Mark Levinson Subwoofer Replacement And/or Repair

[boblexus430]

This is for all of those people seaching for a replacement subwoofer that was damaged because either you or one of the kids turned the bass up to loud or played some of that more modern music on your Mark levinson Stereo system and the subwoofer speaker now makes a rattling noise in the back .

This will work for any make or model subwoofer lexus offers.

Go find/borrow/buy an electric glue gun or heavy duty bathroom tub/tile 100% silcone clear caulk (home depot or lowes).

I prefer the glue gun. Pull off or pry with screw driver or puddy knife the subwoofer top grill where you suspect the noice is coming from. Inspect the cone around the speaker. lightly push down on the speaker's outside cone edge. you will find using a flash light and a good pair of reading glasses will help. Observer that in almost all cases the speaker will be torn around the outside edge. This is the weakest part of the factory subwoofer. Mine was torn for about 2 inches along the edge and was very hard to see tear. Take your glue gun, insert glue stick and let it warm up. Now go all the way around the entire outside edge of the speaker cone with glue meeting outside edge with the foam part of the speaker, cover the paper part of the speaker from the form part of the cone to the outside wall of the speaker. Fix any other tears with the glue gun.

Push the speaker cover back on and it will be as good if not better then new.

This is a simple repair for an expensive speaker that will last for a long time. No other replacement speaker will sound as good as the factory speaker without potentially damaging your Mark levinson amplifier. Believe me I know because I have tried others.

schuppin@worldnet.att.net let me know how it went!!!!!!!!!!

Tools :

Screw driver

Sears electric glue gun and glue.

cost:

Nothing but 10 minutes of your time.

$5.00 bath room caulk but go the glue gun route instead

[B-Lawrence]

Subwoofer Fix

Feedback from a 2001 LS-430 subwoofer fix. Firstly, thank you very much for your basic advice. The French Philosopher Voltare wrote, "Common sense is not so common." I guess you're an exception to the rule. I started with a glue gun around the cone - nothing. Then I went around the very outside of speaker where the poly vinyl is attached to the metal frame - bingo! This was so easy I feel guilty. Everything is back to normal. I really couldn't get close enough to see cracks due to the speaker being so tight in the back window unless one uses special mirrors - so just go for it with a glue gun. Use the tiniest one you can find at a hobby store; this makes it easy to access. Plus, the glue sets in 2 minutes so you can test the speaker. Silicone is okay, but you need to let it set for hours and it outgasses, stinking up the car's interior. Stay with the glue gun. Thanks again, Bob.

Brad

Scottsdale, AZ

[Gunslinger]

This is for all of those people seaching for a replacement subwoofer that was damaged because either you or one of the kids turned the bass up to loud or played some of that more modern music on your Mark levinson Stereo system and the subwoofer speaker now makes a rattling noise in the back .

This will work for any make or model subwoofer lexus offers.

Go find/borrow/buy an electric glue gun or heavy duty bathroom tub/tile 100% silcone clear caulk (home depot or lowes).

I prefer the glue gun. Pull off or pry with screw driver or puddy knife the subwoofer top grill where you suspect the noice is coming from. Inspect the cone around the speaker. lightly push down on the speaker's outside cone edge. you will find using a flash light and a good pair of reading glasses will help. Observer that in almost all cases the speaker will be torn around the outside edge. This is the weakest part of the factory subwoofer. Mine was torn for about 2 inches along the edge and was very hard to see tear. Take your glue gun, insert glue stick and let it warm up. Now go all the way around the entire outside edge of the speaker cone with glue meeting outside edge with the foam part of the speaker, cover the paper part of the speaker from the form part of the cone to the outside wall of the speaker. Fix any other tears with the glue gun.

Push the speaker cover back on and it will be as good if not better then new.

This is a simple repair for an expensive speaker that will last for a long time. No other replacement speaker will sound as good as the factory speaker without potentially damaging your Mark levinson amplifier. Believe me I know because I have tried others.

schuppin@worldnet.att.net let me know how it went!!!!!!!!!!

Tools :

Screw driver

Sears electric glue gun and glue.

cost:

Nothing but 10 minutes of your time.

