loudzone

Picked up a 2007 SC this morning and found out the Radio unit doesn't turn on. Any ideas or point me to the right direction? thanks.

husker741

What all have you tried so far to try and get it turned on?

barncat

Check fuses first.

hlthlnk

did it work before you picked it up? in other words, did you check to see if it worked? if it did work- the last time you heard it working, did you turn it off from the head unit or did you just turn the car off?

loudzone

sorry. should have provided more details.
i didn't try when i test drive so i have not heard it. i pressed the head unit on/off while driving home and nothing came on. i inspected the 30A fuse and looked okay. should i check the other two fuses? or would you suggest i put new fuses in to see if that's the cause? thanks.

mrblister

Call who ever you bought car from and see what he knows . Did he know it was not working. If so he should of disclosed this

husker741

Is the cigarette lighter working? They are connected and if it is not working, then it is the fuze. Sometimes someone may have accidentally poked it with something and sometimes even cell phone car charges pop the fuze for the lighter, which in turn would make the radio unit quit working.

loudzone

husker741 - cigarette lighter works and so are the other amenities tying to the audio so i think the fuses are not it. i will change the 30A just to make sure. if you have any other ideas, please let me know. thanks.

mrblister - i will call her to see if she knows anything. but at the end, its my fault that i didn't check it out. then again, how often do we see a stereo unit not work. i always thought they are indestructible. thanks for reminding me this info.

btw. the car only has 26k and still have the new car smell. other then lack of a radio, so far so good.

VVTiBob

Not your fault, UNLESS the seller sold the car "AS IS". Non working components must be disclosed. If the seller knew or should have know and it was not disclosed you have a cause of action. A car radio is not a burnt out bulb, or a blown fuse, it's a major component.

VVTiBob

There are three fuses covering the audio components and the cigarette lighter is NOT one of them. Check your owner's manual for one of the four, yes that's right, four fuse block panels. If you don't have an OM, goto Lexus Owners Website. It's free to not only see the manuals as well as other items online, you can order a replacement AND see the service history of your car's VIN at dealerships.

There is no point in replacing a good fuse, and it is easy to tell if one has gone bad. You can easily see the broken wire link connecting the two sides of the fuse. That's why most are made of translucent plastic, to see through them.

loudzone

all the fuses are good. in fact, i actual switched the 30A with the power seat 30A to confirmed it. i am waiting for the previous owner to reply to my inquiry. thanks vvtibob.

are there anything else i should check?

VVTiBob

I'd wait for the previous owner to respond... In the meantime... Do you get lights on the stereo when powering up the car? What Source are you using.... is it AM or FM not tape, or CD right? When selecting FM does the antenna go up? Are the other AC controls all working? What about the NAV system...do you hear the guidance lady?

loudzone

Bob, first of all. thanks for your help.

to answer your questions.
absolutely nothing from the ML stereo unit like its disconnected and since it isn't powered up, neither is the antenna.
all other control works such as AC works and the guidance lady sound wonderful and the NAV is operational. other lights and controls are working fine.

VVTiBob

I'm not completely familiar with the 06-09 models. But you do,have sound from the NAV system. The antenna receives a signals from the stereo, and is not working either. So sounds like bad electronics in the head unit or it's been disconnected. Disconnection could NOT happen accidentally, Believe me, I've just gone through what it takes to get the OEM equipment out. So in my mind the next step, testing wise, is to pull the OEM head unit and then give it 12v directly and see what happens. BTW is the radio door working properly?

Replacing the OEM radio could be as high as 2K for a new OEM one and around $700 for a used one off eBay. And that is just for the unit, not the labor to replace it. That's why this isn't a trivial matter/component. If it is the radio, I would not replace with the same one. I'd upgrade if I were you. ( I have a thread where I just did this last month )

Other than that, it's back to the previous owner to hear what they have to say.

loudzone

thanks. bob.

the radio door operates properly. i didn't know its so costly for a "radio". do you have instructions on removing the head unit since you just gone through this process?