ASL (Merged Threads(
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 6
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From: LA
ASL (Merged Threads)
My wife's 2004 RX330's radio is supposed to have the auto sound level feature. As far as we are concerned it does not work. We reported this to our dealer when we first brought it in for scheduled maintenance. The loaner car also had the feature and it definitely worked. When we got our car back the service writer told us that they did not have enough time to check our reported problem. The next time we brought our RX in for service we once again mentioned that the ASL was not working. The loaner we drove had the feature but we could not say whether it worked or not. When we got our vehicle back the service writer stated that they had no fix other than to replace the whole radio, which he insinuated they do all the time. Question: has anyone had this problem and if the dealer did replace the radio did it fix the problem. We only have 11,000 miles on the vehicle and so far have zero rattles from the dash and don’t want any.
Last edited by Lil4X; Dec 6, 2006 at 02:05 PM.
CL Community Team
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 16,583
Likes: 1,397
From: Austin, TX
You know it and now the service writer (dealership rep) knows it that there is a problem.
The fix is to replace the head-unit. You should not ask them to repair the head unit.
How can the repair be done? [One has to crack the egg to make an omlette].
The only solution is to open up the console and replace the unit. OR live with the problem.
Probability of rattles after head unit replacement is low and even if things rattle, one repeat trip should surely fix it.
Salim
ps: If your gripe is that the problem should not have happened in the first place, that is understandable but these are machines. After sales warranty is the mechanism to fix these problems. Also this is not a common problem.
The fix is to replace the head-unit. You should not ask them to repair the head unit.
How can the repair be done? [One has to crack the egg to make an omlette].
The only solution is to open up the console and replace the unit. OR live with the problem.
Probability of rattles after head unit replacement is low and even if things rattle, one repeat trip should surely fix it.
Salim
ps: If your gripe is that the problem should not have happened in the first place, that is understandable but these are machines. After sales warranty is the mechanism to fix these problems. Also this is not a common problem.
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 6
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From: LA
I wasn't really griping about my problem, just trying to find out if anyone else had or has the same problem with their radio. Also, what exactly is the "head unit"? The service writer only talked about replacing the complete radio and never mentioned the "head unit".
Pole Position
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 220
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From: VA
I would like to state that in our RX350, we have ASL as well. I can see the bar graph changing as I drive but I can't really tell an audible difference. Is the ASL driven by cabin noise or by vehicle speed? If it was driven by cabin noise, it would mean that rolling down the windows should increase the volume. I can't say that I notice that. Is there a way to tell if ASL is working besides looking at the little bar graph?
By the way, I don't think ASL is a pretty minor feature IMO. I don't know if the average user would even know if it's there. filhiol, I don't think you should worry about it too much unless this bothers you.
Kan-O-Z
By the way, I don't think ASL is a pretty minor feature IMO. I don't know if the average user would even know if it's there. filhiol, I don't think you should worry about it too much unless this bothers you.
Kan-O-Z
The head unit is very simple to remove so a replacement shouldn't take more than 5 minutes and there should be no rattle. I have taken mine out and put it back in a few times and removed it again. Every time I put it back in there is no additional rattles.
I haven't heard of specific ASL problems, but I have heard of a lot of problems with the 6 disk changer head unit itself in this car as well as other Lexus cars. Generally it is the changer operation that has a problem.
I haven't heard of specific ASL problems, but I have heard of a lot of problems with the 6 disk changer head unit itself in this car as well as other Lexus cars. Generally it is the changer operation that has a problem.
MultiTasking Mom
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,662
Likes: 2
From: California
even if it's "working", it's barely there. my ASL technically works, although the level of adjustmnet is not sufficient to account for ambient noise from increased road speed or exterior noise.
if you see the bars increasing, it's probably working, but you can't really tell. i've been in other models such as BMW/MB and the ASL is too sensitive. in lexus it's not sensitive enough. i don't know if there is a way to adjust the sensitivity, but i've never found ASL to be a great feature b/c it varies from person to person how they like it.
in any case, we've had many many lexuses all with ASL, none seem to work that great. it's a design flaw, not a defect...
if you see the bars increasing, it's probably working, but you can't really tell. i've been in other models such as BMW/MB and the ASL is too sensitive. in lexus it's not sensitive enough. i don't know if there is a way to adjust the sensitivity, but i've never found ASL to be a great feature b/c it varies from person to person how they like it.
in any case, we've had many many lexuses all with ASL, none seem to work that great. it's a design flaw, not a defect...
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Driver
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 199
Likes: 6
From: Illinois
I would concur with lexuslover that the level of of adjustment is minimal at best. I rent a lot of cars and find that some are more obvious than others. I personally don't find the feature to be of much value but for what it's worth I do leave it turned on.
I'd much prefer my drivers mirror to tilt properly when backing. Oops, wrong thread.
I'd much prefer my drivers mirror to tilt properly when backing. Oops, wrong thread.
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Pole Position
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 220
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From: VA
Kan-O-Z
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