$5.00 bath room caulk but go the glue gun route instead

[Gunslinger]

This is for all of those people seaching for a replacement subwoofer that was damaged because either you or one of the kids turned the bass up to loud or played some of that more modern music on your Mark levinson Stereo system and the subwoofer speaker now makes a rattling noise in the back .

This will work for any make or model subwoofer lexus offers.

Go find/borrow/buy an electric glue gun or heavy duty bathroom tub/tile 100% silcone clear caulk (home depot or lowes).

I prefer the glue gun. Pull off or pry with screw driver or puddy knife the subwoofer top grill where you suspect the noice is coming from. Inspect the cone around the speaker. lightly push down on the speaker's outside cone edge. you will find using a flash light and a good pair of reading glasses will help. Observer that in almost all cases the speaker will be torn around the outside edge. This is the weakest part of the factory subwoofer. Mine was torn for about 2 inches along the edge and was very hard to see tear. Take your glue gun, insert glue stick and let it warm up. Now go all the way around the entire outside edge of the speaker cone with glue meeting outside edge with the foam part of the speaker, cover the paper part of the speaker from the form part of the cone to the outside wall of the speaker. Fix any other tears with the glue gun.

Push the speaker cover back on and it will be as good if not better then new.

This is a simple repair for an expensive speaker that will last for a long time. No other replacement speaker will sound as good as the factory speaker without potentially damaging your Mark levinson amplifier. Believe me I know because I have tried others.

schuppin@worldnet.att.net let me know how it went!!!!!!!!!!

Tools :

Screw driver

Sears electric glue gun and glue.

cost:

Nothing but 10 minutes of your time.

$5.00 bath room caulk but go the glue gun route instead

[Gunslinger]

This is for all of those people seaching for a replacement subwoofer that was damaged because either you or one of the kids turned the bass up to loud or played some of that more modern music on your Mark levinson Stereo system and the subwoofer speaker now makes a rattling noise in the back .

This will work for any make or model subwoofer lexus offers.

Go find/borrow/buy an electric glue gun or heavy duty bathroom tub/tile 100% silcone clear caulk (home depot or lowes).

I prefer the glue gun. Pull off or pry with screw driver or puddy knife the subwoofer top grill where you suspect the noice is coming from. Inspect the cone around the speaker. lightly push down on the speaker's outside cone edge. you will find using a flash light and a good pair of reading glasses will help. Observer that in almost all cases the speaker will be torn around the outside edge. This is the weakest part of the factory subwoofer. Mine was torn for about 2 inches along the edge and was very hard to see tear. Take your glue gun, insert glue stick and let it warm up. Now go all the way around the entire outside edge of the speaker cone with glue meeting outside edge with the foam part of the speaker, cover the paper part of the speaker from the form part of the cone to the outside wall of the speaker. Fix any other tears with the glue gun.

Push the speaker cover back on and it will be as good if not better then new.

This is a simple repair for an expensive speaker that will last for a long time. No other replacement speaker will sound as good as the factory speaker without potentially damaging your Mark levinson amplifier. Believe me I know because I have tried others.

schuppin@worldnet.att.net let me know how it went!!!!!!!!!!

Tools :

Screw driver

Sears electric glue gun and glue.

cost:

Nothing but 10 minutes of your time.

$5.00 bath room caulk but go the glue gun route instead

[Gunslinger]

Works like a charm!

Thanks.

[ctuck]

Hello,

Thanks for your input. I have a 2003 LS 430 and I tried your suggestion this afternoon and it worked.

Sounds like New!

Thank you very much.

This is for all of those people seaching for a replacement subwoofer that was damaged because either you or one of the kids turned the bass up to loud or played some of that more modern music on your Mark levinson Stereo system and the subwoofer speaker now makes a rattling noise in the back .

This will work for any make or model subwoofer lexus offers.

Go find/borrow/buy an electric glue gun or heavy duty bathroom tub/tile 100% silcone clear caulk (home depot or lowes).

I prefer the glue gun. Pull off or pry with screw driver or puddy knife the subwoofer top grill where you suspect the noice is coming from. Inspect the cone around the speaker. lightly push down on the speaker's outside cone edge. you will find using a flash light and a good pair of reading glasses will help. Observer that in almost all cases the speaker will be torn around the outside edge. This is the weakest part of the factory subwoofer. Mine was torn for about 2 inches along the edge and was very hard to see tear. Take your glue gun, insert glue stick and let it warm up. Now go all the way around the entire outside edge of the speaker cone with glue meeting outside edge with the foam part of the speaker, cover the paper part of the speaker from the form part of the cone to the outside wall of the speaker. Fix any other tears with the glue gun.

