I'm constantly debating in my head whether to buy or not a RioCar unit.

Now I'm wondering, the most likely part to fail would be the hard drive, and that's removable.

What developers think could be the reasonable lifespan for the rest of the unit? Considering that repairs, I guess, would be harder and harder to get.

You could always buy two since they aren't $2k anymore. I recently got a new in the box player, never installed for $350. Some people got extra's during the close-out sale.

I'm on my 4th HD. They seem to be the weak link. I think my problem is I sometimes start the car to move it a few feet and then shut off the car before the empeg fully boots. That's probably not too good for the HD.

The following items on the car player have a limited life span and are likely to fail eventually:

- Hard disks.

- Hard disk cable.

- Solder joints related to the hard disk and IDE connector (because the cable moves as the disk tray moves).

- VFD display.

The last item is the only one you need to worry about, because dropping the player on a hard surface may crack the VFD glass, and although replacements are still currently available, there may come a time many years in the future where the replacements are more rare. Having said that: I've had my mk2 player since... what... 2001? ... and I've dropped it several times. Haven't cracked the VFD yet.

Your concern about repairs getting harder is unfounded. There are enough enthusiasts for this product that I imagine repairs are going to be available for quite a long time.

Most of the other parts on the player will only fail completely if the player is seriously damaged or dropped really hard.

You forgot the rotary encoder, which will also go eventually, but is also replaceable. I suppose that's just an argument for sticking with the tried and true Mk1.

Matthew

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Yes, the rotary encoder will wear out over time, or could easily get broken. It's a pain to replace, but I wouldn't be as worried about running out of replacements for that part nearly as much as the VFD.

Thanks for the quick replies!