Ok so I searched on the forums here and only found like 2 or 3 threads but there was not much data there. So long story short. Last week, when AC was on, or heat for that matter there was a noise coming as if there was a leaf or rock that may have fallen into the blower cage. CHecked it and nothing. So I decided to take the blower out, and the motor itself was loose, rocking back and forth inside the cage. So I bought a new one from AutoZone, $118. I get the part the next day, and installed it today. good news and bad news.... good news it works great. Bad news is that I had to rip off the clip that kept the wiring neat so it could reach the new connector on the AutoZone model. It was in a slightly different spot... whatever.. Now heres the bigger issue, our cars have a MP3 Encoder module that sits right under the factory blower motor. This new blower motor is designed differently and doesn't allow for me to reinstall the darn MP3 module so after some thinking, I decided to just bolt everything back up without installing the MP3 mod. Now I just cannot use the USB/iPod in the car. HAS ANYONE else ever run into this problem? And if so how did you correct it, or install the module back into the car. The best thing would prolly be to return the motor back to AutoZone and buy it from Lexus or Toyota for the $215. Would rather not as I am on a budget but ... yeah these are the reasons why you should always stick to OEM. uughh.. Anyway, thanks in advanced for reading all this, and also for any possible solutions. Ciao for now.

Sidenote: I bought a new K&N Cabin Filter for the Lexus, fit perfectly and it was $40 at Autozone. Now the next time I'll just have to wash it and refresh/recharge it and back in business.



This is the motor with the backing all apart. The motor here (black insert) is whats loose and rocks side to side a bit causing the cage to spin and wobble causing the noise.


This is a pic of the MP3 Encoder Module. Expensive lil booger.