suikam

The Mark Levinson audio system of my GS 350 has no audio. It always turn on with Audio Off and there is nothing I can do to have audio. This showed up after replacing the car battery but I had audio right after battery replacement for 1 day. So suddenly it stopped working. I have read many threads on checking the fuses, rebooting the system and disconnecting the battery, I have tested all these suggestions but nothing has worked so far. I just cannot believe that just by replacing a car battery will damage the amplifier. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

bclexus

For whatever unknown reason(s) there have been a lot of weird and mysterious things happen when people replaced their own batteries.

Cwang

So it worked for a day after changing the battery? Could be a coincidence. Was it changed perfectly? ie no sparking, just a clean contact.
Check your amp in the boot, it's under the tool tray. Check there's no water.
I need to change my clock spring which involves removing the battery connection.....but I'm worried my radio won't work afterwards either and I can't pick up another one for $400 like you can either.

suikam

Cwang, I have made some research on several forums and it seems many people have trouble with the audio after changing the battery. It may be a coincidence but seems many people had the same problems. This is not the first time I change the battery and I had not had this problem before. I have seen people changing the amplifier for over $2k in the dealer. I am trying to troubleshoot this before I have to go to a Lexus dealer.

Cwang

Check your fuses. Check for water too

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

Used Mark Levinson amps go for about $800 on eBay, hopefully it doesn't come down to an amp replacement. The amp is fused so I don't understand how that blew. Like cwang said check the rear passenger side of the trunk under the floor panels for water. Other members have found water in their trunk, one guy had it diagnosed as a hole in a pinch weld in the wheel arch. i find it odd that water will just start leaking into the trunk randomly years after the car was produced. Another potential culprit could be the head unit somehow damaged from the battery change, that has happened to several members here and we have no idea why, maybe not allowing the car to fully power down before disconnecting the battery.

Hopefully it's none of the above, something simple, and inexpensive, like a blown fuse.

suikam

Thank you for your feedback. I already checked the fuses and they are okay. I am planning to dismount the amp this weekend to see if there is voltage getting to the amp or if there is water like you guys are suggesting. Lets see what I find....) Thank you for your time to respond.

Cwang

Is it the amps or head units that go? I wonder whether people are putting the cables on the wrong way/creating shorts etc. Even hesitant hands allowing the cables to spark when replacing a battery could potentially damage equipment. 4 $ figure industrial grade controllers at work have died because 24vdc was applied and removed very quickly in a small amount of time.

I just think it's interesting that we have only heard of issues after DIY changes, not professional changes.

vannerpham

My 2015 GS350 ML radio and SD card also broke when my battery died. When trying to start the car with the dead battery, the whole car and infotainment system hysterically flickers. After going to the dealer, will cost about $3500 to replace the radio. This is absurd that this is happening! Have been a lifelong Toyota/Lexus owner and am so disappointed that this is happening for such a common scenario. I'm so scared that the radio will break again when the battery dies again in a few years. So frustrating. Can I get a show of hands this is happening to? Wondering if we can collectively band together and get Lexus to fix this defect.