Hello,
My cd player in my 2011 HHR did the same thing. I bought a used unit, whick was locked of course, but just switched the cd player from the new unit to mine. I get an err message and eject when I insert a cd. Is there a chance that the vin is stored inm the cd player like the main radio, or I just got a 2nd bad cd player?

 

Welcome!
I moved the post to a new thread.

Which entertainment system?

I don't know how you can change only the cd player. As far as I know it is part of the radio.

There is a procedure that needs to be followed when removing and reinstalling the unit.

Are you using CD-r CDs? Bought CDs, home recorded?

 

Hello,
It is a single disc cd player with the stock 2011 Chevy HHR. They can be bought on Ebay for $25, since they lock with the wrong vin. They say sometimes they can be reprogrammed to another HHR, and sometimes not. The pre 2007 ones have a chip on the radio motherboard that can be removed to make the radio work. But later models used a different motherboard, so I couldn't use this method. If you take the faceplate off and the metal cover, the actual cd player is only held in with 4 screws, 2 of the front and 2 on the metal bracket in back. Under this is a single ribbon cable attaching the cd player to the mother board. I swapped just the cd player. I watched a video on youtube about how to correctly remove and reinstall the radio. The radio is still unlocked and works great. But when I enter a store bought cd, it reads err in 2 seconds and kicks the cd back out. I wondered if it could just read mp3's, or if I possibly bought a broken on as it was sold as is.
Here is a current link on 1 for $30 on Ebay

09 10 11 Chevrolet HHR Radio Cd Aux Input Player US8 25833528 OEM | eBay


or its Ebay item number if link doesnt work

eBay item number:272553190921

 

Just guessing here. What year is the Ebay radio that you took the CD player out of ?
Could be that an earlier year radio/CD player may not be compatible with the 2011 radio.
Comparing the part #'s of the 2 radios should tell if they're the same model.

 

You need the donor cars VIN and your dealership has to match it to your BCM

 

He kept his old radio and switched only the CD player mechanical parts.

 

Yes they are the exact same radio, with the newer mother board, less chips on them, then their older models from earlier models. The numbers match and they are identical to the eye. There is only 1 ribbon cable and 4 screws attaching the cd player to the radio. Looked like an easy swap. There is a chip on the little cd mother board, attached to the cd p[layer itself, that looks like the vin chip from the older models before mine. I tried switching the radio units themselves, but the new one was locked, diff vin. There is a video on youtube about which exact chip to remove, from the older version of this radio, but none with the newer logic board that they switched over to.

 

That's what I'm saying, the cd piece is chipped to the vin.

 

Thats a disappointment to chip the cd player and the radio. I do not have the vin, so I am gonna remove the chip and see what happens. It is of no use to me as it sits. Pulling the radio chi unlocks the radio but it loses the presets when car off. The cd player shouldnt be storing any presets, so possibly it will function normally without the chip. Ebay also sells blank chips. As my cd player is broke, I might also remove the chip from mine and install it on the new cd player.

Or is it cost effective to have the cd player fixed?

Thank you for all the insight and ideas. I have a few things to try this weekend.

 

Here's another thought - get an MP3 player. Ipod, Sony, Sansa, etc. there are many options. You can put all your music on it and not have to carry CDs around anymore.