Wierd message on cassette deck...

[CharlesAFerg]

I use one of those tape-adapters for an mp3 player, and someone get into my car and it beeped at them when they tried to use the radio (don't know what they did) but now the sound is kinda fuzzy, especially around the bass, and it gives me a wierd message like
"ClearW" or soemthing like that...?

What is it? It didn't used to sound so terrible, and the radio sounds fine.
Also, on the cassette deck i put on SB and that dolby thing, but (I THINK this wasn't there before) now theres another thing of 3 letters as an icon like those other two, i forget what it says though...

[pundit]

I use one of those tape-adapters for an mp3 player, and someone get into my car and it beeped at them when they tried to use the radio (don't know what they did) but now the sound is kinda fuzzy, especially around the bass, and it gives me a wierd message like
"ClearW" or soemthing like that...?

What is it? It didn't used to sound so terrible, and the radio sounds fine.
Also, on the cassette deck i put on SB and that dolby thing, but (I THINK this wasn't there before) now theres another thing of 3 letters as an icon like those other two, i forget what it says though...
I used to use a cassette adaptor in mine with my portable minidisc player.
About once a month I would get a beeping noise followed by the message 'clean'.
I discovered it was an automatic cassette head cleaning reminder. ;)

[KenB]

It is telling you it wants to be cleaned, dirty heads on the cassette player will cause the distorted sound when using a tape or an adapter.

It comes on every 15? hours of use and beeps.

Head cleaning cassettes are available at most audio stores, the wet systems work best. A long Q-tip with some de-natured alcohol can be used also if you know what the head looks like. A cleaning tape works best as it also cleans the capstan and other tape transport components.

[wingman]

Yes Ken B is absolutely right! I was a sound engineer for 15 years before I was a cop and know that it isn't just dirty heads that cause the problem. Imagine the tape dragging the junk off the captstans onto the heads... Yuck! You may find it hard, as I did, to find a decent cassette head cleaning kit as they are almost redundant. I use an adaptor for my ipod and still get the 'CLEAN' message regularly.