You can get new trunk struts on eBay or amazon for $30-40.

 

^^^^ on the above... Strong arm on ebay sells the pair. Exact fit and work great. Easy install. Work better than OEM. I've installed two sets with no problem. Makes a huge difference in trunk operation and won't accidentally fall on you... move it up on the list.

 

congratulations!

 

Thanks for the input! Ive got a vendor who also sells aftermarket trunk struts for really cheap. I generally try to stay away from them because they don't last long, but even if they die every year, I'll be ahead of the game.

Does anyone know if the subwoofer grill just pries off from the top? I tried and it didn't want to budge. Do you need to go at it from underneath in the trunk?

 

Correct, the OEM sub is NOT 2 ohm. Dual voice coil sub wired in series (not parallel) provides 16 ohm final impedance. After-market dual voice coil subs typically include directions on how to wire the dual voice coil properly to obtain the impedance you need.

 

Neither. You have to remove the rear seat to gain access to the rear deck. The grill will pop off the top of the sub so you can't take a look but you can't remove it with taking out the rear seat.

On another note, when my sub was buzzing from the deterioration of the paper cones I temporarily used silicon to reseal the edges of the cone where it was coming apart. It did work and made the sub sound decent but not 100% until I replaced it. Take your time when removing the rear deck. There are light sensors in there too.

Edit:

Here is a thread I made a while back showing a little of what taking the rear seats out of a UL is like.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...the-seats.html

 

I have a 2002 with ML. Approximately 3 years ago the subwoofer became very fuzzy. I found many articles on this board that provide excellent instructions to repair it with a hot glue gun. The repair has held so far. Good luck.

 

Finally got her cleaned up enough for some pictures. I shampooed all the carpet, cleaned and conditioned all the leather, and cleaned everything else inside and out. I'll be restoring the headlights soon.


This shot shows really well how Mystic Sea Opalescent can look either gray or green depending on the light:



The leather was in great shape except for a little wear on the driver's door handle and arm rest.

I uncovered the subwoofer and saw that the cone and surround are perfectly intact. I think it's damaged at the voice coil because it scrapes going in and out. I unplugged it for now and will probably buy a new one on ebay before too long. I'm not getting too clear of a signal from my front right speakers either and I'm wondering if it's a speaker or an amp issue. Given the cars history, I don't think it belonged to people who blasted rap all the time so I would be surprised to find more blown speakers.

I also went into the side mirror and repaired where the motor came loose and was causing the mirror to flop freely. The same thing is happening to the driver's side now so I'll repair it this week.

 

Identical interior color and wood as mine! Great choice
I need to get a new leather cover for my armrest, it is super worn.

 

Ah, the feeling of accomplishment. Congrats on the new car and a fine detail. It's fun once you make up tour mind to do it and have the right hardware & software. Again, looks great!

 

Trunk struts are cheap one bay. Rock auto I believe is the site....it's a DIY project

 

My 2004, previously owned by an retired couple also had a bad front passenger speaker... I think they are just weak components and don't last long. Only have 50k on mine and it needs new front speakers already...
Nice car... cleaned up nice...wonder what it would look like with chrome OEM rims?

 

Good to know I'm not dealing with a rare problem in that speaker then. Even though these wheels aren't chrome, they're an inch bigger than the factory chrome rims so they would be my preference. When I buy new tires in the spring I'll look into getting a set of the sport wheels.

 

notwealthy - Chrome wheels could be either 17" (code TI for $1700) or 18" (code FK for $1920). These were 2005 MSRPs.

 

Both my front speakers were replaced under the factory platinum warranty by the previous owner.