Push the speaker cover back on and it will be as good if not better then new.

This is a simple repair for an expensive speaker that will last for a long time. No other replacement speaker will sound as good as the factory speaker without potentially damaging your Mark levinson amplifier. Believe me I know because I have tried others.

schuppin@worldnet.att.net let me know how it went!!!!!!!!!!

Tools :

Screw driver

Sears electric glue gun and glue.

cost:

Nothing but 10 minutes of your time.

$5.00 bath room caulk but go the glue gun route instead

[jhm555]

This is for all of those people seaching for a replacement subwoofer that was damaged because either you or one of the kids turned the bass up to loud or played some of that more modern music on your Mark levinson Stereo system and the subwoofer speaker now makes a rattling noise in the back .

This will work for any make or model subwoofer lexus offers.

Go find/borrow/buy an electric glue gun or heavy duty bathroom tub/tile 100% silcone clear caulk (home depot or lowes).

I prefer the glue gun. Pull off or pry with screw driver or puddy knife the subwoofer top grill where you suspect the noice is coming from. Inspect the cone around the speaker. lightly push down on the speaker's outside cone edge. you will find using a flash light and a good pair of reading glasses will help. Observer that in almost all cases the speaker will be torn around the outside edge. This is the weakest part of the factory subwoofer. Mine was torn for about 2 inches along the edge and was very hard to see tear. Take your glue gun, insert glue stick and let it warm up. Now go all the way around the entire outside edge of the speaker cone with glue meeting outside edge with the foam part of the speaker, cover the paper part of the speaker from the form part of the cone to the outside wall of the speaker. Fix any other tears with the glue gun.

Push the speaker cover back on and it will be as good if not better then new.

This is a simple repair for an expensive speaker that will last for a long time. No other replacement speaker will sound as good as the factory speaker without potentially damaging your Mark levinson amplifier. Believe me I know because I have tried others.

schuppin@worldnet.att.net let me know how it went!!!!!!!!!!

Tools :

Screw driver

Sears electric glue gun and glue.

cost:

Nothing but 10 minutes of your time.

$5.00 bath room caulk but go the glue gun route instead

I read with great interest your solution to the rattling ML subwoofer problem. I have a 2001 LS430 with ML but my problem is that I get no sound from the sub. Does that indicate a different problem or could a torn subwoofer produce this symptom also?

[duckfat]

Many Thanks Boblexus430... just did my 2002 LS430 and it worked great !!! There are many small irritations in life and this just happened to be one of them...now it's gone. Man, it feels good.

I also saved myself a ton of money. I just hope it last.

Thanks again

[2klx470]

This is for all of those people seaching for a replacement subwoofer that was damaged because either you or one of the kids turned the bass up to loud or played some of that more modern music on your Mark levinson Stereo system and the subwoofer speaker now makes a rattling noise in the back .

This will work for any make or model subwoofer lexus offers.

Go find/borrow/buy an electric glue gun or heavy duty bathroom tub/tile 100% silcone clear caulk (home depot or lowes).

I prefer the glue gun. Pull off or pry with screw driver or puddy knife the subwoofer top grill where you suspect the noice is coming from. Inspect the cone around the speaker. lightly push down on the speaker's outside cone edge. you will find using a flash light and a good pair of reading glasses will help. Observer that in almost all cases the speaker will be torn around the outside edge. This is the weakest part of the factory subwoofer. Mine was torn for about 2 inches along the edge and was very hard to see tear. Take your glue gun, insert glue stick and let it warm up. Now go all the way around the entire outside edge of the speaker cone with glue meeting outside edge with the foam part of the speaker, cover the paper part of the speaker from the form part of the cone to the outside wall of the speaker. Fix any other tears with the glue gun.

Push the speaker cover back on and it will be as good if not better then new.

This is a simple repair for an expensive speaker that will last for a long time. No other replacement speaker will sound as good as the factory speaker without potentially damaging your Mark levinson amplifier. Believe me I know because I have tried others.

schuppin@worldnet.att.net let me know how it went!!!!!!!!!!

