Give this a try ...
The factory lubricant on the rails that the laser sled travels on dries up and cakes ... when the laser sled hits the dry deposite it binds monentarily and looses lock with the CD data stream and it skips
Once the laser is past the dry spot, it locks back on the CD and continues to play until it hits another dry deposit and skips
If you can clean and lubricate ( with White Lith. ) the rails that the laser rides on you should be able to save a trip to the repair shop
If you feel uncomfortable ... take it to a reputable tech and tell him you want it cleaned and lubed as a preventative maintance ... don't tell him it skips or he'll try to sell you the whole drive ... when chances are it just needs a cleaning and Lube
The factory lubricant on the rails that the laser sled travels on dries up and cakes ... when the laser sled hits the dry deposite it binds monentarily and looses lock with the CD data stream and it skips
Once the laser is past the dry spot, it locks back on the CD and continues to play until it hits another dry deposit and skips
If you can clean and lubricate ( with White Lith. ) the rails that the laser rides on you should be able to save a trip to the repair shop
If you feel uncomfortable ... take it to a reputable tech and tell him you want it cleaned and lubed as a preventative maintance ... don't tell him it skips or he'll try to sell you the whole drive ... when chances are it just needs a cleaning and Lube