to Ford dealers and tell them of your repair service. Hope the Good Lord blesses you with a good job.

email:
Date:: 27 May, 2003
Time:: 08:47 PM

Comments

Duane, Best $19.99 I ever spent! I am a EE and good with a soldering iron but because I didn't have any solderwick or silver solder tried to just reflow the joints...no go. Once Radio Shack opened and I was able to get the silver solder and solderwick I resoldered everything, raised the resistors, swaped the cable and even replaced the capacitor since I was in there again. Put it all back together and 12:00 reappeared...cool! Don't know which contact was bad and truthfully don't particularly care since resoldering the whole board is only about an hours effort. Anyway thanks for taking the time to provide this valuable service. Chris 98 Explorer XLT

email:: mosehighsmith@NOSPAMbellsouth.net
Date:: 10 June, 2003
Time:: 06:45 AM

Comments

ANOTHER satisfied customer!! Duane provided me access to "the fix" yesterday afternoon, and I immediately undertook the job. It was completely successful ... with one minor glitch that I would like to warn the novice (like me) about. While retouching the solder joints, I thought it would be a good idea to retouch ALL the joints in addition to the ones suggested by Duane (maybe not such a good idea). While doing that, I accidently detached a resistor from the IC board. To make matters worse, it fell off of my work bench in my shop. My work bench is dirty.. the floor of my workshop is dirty and dusty ... the resistor is about the size of a small tick (sorry I can't think of anything pleasant yet descriptive). I spent 3 HOURS on my hands and knees with my nose nearly touching the floor looking for the resistor. I was on the verge of e-mailing Duane to send me a new board when I finally found it in a clump of sawdust, and soldered it back to the board. Even after all that... THE FIX WORKED! My sugesstions: 1) be careful to be sure one side of a component is securely soldered before you monkey with the other side; 2) clean your work bench area and floor BEFORE you start; 3) put some light colored covering over your work area just in case something important comes off the board (preferably fire retardent.. you are using a very hot instrument!)

email:: gerb@NOSPAMatt.net
Date:: 22 June, 2003
Time:: 11:42 PM

Comments

Duane, Another success! But this fix does require patience and mega persistance... It took me three tries before I saw the 12:00. I was a bit discouraged when I first opened the radio up and did not see any cracked solder joints. After the first two attempts at resoldering the recommended components and still no display I had pretty much given up hope because after examining all the joints with a magnifying glass I couldn't see any that looked bad. But I thought, what the heck, one more try. The last time I touched nearly every joint except IC's on the back and the three surface mounts on the front... and finally it worked. Thanks for the great information!

email:: lasermel@nospam_hotmail.com
Date:: 24 June, 2003
Time:: 12:33 PM

Comments

Great info and probably saved me a lot of initial troubleshooting time. As a "long time tech", I've learned that a little info can be worth a lot of time and $20 for the "key" is a gift. 55 minutes from pulling the radio to driving away with a working display in a Mercury Villager. A hot air rework station with a fine tip iron helped speed things up. Thanks!

email:: robf@NOSPAMzoominternet.net
Date:: 06 July, 2003
Time:: 08:08 PM

Comments

Duane "you are genius that was the best 20 bucks I ever spent" I did the fix in 35 minutes. Thanks Rob from Ohio

email:
Date:: 13 July, 2003
Time:: 12:42 PM

Comments

I just completed the repair, and with success! However, I needed two attempts to get it working. Thanks Duane for your efforts to help us all fix our radios and get the satisfaction of doing it ourselves! MR - Ann Arbor, MI

email:: jphamman@nospamcavtel.net
Date:: 27 July, 2003
Time:: 05:44 PM

Comments

Duane, Thanks for the help! I was pleasantly surprised to type in "Ford Explorer Radio Display Broke" into Google.com and find your "fix" site. I have never soldered a circuit board before, but felt I had nothing to lose. I took a trip to Radio Shack and then studied your instructions. I followed the instructions and after checking/resoldering the contacts mentioned I found that the metal ground strip from the power/volume board to the main display board had a broken solder connection. I resoldered it and reinstalled the radio to find the satisfying "12:00" on the display! Total time spent fixing - less than 2 hours. Best $20 I ever spent for directions. You the man! Sincerly, Jeff Hamman - Virginia Beach, VA

email:: jeff @ clockrepair.net (remove spaces)
Date:: 28 July, 2003
Time:: 06:00 AM

Comments

I must say that I was very skeptical about this whole procedure. I reluctantly paid the $19.99 and contemplated failure. To my surprise, your hints really worked!! I was an Electronic Technician in the Navy, and now am a Clocksmith so delicate soldering was not difficult for me. I went to Radio Shack as other have done and purchased the solder and while standing in the aisle, I noticed 12vdc cooling fans for computers. I bought one 80486 for the huge sum of $4.97 and rigged it up inside the dash so it would point right at the power supply. I carefully spliced into the wiring harness (yellow/black wire-switched hot and black wire-ground). I used tie wraps to hold the fan to point directly into the culprit area. As to the soldering, I also carefully raised all the resistors to the highest position possible and added more solder just like you recommend. I hooked up the radio outside the dash, turned the key backward and was amazed!! I can't believe it works. And brighter than we've ever seen it before. My wife is very pleased and thinks I'm a genius. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it contiues to work. Thanks for sharing this valueable info for us poor unsuspecting Ford customers who should not bear the agony of solving this problem. I will also be emailing Ford. Jeff

email:
Date:: 28 July, 2003
Time:: 03:40 PM

Comments

Duane - Just installed my modified board today. Works great. Thanks for your help. Ryan Cook

email:: etyau@NOSPAMearthlink.net
Date:: 05 August, 2003
Time:: 09:53 PM

Comments

Duane, just a f/u. My radio fix is now 8 months old and the radio is still going strong. Again, you have provided a great service. Ed

email:: ggrab@NOSPAMmihp.com
Date:: 06 August, 2003
Time:: 01:10 PM

Comments

I tried your instructions to fix my Expedition radio. I have done soldering before, but never on something as small as a circuit board, so I was somewhat skeptical about the odds of being able to fix it. As it turns out, I did fix it. My Expedition radio display is working for the first time in two months and is brighter than ever. It was more than worth the twenty bucks. Thank You. George Grab

email:: jjv@NOSPAMhvw2.com
Date:: 12 August, 2003
Time:: 02:01 PM

Comments

Came across your web site last night and decided to give it a whirl. It took exactly 1:15 to remove the radio, take it apart, remove the EMF shield, solder and move components as per your instructions and put it back. The most difficult part of the project was taking out the radio. I used 4 3inch nails to push the retaining clip as these seemed more substantial then the coat hanger wire. I also took you advise that 3 hands would be better so I had my wife hold two nails out at one end while I pushed the other two at the other end and used my other hand in the cassette opening to pull the unit out. Thank you for putting all this together -- you have a great web site and your instructions are very clear and precise. Anyone with some soldering experience and some mechanical apptitude should be able to do this fix. Please feel free to use me as a reference. Hope you're having some success in your search for a job. Thanks again Joe Vella

email:: shezam@NOSPAMcomcast.net
Date:: 14 August, 2003
Time:: 08:00 PM

Comments

I wanted to thank you for the information. I have a 2001 Mercury Mountaineer and the light does not always work in the stereo. I have been going back and forth with Ford and they have refused to fix it or replace it. I emailed them your site since they told me this wasn't a common problem. Thanks again.

email:: limonator@tcl-racing.com
Date:: 26 August, 2003
Time:: 05:52 PM

Comments

Perfect - worked Great - Only took me about 2 hours to pull it - Hit all the points with my iron and bingo ! the ol 12:00 was flashing again!!! Best and cheapest fix I ever got. Thanks!

