How to Make MP3 CDs to Play in Toyota Corollas

Burning CDs with your computer's native digital media software makes playing your favorite music in a car's CD player a breeze. However, you do need to burn the correct type of CD to be used with your car's music system. If you drive a Toyota Corolla, check the user's manual to see what kinds of CDs the factory-standard stereo can accept. If you have installed a different stereo system, check the user's manual of the new system. Most CD players accept standard audio CDs, but some advanced models can also accept MP3 CDs as well. Native digital media software can burn both audio CDs and MP3 CDs.

Burning Audio or MP3 CDs on a Mac

Double-click the iTunes icon on your Mac computer to start the program.

Click the "File" menu and choose "New Playlist," then enter a name for the playlist in the space that appears in the iTunes Library window. Hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard.

Click the "Library" link in the "Library" pane of the iTunes program window, then browse through your music collection in the main pane of the iTunes program window. Click on tracks you would like to burn to the CD, drag them to the "Library" pane and drop them into the new playlist you just created.

Click the title of the playlist you created to view the tracks you have dragged and dropped there. Make sure the total elapsed time of the playlist is less than 1.2 hours, to make sure it can fit on one CD. Click on any tracks you would like to remove from your playlist and hit the "Delete" key on your keyboard until the total elapsed time shown for your playlist is less than 1.2 hours.

Click the "Burn Disc" button at the bottom-right of the iTunes program window, then click the button next to "Audio CD" to burn a CD that can be played on any car CD player. Click the button next to "MP3 CD" to burn an MP3 CD, which can be read and played only on specially-designed car stereo systems that accept MP3 CDs.

Click "Burn," then insert a blank CD-R when prompted. Remove the CD-R once the burn is complete.

Burning Audio or MP3 CDs on a PC

Click "Start," then select "All Programs," and choose Windows Media Player."

Click the "Library" button at the top of the Windows Media Player program window, then click the "Now Playing" list in the left pane and choose "Clear List" from the pop-up menu that appears.

Click the "+" sign next to "All Music, then click the "+" sign next to "Album Artist" to view the list of artists represented in your music library. Click on the album from which you would like to take a song for your new playlist, then click and drag the song from the "Display" pane to the "Now Playing List" pane. Keep adding songs you like to the "Now Playing List" until the "Total Time" display reaches approximately 79 minutes, the limit for an audio CD.

Insert a blank CD-R disc into the CD burner of your computer, then click the "Start Burn" button at the bottom-right of the Windows Media Player program window. Choose "Audio CD" if you would like to burn an audio CD that can work in most car CD players, or choose "Data CD" to burn an MP3 CD that can be played in specialty cat stereos that have MP3 capabilities.