The CD player worked OK on Saturday, yesterday, and today in cold weather - cold, wet weather this evening, in fact. I will see how long this lasts. I did go to the audio place this past Saturday, though.
When I first got into the car at home on Saturday - a chilly but dry morning - I put a CD in the CD player for the first time in probably at least a week just to see what would happen. And it worked! Not one to mess with a good thing, I kept it in.
At the audio place, I described the problem. They said it was something that does come up with cold weather and would be a fix in the price range of $150. An actual price was mentioned; it was a hundred forty-something. However, the technician who would do it was not in that day. They said it'a situation in which I'd have to leave the car there in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon. It will take to long to allow me to wait.
This place is open 8-5 Monday through Friday, 10-3 on Saturday. (My dealer opens at 8:00 but has an early morning dropoff option and is a block from the train. They are open late enough for me to get there Monday-Thursday; I know not to leave the car there on Friday because the train is scheduled to get there only nine minutes before their scheduled closing time that day.) My trip there last Saturday was timed to get there around 10:00, since I didn't know if I could be serviced if I got there later. I don't know if this technician is never there on Saturdays or just happened to have this one off.
One option they offered me was to take the unit out of the car (which they said would take about 45 minutes), let me drive off with the car, and then have me come back later that day or on another day and get the repaired unit put back in. I will be doing a lot of driving tomorrow (Wednesday), and if the CD player gives me any trouble then, I will take it in Friday before I go to work, wait the 45 minutes or so to have it done, and pick it up on Saturday. I'll call them on Thursday to see if the technician can work within this time frame.
I'm sure I'm just postponing the inevitable, but the beginning of this week was not a convenient time for me to come in late to work (or leave early) (nor will the beginning of next week be).