email:: rrobin06@NOSPAMearthlink.net
Date:: 29 August, 2003
Time:: 11:27 AM

Comments

Duane: Followed the instructions. Did only the basic "5 point" resoldering. Plug it back in and lights reappeared. Now 10 days later, it is still working. Thanks for the inexpensive fix for a really annoying problem. Robbie Robinson, Melbourne, FL 9/29/2003

email:: demerson@nospamtotcon.com
Date:: 31 August, 2003
Time:: 05:52 PM

Comments

Duane - Picked up our Explorer after one week at the airport to find the display was blank. Had no problems prior to then. Found your web site and signed up for the fix. Got the necessary supplies (the magnifying glass is a must), removed the radio with the bent coat hangers, hit the spots outlined with the iron/solder, did not remove the EMF shield or raise the resistors. Found a little corrosion on the back of the display and wiped it off. Looked the board over closely with the magnifying glass and could not find any apparent problems. Put it back together and did not have much hope for a display when putting it back in. Hooked it up and, viola, a 12:00!!! Only problem I had was the looks of the neighbors when I went back to the house hollering wahoo and jumping about with arms flailing! Good, easy to follow instructions. Thanks, Duane. Dave E. Clermont FL

email:: jnh3@NOSPAMjohnhackneyagency.com
Date:: 04 September, 2003
Time:: 05:39 PM

Comments

When I saw how small the solder points were, I thought "this will never work for me!" But I tried it anyway, and damn, it did work! Got the web page at 3 PM, Radio Shack at 6 PM, Radio/CD player back in the truck by 8 PM. All I did was touch the designated points with iron. It really worked... JohnH; Eastern NC

email:: jath2o@hotmail.com
Date:: 09 September, 2003
Time:: 07:54 PM

Comments

I was skeptic, but thought what the heck I will give it a try. It worked! I had to do it twice, but now it is back up and running beautifully! Thanks Pontiac Freak

email:: cptdragnNOSPAM@Bellsouth.net
Date:: 10 September, 2003
Time:: 07:02 AM

Comments

I had already gone the route of checking what a new head unit would cost. (589.00 here locally.) Checking the wreaking yards to see what they would charge. ( Not too bad but you end up with the same problem somewhere down the road and your back to square one ) and finally deciding to give Duane a chance. At this point I had little to lose but the invested funds. I opt'd for the swap program as I know just how poor my soldering ability was. ( to say the least, a bit less than desirable ) Duane promptly sent me an email after I paid him thru paypal stating the day he was sending out the part and when it should arrive. While he missed the delivery date by a day, I won’t hold that against him  We’ll blame UPS Following the directions on the site for removal and disassembly, I had the old board out and the new one back in and reinstalled the radio in less than 15 mins. When I turned the key and the display lit up even brighter than I had ever seen it, I was overjoyed. I would highly recommend this repair to anyone with the MACH radio system. THANKS Duane! Tony Avera

email:
Date:: 12 September, 2003
Time:: 07:33 AM

Comments

It WORKS!!!! Follow the instruction to the T except for removing the shield. No need to remove it, all the fix could be done from the bottom. Add solder to the resistors and capacitors, raised the 2 watts resistors. Put it back in the dash and there's the 12:00 o'clock. It's been 2 days and it's still works. Thanks Duane. Paul L

email:: lonniesmith24@hotmailNOSPAM.com
Date:: 13 September, 2003
Time:: 05:35 PM

Comments

I am proud to say that i saved over $300. I got a 00 eddie bauer explorer handed down to me from my dad. He had lived without a display for almost a year. He was contemplating forking over $300 for a new radio. I am pumped that i found a solution. I was worried that i wouldn't be able to do the soldering, but once i practiced for a few minutes, i was a pro. There was nearly no solder on the parts listed to fix, no wonder it didnt work. Thanks for your help.

email:: dlzkil@NOSPAMdejazzd.com
Date:: 25 September, 2003
Time:: 02:16 PM

Comments

the swap was great! After the radio was out, 12 minutes and the radio was back in and working. Thanks for the swap!

email:
Date:: 04 October, 2003
Time:: 06:14 PM

Comments

I did the fix in just about an hour. I'm no master of the soldering iron but this was pretty easy. The display on my radio has been working for 7 hours. I was searching the web to find a replacement radio (at $375) but found your site. Thanks for having this here. Steve J.

email:
Date:: 11 October, 2003
Time:: 11:34 AM

Comments

I hem-hawed around and searched and searched for a fix for my 99 expedition radio display problem with no luck. I took it apart to see if there was an obvious fix to the problem and saw none. I finally broke down and paid the money and within 90 minutes(that included going to Radioshack for the #8 torx bit) I had it in and was testing it. The FIX worked perfectly. Thankyou for not letting me spend in excess of $150 for a replacement on Ebay that would probably go bad anyway. John Richardson

email:
Date:: 04 November, 2003
Time:: 07:15 PM

Comments

My 2000 Expedition display was off more than it was on so I took it apart to look for a problem. I had tried resoldering the display leads before finding your site and it was still inconsistent. After reading your points, I took it apart again and resoldered the surface mount resistors and now it works perfectly! Thanks, Bruce W.

email:: mgregorynospam1@comcast.net
Date:: 06 November, 2003
Time:: 11:00 PM

Comments

Well, Add my name to the list of satisfied customers. It took some time, but I got it. To those with little to no soldering skills: if I can do it so can you. Just follow the directions. Duane is great at getting back to you with whatever questions you may have! Mike Gregory

email:: my3withes@shaw.ca
Date:: 14 November, 2003
Time:: 06:02 PM

Comments

i have a 1998 explorer eddie bauer.the display was gone,everything else worked,thanks duane for your help.it took me about 45 minutes to complete.i was very happy when the 12:00 was on the screen.

email:: grzybow92358@NOSPAMcomcast.net
Date:: 21 November, 2003
Time:: 08:56 PM

Comments

It took a couple of tries but the Fix worked great. Now I have my dispaly back. Beats spending hundreds at the dealer.

email:: Diceman@NOSPAMlcsys.net
Date:: 22 November, 2003
Time:: 06:19 PM

Comments

After recieving my fix, I waited about 40 minutes. I started soldering all the joints you pointed to on the power supply. I did about half and the display came on then went off. SO I went back and finished the rest of them and VOILA' the clock came on and STAYED on. Thanks for your help. I hope you and the girls have a wonderful Holiday.

email:: sledbug@NOSPAMaol.com
Date:: 03 December, 2003
Time:: 08:18 PM

Comments

Hi Duane, I wanted to let you know that I have been living with my Display out on my 1998 Explorer radio for the last 4 months. I was going to buy another radio on e-bay and was lucky enough to hit on your website. I used your fix and was able to get my radio back up and running in less than 2 hours. It took 2 attempts with the soldering pen since I only went after the big components the first time. The problem must have been in the smaller Chip Type components which I hit the 2nd time around. I found you instructions and pictures to be well laid out and easy to follow. Thanks again for taking the time to put this site together and maintain it. Dan Schamerhorn (Sledbug@NOSPAMaol.com)

email:: smcginn50@nospamcharter.net
Date:: 07 December, 2003
Time:: 03:29 PM

Comments

Thanks Duane, We tried it and so far so good. All the tips on what to look for were very helpful. We plugged it back in and it worked like a charm FIRST TIME. We will see how long it lasts. At least we now have some ideas if we need to get back in there and do some more soldering. Thanks for your help and information. Great photos!!! Sheila and Mark McGinnis

email:: admartinez178@NOSPAMsprintpcs.com
Date:: 15 December, 2003
Time:: 07:40 PM

