So I was listening to some music on the way to work the other day and suddenly the subwoofer started rattling like crazy. After some investigation on here and another site I found that this is a common problem.
There are 3 options, 1. buy a new ML sub for around $300, 2. install a seperate sub/amp unit (lots of wiring hassle) or 3. repair the blown sub. After reading about someone using a hot glue gun to repair theirs, I decided to give it a go.
All in all it took me about 1.5 hours to complete and the sub sounds as good as new. The most time consuming part was removing the rear seat.

Here are some before and after pics.

Before


You can see where the plastic surround has seperated and this is the part that rattles.

After


By the way, it's kinda difficult to get the nozzle of the glue gun in there but I made it work and as you can see I added an extra bead all the way round for good measure. (not very neat but it works!)

I'm trying to find the source from where I got my information, I'll post a link as soon as I do.

 

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...-andor-repair/

Here is the link, although his problem was a torn woofer cone.

I hope this helps others!

 

Thanks for the picture. This depicts the problem very well, this makes it much easier to repair if my sub ever gets torn

 

You're welcome! When I first heard it and read up on the problems with these subwoofers, I thought the paper cone had actually split and was expecting the thing to be shredded when I took it out. I'm so glad it was a relatively simple fix, I was dreading paying 300 bucks for a new one!

I can put that money towards more mods!

 

Do you have instructions on how to remove the back seats? I too have blown sub(s) and the ratttling is killing me.

 

I used this video to help me: Skip to about 2:18 on the video for the rear seat.


The middle bracket on the upper portion of the seat was a little tight so you may have to wiggle it some.

Good luck and message me if you get stuck!

Just found this too, hope it helps
http://my.is/forums/f159/replacment-...woofer-394490/

 

Thanks for the reference. I'll refer to this if ever my ML sub gets blown. Now I need to do something about the third brake light rattling against the rear windshield.

 

My speaker sounds blown, however it is not so much a rattle, it is more of a blown out sound as in a hole or tear. Is there any other location I should check or glue on the speaker?

Here is someone else's video, my sub sounds like this:

http://youtu.be/JDHoM1Os3yU

Thank you