I just replaced the Mark Levinson amplifier in my 2013 LX 570, so I thought I'd describe the process. First of all, the amplifier failure results in absolutely no audio from the speakers. No radio, no Sirius XM, no music via bluetooth pairing with your phone, no voice prompts from the navigation system. A DVD will still play, but video only, without sound. The door ajar beep still works, as it has its own speaker.

The amplifier is located in a depression in the floor under the driver's seat. It is covered by carpet, which isn't the best engineering for a device that's heat susceptible like an amplifier. The amplifier has twin cooling fans in the end facing the center of the vehicle, but they obviously are blocked by the confines of the floor recess and the carpet covering. Now for the directions, which I learned by trial and error.

Absolutely the best and perhaps only way to remove the amp is by unbolting the driver's seat. You won't need to remove the seat, just tip it out of the way. Here are the steps:

1. Run the driver's seat all the way forward. This exposes the plastic covers on the back of the seat rails. Using a screwdriver, just pop off both of these plastic covers. Underneath them are the rear seat mounting bolts. They are hex head 14 mm bolts, and are really tight. I ended up using an impact wrench to break them free. Remove both rear bolts and set them aside.\
2. Now run the seat all the way towards the rear, and you'll have access to the front mounting bolts. Pop off their covers, and remove both of these 14 mm bolts.
3. Next lift up the front of the seat and lean the driver's seat back against the middle seat. Peel up the carpeting under the seat (it's already partially split as factory installed. I needed to use a carpet knife to enlarge the opening in the carpet. And now you'll be looking down directly at the exposed amplifier.
4. The amp is held in place to the floor by two mounts, one on either side. The mount on the center side is held by two 10 mm hex bolts, one in front, and one behind the long sides of the amp. The left side next to the door is held by a single 10 mm hex bolt, just to the door side of the end of the amp, and centered on its amp's midline. Remove these 3 bolts and the amp and its two mounts are loose. Next step is to remove the three cable connectors.
5. The wiring connectors insert into the front of the amp. The smaller connector (nearest the center of the vehicle has no lock or latch, so just use a little force to pull it free. The center connector is locked by a tab on its upper surface, which needs to be pushed downward to allow the plug to be pulled free. The largest connector (nearest the driver's door, has a black latch (connector is white). The latch is pried up or forward on the side, and it pivots outward about 30 degrees. This frees the plug, which is then easily pulled free.
6. Now just lift the amp and its two mounts out of the recess in the floor pan. Put the driver's seat back down in place, and install the 4 14 mm mounting bolts. Leave the plastic covers off until you have the amp repaired so you don't have to pull them off a second time.
7. I sent my amp to United Radio in Nw York (unitedradio.com). They have great customer service and an oustnding reputation for repairing these amplifiers. The arrangement Lexus has with Mark Levinson (Harman) does not allow Lexus to repair these units, so they simply sell you a new one. List price for the amp is about $1,700, plus labor. I was quoted $2,400 for parts and labor. United Radio will repair the amp for a flat charge of $675, with free UPS shipping, a one year warranty, and a very rapid turn-around time, typically a week or less.
8. When the repaired unit comes back, just reverse the removal process to install it. I left a window in the carpet under the seat to allow for better cooling of the device, and hopefully prevent future failures.

 

Would this not have been covered under warranty?

 

Good write up, yours is the only post on all my 200 series sites that has had this problem but if out of warranty yours is a major money saver. Thanks

 

Agreed, my late build 2011 is still under full warranty and if I had a 2013 that is definitly under 4 years old, I would be asking Lexus for help because even if I was over the mileage limit not over the time limit and this issue has nothing to do with mileage. Lexus IS pretty good about working with owners on these types of issues. Just wonder if this owner tried that?

 

This is my 5th new Lexus. All purchased, not leased. Four of them have had expensive problems occurring two-plus years after the purchase dates. All have either been repaired at my own expense, or traded in with the problem still present. Unfortunately I commute 800 miles a week and usually hit the 50,000 mile mark within the second year. The basic warranty is 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. For powertrain or corrosion, the warranty is longer.

 

So you had over 100k miles when this happened. I see why you did it yourself.

 

That explains it. I do not put 50K on my LX in 3 years!

 

Mines averaging around 10k miles a year.

 

Yep, after thinking about it I only do about 15k per year so I never was good at math!