Club Lexus

johnsfe · 06-17-12, 02:03 AM

Hi All.

I am new to the club and what a wonderful forum. My fiance and I discovered the site because as of three days ago..june 13, I purchased a 2005 sc430, pearl white, cognac leather, dinner plate rims (lol) and 81,000 miles. I am a 43 y/o female. So needless to say I was in hog heaven when I drove off the lot. Now I am down in the dumps over the following issue that seems to be a reoccurring theme with this model that I did not know about until I found this forum!!!!!

Unfortunately, I did not discover this forum until we started looking for a solution to the RADIO GOING SILENT issue!!!!!

So we have read extensively on the website about the known amplifier issues. But I apologize if I've missed some threads that answer this question, but I needed to pose to more seasoned owners more questions I have. I am so disappointed that this car I bought was really a dream car and two days later this major problem occurs.

I did purchase extended warranty, but I bought from non lexus dealer, so it's a separate extended warranty from Lexus. OK...please have patience while I try to explain and ask questions at the same time.

So, we are sitting in drive thru lane of fast food joint and radio goes silent. Volume was not high...prob level 18 or so. So we drive about a mile down the road and park. Everything on the screens seem as though radio is still on, turn on cd, and that starts to count.....no antenna problems...JUST SILENCE. We turn car off. Radio comes back on. Seconds later it goes off. Also another factor is fiance states maybe 100 degree weather we've had in northern cali is a factor because amplifier is in trunk.

I call Lexus and they state "oh, we don't know of a continued problem, but may be amplifier, come in and we'll check". OKay! Then I call back to dealership of purchase...complain that for the amount I paid I shouldn't have to go thru this. They state "well at preinspection, it passed...but bring it in". OKay! So I DO have an appt monday with original dealership. But I feel they are not going to want to install a ML amplifier in, and will come up with excuse of...it worked for us!!!

Our questions lie with if the problem is the amplifier.....is it wise or advised that we can purchase an aftermarket JVC, Pioneer, Kenwood etc etc radio from somewhere like best buy and have them take out factory radio and install radio with amplifier already installed in the unit and just disregard the ML amplifier????? Since it's a 2005, of course the bluetooth is primitive and navigation old, has a cassette deck and I did want Sirius XM.

But my main concern is....Will we mess up navi, bluetooth, or anything else, if we let bestbuy install a aftermarket unit. They did state that they may not be able to hook up to all 6 ML speakers...only 4. I'm like OK! But again, I'm afraid of other issues arising from the install.

Also, I have to say that I don't have the 2000 or 3000 it would cost to take to dealership and pay for new ML amplifier. What if the new one goes out....seems like they have never resolved this issue?

Can you all give me feedback, suggestions, links etc on some options that you may recommend I do, OR NOT DO, as far as handling this issue of the ML amplifier possibly going bad. I really don't know if it's unwise to put an aftermarket radio w/amplifier and just disable the ML amplifier. Or should I not mess with radio since that's not the main issue, and just address the ML amplifier, and how to get that repaired, replaced, etc etc.

I apologize for this being long. Just wanted to give a true picture up front of my concerns and disappointment so early in a new purchase of a dream car. Thanks in advance for any suggestions or leads anyone can help me with.

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Jabberwock · 06-17-12, 05:10 AM

Be sure to keep things in perspective and stay positive. You should not be disappointed with the car just because the radio/amp is broken.

I think you need to go back to purchase dealer and tell them to repair or replace your stereo/amp - what ever needs to be done - sounds like you own the car less than a week before it malfunctioned - hopefully you bought from a business that provided some short term guarantee/warranty. If not have it fixed thru your long term warranty.

Hopefully this will get you back to normally working stereo system in the car. In the end though it is an obsolete system and if you plan to keep the car you should consider replacing the whole system - head unit, display, amp, speakers with a modern up to date system with features like bluetooth, ipod intergration, dvd, gps, etc. There are some nice units available and there is also a integration kit sold for Lexus cars that will preserve most of the features in current controls. It is not cheap (likely $1500-1700 for everything) and I would use a high quality car audio shop to do this and not best buy. All depends on if you plan to drive the car for years or not.

hlthlnk · 06-17-12, 07:35 AM

When I bought my 2002 SC430 I bought the extended warranty because of the roof, so many things that can go wrong. So far the roof has had no issues but my speakers gave out and a few little issues that were all covered under the extended warranty. I would suggest not even thinking about aftermarket equipment until the warranty is over. Work with the dealer to have the stereo issue resolved, I know it is inconvenient to keep going to the dealer but you paid for the warranty...use it to resolve any issues. Good luck!

johnsfe · 06-17-12, 08:00 AM

Thank you all for the suggestions. I have an extended warranty, but it's not through Lexus. It's a company called CNA. So I will need to read through or contact them. We purchased it because it covered the motorized roof especially.

