David Duprey

I bought a 2015 Cherokee in November of 2015, and I noticed it did not have a CD Player installed. This was a Limited trim model with the 8.4 UControl Stereo.

I asked the sales person about it, who said if I really wanted it, it could be installed and it would have to go in the center console. I decided to wait because I can use the USB Drives. After a few months I decided I really wanted the convenience of a CD Player and had it installed.

This is where things went awry:
It was installed in the Glove Box, because apparently there is no after-the-sale install option of the CD Player for the new Cherokee.

I decided to complain about this and met with the Service Manager, who has been looking into how the CD Player could be installed into the Center Console rather than the Glove Box. He has assured me that he will find someway to install this in the Center Console but the problem lies with Fiat-Chrysler.

The problem he says is Fiat-Chrysler offers no part codes to accomplish this install by the dealers, and he is having difficulty finding how to order the parts needed to do the install.

Apparently, if you want a CD Player installed, you really need to order the vehicle with it from the factory.

I've been waiting now two weeks for some kind of resolution.

Has anyone else encountered this problem with an after-the-sale install of a CD Player?

MoToad

Sorry, pal. CD players are a thing of the past. Convenience? I have about 3000 tunes on an SD card that works great. I guess it's a step up from a Betamax tho.

Jeep Driver

Whatever you paid the dealer for that colossal waste of antiquity............you could have paid for three years worth of data.


Stream it.

David Duprey

Well, until Taylor Swift puts out her album on Digital Only, CDs will still be the default music distribution plaform. Maybe in another 5 years, they'll be gone.

I know Chrysler was hoping to drop the CD Player with this model, but they offer the CD Player option on this vehicle for the 2015 & 2016 models. If I had known It was easier to order it from the factory than after-the-sale, I would have done that.

Also, the way the stereo plays playlists from the flash drive is really cumbersome. Even with my files sorted in folders, when I choose shuffle, it shuffles the entire flash drive. So I created playlists to get around that.

The search apparently doesn't read the file names, because it couldn't find a song I knew I had on the drive, had to browse for it. If the software platform were better, than I probably wouldn't have requested the CD Player.
I have the latest updates.

Streaming may be great if you're in a good area, but out here in the suburbs, I lose the Sirius XM Radio sometimes, mostly when it rains.

Jeep Driver

It has Bluetooth, does it not?

MoToad

And you don't know how to copy your CDs to an SD card or thumb drive?

David Duprey

That wasn't my question nor the reason for the post. I can make MP3s, Playlists and have Flash Drives, Bluetooth, etc. But, I appreciated the condescending posts like "why would I want a CD Player in my car" and "Can't you just use Mp3s?"

I asked for a CD Player, and I got it installed. But, it wasn't installed in the Console. I was curious if others had similar issues with CD Player installations, not the merits of a CD Player installation. I posted to obtain more information in case the dealer refused to do anything. But, they've been surprisingly good about finding a workable solution that I would be happy with.

I'd prefer to play music in the best quality available on my Hi-Fidelity Sound System and the best quality comes from the CDs. MP3s are great when you're listening on small speakers like your phone, etc. But, CDs sound better. And, you can't put a record player (arguably he best sound quality) in the car. It's not like they would still sell an old format like records anymore, right? Why would anyone buy a record when you can just buy an MP3?

When I played music from my flash drive (sorted into folders based on genre), and I hit shuffle, it shuffled the entire drive rather than just the folder I was in. So, I made playlists. Then it would only shuffle the playlist. But, I still have to take my eyes off the road to select the playlist to play from my current 20+ playlists. The search is cumbersome require you choose Folder, Artist or Song before searching. If you search on Artist and you've selected folder, you won't find the artists' songs.

I've not looked into all of the voice commands yet, nor seen if the steering wheel controls can be used to move through the USB connection menus.

I've already re-ripped my entire CD Collection into 256 Kbps Mp3s in order to get the best quality vs size trade-off. I also have thousands of Mp3s, in varying quality, for which I don't own the CDs or have access to the CDs anymore due to loss or theft. I occasionally buy Mp3s from Amazon, and they've only recently started offering higher quality MP3 downloads which is better. But, I still prefer the security of owning the physical media.

As for streaming, I don't want to pay the data rates for streaming music in my car. That's why I have physical media. I use my phone primarily as a phone still.

Anyways, as an update to my initial post:

I'm bringing my car into the dealer this Friday 9/2 because they finally have the parts necessary to install the CD Player into the center console. I'll post an update after then.

Turbo X_J

I assume this CD player is for 1 disc? It just seems dangerous to be fumbling around in the glove box or the console while driving. Why not installed dead center in the dash?

David Duprey

With the new Jeep Cherokee there is no in-dash option for the CD Player. Chrysler's answer is to put it into the Center console. I was told that there is no longer any room in the dash for a CD Slot, and heat was an issue, so Chrysler opted for the Console Installation or drop it altogether.

Personally, I would have thought it could have gone beneath the dash where the coin dish is like in the Hyundai Sonata that my sister has.

For whatever reason, Chrysler never thought that someone would want the CD Player after the Factory. I guess they assumed we should know to order the vehicle from the factory with the CD Player option at the point of sale. I was informed by the salesperson that it could be added into the center console should I decide I wanted it.

It's probably just as dangerous to slide a disc into the Player in the center console as it is to search your USB Drive for that one song or artist you know is on there.

Turbo X_J

True.
I can imagine things like that happening when I approach a curve in the road and notice the skid marks going in a straight line off into the woods, only takes a second.

coltar15

hmmmm sounds like my dilemma of not having an ashtry

andrewmp6

The ashtray hasn't been really offered in years.Most car makers now give you a universal car ashtray which is that cup looking one.On the cd player i would go aftermarket.Or if your stock radio has a input jack or usb you can use them.An honestly since i have had a usb jack in a car i never use a cd anymore.

Rbgarrett

David,
I am most interested to hear details of your after sale, dealer installation of the CD player in the center console. I recently purchased a 2016 Cherokee Trailhawk from the dealers lot that was perfect in every way except the lack of a CD player. I see what others have said regarding the usefulness of having a CD player, but I certainly would like one, as I have many CD's and don't want to go through the exercise of converting them, and I like the CD audio quality. I have considered using a portable CD player with the AUX jack but that option would involve a loose player as well as a power and audio cable - Not an appealing option.

Turbo X_J

You sure it's for an audio input and not digital usb?

rzldzl

aux in will sound like crap