anh2lua

Hi All,
We were initially planning to buy a new 2016 Honda Accord EX or 2016 Toyota Camry SE, then we found this 1 owner 2003 Lexus LS 430, 76k miles, UL, in pristine condition, paid $12700 OTD. This car is 13 yrs old, but it has tons of features that the vehicle mentioned don't have. We love it!

Anyway, the subwoofer in this car is blown.

Questions:
1) Should I replace the subwoofer with an after market or attempt the fix using silicon?
2) I want bluetooth, is it possible to add maybe a BT adapter to the factory HU? if yes, what brand/type and instructions?
3) Replace the whole audio system (all speakers, sub and HU). What do I loose if going this route?

Thanks

KO21

Near Seattle? Speakerlab in the U-District can re-foam or remove and re-foam. I think I paid about $80 for re-foam only.

Legender

Welcome to the club and clearly, even at 13 years, old a step above the others that were contending for your hard earned dollars.

paulg1981

Welcome and congrats! I had a blown sub in mine, 2002 UL, very common problem. I opted for a small box and amp since I was going through the trouble of removing the rear deck sub anyway. Even if you replace it with a new or refoamed speaker it is still an 8" free air sub. Just depends on what you want. Either way it is a straightforward fix.

Bocatrip

From an advid LS430 owner...the refoam and especially glue method will not give you a long lasting fix, but more likely a temporary one. I went both routes. I ended up replaicing my subwoofer with the OEM part and although pricey $300 for the speaker... It's going strong after many years. The ML system is sensitive to changes to the speakers and there cases of Amps failing after speaker changes to non OEM. Good luck.

740ilsamue

anh, like many, I had the sub issue of to replace with an after-market, oem ml sub for $400, have it refoamed, or try to glue it myself. I did all, except oem ml sub for $400. I even wasted money and time with trying different 4ohm and 8ohm subs mentioned in the post, then finally bought re-foam kit. it wasn't to difficult, and very happy that its working fine. Simply speakers was the kit I bought, but its best to just afford the oem ml $400. also, there are adapters for blue-tooth, so try to not stress the amp, cause it can be a costly lesson. like you, I traded a perfect 740il bmw 2001, paid for, for payments of my 2002 ls 430. I wasn't aware of some issues that needed done asap, but this model will be a collector. millennial silver ext/ black with rosewood int.

2KHarrier

FWIW I replaced my sub with an aftermarket JBL unit after I did the foam surround repair. That lasted a few months, but by last May, I was ready to swap it out. There is a thread on here that discusses the replacement in detail, which is extremely helpful.

I spent 60 bucks on the speaker, maybe 2 hours of my time swapping it out, and I think it sounds just as good. I don't listen to music at very high volumes, so I'm not too concerned about the slight impedance difference. I've had the sub in the car for over a year with no issues.

.02

shmi

Yes. Check out GROM audio - http://gromaudio.com/

I bought this adapter for my 03 LS430:

http://gromaudio.com/store/bt3_adapt...e_adapter.html

Allows bluetooth connectivity for audio and phone calls and steering wheel controls work too. Works great with my Nexus 6P and girlfriend's iPhone. Not hard to install, either.

anh2lua

I am very surprised that this car has bluetooth for phone call and yes, it's 2003 with UL. I was able to connect to my phone and make phone call.
Couldn't stream music so I bought an Ion Audio Cassette Bluetooth Adapter for 20 bucks.

Re: blown subwoofer, I used silicon to fix it and it's working fine now. However, I also ordered this kit: Lexus LS430 Subwoofer Speaker Foam Surround Repair Kit 86160-0W260

happy for now.

Thanks everyone.

2KHarrier

I would have done the same. I may not have done that good of a job with the silicone, so every once in a while, I would hear a faint buzz in some songs. It was more of an annoyance than anything.

There are guys on here that have successfully siliconed the surround, and it continues to sound fine after some time.

RE: That Ion Bluetooth cassette adapter. I had no idea such a thing even existed. I've been using my old faithful wired adapter for many years. I think it's time to upgrade to the wireless world...

Bocatrip

I am not at all tech savvy so please understand my lack of knowledge here. How does this Ion Bluetooth Cassette adapter work with my iphone 6? Must I buy one of the Grom kits to make it work? I have an 01 LS430. Do I need something in addition to be able to speak into the phone? I'm not interested in the music aspect only the bluetooth phone. Do I just pair it to the adapter? What else do I need to know?

2KHarrier

I would think you should be able to pair it like any BT device. I'm sure it will come with the all-important instruction sheet...

2KHarrier

There's a whole bunch of info on the adapter at www.ionaudio.com

Pretty cool device for the money. The site even has some PDFs files with instructions and info

Bocatrip

Can the Ion Bluetooth Cassette adapter really make my 2001 LS430 have blutetooth compatability without any additional wires or equipment. Can this little cassette inserted in my LS430 give me the ability to make and get calls on my iphone 6? That's all I want to know.

mannye

Boca, the best kept secret to adapting an iphone very cheaply and easily is the wired cassette adapter. Just plug it in to your iphone, pop it in the cassette deck and make a call. You will be amazed.

Yes, it's not as slick and clean as the other solutions, but aside from not having to blow apart the console and spend over $150 bucks, for about $6 you will have crystal clear audio through all your speakers (not just the crappy one speaker like the OEM system). It really works amazingly well.

I put my iPhone 5 in the ashtray and talk away, no problems. Some people are super annoyed by the wires, but it doesn't bother me that much. I say you give it a try because it's such a cheap solution. If you don't like it, who cares? Chuck it.