I have a Beosound 9000 MKIII 2573 type manufactured June 2005.  I had it for about a year now, obtained it from a seller that took good care of it.  Recently it has been acting up.  after about 3 minutes of playing it will stop playing.  and eventually the spindle motor will stop too.  not immediately like it does when it switches between discs.  it will make a sound like the laser head is trying to find its place on the disc too.  After it stops I can start it again and play maybe 1-3 tracks before it goes out.  also the further out the track is, the more likely it is to keep searching for its place on the disc, eventually stops playing and the spindle motor will slow down to a stop. 

I took a cotton swab dipped in alcohol and cleaned the lens from the side and used an air can to clear dust from the surrounding area.  and it still acts up.  I did notice an improvement when i cleaned the lens because prior to that it wouldn't even play beyond a minute or so.  so I'm making progress by cleaning it up a bit.

I'm an electronics engineering tech, I have the service manual but I am kind of paranoid about taking it apart because it don't want to ruin it.  In the past I tried to remove the rear to get a better look but its being held by grounding points.  are they soldered on or can i just pull the rear cover straight upwards after removing the torx screws?

I will run TM 27 on it to get a reading of what the problem is.  then of course TM 71 and 73 to set it back. 

Is there any advice I should know before I go in to take apart the sledge in order to get access to the CD mechanism from the front?  I will follow the directions in the service manual.  just want to know if anyone with experience in this has some pointers, as what i should or shouldn't do when doing this.  I already have a ESD mat and strap setup on my work bench.  And finally if I end up having to replace the laser with a VAM 1250 lens assembly is there any advice i should know. I already know there are many fakes on ebay that don't work properly.  So when I do get one i will probably get a proper one that is a bit more expensive.  Are there any recommended sellers currently online?