TxTarheel

I realize that this is a common complaint but I did see any recent posts and I had a specific question to ask that I did not see referenced in any other posts on this topic.

2013 RX350. 50,008 miles. Started vehicle yesterday and everything appears to function except there is no audio on the sound system (media and radio functions). Volume control on steering wheel and on at head unit show nothing when going up or down. No cracking or hissing from any speakers. Checked Amp 1, 2 fuses and Radio 1, 2 and 3 fuses and all are good. I cycled the mute function both at the steering wheel and on the panel and when pressed they both show mute on briefly in the drop down panel. When I turn mute off there is no drop down so I can only assume that it is deactivated. All bells and chimes work fine, just nothing from the radio/media functions. So I figure it is amp or head unit?

Two questions. A few weeks ago when we had the long freezing weather in the south of a week I noticed that when I put the car in reverse there was a clicking sound coming from under the dash on the drivers side. When in reverse the clicking started even if the car was not moving. I only mention this because it is near the location of the fuse panel, but I don't think there is any connection. The clicking stopped once warm weather returned. Secondly, I noticed that when you navigate to sound tabs, there is noting listed in the DSP tab. No surround options at all. I cannot remember if there was ever anything there but my assumption is that it was active with adjustments and options available. So I am wondering if this might indicate a problem with the component that would control these functions, either the amp or the head unit. If so that might help narrow down my options.

Are people still using the United Radio in NY to repair the amp or are there other options now? Most of the posts seem to be several years old so I just wondered if anyone had any recent experience on this. Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

mcomer

Try pressing the overhead "SOS" button whether you are subscribed or not.
The telematic system takes over the microphone and speakers when connected.

The three responses to the button press should be:
"Emergency Call Ended..." in which case your stereo function will return or
"You don't have service, press the button again to subscribe" or
continued dead silence which means we are back to square One... amplifier perhaps.

TxTarheel

duplicate post

TxTarheel

Thanks for the reply but it did not work. We are not signed up for SOS and all I got was the message regarding don't have service. I would send the amp in for service if I was sure it was the amp and not the headunit. Thought maybe the lack of a DSP tab options might give me a clue.

Thanks

salimshah

It is not a simple system. Lexus uses a serial protocol to connect various sources and takes the input from buttons pressed by the driver. Although one of the components can go bad, but the chance of that happening is low.

The controller can go crazy at times and power cycling the 12v battery can usually restore the controller. I hope that is the problem you have as it can be fixed with little aggravation. Remember to disconnect the (-) negative terminal for about 20 minutes.

Salim

TxTarheel

Thanks. So disconnect just the negative terminal or both, starting with the positive? Assuming this will clear all data in the car including things like seat settings, nav settings, channel settings, etc? Will it have any affect on the Sirrus/XM subscription, other than having to maybe update the channel subscription list?

salimshah

Yes, you will loose some settings. The ones you will not loose are the garage door opener. I am not sure about others. For seats etc, you can bring the seats to setting 1 and then disconnect. On reconnect, save your position as "1" instead of rediscovering.

The disconnect battery procedure is:
1. Shut down the engine. Wait about a minute. I generally take the keys far away from the vehicle.
2. Loosen the - terminal and remove it from the battery. [One terminal is enough to break the circuit. The negative terminal is removed first and reconnected last. This is a safety requirement as the chassis or the body is the naked conductor]
3. In your case resetting by disconnecting the 12v for about 20 minutes] ... you can try blowing the horn etc to discharge any left over charge... shorting wires is not recommended.
4. When ready to reconnect you may like to clean the post and the terminal and apply approved grease on the exposed metal [not where the post and the terminal make the contact]. Do not reconnect gingerly ... you should make decisive action to make a single solid connection [don't bounce the terminal]. Dont go ape on the nut and it is tight if you cant twist the terminal.

Salim

TxTarheel

Unfortunately it did not help. On the plus side it did not lose any of the info in the radio, such as presets. I let it sit for about 30 minutes. So I am assuming I have to replace or repair either the amp or the head unit, but is there any way I can be sure as to which one? Should there be some DSP settings in the menu and if there are not would that be any indication of which component has failed? And any comment on United Radio for repair or is there a better alternative? Thanks

salimshah

I have no experience with United Radio. I would lean towards purchasing a used one from salvage yard. Companies like LKQ specialize in Japanese imports.

I would still suggest a confirmed diagnosis, even if you have to pay for it. I hate throwing parts and if you guess it wrong, you will end up spending more than what you would spend on diagnosis. Call Lexus service and see how much they will charge for diagnosis. They may have the jig to test the system out.

Salim

Yahmei

Quick question since I'm in a similar situation as you are with our new to us RX350.

When you pressed the SOS button, did the sound only come from one side (passenger side in ours) or did it sound like all speakers were on? I forgot which thread it was, but someone said that they were having the same issue and traced it back to a bad speaker.

And have you looked at the system check in the hidden menu? (https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...avigation.html) Not sure what any of it means, but I'm going to do more research into the codes that came up.

Link to images of the hidden menu since I don't want to flood the feed with inline photos. https://imgur.com/a/eVNF7d7

Thanks!

silvermullet

Mine just started acting up tonight. no volume indicator showing when changing from the **** or steering wheel. everything else seems to respond as it should. I do get a popping nose from drivers door speaker when powering the car on and off. did you get a popping noise?

have you found a resolution since March?

thanks in advance

silvermullet

Hello,

my audio just starting acting up tonight. when i pressed SOS, the voice only came from the passenger front speaker as yours did.

were you able to find resolution to your issue?

thanks in advance!

mcomer

The default speaker for the Safety Connect is the center dash speaker,
can be changed to the Driver's door speaker if the voice disturbs passengers.

Burnman67

Hi TxTarheel,

I have a 2013 RX350 and developed the exact same issues. Did you ever find a fix to your problem?

Thanks

TxTarheel

Long story short. I attempted to disassemble everything to get to the amplifier and pull it out, but I was unable to reach the last bolt far down behind the backseat so I gave up. I put everything back together and the next time I started the car the radio was working fine and continued to work until this past January when we traded it in on an NX 300. Fortunately, I did not buy the replacement unit before I did this. There are instructions online and it’s relatively simple to do except for accessing that last bolt. I suggest you give it a shot and see what happens. Good luck.