Can't believe my good luck
08-14-09, 12:40 AM
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Can't believe my good luck
The 6X9 speaker in the lower driver's door of my 430 started the notorious buzzing last week. I knew exactly what it was from reading the now famous thread by ZGone. So I had a decision to make.....replace with the same speaker and pay an exorbitant fee, or buy a 6.5" replacement.
I looked on eBay and found a couple of people selling the ML for about $220. By the way, the original part number for the 6X9 speaker has been superseded and it changed by one digit. It is now 86160-0W421 (instead of 420).
I called my Lexus dealer and was told the speaker would be $350 and $285.00 to install it. No, I'm not kidding. So $635 to have ONE speaker replaced.
That made me mad so I looked into getting one of the 6.5" alternatives. I was about ready to choose that option, but hadn't purchased anything.
In the meantime, I called the service person I usually deal with at Lexus to complain about the gouging from the dealership. (He wasn't the original person I spoke with that gave me the prices.) I always deal with this same guy and I encourage others to do the same. At Lexus, it's a matter of who you know. Believe it or not, the service managers are able to "adjust" prices for just about anything, and if you can get to know them a bit, I believe you get better deals.
Well, I'm glad I called this guy because he was telling me to just go to a radio or speaker place to have the speaker installed because it would be so much cheaper. And then he remembered something.
He remembered that he was recently talking to a buddy of his who used to have a SC 430. The guy was complaining because just prior to selling the car, he purchased two brand new 6X9 speakers from Lexus but never had them installed (I don't know why). So he asked if I would be interested in buying his speakers. I said yes, of course. He said he would ask his friend what he would sell them for and call me back.
Would you believe he called me back the next day and his friend only wanted $100 a piece for the speakers? LOL...so I bought both of them for $200, brand new and still in the box. I couldn't believe my good fortune.
It took 7.5 years for my speaker to break and I'm hoping these new ones will last at least that long. Yes, I'm replacing it with the same mediocre speaker, but for 100 bucks, it was a no-brainer. This guy saved me $500 off the regular price!
I looked on eBay and found a couple of people selling the ML for about $220. By the way, the original part number for the 6X9 speaker has been superseded and it changed by one digit. It is now 86160-0W421 (instead of 420).
I called my Lexus dealer and was told the speaker would be $350 and $285.00 to install it. No, I'm not kidding. So $635 to have ONE speaker replaced.
That made me mad so I looked into getting one of the 6.5" alternatives. I was about ready to choose that option, but hadn't purchased anything.
In the meantime, I called the service person I usually deal with at Lexus to complain about the gouging from the dealership. (He wasn't the original person I spoke with that gave me the prices.) I always deal with this same guy and I encourage others to do the same. At Lexus, it's a matter of who you know. Believe it or not, the service managers are able to "adjust" prices for just about anything, and if you can get to know them a bit, I believe you get better deals.
Well, I'm glad I called this guy because he was telling me to just go to a radio or speaker place to have the speaker installed because it would be so much cheaper. And then he remembered something.
He remembered that he was recently talking to a buddy of his who used to have a SC 430. The guy was complaining because just prior to selling the car, he purchased two brand new 6X9 speakers from Lexus but never had them installed (I don't know why). So he asked if I would be interested in buying his speakers. I said yes, of course. He said he would ask his friend what he would sell them for and call me back.
Would you believe he called me back the next day and his friend only wanted $100 a piece for the speakers? LOL...so I bought both of them for $200, brand new and still in the box. I couldn't believe my good fortune.
It took 7.5 years for my speaker to break and I'm hoping these new ones will last at least that long. Yes, I'm replacing it with the same mediocre speaker, but for 100 bucks, it was a no-brainer. This guy saved me $500 off the regular price!
08-14-09, 04:14 AM
#2
Outstanding!
It is good to hear that your contact at the dealership was a decent person and that you were able to obtain the speakers at such a great price.
Enjoy your audio.
It is good to hear that your contact at the dealership was a decent person and that you were able to obtain the speakers at such a great price.
Enjoy your audio.
08-18-09, 01:43 AM
#5
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
I had the speaker installed today at Best Buy and they only charged me $35.00 to do it, as opposed to $285.00 that Lexus was going to charge. Craziness....
Sounds back to normal, but the guy that installed it said there are still some "vibrations" that are coming from the door (not the new speaker) on certain songs (particularly those with a lot of bass). He said I didn't even have any plastic lining the inside of the door, so apparently, the door had some work on it before I bought the car. It must not have been much though, as all the original stickers are still on the door.
He asked if I wanted to try a product called Dynamat to improve the sound. I had never heard of this product but they bill themselves as "The most trusted name for ultimate sound and noise control."
I assume it's a product similar what ZGone put in his car called edead. ZGone seemed to think it helped.
So I was wondering if anyone has tried Dynamat, and if so, what you think about it. It's not like it's that expensive, so I don't think the guy is just trying to make a sale. He said he would do both doors in my 430 for $150.00. Besides helping the sound of the music, he said it would help cut down on overall noise.
Anyone have knowledge of Dynamat? Just wondering if it's worth a try. Here's their website...
http://www.dynamat.com/
Sounds back to normal, but the guy that installed it said there are still some "vibrations" that are coming from the door (not the new speaker) on certain songs (particularly those with a lot of bass). He said I didn't even have any plastic lining the inside of the door, so apparently, the door had some work on it before I bought the car. It must not have been much though, as all the original stickers are still on the door.
He asked if I wanted to try a product called Dynamat to improve the sound. I had never heard of this product but they bill themselves as "The most trusted name for ultimate sound and noise control."
I assume it's a product similar what ZGone put in his car called edead. ZGone seemed to think it helped.
So I was wondering if anyone has tried Dynamat, and if so, what you think about it. It's not like it's that expensive, so I don't think the guy is just trying to make a sale. He said he would do both doors in my 430 for $150.00. Besides helping the sound of the music, he said it would help cut down on overall noise.
Anyone have knowledge of Dynamat? Just wondering if it's worth a try. Here's their website...
http://www.dynamat.com/
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