Levinson Radio Question

[Drinkin40s]

So I ran into a store today, came out and was driving away and moved radio volume knob one click and it's on full blast - I went into the settings for Bass/Treble/F/R/ASL and the settings were on '?'. I turned the knob and after scrolling through more characters numbers did appear so I switched them all back to '0'. Has one had this issue?

 

[Drinkin40s]

Well it hasn't happened again since yesterday....maybe it was a gremlin that I can attribute to the hot weather here in the Northeast.

 

[ace10]

the only oddity that i can report with the levinson head unit is that the audio on one of the fm preset radio stations will begin cutting out on a five or six second interval for a second or so. the problem is solved by chnaging the frequency on the preset, then re-setting it back to the original. it's happened twice. no real harm resulting.

as for the rest of the system... a bunch of problems with the disc changer and subwoofer, but that's been documented in other threads.

 

[tech_dog]

I've had three or four cases where I turn on the car and the audio system will not be aware of the DVD changer or the Satellite tuner. If I try to select them using the voice commands, I get something like "External device not connected."

Turning the car off and on fixes the problem. I don't want anyone digging through my dash, so I'm still deciding if I'm going to have Lexus fix it. I'll wait and see how many more times it happens.

 

[Drinkin40s]

I am again plagued by this problem - twice in the last week. So at lunch today I started up and the radio was on full blast (hurts!). I didn't even touch the knob or anything. I am wondering if it maybe an amp problem. Has anyone had to replace one? It's going into the dealer next week so I will have it looked at - I bet it's a cheap fix....... riiiiiiight

 

[DarkStar]

It's the amplifier. I had the same problem and had mine replaced a couple of weeks ago. So far, it has not happened again. It is a known issue at Lexus. Mine is an '01 also.

 

[Drinkin40s]

Hi DarkStar, thanks for the info. The dealer was saying it's the radio althought it's a shot in the dark for them since they couldn't duplicate the problem, but did offer to take $485 off my hands for a remanufactured one (didn't do it). On the service report they stated "loose wire probably caused by mud tires" which is funny since it only happens when first starting vehicle! Any suggestions on acquiring an amp? Thanks.

 

[jjbodean1970]

i would suggest prob a radio problem as well since your display is doing weird thing, not only the volume. i suggest leaving the audio settings as "?" and bringing the vehicle to the dealer for diagnosis

 

[DarkStar]

Hi DarkStar, thanks for the info. The dealer was saying it's the radio althought it's a shot in the dark for them since they couldn't duplicate the problem, but did offer to take $485 off my hands for a remanufactured one (didn't do it). On the service report they stated "loose wire probably caused by mud tires" which is funny since it only happens when first starting vehicle! Any suggestions on acquiring an amp? Thanks.

Like I said, known issue for Levinson-equipped cars at my Lexus service department. My truck is out of warranty, but they did a "good will" on the amp, and made me pay about $100 labor to R&R the part...problem solved. My problem was exactly like yours (happened upon start up). Good luck.

 

[calbo]

Hot daymn!... the "search" function really works on this board!

Thanks Darkstar and Drinkin40s. This is exactly what happens (more and more frequently, it seems) to my 2001 non-nav Levinson stereo. Was gonna start a new thread with the title "Levinson Goes Crazy" but found this one.

I hope the dealer in town will be as receptive to an amp swap. Drinkin, any updates from you, bro?

Last question: is the amp also branded as a Mark Levinson product? Or do Toyotas use the same thing?

-Cal

 

[tech_dog]

I've had three or four cases where I turn on the car and the audio system will not be aware of the DVD changer or the Satellite tuner. If I try to select them using the voice commands, I get something like "External device not connected."

Turning the car off and on fixes the problem. I don't want anyone digging through my dash, so I'm still deciding if I'm going to have Lexus fix it. I'll wait and see how many more times it happens.

For reference, this happend a dozen or so times when the vehicle was very new, but hasn't happened again in many months.

Go figure...

 

[Drinkin40s]

it's still happening - about every 2 mo's or so. I am just lazy about coughing up the $600 for a new amp.

Tech_dog, sorry to hear this happened. I noticed afterward when I went into settings the bass/treble/fade, all were at setting '?'. Was this true for you as well?

 

[tech_dog]

Tech_dog, sorry to hear this happened. I noticed afterward when I went into settings the bass/treble/fade, all were at setting '?'. Was this true for you as well?

Nope. The only symptom was that it would "lose" the DVD and Satellite. It would think they were not connected. The AM/FM and Casette would still work normally.

Stuff like this doesn't often go away on it's own, but this seems to be the exception. I'm guessing a wire was a bit loose and it wiggled into a better position.