DVD Laser head replacement
 

I've undertaken this DIY job due to the fact that my dvd-rom drive was no longer reading navigation discs.

The DIY from xpost is what I used and was very helpful: DIY for changing the laser unit in a MK4 sat nav unit - Xoutpost.com

My reason for this thread is to help others from making the same mistake I did. The xpost DIY says that the laser head unit is called SF-HD4.

For my 4/2005 545i it turned out to be an SF-HD8.

Fleabay has the units for a mere $15 so it's definitely worth doing instead of replacing the entire DVD drive. For those who are intimidated by soldering, like I was, don't be afraid! It is truly not hard to do and if you are capable of these other DIY jobs you can surely be successful with this one!

Is the laser head model number imprinted for visual confirmation when ordering a replacement?

Unfortunately it is not, but once you have it out you can see the difference between the two models. If you'd like I can upload some pics of the differences

Well my problem still has not been resolved. It sounds like the DVD drive is trying a lot harder than before to read the navigation disc but it still fails. All I have are burned copies of the navigation DVD so hopefully that isn't why. I tried three different brands and types of DVDs; -R, +R, DL. On top of that I tried with Nero and Imgburn, different variations of write speed, and different dvd drives to write the discs.

The odd thing is that the DVD drive can read audio CDs but not CDs with new navigation software. I tried V31 and V32 on all sorts of different types of CDs and DVDs with various settings. I noticed when testing that the small fan on the back of the CCC unit isn't working at all so I'm hoping that's the culprit.

I was going to just forget about the problem because the price of the fan through all the BMW part sites is outrageous. It's $70+ for the simple thing! Fortunately I thought to remove it and search the model #. It's a Micronel F40HQ-012GK-B. Found it here: F40HQ-012GK-D MICRONEL 4010 F40HQ-012GK-D 12V 0.1A Computer CPU Cooler Fan,Cooling Fan

$18.80 with free shipping, but it will take 20-40 days according to their site :angry:.