Jayson

Hi there all! This is my first post in this forum. I am a former Infiniti enthusiast who just had his G20 totaled by a kamikaze deer. I decided at that time to make the switch over to Lexus. I bought what my friend's mom had a few years back, which I thought was an awesome car, the 1995 Lexus SC400. I absolutely love the car, but have found that the Nakamichi stereo system's back speakers are definitely needing some attention. They are very quiet and I believe only the rear driver's side is even working. I have looked in the owner's manual to try and find the location of the amp so I can check for faulty wiring, but cannot find the Nakamichi system even listed. Where is the amp located? Also, the Nakamichi system, when new, was a pretty pricey option. Is the Nakamichi system just upgraded speakers, or is the headunit different and the amp beefed up?

Last, but not least, where do you all go to get your Lexus OEM parts? I was able to get incredible discounts when I had my Infiniti through an Infiniti dealer in Scottsdale, AZ. Does Lexus offer something similar?

Thanks to everyone who can help me out, I appreciate it.

joegolf

Hi Jayson, welcome to Lexus and this Forum! I read your post and I had to reply. I previously owned an Infiniti I30 and oddly enough, I found the same dealer in AZ that you mentioned and bought many Infiniti OEM products from them. I haven't found a similar place for Lexus though. The ealer you mentioned is actually an Infiniti dealer, I believe, and the other dealers must have hated him. I hope we find someone similar for Lexus but I'm not holding my breath.

Joe

Red93sc400

Hey Jayson! Welcome aboard, try www.taprecycling.com for some used SC400/SC300 parts. Also, one of the guys here is parting out his SC400.

joegolf

Hi Red93sc400

I work about a mile from taprecycling, if that is the one in Rancho Cordova I am thinking of. Great idea for Jayson and it might work out great. Jayson was talking about a place where he got new parts at huge discounts from an actual new car dealer. Anyone know of such a dealer for Lexus, as we found for our Infinitis?

Red93sc400.. are you in the Sacto area too?

Joe

VQT

Carson Toyota in Los Angeles, 800-908-6968 ask for Steve Ganz or Gordon. They used to be no charge on shipping. Now they start charging shipping

There is a web site sc400.com or something. this place sell OEM lex parts at discount price too.

Taka

I just ordered parts from Carson Toyota, I thought
they have good price. 800-908-6968 ask for Steve Ganz or Gordon for lexus parts(x2381)
gonzo4u@earthlink.net (tell him you are CL member)

GORDON MIGUEL x2384

wait, VQT just post same thing :P

----------------------
or I never try this one but I heard they have good price too, Cuong "CD" 703-931-3000 Lexus Parts dept. of Lindsay Lexus of Alexandria. 3410 King St, alexandria Virginia 22302

The Ikon

Give our fellow SC owners site, they give great prices compared to dealer price...

www.LexusSC400.com for all your SC needs...

Tell them that The Ikon sent ya'... hope to see ya' on both sites..

On the Nak system it will have Nakimichi Premium system on it, if not it is the Pioneer system...

The Nak has 280 watts and the Pioneer has around 160 watts(or close to that...)..

I've used www.Billytoyotaparts.com before on a used part before...


The Ikon

Jayson

Those guys out in AZ were really quick and I always had UPS at my doorstep within a few days by ground delivery. I was living out in San Diego at the time and the Infiniti dealers out there have a monopoly. At last count there 3 Infiniti dealers in the SD County area, all of which were owned by the same people. Granted they always treated you like a king, but come on, sometimes you know they were just sucking you dry for retail parts prices.

I'm glad to be in a Lexus and hopefully my wife will be in one by the end of next year.

Jayson

Jayson

I've already got www.lexussc400.com in my favorites in Explorer. www.clublexus.com has been in there for some time now. I'm talking to a guy right now who is piecing apart his Nakamichi audio system. Hopefully he's still got his equipment by the end of this month.

Thanks for all your replies,

Jayson
Austin, TX

Black94RX-7TT

I have a '98 SC 400 with the Nakamichi system. Its currently at the dealer getting the rear amp replaced. I looked at a '97 that had slightly over 60k miles on it, and it had had the Nak amp replaced as well. As for location, the amp is somewhere in the rear, on the passenger side....I believe its under the CD changer, but I won't swear to it.

I know factually of no differences in the systems, other than the Nakamichi logo on the head unit, and the wattage rating (280 for Nak instead of 210). After reading the board for a few months, I've heard the following:
The Nak amp is heavier than the other one
The Nak units have beefier power cables going to the amp
The Nak units have speakers and crossovers optimized to the sonic characteristics of the SC 400 interior

Lex Luthor

Jayson, here's the technical info, if that's what you're looking for. First, your amp is in the boot, passenger side, behind a trim panel, it's bolted to the frame for the CD chgr, on the underside. The Nakamichi premium system code NK was a $2,250 option for the '95 SC4. It was $1200, but required the 12CD chgr as well ($1050 additional). Note that the SC300 also required the leather trim pkg ($1950) in order to be fitted with this option. The Nak system is rated at 280 watts peak (I would place RMS power well below) and consists of 4" paper cone speakers in the front doors and rear shelf, along with 3/4" tweeters at the bases of the a-pillars up front, and a 10" polypropylene cone free-air woofer in the rear shelf. The AM/FM/Cass is combined with a 12CD changer in the rear. Chances are, Jayson, the wiring is fine, and one rear speaker is popped. If you're not sure, just disconnect the plug to the speaker and see if you have cone movement with a 9V battery. If you plan on replacing speakers or amps in this system, I have some pointers for you if you need them, also the rear sub is not a simple swap-out, so let me know if you plan to go that route. If you need any Nak parts, I would talk to Banking, I think he may have all that from the car he's parting out, since i'm determined not to sell my Nak parts for some stupid reason, despite the fact that they just collect dust. Check the speakers first, though. It's a pretty robust system, but the speakers are definitely nothing special, one could easily have blown.