Bought a used Wii - It won't play Mario Kart Wii

[Shogun]

So I bought a Wii and some games. The game I wanted to play most is of course having issues - Mario Kart Wii. I get a disc error at some point at the beginning of running the game. Either on start up or when I try to create a save file. I can play every other game including dual layer games fine. Mario Kart Wii is not scratched.

I looked this issue up and I saw there is an issue with dual layer games on some Wiis but mine plays them fine and Mario Kart isn't dual layer. I then found articles and posts where people were having issues similar to the dual layer but with Mario Kart. Trying a different copy of the game, running a disc repair kit, and doing a memory wipe - nothing seems to work. I couldn't find any solutions.

Has anyone come across this or have any suggestions as to what is going on?

I have a black vertical Wii.

[Exhuminator]

It won't play Mario Kart Wii

I think your Wii is trying to do you a favor.

Perhaps there's a manufacturing defect with that particular copy of the game though. You could always try the official Wii Lens Cleaning Kit. You can still buy them on eBay if you look around.

[Ziggy587]

You could always try the official Wii Lens Cleaning Kit.

+1

I have to use it on my Wii from time to time. I once had a GCN disc that I couldn't load, but after using the lens cleaner it would load fine.

I think it's also worth mentioning that I try and keep the best care with my things. And for the last few years my Wii has been stored in a cabinet with a door on it (keeping dust out). Even with all of that, my lens still got dirty (you can see just how much dirt comes off on the cleaning pad). A used one, I would just assume that the previous owner never cleaned it, and that it should be cleaned.

tl;dr - The Wii lens has to be cleaned periodically. Get the official cleaning kit.

[Shogun]

Ok Ill try to find a cleaning kit and see if that does anything and report back.

[CRTGAMER]

I replaced a Laser Assembly in my Wii and did not see any dust inside whatsoever. I wonder if any contact with a laser cleaning kit especially while the head is trying to track might cause damage?

[Ziggy587]

CRT, that's the funny thing about lenses. They can look clean while actually being dirty.

The official Wii cleaning kit will not cause any damage, I can assure you. If some one tried to use a different cleaning kit, that's a different story. With different style drives on the market (trays, top loading, side loading) there's different style cleaning discs to match. Using the wrong one could definitely cause damage.

The official Wii cleaning kit, however, is perfectly safe to use. The lens does NOT move while it's inserted. That's why the cleaning kit works. The drives knows that it isn't a disc, and doesn't try reading it. The lens stays where it is, and it matches up perfectly with the little cleaning pad. That's all it does is gently swap the lens. I've used it on my Wii two or three times now, and it never caused any damage.

[Shogun]

Well I looked around and the Wii cleaning kit is selling for stupid prices. Like $20 - $30. Would a regular DVD drive cleaner work? Otherwise I'm thinking I will just open the wii up and use some Isopropyl to clean the lens.

[Ziggy587]

If it's brand new, $20-30 isn't really bad. I think mine was like $15 or $20 when I bought it from the Nintendo store.

IMO, it's worth the money even if it is $30. It's specifically designed for the Wii, and it works extremely well. I've opened a Wii a few times now, and it's not fun. I'd really hate to have to open it just to clean the lens when the cleaning kit is infinitely easier and takes much less time. Also remember that you'll eventually have to clean the drive again (I've cleaned mine two or three times now). You don't wanna have to open the console up every time.

Does the Nintendo store not sell the cleaning kit anymore? I find that hard to believe. The Nintendo Store site isn't loading for me right now, so I can't check. I bought mine a while before the U was out, and even then the Wii cleaning kit wasn't easy to find. I couldn't get it on Amazon, which is why I bought it from the Nintendo Store.

edit: It's $21.60 shipped from a third party seller on Amazon right now. That's worth every penny, if you ask me.

[Shogun]

I just checked and the only cleaning kit the Nintendo store sells is for the Wii U. I'll keep digging maybe there is another source that is a bit cheaper.

[Ziggy587]

Even if you find one for $15, it'll probably have $3-5 shipping on top. The one on Amazon is $21.60 including shipping. I'm pretty sure it was at least $15 when I bought it from the Nintendo Store, plus whatever I paid for shipping. That's just what they cost. How much was the U cleaning kit on the Nintendo Store? I still can't get the site to load.