blueman26

Has anyone with Mark Levinson in the GS430 had the stock subwoofer repaired/rebuilt? I’ve seen more threads than I care to read about stuffing an aftermarket JL (or other non-OEM speaker) into the factory cutout. Seems like that route is somewhat of a parallel to the Apollo 13 “I suggest you gentlemen figure out how to make a round peg fit into a square hole” approach. Not to mention there’s apparently a weight limit, although the rear deck IS sturdy enough to support at least one of the rear seatbelts.

After pricing an OEM ML sub at the local Lexus dealer I thought I’d look into having mine repaired/rebuild. The OEM replacement is effectively $400, not including installation.

I did a Google search and found a local speaker shop labeled as a speaker repairer. To make a long story short I dropped the ML sub off this morning with apparent good news: I had only ripped the outer suspension ring. According to the shop owner the tear throws the alignment off causing the god awful sound I’ve had for the last week or so – sounds like there’s a chunk of metal bouncing between the cone of the woofer and the bottom of the speaker grill.

I’ll post an update once the subwoofer has been rebuilt (it should be within the next week) and I get it reinstalled. Just curious if anyone else has tried the rebuild?

sLOWaristo

iTrader: (4)

I've heard so many stories of how the ml always blows out. Why would you want to repair it so it could do it again?(not saying you shouldn't) wouldn't you rather just upgrade to something better? After reading so many post about the poor quality of the ml I thought I was lucky but only came to find out mine is broken as well and wasn't even hooked up at all when I purchased my car. I guess I was too excited and overlooked it entirely. Oh well my fault. Anyway gl.

bigguppy

iTrader: (15)

I bought a kit and repair mine. Under $30. Left it over night and less than a hour to do everything. Click here for link. I hope I did not burst your bubble.

cvien

I did exactly what bigguppy did and the subwoofer is as good as new. Took less than an hour to take out the subwoofer from the back and repaired for less than 30$.

alredxiii

iTrader: (13)

I had mine repaired.The original material is not very good quality the repair kit is made from different material and it should last longer.

blueman26

Thanks for the responses! I didn't think to look for rebuild kits and $30 is a darn good price. As I understand it, the weak link is the ML suspension. If you replace the suspension with higher quality parts you're good to go. No doubt there are better options out there, but all of them are a lot more than the $50 I'm spending for the rebuild. If it blows out down the road or this rebuild turns out to be less than optimal I'll definitely be looking for the aftermarket solution. I'll give an update when I get it back, which should be right after Christmas.

QAH

blueman 26... just curious how your sub repair turned out. I have the same problem in my '03 GS430 and am not sure I want to completely replace it.

veron1987

I'm gonna try the repair kit too,My sub is no good either.

mk2tmr2

iTrader: (1)

You make it sound like custom-mounting an aftermarket sub is rocket science. Just cut a template from the ML sub out of MDF or plywood, mount your aftermarket sub in that and screw it back in. I threw a 10" Kicker in mine with a really small amp to give the OEM ML system some help and the result is fantastic.

The $30 repair option is nice, though. It's probably roughly the same level of effort.

blueman26

I got the finished sub back last Friday. The shop owner said the reason it took longer is because he had to order the compliance (the outer suspension ring) for a ML 10" sub. I know what everyone is thinking and i have the same thought; the ML in our car is an 8". Whatever the case, it fits perfectly.
First impressions are that the rebuilt sub sounds tighter and cleaner, and overall I’d say it's as good as new. Total cost including tax for parts and labor was $47.
I understand building a custom bracket and installing an aftermarket sub and amp is the way many of us go, but for me the stock speaker and deck lid speaker cover are great, plus the cost for the rebuild is low.

aneidiaz

blueman26, I agree with you on your last post. OEM is the way to go. I have the same problem unfortunately. Since I first bought my car its been cracked bass coming from back there. I want to buy that repair kit. Can you give me the link to where you bought yours? I tried clicking link sometime posted in the first posts, but it won't work. I guess its because I'm using my Android app to navigate CL forum. Please, and also, can you share what kind of shop you went to get the ML subwoofer repaired? Thanks! And enjoy your bass lol. I hope it lasts as long it can.


Posted from ClubLexus.com App for Android

mk2tmr2

iTrader: (1)

For what it's worth - an aftermarket sub fits under the OEM deck lid speaker cover. You can't tell by looking that I have a 10" Kicker under there. The only indication that anything is aftermarket is the tiny amp in the far right corner of the trunk. I could have easily hidden that, too.

I'm only posting this so that future readers of this thread can make their decision on which way to go with all of the information available.

aneidiaz

Where can I get this sub repair kit?


Posted from ClubLexus.com App for Android

sakataj

iTrader: (182)

come on dude, please, please, please read threads

ben posted it in post # 3

chubz

iTrader: (1)

im trying to do the exact same thing. which kicker do u have and how does it sound?