2011 LX570 with a Mark Levinson radio. Over the past year the radio wouldn't turn on when hot/sitting in sun on occasion. It is currently occurring daily. The touch screen works for climate control but the radio won't work or turn on and is unresponsive to touch. When this happens the AUX and DVD/CD tabs on the display don't appear. The Lexus mechanic is at a loss. They want to start by replacing the amp ($2300) and then if that doesn't work, the screen ($4000.) Another mechanic suggested replacing the glass digitizer, however I am unsure if this is necessary because the screen is responsive for climate control. The radio will eventually work after the car cools or for an unspecified length of time. Any suggestions?

 

Call oem audio inc in NY they have fixed multiple lexus elwctromic things for me there amp is $800ish without the core deposit back. They can also fix head units etc no problems a member on here just used them to fix there radio.

 

You have described exactly what happened as my amp progressed from not working occasionally during the summer when overheated to total failure due to heat damage within a month.

You need a new amp or have the old one repaired. It sits in a well under the driver’s seat and Lexus decided to not only put it where there is limited air circulation but to cover it with the floor carpet as well. Despite the amp having twin cooling fans, these are useless in the closed box where the amp is installed. The heat damage is well known and posted about, but Lexus admits no problem so you are on your own.

BTW, the Lexus marketing deal with Levinson forbids Lexus to repair the unit. They can only replace it with a new one at beaucoup dollars. But you can remove it yourself and have it repaired for around $800. And cut away the flap of carpet that shuts off cooling air flow or you will be doing the replace or repair again.

 

OEM Audio said it sounds like the head unit. I took it to a radio installer and he said it is the amp (won't repair and referred me to the dealer.) This thread supports amp failure. An electronics friend said sounds like the amp but told me to confirm by testing the voice activated navigation system. I'll try that tomorrow. I'm trying to avoid a multi-step attempt and repairs going down a rabbit hole of thousands of $$. Thanks for the suggestions. Hopefully this is figured out. I'm thinking the difference between my unit and others is the Mark Levinson component. The amps on these units seem to be less reliable? This car is 13 years old after all. Its got a lot of years left.

 

Where would you suggest to have it repaired?

 

OEM Audio. I have used them twice for ML amps. I have two Lexus vehicles. Both are 2013’s and the amps in both of them failed. Needless to say, I am not happy with Lexus at all. Though the ML units both have twin cooling fans, Lexus installs them in ways that block the airflow to the amps.

And the dealer had the gall to tell me that they had never seen ML failure before, and all they would do was install a new unit at my expense. This was soon after my first one failed. I guess they forgot.

 

Interested to see if there have been any new updates regarding this. I have been experiencing this issue off and on.

The audio in my '11 LX works perfectly fine 90% in the time. However on rare (but less rare than I would like) occasions, I'll get no audio from my Mark Levinson sound system. Symptoms are no volume control, no sound, no ability to change audio modes. The touchscreen is still responsive and I can mess with climate and nav, but no sounds at all. Then if I drive the car a bit or let it sit for 15-20 minutes and start the car again, it will work.

Most of the time, this seems to happen when its a warm humid day (typically the day after it rains). I have accessed the amp before and looked for water damage down in the area but there were no signs that any water has made its way down there. So maybe a temperature or humidity sensor in the amp thats creating the issue?

 

This is my exact issue BUT it has gotten progressively worse. My radio doesn't turn back on after driving for some time and turning the car off like to fill gas. If the car is parked in the sun the radio won't turn on. In Texas this is quite an issue when heat is involved. I've been told this is likely the amp as confirmed by voice navigation not working when this happens as well. At this time I haven't found anyone willing to remove the amp for repair besides the dealership. Keep me posted on your progress.

 

Just a guess, but could there be some oxidation in one of the three connectors at the amplifier? I really cannot imagine ML equipping the amplifier with heat or humidity sensors to automatically shut it down.

Maybe with a small hand you could try reaching under the front of the seat and wiggling the connectors a bit next time it shuts down just to see what happens. I honestly can’t recall if there is sufficient access to do this, though.

 

Thanks, I'll give that a try and see if it works

 

Gotcha, it does sound like we have the exact some symptoms. I'll also tried the voice navigation and it didn't work either.

Mine has been occurring over a couple of years. Summers are definitely when I get the most issues. Definitely temp and/or moisture related.