Comments

Awesome!! I was actually shopping for a new stereo when I came across your site on ebay. It wasn't hard to try the 19.99 before spending 200.00. It took me less than 2 hours to get that sweet 12:00 in the dash. I had doubts, but it's a great service that you provide. Never enough Thanks, Adrian

email:: ldtownsend@NOSPAMadelphia.net
Date:: 20 December, 2003
Time:: 11:13 AM

Comments

Hi. This is the holdout from Vermont. The reason it took so long for us to give it a try is that when our radios crap out we just buy a new car. My symptoms were different than most others. Every thing worked except the power would drop intermittently. I could play with the volume control and it would eventually come back on for an hour or a minute or a second. I ordered the fix and did some soldering. Helped for a day then reverted to its bad ways. I ordered the volume control board and it has been working like a champ since I installed it. Went in would with no problems. Been working for a month now. The biggest plus was the fact that I could communicate with someone, (Duane) about the problem. Duane was very helpful and knowledgeable. Saved me buying a new car. Guess I owe him a few more thousand dollars. Don't hold your breath. Thanks..

email:: mtnpilotdiver@NOSPAMmsn.com
Date:: 30 December, 2003
Time:: 05:10 PM

Comments

My wife and I bought a 1998 used Mountaineer "As-Is." The salesman said, "Oh, it's usually only a fuse, or something (don't ever trust a used car salesman!) The service department told me that to get the radio display to work again they would have to remove the radio and send it away for repairs. "It will cost $300 and up to fix," stated the service writer. So I went hunting on the internet and found Duane's fix. It took me about an hour to pull the radio and do the fix. My wife's comment: It works, it works, it works!!! Best 20 bucks I ever spent! Now if I can only figure-out how to set the time?

email:: jmoore_techNOSPAM@yahoo.com
Date:: 02 January, 2004
Time:: 12:03 PM

Comments

Thanks Duane! I HAD a 99 EB Expedition with the display not working. Thanks to Google (to find you) and your excellent directions and photo's I was able to remove the radio and the front display, resolder all the joints per your diagram (including the 2 led joints) and IT WORKED. My wife is very happy. Thanks again.

email:: dtroike@NOSPAMhotmail.com
Date:: 06 January, 2004
Time:: 07:06 PM

Comments

Mr. Harris, I just wanted to let you know your fix worked!! I gave a donation right before xmas and printed everything out. I was having a problem with the radio lights cutting in and out on my 2001 Mercury Mountaineer. During the holiday when I traveled home to Indiana and my dad's farm shop, we attempted "the fix". I bought the $3 radio removal tool and had the radio out in about 2 minutes. Scary to see how quick a pro could steal it! Know I must admit that I had my uncle with me who is an electrical & instrumentation technician with the local power company who is an expert in soldering help me. But we followed your instructions and had the power board out in about 5 minutes. We then saw the problem with bad solder joints around the resistors. We ended up touching up all of them. We then put it all back together and it worked!! Total time was less than 1 hour. If I had not had my uncle and his special solder iron and magnifying light it probably would have taken a little longer, but still would have worked. Now for the funny part. My father-in-law has a 2001 Explorer (he worked for Ford for 38 years so I get the A plan, can't beat it) and he didn't tell me, but he had the radio lights go out on his truck about 3 months ago and paid the dealer $318 to get it fixed. Man was he upset when he found out I fixed mine for $20. Thanks for sharing the information. I am sorry to hear that so many people were jerks and weren't willing to donate back to you after your fixed worked for them! I hope you have now found a full time job using your engineering skills. Thanks! Carl

email:: jnoller@NOSPAMgraphicdesignservices.biz
Date:: 12 January, 2004
Time:: 04:28 PM

Comments

I brought your instructions over the holidays and got around to trying your fix last weekend. When I pulled out the power supply I was sure the problem was with the 2 watt resistors, it appeared there was no solder on them. Resoldered all power supply connections per your instructions, reassembled & reinstalled feeling very good about my soldering skills. NO LIGHTS, instant re-evaluation of my soldering skills and a rereading of your instructions. This time I looked at the display connections on the front board and while they all appeared good I just hit each one with the hot iron. Once again reinstaled and this time the display worked perfectly. I'm not sure if it was the reflowing the display joints or just reattaching the cable connection. In any case, thanks for the assistance! My Explorer is a '98 with 178,000 miles and the radio display was poor to nonexistant for about half of them.

email:: drma@NOSPAMcoqui.net
Date:: 14 January, 2004
Time:: 11:32 AM

Comments

Great source information, worked like a charm!!!

email:: woody374@NOSPAMhotmail.com
Date:: 20 January, 2004
Time:: 08:30 AM

Comments

It Works!!! My wife and I want to thank you for web site. Her radio display is been off for about 2 yrs. Last week I was on the internet and just put in a search for help and your web site came up. I had my brother in law do the soldering. He is into to electronics. He just looked at the pages I download from your web site, and went to town. It took a total of about 1 hr. My wife is very happy! thks Curt & Cindy

email:: jj_russell@NOSPAMcharter.net
Date:: 30 January, 2004
Time:: 03:49 PM

Comments

After receiving info, struggled getting the radio out, probably needed a stronger wire or the radio is simply put very tight, followed the rest of the instructions, reinstalled and seems to work fine with resodering display contacts and several of the other suggested points. Thanks for the info.

email:
Date:: 01 February, 2004
Time:: 08:41 PM

Comments

2000 EXPEDITION After some initial attempts at the repair and not finding success, I decided to request some additional help. My e-mail was quickly responded to with additional help. This was the solution. Works like new. It turned out to be the two resistors that seem to cause most problems in Expeditions. Well worth the donation. Thanks again, Tony R.

email:: ns1430@NOSPAMrcn.com
Date:: 27 February, 2004
Time:: 10:35 AM

Comments

Thank You. The repair shops wanted 250 or 275 to fix. I purchased your fix and a 15 watt soldering iron I only had large ones at home. Because I tried with the big iron first I did not do the 5 Caps & Resistors they looked good. it diden't work. So I got a 15w iron and went over all the points and added solder to the 5 Caps & Resistors. I also worked on the 2 points on the face plate. Larry Chicago, IL

email:: mjwarren77@NOSPAMyahoo.com
Date:: 07 March, 2004
Time:: 07:21 PM

Comments

Want to thank you for your procedures and ideas. I know that the solder fix to the power supply board will fix my problem, and I've managed to get it working for about 3 days in my 99 Mercury Mountaineer. Unfortunately, I'm not the best with soldering, and I'm in the middle of a graduate program that takes up all my time. I've decided to do the swap program so I'm sure I'll have a properly working board and I just sent in the Paypal for that. An interesting fact was that my mother just bought a 99 Explorer and it had the same problem. The owner replaced the radio for $400. I told my mother that if the radio goes out, I should be able to fix it. Thanks for your great work, though. You've done a lot of people a great service.

