My car, ever since I got it did not have reliably working speakers. Up until now I didn't do any research on the issue and just assumed I had a gonked amp. That being said I am under the current assumption that the valves/ducts/flaps in my car are actually the culprit. I say this as my speakers periodically work during stretches where it is very dry and there is not an abundance of humidity in the mornings or throughout the day. I have inspected both flappy things, and both look fine, that being said when inspected they were still in the car and are likely bad. I have heard they tend to crap out after about 5 years. I will be taking them out this evening and can post update photos if that would help anyone.

My question to someone who has experience with this issue: Is it worth replacing both vents or would it be more worth it to replace one and fill the right (side with the amp) side's hole so that the amp no longer gets direct access to open air? I will likely be filling it (more accurately covering it with roofing tape) for the time being, but I would like a permanent solution that will not cause potential issues with my car. I was also planning on cutting some holes in the "mat" above the amp and covering them with a mesh (so its still closedish) that would allow any water to evaporate from the inside.

User @Oceans13 did tape both of the sides in this thread https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...ps-fail-4.html but unfortunately no long term update was posted so I figured I would make a new thread since I couldn't find anything else online.

If anyone has any experience with a long term filled (or taped, I feel like the roofing tape would be a viable permanent solution) valve hole please let me know.

 

Ok so update for anyone who sees this. The amp worked on the first startup after letting it dry. So far it seems that the tape over the vent hole seems to not pose a challenge (again I only have one taped). I did notice some roof vibrations and the moon roof wiggling a bit but after further inspection I noticed that the same thing happened even when I had the trunk open. So I suspect it might just be a design flaw of the front 2 doors. When closing the rear 2 doors I saw no visible movement on the moon roof and roof in general.

So final info on current setup:
AMP air dried for 2 days and reinstalled.
Roofing tape covering the vent on the side of the AMP.

It rained today, I did not notice any moisture on the side that the amp (this was prior to me reinstalling) is on so I believe it is in a good working state as of right now. I will update if anything happens / changes.

 

Hi, could you be so kind to post here the part numbers and whether it is as easy as that thread you linked to replace the flaps? Thank you.

 

@zhifan1 Do you have a 3is? But if so its really easy to replace/tape over them. YOU DO NOT need to take apart the bumper at all as long as you have some limber arms. You do have to reach in-between the bumper and the muffler so I would suggest doing it like 15mins after the car is turned off.
I think that video pretty well sums it up. Lemme know if you have any questions.

 

Hi, yep I have a 2016 IS200t. Ok, so you are saying instead of doing as per the video, I could get to it by going from under-neath the car near the muffler area and seal it with tape from there, yeah?

 

I also considered this a while back but never ended up doing it. For me I realized more water was filling up in the area where the spare tire resides compared the two panels - Would recommend to also check.

 

Sorry for the confusion, yes you are still going to need to remove some of the felt panels in the trunk, to tape over the vent. But you dont need to take the bumper off at all to get the vent out once you pop it out of its housing. I would definitely suggest only taping over one of the vents just in case, but its your car so totally up to you.

The panels are really easy to remove. This video should cover everything needed to remove the panels.



I just threw one of the damprid hanging dehumidifier pouches in the trunk as well and it seems to be doing a great job of keeping humidity out of the trunk/cabin.

 

@JNP1227 Did you end up getting the water issue fixed? If so what was the cause?

 

I found that the water was coming from a few different spots after hosing down the trunk for good amount of time and monitoring after driving in the rain.

1. Vent panel which you identified which was barely wet
2. Spare Tire area which had the most water build up - still unsure where it is coming from but it was almost has someone spilled a glass of water in there and at times it can overflow to the sides of the quarter panels where the area of concern is -Amplifier. Not sure if it was from the trapped moisture or if it coming up from the firewall where the wires connect through the spare wheel base.
3. Taillights - found that a lot of water was getting through the tail light clips so i added some silicone around it to prevent it from getting wet.

Overall, my main concern was the amp which I believe i have under control but as for point 2. still unsure.

 

Gotcha, ill have to take a look at the tail lights and see if they are causing any issues for me. After just today there was quite a bit of water in the dehumidifier pouch already, so I assume its probably not just the vents in my case....

 

CONFIRMED TO WORK

Putting tape over the vent panel (I used roofing tape, similar to flex tape but a bit beefier if you aren't familiar) does do a good job at keeping moisture out. As its gotten less hot/humid outside i've also noticed an improvement in reliability.
There does not seem to be any issues with any excess pressure in the cabin which I did fear a little bit.

@JNP1227 Im not sure if your still having issues with the moisture but I would give taping over the AMP side a try.