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So, after talking with a few members here, I have been moving forward with finding me a 350 to replace my sad old Saturn. I drove a couple of 250s, but honestly wasn't impressed, although they were far better performing than the current driver, after driving a 350 I can't imagine being happy with the lower horsepower. However, there were a few issues with this that the dealer claims they will fix, but I'd like ideas as to what might be causing it so maybe I can beat them down on price a bit and fix myself.
First up was an airbag light, not a huge deal to me, but I'll have to get the software to figure out what codes are being thrown. I don't see any issues with any of the airbags, but I'd like to get rid of the warning. That is not one the dealer is going to fix, so I'll come back to this if I buy the car.
Next up was the stereo, the car is equipped with nav and the display works fine and does respond to touch, but when you switch to audio it displays Audio Off and will not turn on. This is one of the things they claim they can get fixed, but I'd be open to ideas of what might cause this that I can quickly check.
On the nav front, navigation doesn't display, simply brings up a message "the external unit is not connected". I'm guessing this is the DVD drive for the navigation, which makes me wonder if it works or if it has a disc in it. Pressing Menu also displays this same message, although the settings do come up to link the phone to the bluetooth.
Any other big concerns I should look for before buying? Any ideas on these issues that can be checked before purchase, or should I just let the dealer resolve them? Keep in mind, this is just a small used car lot and not a Lexus dealer, so I'm hopeful they will take it to the dealer to resolve these issues.
Radio/Nav could be as simple as a disconnected harness, at worst maybe a new HU.
TBH, with these issues, I'd pass on the car and find one that doesn't have them unless they're selling it at a serious discount compared to similar 350's, but again, assuming the airbag harness needs to be replaced and not simply a disconnected harness, it's not cheap to do.
Radio/Nav could be as simple as a disconnected harness, at worst maybe a new HU.
TBH, with these issues, I'd pass on the car and find one that doesn't have them unless they're selling it at a serious discount compared to similar 350's, but again, assuming the airbag harness needs to be replaced and not simply a disconnected harness, it's not cheap to do.
The price now isn't bad, but I may be able to beat it down further with this information. I read through that thread and see the one connector that seems to be a trouble spot, that's all well within my capabilities, but it's a definite risk. I've rebuilt harnesses in the past, so this isn't impossible, but hopefully they are all just disconnected and I can get it cheaper. This car isn't the family ride, it's strictly for me to commute in, so if I can get the price a little lower I'll be in a price range much lower than others around, many of which have branded titles I'm not willing to deal with.
Audio... some of these retain water in the trunk area right side and it kills the amp. Two things to look at:
Open trunk, lift plastic tray out of right side and look for signs of water intrusion. You may see rust, corrosion, water... Only takes a minute.
Open the hood. Near the battery is a fuse panel. Open it and look for RAD2 fuse. Pull fuse and inspect for open.
One can cause the other.
Although this is not the case in this thread (water intrusion), it is a thread with a dead amp and some troubleshooting tips.
Audio... some of these retain water in the trunk area right side and it kills the amp. Two things to look at:
Open trunk, lift plastic tray out of right side and look for signs of water intrusion. You may see rust, corrosion, water... Only takes a minute.
Open the hood. Near the battery is a fuse panel. Open it and look for RAD2 fuse. Pull fuse and inspect for open.
One can cause the other.
Although this is not the case in this thread (water intrusion), it is a thread with a dead amp and some troubleshooting tips.
That's good to know, I'll check both to see. I know the trunk had to be opened because the battery was dead and I don't see any way to unlock the doors when that happens, but there was no obvious issues visible. I thought there might be a key slot on the driver door, but it didn't appear to be the case. I'm waiting to hear back from the lot as I had to run (working in my favor) to pick up my son from school, so they don't have me trapped on the lot at this point.
I'm also looking at a few others so I can give a price comparison when I try to negotiate the price. If they are unwilling to budge, there are other fish in the sea. Some of them have branded titles, so I won't consider them, but there are a few available that are clean.
That's good to know, I'll check both to see. I know the trunk had to be opened because the battery was dead and I don't see any way to unlock the doors when that happens, but there was no obvious issues visible. I thought there might be a key slot on the driver door, but it didn't appear to be the case. I'm waiting to hear back from the lot as I had to run (working in my favor) to pick up my son from school, so they don't have me trapped on the lot at this point.
I'm also looking at a few others so I can give a price comparison when I try to negotiate the price. If they are unwilling to budge, there are other fish in the sea. Some of them have branded titles, so I won't consider them, but there are a few available that are clean.
The area where you think there should be a key slot has a removable cover. You stick the key from the key fob into the little slot underneath it, lift up, and it'll pop off.
The area where you think there should be a key slot has a removable cover. You stick the key from the key fob into the little slot underneath it, lift up, and it'll pop off.
I thought there should be one, can't imagine that opening the trunk and fishing through the backseat would be a factory idea. Good to know if I encounter it again as I shop around.
If you do opt for this one, there are used head units and amps on fleabay. So do a little search and see if budget allows. Also the other fuse in that same compartment is RAD. NO 1, shown here.
Of course some of us do electrical troubleshooting and repair of these at a very reasonable cost so keep that in mind too.
I've been repaired navigation and radio unit over 9 years.
1. your radio isnot power on got nothing to to with the amp. All you need is new CD player (around $90). https://www.ebay.com/itm/2006-2008-L...8AAOSwOR9bcFFy
2. Navigation error message "external is not connected" is indicated your map player no longer working, you could re-built it or simply buying use one for $100 https://www.ebay.com/itm/07-09-Lexus...ty!92840!US!-1
let me know if you need any more help with navigation and radio!!!
That's good to know, I haven't heard from him yet but I'm hoping to get the price down to 6k which would be reasonable, but no guarantee. If not I'll continue looking.
I was looking at that thread, might be the issue as it doesn't appear to have any issues that would cause it, but that doesn't mean it won't be something bigger. Still waiting to hear from them, they may be attempting to get the nav and radio working before selling.
I didn't see the light, but this was a 20 minute test drive so I know I didn't see everything. I was also alone, no salesman riding with me. Still no word, but I'll contact later this week if I haven't heard from him.
So, if I wanted to get this one it would be more than the value of the car, and they wanted way too much down. Basically they'll get me financed, but they want me to pay 11k plus 2.5k down, and that's not happening. I'm working on a loan through my credit union so I can do this a bit different and not deal with car lots except to say I'll take it for this much period. I should know hopefully tomorrow if this will work, but either way I continue to search for my 350.
09-19-18, 01:55 PM
Looking at an 08 IS350, couple of issues