email:: Iowajazzlover@NOSPAMfmtcs.com
Date:: 11 March, 2004
Time:: 06:54 AM

Comments

Duane, Just another "You Rock!" at-a-boy from another satisfied customer. I'm an FCC licensed Engineering Technician with a large avionics company in the Midwest. My 1998 Explorer radio lost its display last weekend and I immediately tried a web search. I'll be honest ... I did find one or two posts that pointed to the power supply board and how to fix. Then I found your site. From what I read in your "teaser", it seemed like you had gone to great lengths to document the procedure from start to finish. I’m the non-typical male ... I enjoy having instructions to follow complete with pictures. So ... call me naive ... I decided to fork over the $19.99 and see what you had to offer. Was I amazed? Holy cow .... YES! You have done an excellent job at documenting the procedure from beginning to end, and even added some other possibilities to check out. I believe I even saw where you had added a statement about giving a refund if none of the ideas worked. Now that's the type of service I've given my customers in my past 30 years. I had to laugh ... over the past few days, I've gotten emails back from three repair shops who want as much as $250.00 to do this fix, and some try to assure me that they "soup-up" the whole radio and give it the once-over. While that may be the case, I'm afraid if I'm going to shell out that kind of money, I'll go with a new "after-market" radio. I ended up touching up (or wicking off and reflowing) every connection on the board, even the IC leads. I didn't want to have to go back in at a later date if I could help it! I put the power resistors above the board as much as possible, and checked everything under a high power microscope. De-fluxed the entire assembly, put it back in, and it worked like a charm. I can't thank you enough for the service you've provided for those who suffer from the same affliction. While some folks may have more serious issues with defective components, it seems that most suffer from the simple poorly designed board. And I imagined the worst when the entire radio was working, minus the display ... bad readout, bad driver IC ... mega-bucks? Who would have dreamed that it could be such a simple repair. I hope by now you've found full-time employment. Any company would be better off with you in their staffing. Robert Neff Vinton, Iowa

email:
Date:: 12 March, 2004
Time:: 05:11 AM

Comments

Duane: Success! I bought a used 1999 Eddie Bauer Expedition and the display on the radio did not work. I figured I could live without the display so long as the radio/tape/cd-player worked. No display, however, got old fast. I found your website, got the info and last night in 20 minutes fixed the display. The radio is a tape/6-CD changer and it now works like a charm. Thanks for the help. David Klingebiel, Dover, New Hampshire.

email:
Date:: 14 March, 2004
Time:: 07:54 AM

Comments

Duane, I used your directions to fix a 98 Exploder radio for a friend at work. With buying the solder gun, solder, desolder and your directions it was under $40. It took just under 90 minutes from start to finish and I wasn't in a hurry at all. Worked perfect and the directions were excellent. After finding your website, I debated trying the fix without directions, but they were definately worth every penny and now I have 3 other co-workers who want theirs fixed. Thanks again, Ron

email:: michael.smith@NOSPAMfmcti.com
Date:: 18 March, 2004
Time:: 10:50 AM

Comments

Best $19.99 that I ever spent. I have a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Orvis Edition that is perfect except for the stupid radio/cd player. After being quoted anywhere from $65 to $285 to fix it I found Duane's website. Long story short, it took all of 45 minutes to pop the radio out fix the display and clean the switches on the faceplate. I have ordered a couple of switches to replace the ones that are still not quite right but this saved a ton of time and money. The information ws spot on and the tasks were clearly explained and easy to execute. Thanks Duane... Mike Smith

email:: ww2051@NOSPAMcox.net
Date:: 22 March, 2004
Time:: 02:32 PM

Comments

Duane, Password works o'k. The tip for fixing the radio in my Explorer was right on. I bought the radio removal tool because my wire coat hangers were not strong enough. The tips for soldering were quite helpful. I previously worked as a central office technician for Verizon and knew how to solder. The fix has lasted 3 weeks and counting. Thanks again, Bill

email:
Date:: 23 March, 2004
Time:: 09:43 AM

Comments

What an excellent guy to deal with... I had no where else to turn with my Infinity Gold stereo when I found Duane's web page. I paid my dues but found that his fix was for a different Infinity Gold model that I already knew how to fix. He immediately refunded my money. We emailed back and forth and I explained that certain models are completely different than in his fix. He didn't know this so I sent my stereo out to him... I've gotten into these before and fixed them, but this model had me stumped. Needless to say Duane had it figured out and fixed in no time. Hopefully everyone will benefit from our experiment!!!! Stefan DeMatteo VP. Trail Quest, Inc.

email:: snowy74940@NOSPAMaol.com
Date:: 27 March, 2004
Time:: 08:32 AM

Comments

Duane, Finally after 2 years I have a working radio. I chickened out on the soldering part and went with swapping the board and it works beautifully! I do recommend buying the removal tool as that took 2 seconds to remove as to trying with the coat hangers. Thank you for all of your help.

email:: kondor5220@NOSPAMhotmail.com
Date:: 02 April, 2004
Time:: 01:59 PM

Comments

YOU ROCK!! I was quoted $650.00 replacement on my radio by the Ford Dealership. I was ready to pay it! I treat my Explorer better than I treat my wife! It took me less than an hour. And I was taking pictures as I went. This is one of the best tings to happen since my daughter was born. YOU ROCK! Thank you for putting this fix out there. I'll send the pictures on later. Sincerely, Brad Chrisenberry

email:: nospambbusacco@rochester.rr.com
Date:: 03 April, 2004
Time:: 05:01 PM

Comments

The display on my 1999 Ford Explorer went blank about 6 months ago. Although I have the talent as an electrical engineer to fix it myself, I stared at it for 6 months, getting more and more angry, wondering where all those electrons went! Once I found this "cookbook" solution on the web, I gladly paid the $19.99 fee for the opportunity follow a set of instructions rather than debug the whole radio myself. It was a good decision as I had the radio fixed and working in 45 minutes. Once put together, the radio display worked, and still comes on every time I start the vehicle..hallelujah! I appreciate a good set of instructions and the effort you put into this. Your careful description, photos and tips make this a pretty easy project for people of all backgrounds. It's well worth the money.

email:: beyer421@NOSPAMaol.com
Date:: 18 April, 2004
Time:: 06:02 PM

Comments

Thank You very much. It has been 8 hours and my radio is working fine. Hope it works for a thousand more. I thank you, my wife thanks you and my kids thank you.

email:: qweesdraw@NOSPAMhotmail.com
Date:: 20 April, 2004
Time:: 04:44 PM

Comments

The #1 fix is a cake walk! I haven't tried #2 fix yet. To tell the chassis diffrence between the #1 fix and #2 fix are a few things. #1 fix has felt where the CD is inserted and the ON/OFF onthe volume control is a (PUSH),to turn it on. #2 fix has a (door)that says (disk loading).The volume control ON/OFF is a (CLICK),turn to the right. I have 9 of these units being a car stereo installer and a pack rat.(not a tech) A tip on soldering the resistors! Use a fine point tweezers to (center) hold them so they don't slide on you. The (cheat)on button controls (push buttons,seek ect).I have not seen the replacement parts yet,this has work's using (cannibal parts). Use an Exato knife,(sharp,don't cut yourself)! Lift on both the metal edges that retain the metal sides that retain this clip. Replace with the new guts (from the new switch you bought).(I have used radios i can pull parts from.)Tech spray the contacts,(Radidio Shack.)on the board. The accordian parts from the switch seem to fail that push the button back in the dry climate that i live in. Gently sgueeze the retaining clip (inwards) and put it back on,(easier then resolsering the switch in) i think. I have fixed 4 of the 9 on the #1 fix in less than 2 hours.(4 of 4). 3 hours from getting the website reply from Duane. (reading carefully first) Keep in mind (i can solder well)

email:: Jim@NOSPAMakitchenandbathcompany.com
Date:: 21 April, 2004
Time:: 08:56 AM

Comments

Duane, Since I am not good at soldering circuit boards I opted to use the swap program. I just did the swap in a 2000 Mercury Villager (aka Nissan Quest) and it works fine! Your instructions were excellent and the prompt service was excellent as well. Using your website and the swap program ANYONE that can read can do this swap and save themselves time and money. Thanks again and the best of luck! Jim Engleman

email:: DWilso2169@NOSPAMaol.com
Date:: 27 April, 2004
Time:: 07:19 PM

Comments

Received an estimate from a FORD dealer to fix the non-working display of $320.00 - 98 Mountaineer. Then looked for an aftermarket radio to replace and found that was going to be an expense only to lose the functionability of the CD changer and possibly the sub-woofer. A friend of mine went on E-Bay and found a link to your website. I sent the information to my brother who is an engineer at Ford and he told me to go for it. From start to finish it took us exactly 1 hour (removal of radio to snapping it back in place). We hit all the points you mentioned including those that were suggested on the power supply board. Also, the only obvious problem was the shield solder was completely broken allowing for the shield to move. We also reflowed the solder and reconnected the shield. After all was completed, I was amazed the Radio Display was FULLY FUNCTIONAL. THANK YOU!