Tools :

Screw driver

Sears electric glue gun and glue.

cost:

Nothing but 10 minutes of your time.

$5.00 bath room caulk but go the glue gun route instead

Hey Gunslinger,

I tried to remove the subwoofer grill with a screwdriver on my GX470, but it won't budge. All it did was scratch the grill and the surrounding surface. I even tried small flat plastic putty knife, but to no avail.

Does your remedy work on a GX470 w/ Mark L. subwoofers?

Has anyone here done this successfully on their GX470?

Rj

[dhick]

This is for all of those people seaching for a replacement subwoofer that was damaged because either you or one of the kids turned the bass up to loud or played some of that more modern music on your Mark levinson Stereo system and the subwoofer speaker now makes a rattling noise in the back .

This will work for any make or model subwoofer lexus offers.

Go find/borrow/buy an electric glue gun or heavy duty bathroom tub/tile 100% silcone clear caulk (home depot or lowes).

I prefer the glue gun. Pull off or pry with screw driver or puddy knife the subwoofer top grill where you suspect the noice is coming from. Inspect the cone around the speaker. lightly push down on the speaker's outside cone edge. you will find using a flash light and a good pair of reading glasses will help. Observer that in almost all cases the speaker will be torn around the outside edge. This is the weakest part of the factory subwoofer. Mine was torn for about 2 inches along the edge and was very hard to see tear. Take your glue gun, insert glue stick and let it warm up. Now go all the way around the entire outside edge of the speaker cone with glue meeting outside edge with the foam part of the speaker, cover the paper part of the speaker from the form part of the cone to the outside wall of the speaker. Fix any other tears with the glue gun.

Push the speaker cover back on and it will be as good if not better then new.

This is a simple repair for an expensive speaker that will last for a long time. No other replacement speaker will sound as good as the factory speaker without potentially damaging your Mark levinson amplifier. Believe me I know because I have tried others.

schuppin@worldnet.att.net let me know how it went!!!!!!!!!!

Tools :

Screw driver

Sears electric glue gun and glue.

cost:

Nothing but 10 minutes of your time.

$5.00 bath room caulk but go the glue gun route instead

[dhick]

I took your advice on repairing the subwoofer on my 2001 LS430. I used the glue gun and it worked great. The sound is good as new and now my spouse thinks I'm a genuis. Thanks.

dhick

[RandyG215]

Bob,

thanks so much! This worked like a charm. I got a glue gun from Michaels arts & crafts and went to work. I played music with

bass so I could see the tear. I could not see it by a visual inspection at first. I have pictures and a quicktime movie of the process if anyone wants me to email them. Now my sub is fixed and sounds great!

The repair took me about 20 minutes and works.

[Beech]

Bob, Thanks for the advice. Sub sounds like new!!!!

[GregLexus430]

Bob,

I just bought a 2001 Lexus LS430 four months ago and the first thing to go wrong was a "Rattling" subwoofer. I called Lexus and they wanted $470 for a new one. ($280 on E-bay) I thought no way am I paying that for this speaker! I got on line and found your "Repair" on this forum. I followed your inspection instructions and sure enough, a 2 inch tear in the perimiter of the speaker cone. I followed your repair instructions using 3M's clear silicone sealant thinking it might not damage the speaker cone and would have more elasticity then the hot glue might in the long run. The speaker now works great!!!

Thanks a million for taking the time to share your knowledge with all of us and help us all save more then just a few bucks!

Greg in Dallas

[lcarloz211]

This is for all of those people seaching for a replacement subwoofer that was damaged because either you or one of the kids turned the bass up to loud or played some of that more modern music on your Mark levinson Stereo system and the subwoofer speaker now makes a rattling noise in the back .

This will work for any make or model subwoofer lexus offers.

Go find/borrow/buy an electric glue gun or heavy duty bathroom tub/tile 100% silcone clear caulk (home depot or lowes).

