Wadia 850 repair? Suggested replacement?

Your Wadia is a great PCM1702 Multibit player, and has this laser, easy and cheap to replace.
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.TRS0&_nkw=KSS-240A&_sacat=0

The transport mech (Teac) had the reputation of stripping this gear, that is most probably the noises your hearing. (BTW opportunity for some to copy this gear with a 3d printer and make some money)
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TEAC-VRDS-tray-idler-gear-CMK-4-part-5801571100-Long-Life-/172441196394?hash=item28264bd76a:g:uSUAAOSw-kdXzWSL

Cheers George
  

Try Stereo Exchange first. They can definitely fix it as long as they can get the part. Even if Wadia says they don't have any left, SE does so much business, they may still have left over parts. 

If they can't help, call Resolution Audio and ask for Steve. If he can't do anything, plan on getting a new CD player. After him, there's really no one else to go to.

One thing you want to do is check your remote. If you push the buttons down too far, they can get stuck in the down position. If you're not aware of this issue, it will drive you crazy. If the open/close button gets stuck, it can definitely trick you into thinking something is wrong with the transport.  

If you end up needing a new player, I still have a 302 and an 861SE. Both of those are better sounding players than the 850. I had one for 5+ years and was able to compare them at the same time in the same system. If you like Wadia, you should also like Ayre, Resolution Audio and Aesthetix.

Keep us posted- jacatral14

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.