looking for advice on this system....is it worth trying to keep?

needs some repairs...

 

Depends on what is wrong with it and what you expect from it.
It's not a rattle-yer-neighbours-windows system but does give a pretty good reproduction of what was recorded and is plenty loud enough.
Speakers and the sub can normally be re-foamed if they are crackling. Sub can be replaced with a $50 Dayton-Audio one if needed.
If yours has no sound at all then amp repairs can be pricey, or you could grab a used amp off eBay for $200.
I like my system for Prog rock, Classic rock, and Thrash/Death Metal but everyone has a personal "sound" that they like.

 

maybe look here https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...nd-part-s.html

 

thanks BigBoomer...I really do not want to loose the 6 disc changer nor the cassette (I'm old school) just need the speakers to be upgraded. from what my research is telling me the woofer is blown and that is not allowing the rest of the speakers to sound right...we are getting rattling distortion...
my problem is I am not much of a "do IT yourself" person, probably can figure it out yet I do not have any tools...

 

Currently dealing with an Amplifier that bit the bullet. I will be taking it out and sending it in to United Radio for repair, as I do enjoy the sound quality of the OEM ML system, even though I'm utilizing it via a cassette adapter haha. There's quite a few good threads in here about upgrading away from the ML ecosystem, but it does involve a little bit of work.

If you're happy with what you have, I would just repair the woofer and continue on.

 

If yer not into DIY then re-foaming is a bit of a pain to do as it requires getting the speakers out of the doors and rear parcel shelf.

Your local Car Audio shop would probably replace your speakers for you but at a cost.
If you can find a mom-n-pop type place, they may even re-foam the speakers for you.
Tell them that the subwoofer is 8" and 16Ohm but I believe that you can get away with 8Ohm and many on here have.

If they replace speakers and woofer, there will almost certainly be a change in the sound of the system as the ML was a "reference" designed system where everything was supposedly designed to work together.
If they'd used quality rubber suspension for the speaker cones instead of crap foam that degrades over time, then the system would probably still be working perfectly.

 

There is an excellent video on YouTube on do it yourself re-foam of the ML subwoofer. It really does not look that hard at all with simple tools and a kit with new foam. Take your time and follow the video and you will be fine.
That is what I would do in your situation.
It may be too late for you but I will throw this out- if your car has the rear sunshade, use it. My '05 subwoofer speaker shows no degradation or rattling after 15 years and the PO was religious about using the sunshade (and parking in a garage too helped I am sure). The theory is that It blocks light which degrades the foam,

 

thanks 430SLOwner

 

yes...agreed that is the rout I am going to take...can't beat the CD cassette combo...

 

you took the words out of my mouth BigBoomer, found a small boutique shop in Nor Cal and they said the same thing...going to get a quote as well as a consult.

'preciate your time...good look'n out...

 

hmmm. that is an interesting point I do have the sun shade...was going to just tint the windows...

 

Tint will help a lot too. My car was originally from AZ and has dark tint sides and back window. That has helped a lot with interior generally and the integrity of the speaker foam.

 

My ML amp died recently and I didn't really have the dosh to handle this kind of issue. First, the sub blew, and then after taking it all apart, I learned the blown sub killed the amp. The Subwoofer blew so hard it shot the voice coil clean out of the housing and caused it to short on the frame. There was evidence of it arcing on the metal bits. I have no idea how it failed so catastrophically as I never really listened to my music loud at all, kept it in the 25-30 range.

I surely wasn't in the mood to pay $400 for a used replacement that will likely do the same thing shortly thereafter, especially considering the system is pretty "weak" if you're into music with a more emphasized low end. So I went about fixing it the cheap way.

Following this guide here, I went about removing the CD changer on the ML radio in place of a decent/mid-ranged head unit with 6 RCA Outs, picked up a $200 5-ch amp from Amazon, a cheap 8" subwoofer for $30ish and got all the other goodies (wiring kit etc). I went about tapping into the harness coming out of the ML amp to utilize the original wiring because I knew I wasn't going to push the system, I didn't want to replace the wires, and I planned on using the ML speakers until I had more money to get better door speakers later on.

While I'm not 100% satisfied with the redundant radio controls it was nice to have my sound back with a bit of an upgrade no less. Whole fix was about $350ish after everything was said and done.


I'll warn you though. Taking apart the back seat will be a tedious mess. It's very doable, its just a lot of work for a back seat.

 

Check on e-bay and Amazon, you may be able to find a used or aftermarket there. I have an 01 LS 430, the trim piece on the trunk above the license plate is painted, but there's chrome under the paint. A body guy told me it was the only year they did that. Anyway, the paint started pealing exposing the chrome. I figured just take off the rest of the paint and it would look fine, Wrong. Ending up scratching it up and a replacement part from Lexus was over $200. I though I'd check e-bay and Amazon for the heck of it and to my suprise there was a used all chrome one on Amazon for $35 plus shipping. So, check because you never know. Another option is car-parts.com. It's unlikley you'll find the speakers listed, so look for a body part. It will bring up salvage yards that have say the hood and likley have the car. Give them a call, if they have the car most are happy to remove the part you need and send it, of course you have to pay for it, but that's another option if you need a OEM part that's not usually available.