email:: mdeal16@NOSPAMcfl.rr.com
Date:: 04 May, 2004
Time:: 12:32 PM

Comments

The Swap Program worked great! I received my new board in two days and was able to swap it out in less than 20 minutes. Everything appears to be working like it is suppose to. Thanks for excellent instructions and speeding delivery!

email:: mtnpilotdiver@NOSPAMmsn.com
Date:: 11 May, 2004
Time:: 09:50 AM

Comments

I did the radio display fix to my 1998 Mountaineer three months ago: The best $19.99 I ever spent! Since then, my '98 had been destroyed by an idiot who plowed into the SUV while my wife and I were sitting at at stop light. Considering the sharp impact that broke the seats and even bent the vehicle frame, I noticed that the display still worked! So now I have an extra radio to compliment the same model radio in my recently purchased 2000 Mountaineer replacement SUV. I mentioned this www.shareamemory site on the AutomotiveForums.com site. You may be receiving more requests for the "Fix." Doug Rodrigues Sparks (Lockwood), Nv.

email:: dkfrank415@nospamhotmail.com
Date:: 15 May, 2004
Time:: 05:46 AM

Comments

Thanks, I recently obtained your instructions to fix the display on my wife's 98 Exp. radio and it worked just great. Took about 2 hours but it was worth every minute and every penny. We have been without a display for about a year. Had est. from "it can't be done to a new unit for $800". I came across your web site much the same as some others I have read about, by doing a searh for Exp. radio display fix. I thank you for your effort. It is good to know there are good folks on this internet too. Thanks again. May God bless you and yours, Dave Erwin, TN.

email:
Date:: 28 May, 2004
Time:: 06:57 PM

Comments

Wow! I have a F-150 with the same radio display problem. Your instructions were easy to follow and it took me only 30 minutes to fix the radio once I removed it. The whole process took less than 1 hour. Thanks Duane...Jeff

email:: deuxdad1@NOSPAMyahoo.com
Date:: 12 June, 2004
Time:: 03:18 PM

Comments

Duane, Many, many thanks for this website and your expertise. My Explorer display started disappearing off and on for several months and finally just never came back on again. I inquired about repairs and/or exchanges and found what everyone else found - $300-$400 to get it fixed. I had found that I was able to fix my own HP printer through a website saving me hundreds of dollars and through another website, learned how to replace the battery in my wife's Clie PDA. That got me to thinking that maybe there was a website where someone who already had this problem might have posted their personal success story in getting their display to work again. Doing a Google search of Ford Explorer radio eventually turned up your site. So, for about $25 (your $19.99 and Wal-Marts $3-$4 DIN removal tool, I now have a functioning display again. I only today got it working after about an hour of bench time and haven't had the radio on for any length of time so I don't know if it will fail again but I have fairly high confidence that it wont. I'v suspected all along that the problem was most likely a cold solder joint but I had no idea where to look. Your website solved all that for me. Thanks again, Jack

email:
Date:: 13 June, 2004
Time:: 11:37 AM

Comments

Just finished "The Fix" on my 2000 Explorer. It works great. I didn't have any noticable breaks or separations on the circuit board. There were difinite signs of heating and a few joints that looked like they may have been what we used to call "cold solder joints". I resoldered the recommended spots on the under side. Put the radio back in and was very pleased to see that "12:00". Thank you for going to the trouble of putting up this site. I can't remember the last time I got as much value out of $20.00. Jhous

email:: tsd@NOSPAMsiliconco.com
Date:: 14 June, 2004
Time:: 08:19 PM

Comments

After seeing a family member shell out over 200$ for a new stereo to be put in the 2000 Explorer they owned when the display went out, I knew with a little searching I could find a cheaper fix when mine went last week. I spent a little over two hours with this and was happy to see the 12:00 happily flashing back at me. I did need to retouch all my solder points, as just swapping the cable didn't do it for me. In the end, time and money well spent. Thanks for the hard work to diagnose this issue. - Tim

email:: richard.blaine@NOSPAMus.army.mil
Date:: 21 June, 2004
Time:: 11:38 AM

Comments

I must admit, I wasn't quite sure if this was a hoax, or for real. But I tried it anyway, and in less the 30 minutes my display panel was good as new. So thanks for saving me some money, and thanks for the help. CPL Blaine

email:: SDSchneider@NOSPAMhotmail.com
Date:: 03 July, 2004
Time:: 03:43 PM

Comments

Used your instructions to repair my Ford radio. I had no prior experience in soldering, but the instructions made it possible. The display has been working now for 3 months and feel the fee for the instructions and soldering tools was money well spent. Steve

email:: RikkiB1970@NOSPAMAOL.com
Date:: 11 July, 2004
Time:: 04:39 PM

Comments

Woo-hoo!!!!!!! The third time is the charm!!! I figured I would give it one more shot after two falied attempts. The first 2 times I soldered all the areas on the power board that was recommended by the diagrams. It WASN'T the power supply board. It was the front panel display! To be exact, it is the picture labled Figure 13D-B-Front Panel Display (has 2 yellow arrows pointing to where pins should have come through the circuit panel) under the heading "What if my display is still not working?". The soldering in these 2 spots looked as if it had come off . I put some solder on the 2 pins sites, put the radio back together and VIOLA! I got the 12:00 on my clock. It blinked off once but came right back on. Even if it doesn't stay on, I know where to look!! Thanks for your site. It was $20.00 well spent (If only I had found it before bidding on a radio on Ebay). Now if I could only figure out how to set the clock :)

email:: na6t@NOSPAMna6t.com
Date:: 13 July, 2004
Time:: 03:28 AM

Comments

Boy, I'm glad I found your site. I was looking for a place to have the radio repaired or buy a used one on E-bay, but I put in the CPN 5269054 and you were the top hit in google. The repair worked great, (older repair in Figure 17) I had the radio out already and within 20 minutes of getting the user/pass the radio was up and 'glowing'. I was a chrysler New car dealer for 35 years (Jack Smith Dodge-Ply-Chrysler-Jeep) in Fort Bragg and we probably sent in 75-100 of these radios for the 'no display' complaint. God, I could have fixed them myself and saved the $175-$250 'exchange price' the warranty repair center charged for the 15 minutes work.. Thanks again, the money was well invested, Bob Smith NA6T Fort Bragg, California

email:: gothictreasures@NOSPAMmsn.com
Date:: 25 July, 2004
Time:: 12:18 PM

Comments

I would like to thank you for all your help. The second try worked great and also the problem I was having with some of the buttons not lighting up even after I removed the cd must have been a dust problem. I blew it out and everything lights up like new when I eject the cd. Its been over a week and the display still works great. Thanks again Larry Burrell

email:: ed.dean@NOSPAMmd.nacdnet.net
Date:: 03 August, 2004
Time:: 04:33 AM

Comments

I'm gonna try and fix my radio display with your help. Had to comment on your Thank You screen. This is the first time I've seen a thank you so personal. Cute kids!

email:: mswhite1@NOSPAMcox.net
Date:: 08 August, 2004
Time:: 02:44 PM

Comments

Success on the fix......Piece of cake!!!!!! Total time 45 minutes.

email:: edean@NOSPAMispwset.com
Date:: 16 August, 2004
Time:: 06:53 AM

Comments

My son and I both have 01 Mountaineers. The display wasn't working on his at all and mine was intermitent. I resoldered all the points in your ilistrations. They have been working for approx. a week now. Thanks - you saved us a lot of grief & money.