I prefer the glue gun. Pull off or pry with screw driver or puddy knife the subwoofer top grill where you suspect the noice is coming from. Inspect the cone around the speaker. lightly push down on the speaker's outside cone edge. you will find using a flash light and a good pair of reading glasses will help. Observer that in almost all cases the speaker will be torn around the outside edge. This is the weakest part of the factory subwoofer. Mine was torn for about 2 inches along the edge and was very hard to see tear. Take your glue gun, insert glue stick and let it warm up. Now go all the way around the entire outside edge of the speaker cone with glue meeting outside edge with the foam part of the speaker, cover the paper part of the speaker from the form part of the cone to the outside wall of the speaker. Fix any other tears with the glue gun.

Push the speaker cover back on and it will be as good if not better then new.

This is a simple repair for an expensive speaker that will last for a long time. No other replacement speaker will sound as good as the factory speaker without potentially damaging your Mark levinson amplifier. Believe me I know because I have tried others.

schuppin@worldnet.att.net let me know how it went!!!!!!!!!!

Tools :

Screw driver

Sears electric glue gun and glue.

cost:

Nothing but 10 minutes of your time.

$5.00 bath room caulk but go the glue gun route instead

I have an 02' ES with the ML system and a blown sub. I recently had it replaced with an aftermarket MTX sub and it has a tendency to rattle and the sound cuts out from time to time. It will only cut out for a second but it still kind of worries me a bit. I still have the origional sub and I know where the tear is but what will it take to either fix the rattling problem with the new sub, or use the glue method and put the factory sub back in. Also if I decide to leave the new sub in what, if any, kind of damage could I possibly do to my system? Any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated.

[Dave-O]

Bob,

thanks so much! This worked like a charm. I got a glue gun from Michaels arts & crafts and went to work. I played music with

bass so I could see the tear. I could not see it by a visual inspection at first. I have pictures and a quicktime movie of the process if anyone wants me to email them. Now my sub is fixed and sounds great!

The repair took me about 20 minutes and works.

If you still have the pics and movie, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Dave Stuart

Westlake Village, CA

dwstuartlaw@aol.com

[Dave-O]

Bob, thank you so much for your post. You just saved me $500.

I'm not very handy and I usually have very bad luck with do-it-yourself projects, but this one worked like a charm.

Although I couldn't see any tears in the paper part of the speaker, I went ahead and applied glue to the margin between the paper and the foam rubber. No luck. Then, I glued the outermost space between the foam rubber and the metal housing and it worked!

I admit I made a mess of the glue with stringy masses of glue everywhere. But, no matter. My subwoofer is back to life and working perfectly.

To those of you who are do-it-yourself challenged: If I can do this anyone can.

[Hybrid-JD]

Thanks Bob, did exactly what you said.. but i used a silicone base seal .. just as good!! Works like a charm.. jus hope that it doesnt break again! lol

Jimmy

[xvipx]

I can't get the stupid cover off in my 02 es300 to fix the ML sub that is rattling. If anyone can tell me how to get if off I would REALLY appreciate it. I tried getting it off with a screwdriver and a metal putty knife. It is stuck in the 4 corners. Thanks.

Bob,

thanks so much! This worked like a charm. I got a glue gun from Michaels arts & crafts and went to work. I played music with

bass so I could see the tear. I could not see it by a visual inspection at first. I have pictures and a quicktime movie of the process if anyone wants me to email them. Now my sub is fixed and sounds great!

The repair took me about 20 minutes and works.

[jdawg]

This is for all of those people seaching for a replacement subwoofer that was damaged because either you or one of the kids turned the bass up to loud or played some of that more modern music on your Mark levinson Stereo system and the subwoofer speaker now makes a rattling noise in the back .

This will work for any make or model subwoofer lexus offers.

Go find/borrow/buy an electric glue gun or heavy duty bathroom tub/tile 100% silcone clear caulk (home depot or lowes).

I prefer the glue gun. Pull off or pry with screw driver or puddy knife the subwoofer top grill where you suspect the noice is coming from. Inspect the cone around the speaker. lightly push down on the speaker's outside cone edge. you will find using a flash light and a good pair of reading glasses will help. Observer that in almost all cases the speaker will be torn around the outside edge. This is the weakest part of the factory subwoofer. Mine was torn for about 2 inches along the edge and was very hard to see tear. Take your glue gun, insert glue stick and let it warm up. Now go all the way around the entire outside edge of the speaker cone with glue meeting outside edge with the foam part of the speaker, cover the paper part of the speaker from the form part of the cone to the outside wall of the speaker. Fix any other tears with the glue gun.

