LexoRoller

I have a 2004 LS430 ML with Nav. The "option". "climate", and "audio" buttons will not work [I]at times. At the same time neither the horn, nor the audio controls on the steering wheel will work. There's is no evidence that all of these are on the same circuit.

I checked the fuse for the horn and it is fine. Sometimes these same buttons will work fine then stop all of a sudden they stop again. This is weird.

I saw a post way back of a place the ML can be sent for repair for much less than replacement, but I can't find this source. Even if the ML is repaired or replacement it doesn't explain the intermittent non-functioning of the horn and steering wheel audio controls that become non-functional with the ML buttons. When this happens, the NAV controls, "Menu" buttons work fine, and of course I can still control the audio with the manual button associated directly withe radio, Anyway

Can someone please she some light of this please...

Lexoroller

WAHunt3

Just encountered the Mark Levinson amp issue on my 2013 LX-570. The dealer stated that it was the second one this week, with the same model of vehicle (not sure about year of the other one) this week. Maybe more in the past?

Fortunately, mine was still under warranty, so replacement being shipped, and should be installed within the week.

Dealer provided loaner, so other than a service trip, a loaner for most of a week, no real problem.

Seems that there might well be an issue with some of the Mark Levinson amplifiers?

For info, the amp is under the passenger's seat on the LX-570. The symptoms are similar to many others that I have read here, and elsewhere. Audio would be fine on start up, but usually within moments would quite completely. A restart would often bring it back, though in some cases, it would cut out completely rather quickly - but sometimes play for 30 mins.. I did have it come back on, with nothing being done, and in that case, it worked fine for the rest of that drive. All audio would be dead, including the Blue-tooth telephone connection. Heck, I missed two telemarketers' calls! All NAV worked fine, except for voice guidance, etc. All other functions of the display were fine.

Hunt

rkw77080

Your description of the problem - no horn, no steering wheel audio controls - suggests that your "Clock Spring" is failing. It in turn causes the "Option", "Climate", and "Audio" buttons to stop working properly. Please take a look at the following post...
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...tery-time.html
Once you're there, also take a good look at Post #9 for link/discussion specifically on clock-spring.

jayrodclg

I know this is an old thread but I figured someone else may run across this and find it helpful.

I have owned my 2001 LS430 for +5 years and I had to replace the amp within a week of buying it. I got a replacement from a company in Georgia who took mine back and repaired it to sell to another customer. It was much cheaper than buying anything else on the market at the time.

Just today the radio would not come back on after a 20 minute trip this morning. It started working again this afternoon and stopped again when I restarted the car after an errand. I came home and tore into the trunk. I pulled the amp out and started the car. The cooling fan in the amp would spin up and then stop. The amp warmed up at a surprising rate without this tiny fan. The fan is mounted on the bottom (installed orientation) and helps to push the warm rising air up and out of the vertically mounted amp. If it stops working there must not be enough airflow to keep the amp from overheating and ceasing operation. Instead of spending more money on an amp I took the amp apart and wired the cooling fan into a +12v ACC line. Now the fan spins up to full speed and stays there while the car is running. I tested with the radio at ear bleeding levels after reassembly and it is good as new.

P.S. the amp looks great inside. All the caps are perfect and there does not appear to be any damaged/fried connections. I don't know why the fan control is shutting down.

jaiello21

Hi everyone,

I am currently looking for a used LS430 and just test drove a 2003 LS430 with the Ultra Lux package. The car is in immaculate condition however when I went to drive the car today the dealer told me that the radio would not omit sound during a 20 minute test drive but worked fine a few days ago. I have a feeling it is the amp as we could not get any sound from am, fm, or cd however the navigation instructions came through the ML speakers. Could it be an amp issue even though it is an '03 LS? The dealership although not a Lexus one said they will have their service department investigate. Maybe they will replace the amp for me if that is the issue?

Thanks