email:: et1jim@NOSPAMjuno.com
Date:: 18 August, 2004
Time:: 04:03 AM

Comments

Repaired my 1998 Explorer radio on June 4, 2004 and after 2 soldering attempts (1st one was not thorough enough), radio display has been functioning perfectly. Thank you for doing the research and providing this information for the people who want to repair their stuff themselves and save money. It was the best money I've spent on my vehicle in a long time.

email:: GASousa@NOSPAMpeoplepc.com
Date:: 27 August, 2004
Time:: 10:07 AM

Comments

Hey, that was pretty cool seeing a great picture of yourself and your girls after paying through PayPal. I'll let you know how the repair goes. Thanks. George

email:: cheerfan@NOSPAMnc.rr.com
Date:: 30 August, 2004
Time:: 07:48 AM

Comments

Your solution really saved me a lot of hassle and money. I would definately recommend your service to anybody who needs to get their radio repaired. You were very quick to respond to me and you were very thorough in answering my questions. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to give your services a try before I submitted myself to the Ford dealer and/or an unknowledgable electronics shop. I am so glad that I did! Jack Franks

email:
Date:: 31 August, 2004
Time:: 03:39 PM

Comments

SWEEEeeeeeeeet. works just like he said it would. did the pwr sply thinga-ma-jig and the cd/error fix both on the same radio and she worked like a champ. thanx dude.... sam

email:: gapview@NOSPAMcomcast.net
Date:: 05 September, 2004
Time:: 04:06 PM

Comments

It worked! Thanks you saved my wallet and display! Thanks alot! Dave

email:: res0hjse@NOSPAMverizon.net
Date:: 09 September, 2004
Time:: 01:19 PM

Comments

Excelent, worth 5 times the price. took 1 Hr. for total repair. J.D. Wilsonville,Or

email:: tsix66@NOSPAMjuno.com
Date:: 13 September, 2004
Time:: 04:53 PM

Comments

Excellent fix. I could kick myself for not doing this 9 months ago… Thanks, Tracy Six

email:: bcaldwell@NOSPAMfirstlocal.net
Date:: 26 September, 2004
Time:: 04:06 PM

Comments

I was about to send my Explorer radio out to repair the no display problem when I came upon your website and "The Fix". I was a little reluctant at first to take a chance on sending $20.00 for a supposed cure to my problem. After weighing the options of spending $200.00 or more on repairs or taking a chance and sending you $20.00 for a possible solution, I took the plunge and paypaled my 20 bucks. I reinstalled , turned it on and wallah, the display came up, and has been working fine for 2 days. I'm confident it is fixed. Thanks for your information, without which I never would have attempted the repair, and would have paid out a bunch of money to someone for the repair. Thanks again, Bob Caldwell

email:: wbradfordhart@NOSPAMyahoo.com
Date:: 20 October, 2004
Time:: 01:49 PM

Comments

The fix worked. This was the my first time using a soldering iron. I finally got my radio display, and my brother-in-law's radio display, to work, only after I went back and cleaned up my solder joints.

email:: vidviss@nospamaol.com
Date:: 23 October, 2004
Time:: 07:10 AM

Comments

I have been without a display on the radio in my 2001 Ford F150 for several months and was thinking about just putting in an aftermarket radio. I decided first to see if there was an easy fix. I found many references to your site in various forums. There were a few grumblings for having to pay $20.00 for the instructions, but I will have to say that no one should have an issue with paying that. You might suggest that insterting the homemade removal tool too far makes things worse and won't help, which I discovered on my own, but I still got it out in 15 minutes. After that, I spent 25 minutes following your directions for resoldering and within an hour, the radio was back in my truck and working perfectly. I've been without a display for so long, this is like having a new radio to me and was well worth the price paid for your advice. Thanks for the help.

email:: ddcochran@nospamhotmail.com
Date:: 09 November, 2004
Time:: 07:02 AM

Comments

Your fix works great! I repaired my wife's 2000 Quest radio with success. Thanks Duane for your efforts to help us all fix our radios. Doran Cochran

email:
jmezro@yahoo.com
Date:
12 November, 2004
Time:
05:56 PM

Comments

hi, i want to thank you for this information, I am a used car dealer in Pa and i currently have 5 of these radios that do not work, I have been buying replacment radios on ebay from $100 to 175. I then finally decided to try to fix them myself and found your website and paid my $19.95 and fixed the display in about 2 hours, I can not wait to fix the other four I have, you have just saved me hundreds of $$$$$$ thank you so much, joe

email:
rtbreton@comcast.net
Date:
14 November, 2004
Time:
06:10 PM

Comments

Duane, Followed your directions step by step, lights and indication are working fine. Thanks for the help. Regards, Richard Breton

email:
tony.manco@mci.com
Date:
17 November, 2004
Time:
08:55 PM

Comments

First off, Duane is one hell of a guy, I had an issue that was my own fault and I lost it.. He called me back and discussed the situation with me and got me to where I needed to go... Thank you! I had a CD eject issue.. Found this site while looking to buy a new one and it gave me the thought hey it's broke anyway, whats the worst that can happen I have to buy another one anyway.. I don't like to repair radios, would rather just replace them but mine is not a cheap one.. Following his directions for the repair, I noticed that one of the wires for the Eject motor was hanging by a thread. so I resoldered that on in addition to his instructions, I put it all back together and it worked Beautifully! This Mountaineer was a wedding gift to my new wife and she is extreamly happy now that she can now blast her AC/DC CD's and annoy the neighbors.. not to mention it leaves us and extra 80-130.00 to work on our other restoration jobs we have going on.. This is a fantastic site.. believe these documents, they work, and will also give you the confiidence when it's an item you don't want to open, to be able to fix it yourself.. Like I said before, whats the worst that can happen? you have to replace it anyway? I will be back here if I ever need it in the future, and also just to browse around.. Thanks Duane for an honest and factual transaction.. Tony ..

email:
David.rosario@martinmarietta.com
Date:
19 November, 2004
Time:
04:24 AM

Comments

I've been working in the electronics repair service for many years and I know how frustrating it can be to obtain a schematic diagram and then find just one cold
solder joint, let alone over ten. This can be time consuming and costly. Thanks to Duane and the internet I accomplished the fix in less than an hour from start to
12:00 in the car. In the old days it would have taken a week. For the donation cost you can't get a better deal. I saved $$$ and precious quality time. Thanks
Duane

email:
Scb7b@netscape.net
Date:
23 November, 2004
Time:
11:57 AM

Comments

I finally got around to fixing my radio using your instructions. I just wanted to say thank you. It was a piece of cake. Fixed in 15 minutes. Your instructions were great. It's so nice to see the display again.

email:
jckobzeff=no-spam@aol.com
Date:
25 November, 2004
Time:
02:28 PM

Comments

Even though it took me several months to get my act together and do the fix, once it was done, it fixed my 'missing display' problem. Once I reassembled the
unit, and reinstalled it, the display came right back up, and the radio and CD player work fine. I'll be checking the AM reception shortly to see if it improved, but
even if it stays the same as before, I'm happy.

email:
red5nige@yahoo.com
Date:
26 November, 2004
Time:
09:51 AM

Comments

Thank you you really know what you are talking about. I fixed my radio in 20 minutes and the fault was exactly where you said it would be. Nige Grant

email:
vrabbene@msn.com
Date:
23 December, 2004
Time:
07:01 AM

Comments

Duane, The board worked fine. It was great to see that "12:00" light up after months of darkness!. Thanks also for the great service. It was a pleasure doing business with you. You made it easy and painless. Any one that is wondering if they should use your service need only contact me for an extremely positive appraisal. Thanks, Vinny Rabbene

email: damin@nospam.com

Date: 06 January, 2005

Time: 11:52 PM

Comments

OK, I was skeptical of the $20 bucks I spent...but within 30 minutes of poking at the components with the solder iron (I skipped the sucker/wicker part). The radio works. I will let you know how long it lasts. Bad News...I can not change the time. I press the RDS button and all I get is RDS OFF... RDS ON. So, the clock is a few hours off... I plan to pull the fuse in 8 minutes. Everything else works, CD, VCP, TAPE, FM and AM. Thanks, Damin Estes

