64impalaSS

No but you have to remove the bench back seat first. There are three tabs on the front of the bench. You pull up each (pull hard) and they will pop out. Then you pull the entire bench up and forward to remove. The back take time as you have to remove numerous bolts as described in the above posts. The sub is held in by four 10 mm bolts and easy to remove. Biz Eagle was spot on with his write ups, read them and you'll coast through it. You don't need a drill bit to secure the new speaker if you use his advice and self tapping screws.

64impalaSS

After installing my sub, I have now noticed the passenger side front door speaker is blown. I called the local pro stereo shop as I hate dealing with door panels and they quoted me for replacing both front doors and dash tweeters for $265. Not trying to argue whether or not this is a deal or not, I wanted to mention that the tech said the speakers needed to be on a 2-ohm system with crossovers to sound correct. Why would the sub need 8-12 ohms and front door/dash tweeters run on 2 ohms? Does the crossover make the change from the amp? I am new to this but I wanted to get some thoughts? Thanks

Bocatrip

That price does not sound out of line for front door speakers and dash tweeters. Does that include the labor to install? If so, it's more than fair. I purchased my OEM door speakers from an on line Lexus dealer for a little under $200 for both and it cost me $50 to get them installed. You are getting a fair deal.

BizEagle

Yes, that is the way mine came out too. There are 3 vertical metal tabs (distributed evenly left, middle & right) that stick out of the bottom of the bench. They snap fit into plastic/ nylon grommets that are mounted in the metal deck under the front of the bench seat. If you stick your fingers under the seat near each one and give the seat a quick upward pull near each one, they will pop out of the grommets and the bench will come out easy. Then you will be able to access the bolts that hold the low side of the seat back to metal deck. You will have some wiring connectors to unplug for the heated seats

On the top, there are 3 nuts or bolts that hold the top side of the seat to metal deck. These are behind the left, right and center head rests. If you lift up the headrests you will see some round plastic pop in/out plugs about the size of a quarter that you can pop out with a little flat screw driver. The 3 top side nuts are under these plugs. You may have to take out the middle headrest to get to the center one.

BizEagle

For this question, it might be a good idea to contact tech support at Crutchfield. The tech that I spoke with had access to all the speaker specs to be compatible with the Mark Levinson audio system. Might be a good idea to get a second opinion from Crutchfield. They will answer your questions and spend as much time as you need if you purchased something from them.

nookbom

I am not trying to thread jack but this thread seemed to have tons of useful information in it. I have an 02 ls 430 and I would like to see if anyone knows how to remove the a pillar cover. The cover is tethered with a metal pin it appears that pushes into a white plastic clip that is affixed to the metal a pillar itself. Any and all help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

HiloDB1

iTrader: (3)

BTW in order to change out the dash tweeters in our car the entire dash needs to be removed. If thats the price they quoted you for parts and labor Id be weary of what they do. The labor alone to do the tweeters in the dash would be more then that if done properly.

JonHsiung

The info in this thread is great - I just changed out my glue-repaired Mark Levinson sub for the Kicker 10C88 (8", 8-ohms) today. The 10C88 sounds amazing, does not cause the amp to shut down, and delivers hard hitting notes without fluttering.

I took it to an audio shop to install because free time is rare these days, but he let me watch and it's pretty straight forward for anyone that has done car audio before, even on the UL-model (just a couple more connectors to disconnect as you pull the pieces off). I was actually surprised the seats come out the same way - with a strong tug. The new sub mounted into the Levinson's stock mount fairly easily. For $50 on Crutchfield and quick shipping, I'd totally vouch for the Kicker 10C88. It's well-constructed and while not as monstrous as the two Kicker Solo Baric S12L5 subs I had in my other car, it provides the great OEM bass the Mark Levinson used to before it separated.

BizEagle

Glad it worked out for you. I decided not to repair my Mark Levinson sub because I assumed it would just blow again. I installed the new Kicker sub myself just for fun because I like doing repair projects and rebuild projects in the evenings. BTW, the new Kicker sub sounds even better now that it has had a few weeks for break in. Plus there have been zero problems with the ML amp. The construction quality of the Kicker is so much higher than the OEM that there is no comparison. For a $50~$60 kicker sub vs. the OEM for $350, why not?

yuri.ber

iTrader: (7)

I opened my rear doors yesterday and rear speakers are NOT 6 1/2". They are component 4" speaker and 1" tweeter.

HiloDB1

iTrader: (3)

01 to 03 are set up like this 04 to 06 are 6-1/2" mids in the doors and tweeter mounted up high on the door panel.

greywolf40

I made a little how-to video on repairing the speakers in the LS430:
I hope you folks find it helpful!

willapus

So we just got a 2002 ls430. My wife totaled our '98 ls400 after hitting a deer. She is fine; deer went flying; ls 400 drove great for the 350 mile trip back home. So, all during the check out of the 430 I had the radio turned all the way down to listen to any mechanical imperfections. The car checked out wonderfully and we bought the car. Now, I can relax, I thought, and listen to some music. most of the speakers are blown.

This thread has been a great help and inspiration. I haven't started on the upgrades yet, but I am wondering if it wouldn't be easier to cut the back deck cover, so that we wouldn't have to remove the rear seats and rear deck cover to replace the sub? Wouldn't the speaker grill cover the larger hole?

Thanks.

gashed

Very informational video! Thanks greywolf40.

greywolf40

Thanks, glad you liked it!