Well the amp that came with the car was tapped into the black label was missing and someone unscrewed it and must of looked inside of it because they must of been experiencing the same problems i am. But it was still working fine never smoke or smell still played fine. But i read on here that if the sound was cutting in and out left to right it could be a bad amp so i just guessed it was. Im starting to think the amps were never bad its the head unit. Also when i take sharp turns or go down bumping roads its at its worst it cutts alot more than when im driving on smooth pavement.
They tested the first amp that was tapped into and said it worked fine. But for some reason i still bought another one. There is good sound still coming from all speakers so thank god i dont think its the amp anymore thanks to you.

 

Let me note that when i first got the car the speakers in the front were messed up so i put all the sound in the back speakers. IT NEVER CUT IN AND OUT L TO R WHEN I DID THIS. It only started to when i put the new mark levinson 6x9's in. The mid speaker on the passenger side does not work but the high tweater does. All the speakers on the driver side work. It is louder on the driver side im guessing because of the mid on the right is broken. The 6x9 harness's were perfectly intact and were fine.
When i took it the audio shop they put in an aftermarket amp because i told them it was cutting and i thought it was the stock amp, that worked fine but there was a big problem the stock radio ran digitally off the stock amp so i had no control over any stereo functions and steering wheel , or navi. Lol they had to run a separate gain switch so i could adjust the volume. I told them that that wasnt going to work for me. So thats when i got the amp from an 02 sc430 off ebay and had put it in. Everything was working great for a month , i was going down bumpy roads and turns and it never cut out.

 

I agree - I don't think that you have a power amp problem. First I'd see if I could reproduce the symptoms by grabbing the cables and connectors coming out of the head unit (outputs) and wiggle, bend, etc those to see if it is a bad/dirty connection to the power amp. Remove and spray with contact cleaner. Same with antenna connection. Then do same with inputs at the power amp If those check out then consider switches for various sources (AM, FM, CD). Depending on the type of switch those are, they may get dirty or oxidized (but I don't know what kind of switch they are so the remedy may be difficult). First attempt would be to repeatedly push the switches to see if they clean up (start with the infrequently used input switches - worked on my wife's 2009 Malibu when it started cutting out). If no luck there then there is something going on inside at the level of a board or component on the board. Go inside it and start wiggling things, look for cracked solder joints, etc or find a replacement head unit.

 

Ok, So i just wiggled the wires connecting to the amp in the trunk while the radio was playing it didnt cut out. Im going to have to take it somewhere so they can do the same to the radio. Im guessing the radio connections are bad beacuse the car does have signs of old wiring and a lil bit of rust underneath floor boards.

 

Im on my way to Goho Audio shop here in newport news virginia i drive by them on my way to work , I guess i will talk to a tech just to see if he's on the same page you and me. I will tell him what you suggested me to do and see what he says. I'll let you know tonight i'll keep you posed thanks for the insight your calming my nerves.

 

So i stopped by the audio shop " GOHO" i mentioned the previous audio shop that worked on my car and he had nothing but bad things to say about them so i already felt better about dealing with him.
Anyway i told the guy who worked there the symptoms of my problem and he definitely is positive about it being the head unit.
He took one look at the radio and new that they go bad after a few years and its not just lexus that has the same exact radio as the 430 its avalons and a bunch of other toyotas. So he suggested i get an after market stereo. He said he would pull everything out and run tests to make sure. However with the after market radio i want to still keep the steering wheel controls , he said i need to order a module for that. I dunno i like the stock radio but he told me if i get another one it might just go bad in a few years like the one i have now. Looks like i need to pick out a new radio he suggested i go to crutchfeild.com to order one.

 

BTW, I have the stock system in my 2002 with 95K miles and it is still working great.

There are many threads here on replacing the stock head unit with a double-DIN sized unit. The two issues are 1) integrating steering wheel controls, and 2) integrating the voice from the navigation unit (I believe). I think that # 2is easier to solve than #1??? See the link to the Beatsonics adapter below. (I'm also not sure where the electronics are located that controls the antenna motor (for antenna height) in relation to signal strength. This is a feature I like.) There are others here who are much more familiar with the overall options and and issues than I. Do some searches here first and then if you are going to replace the head unit start a new thread if you want advice/opinions on how to do it. This would be the time to look into iPOD/MP3 inputs, and so on.

Let us know what you do as I'm sure others of us might be heading down that road too.

Kelly

This is mentioned frequently:

http://www.beatsonicusa.com/stereo/s...c-mva-11l.html

 

IMO, I prefer to keep my systems stock. The reason being, I like the original fit/finish, but more importantly, I prefer to have nothing thieves want to break into my car and steal... Bone stock cars get passed over more often than a modded / upgraded one. Cool thing with the 430 is the radio cover.

 

There are some double-din units that allow the stock mechanized cover to work so you can cover up the aftermarket head unit. It's the steering wheel controls that tend not to integrate with after-market head units.

 

I haven't heard of any solutions that perserve the steering wheel controls when making stereo mods, at least not for the older SC430s.

 

...hadn't been on system in awhile,thought i would check in and see if the radio issue was fixed ?? All of kjcole's advice was on point. Everything pointed to the head unit after you gave us more information.I also have a 02' w/160,000 miles.So I wouldn't neccessarily buy into "they all have bad radios" speech.Like I said before,only issue I've had were the bad ML speakers,that were replaced by Boston Acoustics...and am I looking in the mirror ???...I drive a 02' sc430 & my wife drives a 09' Malibu...lol

 

My 03 sc430 radio is still messing up after a new MLS astock amp and new stock radio. It plays perfect when im in park and driving down a smooth road but as soon as i hit a pot hole or make a sharp turn , the speakers cut in and out all the way around. OH MY GOD I'VE BEEN ****ING DUMP LOADS OF MONEY INTO THIS PROBLEM im at my wits end , almost thinking of trading it in!!! and its my dream car. I bought it and it had the problem but i figured i'de get ne speakers and i did new mls 6x9's in the doors but the problem still occured. I dont know what to do the guy at the stero shop said it was for sure my head unit he said they go bad on those cars all the time. Well he didnt know his **** apparently cause its still ****ing up!. I have a gut feeling its a bad ground wite but i cant trace it to the source.
Someone please help me with some insight what should i do? If i buy and aftermarket radio would that fix it?? i think i need all new wiring put in it but i'de hate spends hundreds of dollars on that and find out thats not the problem???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

SO I FINALLY GOT THE NEW STOCK HEAD UNIT IN AND ITS STILL DOING THE SAME THING!!!!! I CANT BELIEVE I JUST WASTED 500 DOLLARS IM SO FED UP IM AT MY WITS END I ALMOST WANT TO TRADE THE PEICE OF **** IN. I DONT WANT TO GIVE UP. I HAVE A GUT FEELING ITS IN THE WIRING I THINK I MIGHT NEED TO RE WIRE THE WHOLE STEREO SYSTEM BUT I DONT WANT TO PAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARRS FOR THAT UNLESS IM 1000% positive thats the source of the problem. Do you think that would solve im so pissed right now. It works fine man but as soon as i hit that pot hole or take that sharp turn the sounds cuts out on the left side im noticeing its juthe left side but i put a new 6x9 in that door why would it still do this!!!!Help

 

Sounds like a wiring problem to me.