(READ THE NEXT COMMENT REGARDING SETTING THE CLOCK - Duane)

email: damin

Date: 06 January, 2005

Time: 11:58 PM

Comments

Good news...I can change the time..just had to keep tapping on the RDS button. Thanks Again

email:

Date: 08 January, 2005

Time: 10:17 AM

Comments

if anyone is trying to print off instruction`s,i have found that printing in landscape mode under printer option`s will do the trick.....

email: ELP72@aol.com

Date: 08 January, 2005

Time: 06:53 PM

Comments

First let me say that I was sceptical after payapling you my donation and seeing the fix for my 2000 Expidetion radio display. But I did what you recomended,with little hope for sucsess but your fix did work, thak you worth the money

email: uptonsteve@sbcglobal.net

Date: 12 January, 2005

Time: 07:03 AM

Comments

Great program and great help. Thanks for your service.

email: AIMGroup@NOSPAMaol.com

Date: 17 January, 2005

Time: 02:49 PM

Comments

Made my donation about two hours ago. I've already had the radio out once so that was easy. The pictures and directions are flawless. I am not the least bit adept at fine detail work as I have the touch of a blacksmith and was going to use a soldering iron more suitable for power lines measured in megawatts. Anyway, I read all the postings before attempting anything past disassembly. At this point I decided to just clean everything and swap the plugs. I then gave the radio back to a newly licensed 16 year old (the main reason I was doing this today) and for whatever reason the gods of electricity have allowed the display to shine!!! I know that there is a good chance that the display will go out again at which time I will gladly "save my sanity" but for now I will just enjoy the "you're awesome dad" comments and consider this the best $20 value since high school prom. Thanks, Peter

email: hoganveigh@NOSPAMearthlink.net

Date: 31 January, 2005

Time: 10:39 AM

Comments

Thanks, the new board worked perfectly. The hardest part of the fix is getting the radio out of the car. I should have done this 3 years ago.

email: pbush8@NOSPAMjuno.com

Date: 02 February, 2005

Time: 01:51 PM

Comments

I just wanted to say thanks for the help. I was really suprised how easy and how detailed your instructions were. It took me about 1hour for a complete repair, and it has been working great for approx. 6 months. Again I thank you. I have another problem with the Explorer not wanting to idle some days if anyone can help. Throttle peddal seems to stick at times.

email: geosport56@NOSPAMaol.com

Date: 04 February, 2005

Time: 01:59 PM

Comments

It took me less time finding your site than looking into 3 local phone books for help. And I think you'r the right location. My check is in the mail. My wife will be delighted if I can fix the problem of lost LED image on the Explorer's radio. Thanking you in advance. George Heitman

email:

Date: 24 February, 2005

Time: 10:51 AM

Comments

My radio display had been out for approximately 3 years. I was getting tired of the guessing game I was playing with my radio and CD player, so after finding your website I decided to give it a try. Got the information and took it to a friend who knows how to solder and it took him about 30 minutes to fix my display. Works perfectly now and all it cost me was the fee and a case of beer. Thank you for saving my sanity! Angie

email: drjpeterson@NOSPAMcox.net

Date: 02 March, 2005

Time: 10:44 AM

Comments

Thank you, thank you, thank you! The swap worked immediately! The soldering appears to me to require micro tools and surgeon hands, so the swap was the right way for me to fix the Explorer display. My 98 EB Explorer had another tab holding the power board down, it is on the left side about 1.5 inches from the rear of the radio box. When I removed the original power board, I could not see this tab over the left side of the power board, and it prevented easy removal. When installing the new board, I had to break off this tab in order to get the power board to seat properly. Many thanks again-your website should be worth many stock options from you know who (FORD)!

email: krpenn@NOSPAMnauticom.net

Date: 04 March, 2005

Time: 11:26 AM

Comments

Paramedics brought me back last week...I, with help from you, brought my radio back..stuck home for a bit now...bored...ordered it, got board in couple days...installed into radio last night..slide into car this afternoon...beautiful..sure was nice to see 12:00 on the panel...wish known about this couple years ago....took about half hour total...actually already had the cover panel removed from dash...was in middle of installing Satelite Radio Bracket last week..wanted to do that and fix radio at same time..Sat. radio a real pain to tune if display on Stereo not working....lol....Nissan radio easier to remove than the Ford models...no clips...just bolts and slide it out..Just sent you back my old board...Thank you, will tell other Nissan Quest owners if i can about this... Keith Pennington

email: trkycaller@NOSPAMverizon.net

Date: 17 March, 2005

Time: 11:53 AM

Comments

I thought for sure this was another one of those pay me now and see you later quick fixes. I was wrong! This took me two attemps at soldering this thing up but after the second time I saw the radio display for the first time since I've owned the vehicle.Also, I was worried about my soldering ablility, but it was a lot easier than I had expected. Thanks a million Mr Harrison for the great advise and I'll be sure to pass on the good word.

email: SweetPammie@NOSPAMadelphia.net

Date: 17 March, 2005

Time: 06:58 PM

Comments

I have to say this site and Mr Harrison are GREAT!! He was very helpful and answered all our e-mails very quickly. We were unable to do the fix on our own...we tried it quite a few times.We ended up doing the swap program and that was really super easy! The new board was here very quickly too. It works perfectly!! The whole experience was hassle free! The directions on the site are fabulous...anyone can follow along. He saved us a TON of money. Ford wanted over 300 to fix it...after two previous failed attempts by then. So if you have hesitation....don't worry, it is WELL worth it. Thank you very much for helping us out!!! Pam and Duane H.

email: krismeisterman@NOSPAMhotmail.com

Date: 18 March, 2005

Time: 03:33 PM

Comments

Hi Duanne, you are a genious and a stand-up guy! It took two tries of soldering and it finally worked, due to your more than adequate detalied instructions and photos. Thanks very much you have saved me lots of time and money. Cheers Kris

email: huffdadi@NOSPAMhotmail.com

Date: 18 March, 2005

Time: 04:33 PM

Comments

got my volume encoder today and im boooooooming again now form my display and were done . thanks

email: zworks1@NOSPAMsbcglobal.net

Date: 04 April, 2005

Time: 01:30 PM

Comments

Dear Mr. Harrison: Yesterday was one of those bad days for me. The first thing we done is adjust our clocks for daylight saving time. The radio display went blank. I tried for hours thinking I had pushed the wrong buttons. I went to get my camper to get it ready for our upcoming trip to Florida and we discoverd a leak in the storage area in back. I placed my hitch receiver cover on the bumper and ran over it backing up, and finally the "Max Grip" tv security device to hold the tv in the camper did not stick at all. I was ready to start tearing the siding off my house. I knew that the radio, the worst thing that day, was going to cost a fortune. I called, $300.00 was the conservative estimate. As a last ditch I looked on the Web and there you were. I checked it out and read and downloaded how to remove the radio. The display is doing exactly what you described. It went blank at first but came on this morning and promptly faded right back out. Instead of making the tool out of a coat hanger I saw the thing about Wal-Mart radio removal tool, bought one and in two minuits had the radio out. You directions were exact and perfect. I ordered the fix but as of now have not repaired it. I am sure it will work as everything else you said is right on the mark. I want to thank you for making my day a little better today. The leak is fixed, bought a new hitch cover, and the radio is laying on my workbench. I will take my time and be sure to follow your directions for the fix. It is great that we have people like you who are willing to give people like me a break. You probably have saved me enought money with this fix to pay for my fuel to Florida. Thanks, Lennart and Debbie Zipfel

