Weird Radio Abnormality
 

Yesterday morning my radio was on but there was no volume. I messed with all the controls including the steering wheel to no avail. At lunch I had volumn again but radio preset buttons 4,5, & 6 on FM looked like this -----, that's right, 5 dashes. Pressing those three buttons did nothing in FM but worked perfect on AM! Today everything was back to normal. This is my daily driver 2002 that has been trouble free. Any thoughts?

Unfortunately, sounds like the amp is starting to fail. There have been many posts about this issue and even a Lexus Support Bulletin about it specifically for the SC430. Sorry to hear about your trouble, but you can search this forum for "Amp Troubles," and learn a little more about it.

Actually, I had the very same problem with my radio several years ago. I took it to the dealership and was informed the ML radio was going bad. Needless to say my warranty expired, but the service rep informed me Lexus has a program where they will replace your head unit with a refurbished one at fraction of the cost. I paid $600 dollars which included the head unit and labor. I was extremely impressed because I couldn't tell the difference between my old or the refurbished device. Last year I replaced my head unit with the Pioneer AVIC-150BH and incorporated the Beatsonic integration module. I also kept the OEM wiring and amp intact and to this very day my system sounds awesome.

Thanks for the feedback. It looks like this might be the beginning of the end for the ML system. I think iwillstart thinking about a replacement when the time comes. I still have 9 presets available so I am sure I can get by in the mean time.

My car had the problem for several years, and I learned to live with it until one day the sound faded completely. You might want to consider your options and have a plan for down the road. For most, it's usually the burden of bearing an added expense, or not knowing how to do the mods.

Best of luck!