Linn Karik's CD drawer cannot be closed

So...as I said, nothing lasts forever. I would start looking for my next CD player. Just my two cents.

Your Karik owes you nothing. It gave you 19 years. How many of us have cars, washing machines, or refrigerators that old?

I empathize, but the good news is it can be fun to buy new or gently used newer gear.

My 1989 and 1992 model year Sony players are still working perfectly. The Karik not so much.

In the automotive world, my 1970 BMW which I've owned for 44 years is still running although it has been modified and updated to suite my demands.

BTW a 2015 BMW will not be running in 44 years no matter what care is lavished on it, not that they receive much anyway.

Most products today are designed to be disposable. I tend to like those which are not.

Not too many techies left to actually troubleshoot and finding gears that get stuck and belts that lost tension.
Getting matching replacements may also be challenging as it might require browsing in huge commercial catalogs such as McMaster or Granger...
Yep BMW models are truly disposable after 2004. My favorite are 5- series of early...mid 90's. 7- series are sweet as well of the same years vintage. They're built to last.

The 80's 5-series was a good car too. My '83 lasted me twenty years and over 200,000 miles, at which time parts cost made keeping it running any longer a bad investment.

But the gears and belts for CD transports can be found cheap on ebay. The drawer on my Theta Data Basic stopped opening, and in a call to Theta I learned that they no longer service that model. I was informed that the problem with the drawer in my Data was a common one, a result of the plastic gear that opens the drawer breaking down. It seems that the toxins in the air in Southern California affects the plastic the gear is made of! Luckily, the gear is available from Japan and China on ebay for $5-$10, and can be changed by a non-professional such as myself. Took about 30 minutes complete---very easy.