And I plan to have this vehicle long term. It's just a downer on this major issue within 2 days of purchasing the vehicle. I should wait to see what they say on monday and go from there.

But I will take the advise of making sure a strictly audio place handles the upgrade if that is going to be necessary. Thanks again for the reassurances.

Harold57 · 06-17-12, 08:55 AM

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your purchase. You'll find that it is still a great car even if your sound system is limping.

Having said that, I agree that you should check on your warranty, there is a good chance that it does cover the sound system. That being the case, just let the dealerships deal with the problem and resolve it. Hopefully the selling dealership can handle the problem but if not them the Lexus dealership should be able to handle it if it is covered under your warranty.

The sound system is not a simple system, as you have already surmised though. The newer models (mine is a '02) have a lot more interconnected features that the original ones. (I forget just where that started.) Some of the sound system feature controls were moved to the NAV unit screen. Just changing out the heat unit can complicate items also, unless you either use something like the Beatsonic or some other adapter because the amplifier in the trunk is the interface to all the speakers, which are not the common 4 ohm car impedance, they are (mostly) the 8 ohm home speaker impedance. So unless you utilize the amp, you'll wind up replacing all the speakers also. If you only are able to drive 4 speakers, you will not have the quality sound that the car was designed with also. However, if you do use the Beatsonic type adapter to utilize the amp, you will likely still have the problem since it sounds like the amp is the problem (unless it is a connector or fuse problem).

Is the sound system intermittent or does it not work at all now?

If it does come down to the amp being the problem and the dealers will not replace it under warranty, you can pick up an amp off of ebay or similar retail services and just replace it yourself. It is not a quick change operation but quite doable. (I believe that there are instructions on this website for that.)

Best of luck to you and let us know what you find out.

johnsfe · 06-17-12, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harold57

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your purchase. You'll find that it is still a great car even if your sound system is limping.

Having said that, I agree that you should check on your warranty, there is a good chance that it does cover the sound system. That being the case, just let the dealerships deal with the problem and resolve it. Hopefully the selling dealership can handle the problem but if not them the Lexus dealership should be able to handle it if it is covered under your warranty.

The sound system is not a simple system, as you have already surmised though. The newer models (mine is a '02) have a lot more interconnected features that the original ones. (I forget just where that started.) Some of the sound system feature controls were moved to the NAV unit screen. Just changing out the heat unit can complicate items also, unless you either use something like the Beatsonic or some other adapter because the amplifier in the trunk is the interface to all the speakers, which are not the common 4 ohm car impedance, they are (mostly) the 8 ohm home speaker impedance. So unless you utilize the amp, you'll wind up replacing all the speakers also. If you only are able to drive 4 speakers, you will not have the quality sound that the car was designed with also. However, if you do use the Beatsonic type adapter to utilize the amp, you will likely still have the problem since it sounds like the amp is the problem (unless it is a connector or fuse problem).

Is the sound system intermittent or does it not work at all now?

If it does come down to the amp being the problem and the dealers will not replace it under warranty, you can pick up an amp off of ebay or similar retail services and just replace it yourself. It is not a quick change operation but quite doable. (I believe that there are instructions on this website for that.)

Best of luck to you and let us know what you find out.

Hi Harold.

It's true that we don't know if it is the amp, or connector/fuse problem. But reading posts on here before I joined, it seemed it most likely is the amp.

The unit will start off playing fine and maybe within minutes to an hour of driving...with top up or down..doesn't matter. The radio will go silent. BUT the face of the radio, cd player,....everything looks like it is functioning ok. The only missing is the sound. We can cut car off and restart, and the radio/cd will come on immediately, but again, within a few minutes...silence. So it's intermittent, but not totally gone. Sound starts up right away, then silence within minutes of drive. And stays off until we take key out and restart car. It does not come back on by itself until we stop and start again.

It will go back to the original dealer tomorrow, but being that its not a lexus dealer, and the warranty is some CNA extended warranty....I think they may try and not replace amp because it's an expensive unit. AND OHHH, the car was bought as is....but they stated it had a preinspection and again, we did purchase the extended warranty they suggested. So we'll see.