Push the speaker cover back on and it will be as good if not better then new.

This is a simple repair for an expensive speaker that will last for a long time. No other replacement speaker will sound as good as the factory speaker without potentially damaging your Mark levinson amplifier. Believe me I know because I have tried others.

schuppin@worldnet.att.net let me know how it went!!!!!!!!!!

Tools :

Screw driver

Sears electric glue gun and glue.

cost:

Nothing but 10 minutes of your time.

$5.00 bath room caulk but go the glue gun route instead

Hello...I'm new to the forum and just wanted to say thanks for posting this useful information.

I recently downsized (meaning I no longer wanted monthly payments) to an '01 LS430 from an '07 LS460 with the ML and I almost didn't want to drive the LS430 because the sub was blown (previous owner adjusted sound to come through front speakers only and just got used to it).

Since I have the UL model with the rear beverage cooler, I was told that if I wanted the best sound quality, a custom enclosure with a new sub/amp was my best solution (as opposed to an aftermarket shallow mount, free air sub, with an additional amp). This would have run me about $750.

Luckily I found this post and I had a glue gun in my toolbox. Although it's a bit challenging to get to the area of the sub closest to the seat because of tight quarters, I was able to get a nice bead of glue around the edge that touches the metal frame. I (impatiently) let it dry for a few minutes and it now sounds perfect...no more annoying rattle (and yes...before finding this post, I did try putting a couple of microfiber cloths between the speaker and the grill cover, but all this did was stop the rattle and wipe out all bass entirely) :)

At some point I may want to go the custom enclosure route with a larger sub, as I got spoiled with the system in my LS460, but for now, this works great.

Thanks again!

JF

[03whiteLS430]

Bob,

thanks so much! This worked like a charm. I got a glue gun from Michaels arts & crafts and went to work. I played music with

bass so I could see the tear. I could not see it by a visual inspection at first. I have pictures and a quicktime movie of the process if anyone wants me to email them. Now my sub is fixed and sounds great!

The repair took me about 20 minutes and works.

Randy, please send me the pictures, etc as i need to do this. I tried to PM you but can't.

[xvipx]

Bob,

thanks so much! This worked like a charm. I got a glue gun from Michaels arts & crafts and went to work. I played music with

bass so I could see the tear. I could not see it by a visual inspection at first. I have pictures and a quicktime movie of the process if anyone wants me to email them. Now my sub is fixed and sounds great!

The repair took me about 20 minutes and works.

Randy, please send me the pictures, etc as i need to do this. I tried to PM you but can't.

Worked like a charm. Had to take out the back seats on my 02 es300 but i got to it and glued it and as good as new. Saved me $500. I have a copy on how to take out the back seats and get to the ML sub for this car. If anyone needs it just pm me.

[Mat M]

Hi everyone, I'm new here... (first post)

This fix worked for me for about 3 minutes of play time and got worst from there on out. At this point I've glued every possible part of the speaker and no luck. I have an 01 LS430 *blown speaker* and an 05 that I am selling. Just curious if anyone has any instructions on how to get the sub out of an ultra package. What I'm planning on doing in the next couple of days is taking the sub out of the 2005 and putting it in the 01. Are the instructions the same, and where can I find them? I'm really good with car stereo's, just though I could be pro-active by having some type of instructions for the particular vehicle. So far this is what I found, http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=55760

but either I'm not comprehending those instructions, or they're just badly given.

Thank you,

Mat M

[Bosco]

This worked great. Like others on this list, I was not able to see an actual tear in the paper portion of the speaker. But by watching closely with the music playing I could see that the foam around the outside was flapping around at the very outer edge where in connects to the metal frame. I put a healthy dose of glue all around the outside of the foam by the metal and the inside of the foam where it connects to the paper cone for good measure.

I have a 2001 LS that I purchased in 2005. I think the stereo was fine when I first purchased, but eventually it started cutting out when the volume was too high (which I thought was something in the amp, rather than the speakers, so I lived with it for the last few years). In the last week or so, the woofer "blew" and luckily I found this post before buying a new speaker. This quick fix corrected both the "blown" speaker and the cutting out issue that I had.

The bass has never sounded so good.