email: Zworks1@NOSPAMsbcglobal.net

Date: 04 April, 2005

Time: 03:11 PM

Comments

Sir: I have successfully repaired my own radio, thanks to you help. The instructions were clear and easy to understand. I have saved not only a lot of money but a lot of time without a radio. It took just 1 1/2 hours to fix. I don't know the exact problem, but it was in the power module thing. thanks again, Lennie and Debbie

email: ve3lki@nospamrogers.com

Date: 15 April, 2005

Time: 11:38 AM

Comments

Duane Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge in an accurate and timely fashion. Followed the instructions and pictorials to the letter, and then "treated" a couple of other spots to the warm and shiny stuff. 30 minutes time - tops. Been a while since I was able to impress the MRS in her vehicle. ;-) Michael M

email: jfsullivan5@NOSPAMcomcast.net

Date: 15 April, 2005

Time: 06:44 PM

Comments

Duane, I must admit I was very leary about ordering the Save my Sanity board over the web. The board came in today, I had the radio out in a few minutes, worked through your directions and had the board swap done in about 15 minutes. Re-installed the radio turned it on and saw 12:00!!! This was great. Ford dealer wanted $300 to replace. I hope I know someone that needs your service. Thanks again.

email: jchapman@NOSPAMnj.rr.com

Date: 24 April, 2005

Time: 06:17 PM

Comments

Duane your fix was as easy as everyone says it was!!! Had it done in about 45 minutes ( not including taking the radio out, but that wasn't too bad either ) NOW MY DISPLAY WORKS !!!!!!! Thanks so much!!!!!!! John

email: ambientservices@NOSPAMyahoo.com

Date: 06 May, 2005

Time: 06:03 PM

Comments

Duane H. : I was sceptical about an internet service that wants money upfont, I gambled on your site and hit an absolute HOME RUN. After reading many of your testimonials and feedbacks I just had to do it. As you know not having a readout on your radio makes your driving experience a dud. I have been searching for a replacement radio on Ebay but these Infinity radios go for quite a bit of money, Luckily I found your service there and took a chance. I even tried to set a new spped record for the repair as I feel like I am handy with tools. My time from recieveing your instructions to turning on my repaired radio is 48 minutes, Let me know if that is anywhere close to a rookie record.I certainly believe your service is worth many recomendations. Thanks so much....Danny S.

email: Great Advice

Date: 07 May, 2005

Time: 07:10 PM

Comments

I am a young kid with minimal soldering experience and i got it all working in under an hour. i can't believe how little solder there was on all the points you told me to fix. thanks for your help Pete

email: matski@NOSPAMinsightbb.com

Date: 09 May, 2005

Time: 06:48 AM

Comments

THANK YOU! Duane the power supply works great. The instructions were helpfull in the changing of the board. I can't tell you how impressed I am with this program,I think I have found 3 more customers in this area already. Thanks for being there. Thanks again Bill M.

email: bsmoot@NOSPAMsc.rr.com

Date: 20 May, 2005

Time: 07:16 PM

Comments

Hello- I saw you site several months ago when it was set up for "donations," I used your site at that time to replace my dash board lights. I was glad to see that you now request payment for your services; as of fifteen minutes ago, I became a satisfied customer of your site. I'am proud to say that my explorer now has display lights on the MACH stereo! This has been a problem for several months and I hope that it remains resolved. I will use your site again (if needed). Thanks-

email: sheppard107@NOSPAMcomcast.net
Date: 09 June, 2005
Time: 08:53 AM

Comments

WOW

I GOT THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR REPAIRING THE DISPLAY ON MY 1998 EXPLORER RADIO THAT I AM SELLING AND IT WAS WONDERFULLY SIMPLE. MY HUSBAND WAS SO HAPPY HE DIDN'T PURCHASE THE NEW RADIO HE SAW FOR $150.00 I AM POSTING YOU IN MY FAVORITES IN CASE I EVER NEED THIS TYPE OF INFO AGAIN. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU..

M. SHEPPARD

MOMM5

email: vapnut257@NOSPAMhotmail.com
Date: 02 July, 2005
Time: 06:48 AM

Comments

Even though the "Save My Sanity" program didn't fix my particular situation, I was very impressed with the quick refund of my $104.00. A problem accessing the fix part of the site was quickly remedied by Duane Harrison. I am posting this comment to let others know that if the "fix" does not work, their money is quickly returned... no questions asked.

email: merhug@NOSPAMhotmail.com
Date: 27 July, 2005
Time: 08:18 PM

Comments

Hi Duane.

I am looking forward to fixing my blank display. The dealer quoted $1760.00 to replace the unit which works minus a display.

A second hand unit just sold on e-bay for $200.00. A brand new in the box unit is currently for sale on e-bay and I was outbid at $200.00.

The I found your website. I am deliriously happy and beside myself that I did. I cannot wait to start to fix my radio.

Even if I have to eventually use the Sanity Saver program, this will be the best $19.99 I will ever spend.

Thank you Duane Here's to you and your family. It's great to find a true American with spirit like yours to poke a finger in the eye of those high price car dealers.

It's a pity that the manufacturer does not stand behind his own products.

email: suzannemiller@nospam.optonline.net
Date: 03 August, 2005
Time: 09:02 AM

Comments

What a fabulous service you provide!! I had been without a display on my radio in my 1999 Ford Explorer for quite some time and it was very frustrating. The service department at the Ford dealership told me that it couldn't be fixed I needed a new radio! The Save My Sanity program was so easy. The step by step directions you provide are perfect. You even made it easy for us to mail our broken board to you. Duane, you should not only be very proud of the work you do, but in how you do it. Thanks!!

Suzanne & Barry Miller

email: aemerson@NOSPAMcurbappealok.com
Date: 01 September, 2005
Time: 11:59 AM

Comments

Duane-

You're a life (and money) saver!! I am quite impressed with the quality work you provide, both on this Website and through the "Save My Sanity" program.

The swap was painless and I performed the entire operation in less than 15 minutes!! The new circuit board had been professionally repaired and looked better than the one I pulled out of the Explorer.

Thanks for a job well done!! I am now enjoying the display once again!!

Thanks for putting this Website together and making this easy repair affordable. I am glad I didn't have to buy another radio (like the dealership told me I would) and spend $400+.

Thanks,
Aaron Emerson
Oklahoma City, OK

email: golfsh@NOSPAMhotmail.com
Date: 14 September, 2005
Time: 08:41 AM

Comments

Duane,

I don’t know why I waited so long! I was a little hesitant about using the “save my sanity” program because there are so many scams out there, but it worked perfectly. I completed the whole thing within a half hour and it was very simple. I used the borrowed DIN tools in the package and it was a snap. The board arrived quickly and so was the refund for the returned board and tools. Thanks again.

email: carlboro02@NOSPAMhotmail.com
Date: 18 October, 2005
Time: 03:59 PM

Comments

Hi Duane,
I cannot thank you enough for your time and help by being available to answer questions throughout the process. It took me a couple of tries and I must admit I was about to give up, but your last suggestion did the real trick for me. I learned alot from this experience. I am handy, but have never soldered anything before. I learned as I went using the website information you provided about soldering. I think you have a good thing going on with "The Fix". There are alot of scams in the web and being NEW YORKERS makes it hard to believe in alot of false promises, but I think "DUANE HARRISON" is "genuine".
Thanks again,
Sunny

email:
Date: 02 December, 2005
Time: 06:02 AM

Comments:

Outstanding!! I received the repair board for my 2000 Explorer's radio and had my radio display was back up and running in about 40 minutes. You are the best! I know my husband will be thrilled with an early Christmas gift! I'm sure he won't believe that *I* (a stay at home mommy) installed the board myself! Instructions were fabulous! Thanks Duane! You are "A" number one!

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