I appreciate any words anyone can suggest or give me something to consider or ponder. It just helps me make a more informed decision as how to proceed, depending on what the dealership says tomorrow.

Thanks all.....AND HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO EVERYONE ONE.

VVTiBob · 06-17-12, 10:14 AM

From your description of the problem it does indeed sound like the thermal override is cutting off the amp due to an overheating issue. And, there is a history of this problem with this amplifier.
You will need to thoroughly read your extended warranty contract. Many such contracts have differing levels of coverage, some being mechanical only, while others cover much more. You need to find the "exclusions" to see if the stereo electronics are specifically mentioned.
Regarding the purchase of the car...did you buy the car in a "as is" sale. If so, then the seller has no responsibility and it is a caveat emptor or buyer beware purchase. Purchasing an extended warranty was a wise decision as long as it covers more than just mechanical components. If its the CNA company I'm thinking of CNA Extended Auto Warranties then it depends on which plan you purchased. ...NOT SURE IF THIS IS THE CNA you are referring to.

VVTiBob · 06-17-12, 10:25 AM

Harold is correct regarding the integration of the amplifier into other components, it's not just yank out the ML amp and slip in another vendors product. Your 05 has a two channel amp driving eight speakers and a sub woofer. Also integrated into the amp is the NAV system. All speaker wiring is connected via proprietary modular connectors that plug into the amp.

laybah · 06-17-12, 11:23 AM

stay positive it will all work out.

johnsfe · 06-17-12, 01:08 PM

VVTibob...thanks for your info.

I have a Zseries mechanical repair protection for new and used cars from Cna national.

I purchased the mechanical advantage care pkg. (The better coverage)...It states #11...electronic climate control head,....factory installed entertainment chassis including radio, magnetic tape player, dash mounted cd player and graphic equalizer, television, video cassette player, DVD player and nav system. It does not mention amplifier specifically so I am not sure of coverage.

Exclusions include audio speakers and wiring, antenna mast etc etc. So I am still not sure where amplifier lies

Today its about 10degrees cooler, it stayed on for about an Jr of driving at a low level and did eventually cut off.

So if someone can look at what I've written above and give a opinion into POSSIBLE coverage under this, ode appreciate it.

I apologize I'm asking so many questions, its just I am not knowledgeable in any of this and fiance is a bit stumped as well.

But thanks for words of encouragement from everyone. It HAS eased my anxiety over situation a bit. Just overwhelmed a bit of such a problem so quick after purchase. But I do understand the age of vehicle and I took risk with such high mileage.

Thanks all

Harold57 · 06-17-12, 04:16 PM

Okay, with the knowledge that it does come back on, it is almost definitely (99.99%) an electronic issue, not wiring, speakers or fuses. I agree with Bob that it is highly likely to be the amp, as they do have a bit of a history going bad like that. The amp should be considered as part of your radio and therefore should be covered by the warranty. (You should be able to argue your case that way if necessary.) The easiest way to find out is to just call the warranty folks an ask them. If they are a decent company, they will be fairly forthright in telling you the straight skinny on it.

If they don't cover it, it won't be the end of the world. Like I mentioned earlier, you can still pick up the amps on the market and replace it yourself. (A few folks on this forum have done it.)

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
Harold

johnsfe · 06-17-12, 05:53 PM

Thanks and I will give update as soon as I find out.

VVTiBob · 06-18-12, 12:36 AM

From the link I posted in a previous comment it appears you have 2nd tier coverage from CNA...their website specifically refers you back to the individual contract...that means you need to read for a SPECIFIC exclusion for the amplifier otherwise it should be covered which is perfect for you. Many of the policies have a deductible so you may have to pay for it. You should also see about rental car coverage, or if you have the repair done at a Lexus dealer and loaner should be provided.

johnsfe · 06-18-12, 08:17 AM

Goodmorning. V-Bob yes...I have a $200 deductible. And when I called dealership on Friday they stated they would put me in a rental at their cost since I had just purchased two days prior.

And I have searched the contract all over...and can't find an exclusion for amplifier...specifically. I am going to argue its part of factory radio. The radio can't work without it. It's all one in the same. My fiance will be there to be the main voice...lol. I hope it works!!!!

My appt is 10am Cali time. We are about to leave ... Wish me luck.

Thanks for all the moral support. It got me through the weekend literally. Update as soon as I know how they are going to handle.

VVTiBob · 06-18-12, 09:04 AM

Obviously it will be important to describe the overheating cutoff issue. Might stress potential fire hazard. I don't believe you'll run into any resistance.
Good luck!