Display problems My Sony cdx-m800 cd player appears to be playing cds no problem but the inside display is not lit up and none of the buttons function. the outside display lights up sometimes but is tempramental. have taken it to an auto electrician who suggested i send it back to the manufacturer as the main lead from the ignition/power supply were not faulty. its no longer under warranty. Can any one help

The ribbon cable is a VERY common problem on these units. Mine went out and I picked up a replacement cable on ebay for under $20. If you are at all mechanically inclined, you can replace it yourself fairly easily. It is a little scary to look at your stereo in a bunch of pieces on the table, but is really an easy fix. Take the flip-face off of the main unit and you will see the ribbon that connects it to the main box. You will need to take the face place apart (it comes into 3 pieces, the front back and middle). When you see where the ribbon connects inside the face, pull back the little clips on the side and slide that end of the cable out. Mine did not look broken, but replacing it fixed the problem. Take the top off of the main unit, and unscrew the disk drive. Once unscrewed it will lift right out (it is plugged in on the bottom so just pull straight up until it comes free). Once you have that out of the way you will see the ribbon. This end is a little trickier. It is wound around a little spring that lets it in and out as the face moves. Look carefully at how it winds through the spring - you will need to put the new one in the same way. (it may help to take a pic of it to reference when you put the new one in) Unclip this end of the ribbon like you did the first. The new one needs to go into the main unit first. Install this the same way you removed the old one, around the spring, and through the slot that will connect it to the faceplate. Connect the other end to the face, then put the face back together and reconnect it to the unit. Replace the disk drive and the top of the unit, and you are done. Its pretty self explanitory when you are doing it, just take it apart till you see the ribbon, then put it back together the way it came apart. It's fairly easy, but be honest with yourself. If you are not good at mechanical issues, have someone help you. Good luck!

Its the ribbon cable that goes from the facia to the headunit