2020/2021 Subaru Outback CD player location and usage.

I was asked to show where the CD player is located in the 2020/2021 Subaru Outback and how to operate it.

[@skylar195]

Thanks for the vid! Seems like an awkward location, particularly for trying to insert a CD while driving, or just in general because crumbs from food and other things will easily fall in that area. I'm glad I have a 2017 subaru!

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

Very welcome! I agree, it's not the most ideal location to have a CD player, but I guess that they had to use the limited space that they had available.

[@vampyrelycan99]

Great vid on reminding customers that legacy media compatibility is just as important given these dire times (when the auto industry keeps forcing customers into complying with everything connected)... However the problem is that the ODD here is only compatible with audio CD and not DVD. By contrast the new JDM Levorg equipped with a similar center infotainment system can be specified with a similar center console ODD with CD/DVD compatibility......

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

I don't think that in the last 3.5 years that I've been asked if the main infotainment screens (On any vehicles that I've sold) could play DVD's. I don't think that it's a large concern here. Different markets look for different things and it doesn't seem to be a huge factor here in Canada.

[@nuggetsoftruthrockministry9301]

Aww man this bites it looks like I don't have that CD slot. Everything else looks the same though. Borrowing my mom's vehicle so I'm not totally familiar with it but I was hoping to listen to the CD on a trip

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

Yeah, it's too bad that CD players aren't a standard any longer. Most of the Subaru lineup has it, but i imagine that we're slowly going to see them going extinct.

[@kamX-rz4uy]

Any fix for it not starting from where it left off when you start the car? My wife has a lot of audio books on CD so we paid the ridiculous price for the option in her Legacy but she hates it because more often than not it restarts at the beginning of the disc. Not a huge problem for regular CDs but for audio books it's a pain to then find where it was. I have the same problem in my Ascent but it doesn't do it as often (though still annoying).

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

I can't say that I've ever experienced that in any of the Subarus that I've used CD's in. Did the dealership where you purchased the Legacy from say that that is normal operation of the CD player?

[@kamX-rz4uy]

@@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist We complained about it and the car's software has been updated multiple times (for other reasons but hoped it would fix it). I'll have my wife test it again since we recently did an OTA update. We'll ask again at the next oil change in a few months.

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

@@kamX-rz4uy That's very frustrating. I'll have to give it a try next time one of my clients comes in with a CD player in a Legacy/Outback.

[@baileysnyder9844]

Does it work worth blue ray cuz my CD isn’t working

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

I haven't read anything that says that it can play bluerays. Is the CD facing the right way? Did the dealership confirm that it was working before you took delivery of the vehicle?

[@pangushengong1133]

Does it play cd/mp3's?

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

I don't know as I haven't tried a mp3 burned disk. I dont have a burner, or I'd try it out for you.

[@SakuraSakura8596]

Dose it loads multiple CD?

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

It does not, it is only a single disk changer.

[@SakuraSakura8596]

@@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist I see, I just brought a Outback this week and I’m trying to move my CDs from my old car. That’s all right I used Apple car play most of the time. Thank you for your response

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

No problem! Apple Carplay/Android Auto/Bluetooth are the way that things are going when it comes to music listening.

[@vampyrelycan99]

@@TysonTheSubaruSpecialistThe auto industries have been pushing customers into complying with modern connected infotainment standards like these, which accelerated the demise of legacy (offline) media. However, optical disc media is still an integral part of the Japanese car A/V culture which is why ODDs (or ODD compatibility) are still available, but that also depends on region......

[@arjun1910]

Can it play DVD ROM with MP3 files in it

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

To my knowledge, it will not play a DVD, but I've never tried one.

[@my3dviews]

I downloaded the installation pdf for that CD player. You almost have to take half of the car apart to install it. :-(

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

That's interesting. The book time on it is only 1.1 hours.

[@my3dviews]

@@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist Maybe for an experienced installer. Looked complicated to me. Have to remove the center console and the display and part of the dash. Was trying to find a video of the installation, to see if it is worth buying, without having to pay for the installation.

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

@@my3dviews for the headache that installing it yourself may be, paying for 1.1 hours isn't that bad. But I respect the desire to do things yourself - I likely wouldn't do the CD install myself, but other things I would love to tackle.

[@dwerbil]

@@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist I have a 2021 Limited XL but there's no PDF info for the install, just the 2020. What gives?

[@TysonTheSubaruSpecialist]

@@dwerbil I imagine that it's the same as the 2020. I just checked and it looks like they've removed the installation guides for all of the accessories. I imagine that there is some legal reason behind it.