Hi everybody,

I'm just starting my collection and having a great time learning about all the different models out there.

Sometimes when I see a model that I really like for sale that's in good cosmetic condition I'm nervous about purchasing it if it hasn't been tested and works 100%. I don't do any repairs myself so I would have to send a non-working model to one of you guys for any repairs it might need.

I've read about some really difficult (if not almost impossible) repairs on the forums here and I wondered if there is a general list of things to watch out for that might make a difficult/impossible repair when looking at units to buy. One example would be the cracked center gear in Sony DD Walkmen (except the DD-9 of course) - if there's a click, it will be a difficult repair.

Any advice or suggestions on what to avoid and/or what to look for? Models to avoid or important mechanical questions to ask before a purchase?

Thanks, gurus!

Avoid pretty much all DD series walkmans, except dd9 as they more likely have a crack center wheel. Most sellers don't know this and will sell it like has no issues, or some wil lie about condition and claim they have no tape to test it and sell it AS-IS. If you really want one then the center wheel is going to need to be fix and will require to be sent out for rebuilt. Others to avoid as far as Sony's are like the Sony wm-af605, wm-af604, wm-ex50, wm-fx50, WM-550C, WM-150, their quite a few other that use this transport, but cheaply made transport and clutch gear at the smaller gear crack and can't be fixed, plus have bad capacitors for the most part.  

Next would be pretty much most AIWA walkmans as they are known for needing a belt and bad capacitors. You would need to be able to desolder and solder and removed the main PCB. Another would be pretty much all Panasonics as you have to desolder PCB to replace the belt. Also avoid Toshiba's they are the worst to fix as clutch system fall apart due to crack gears and reels and have to remove PCB board and capstan plate to get to belt.

I do sell restore walkmans from time to time, but to be honest not cheap, due to work involve, plus not to many around eBay that do sell already restore ones, so your only other option is to buy a mint one and get it fix.  

Models that don't have many issues, or easy to repair are most Sony except DD series, as all you have to is remove the cover and you can access the belt, or most Sanyo's.

retrodos opinion above seconded.

If you do get one and arent confident doing the belts im happy to do it for you for a small fee.

i would choose panasonic over Aiwa simply because of the availability of the batteries. You can still buy the 'gumstick' sony/pana batteries but NOT the aiwa lead acid type.

Sonys are dead easy to fix, but some still need to be desoldered-usually the gold power connector bar which extends over the belt path.

Like i say, if you arent confident, Im sure I can do it for no more than about 25.00 if its just a belt swap. 

Aiwa can be fix, I fix them all the time

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As far as center gear go, I fix those to.

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Don't let the fact that the early 90s AIWAs being a pig to repair put you off from wanting to own one. It didn't for me. If anything it spurred me on to learn to repair them. I now have a number of early 90s AIWA walkmans that I listen to on a regular basis. I do repair them for others, but on a very infrequent basis and mainly for people in UK.

Parts such as belts and capacitors are available, if you know where to look. I have found most of what I needed on-line. If you do go down the route of repair do a search for my AIWA capacitor thread. It has lists of the types of capacitors you need for each model various members have seen and contributed to, as well as where to go to get replacement capacitors. It used to be stickied, but got removed by one of the mods for some reason.

Other parts are a lot harder to find, but AIWA did tend to re-use parts in a number of models, so for these they can be substituted if necessary.

+1 on the advice others have given. Sonys are truly the easiest to perform repairs.

Before tackling desirable Aiwas like the JX505, You can learn to re-belt and re-cap on a cheaper unit such a late 90s logic-controlled Aiwa. The difficulty is similar, as you have to desolder the board off to access the caps and belts.

I have an Aiwa HS-P02 mark ll that does not power up. Not with batteries or a power cord.  Any ideas?

This particular example of a Ferrari 250 GT Spyder should probably be avoided. I doubt there will be many positive answers given to any mechanical questions posed of the owner.