Travis8214

I've done a bit of searching, and it seems like this is a common occurrence with the Mark Levinson systems - the speakers (namely sub) wear out, the surround deteriorates and it sounds as though it's blown, I've got the system EQ'd and balanced out so it's hardly going to to the sub but it sounds like old PC speakers this way. Whatever the case is with mine, I can only assume it's deteriorated as well, and I'd like to get to it to check it out and see about fixing it. However, I have no idea how to get to it.

I saw a handful of threads that said to use a screwdriver to pry up the cover but that doesn't seem to do anything, it actually sounds and feels like it'll snap the covering before it comes off. Then I saw a few stating to remove the rear seats, one of which said you'd even have to remove the front seats. I'm all for dedicating a day or so to tooling around with this to get this fixed because as of right now my commutes have been pretty quiet.

So, in short, what is the definitive way to gain access to and possibly remove the subwoofer from a 2004 ES330? All of the years seem to have slightly different processes, and I don't really want to break anything or get a long ways into making the wrong repair for a different year/model.

It also occurs to me that if this is the case for the subwoofer, it's quite likely the other speakers in the car are at least prone to the same deterioration, just not as much as the subwoofer as it essentially sits in the sun for the better of every day.

mcoe74

My '04 ES330 w/ML system had the sub issue and I had it replaced a couple of years ago. I think the tech needed to partially remove the back seat to gain access to the panel cover to remove the sub.

Be sure to get your ML sub repaired or a refurbished equivalent. I made the mistake of having the tech install a different aftermarket sub. The "new" sub worked ok for a couple of years. Recently, I was told the aftermarket sub was not compatible with the amp and caused the amp to fail. The amp is now being repaired and I'm looking for a ML refurbished sub. It is costing close to $1k to repair the amp and replace the sub. The OEM sub could have been repaired and I did not know it at the time. A costly mistake on my part.