[SD987]

Rail, you do know that "by the book" is 20k service intervals, right?

I think there are actually two problems with the CD reader, not sure which Rail's refering to. One is the STOP message that you get with conventional CDs and the other is where the CD just sits there whirring indefinitely. I only get that one with MP3 burned CDs. I'm guessing that would go away if the CD was burned at a lower speed, but that's just a hunch, and you can eventually get the reader to work.

I think the STOP one may actually be an enhancement, not a defect. If the CD player gets too warm, it protects itself (according to the manual). I get the STOP message more frequently on warm days, and the only folks I see complaining about it live in TX and CA, but this may just be a coinkidink.

As far as the deflector goes, I'd agree the felt tape isn't the miracle cure, but it helps. Wind deflectors seem to come in three kinds, the fixed window (650 convertible), mesh (Mercedes) and fixed-plastic (Porsche, BMW). As far as fixed-plastic goes, the Porsche one is a gazillion times quieter than BMWs (which is also bigger), so I think we actually have it pretty good.

On this subject, does anyone else wonder why American and Japanese convertibles don't come with a wind deflector? I always see Mustang and Sebring owners with a hat jammed on their head and I know they're getting buffeted by Katrina level winds in there. Just another instance of some American manufacturers not "getting it".

Yeah, it's pretty odd that for a bunch of people obsessing over an IPOD connection, no boarder has purchased one and posted about it...or at PPBB.com. I guess sometimes complaining about something is more enjoyable than purchasing a fix, and not complaining.