2000 Gs300 Audio Screen Blank

[sunman2010]

I have a 2000 GS300, the audio display screen is blank, but the Audio system works great. Its a Lexus factory system. Does anyone know if I can replace the only the display screen only or do I do have to buy a new audio system altogether? Pls advice.

Sunman

[dcfish]

I have a 2000 GS300, the audio display screen is blank, but the Audio system works great. Its a Lexus factory system. Does anyone know if I can replace the only the display screen only or do I do have to buy a new audio system altogether? Pls advice.

Sunman

Are you refering to the LCD screen ?

[gpilcher]

In my view, these stereos are unquestionably defective. There is no legitimate reason for the LCD unit to require replacement--ever. The LCD unit on my GS300 has gone bad twice. The first time occurred when the car was less than 2 years old, and Lexus simply replaced the whole radio under the factory warranty. The second time happened just recently. There are several ways to take care of it when your LCD fails. Lexus does not repair the radios. If not under warranty, your dealer will charge you around $1500 or more, depending on the model, to replace the radio with a new one, or $700 to $800 for a rebuild (if they can find one). My unit was a Pioneer model. Pioneer will sell you a replacement LCD unit. Cost is about $109.95 for my model. I understand the work is simple, once you have the radio removed from the car. Just a few bolts to remove to take out the defective LCD and replace it with a new one. I am aware of two repair shops who will remove and replace your LCD unit (after you remove the radio from your car and send it to them). One is located in Florida and one is in Connecticut. I found the Florida shop from a post on this web site. I found the CT shop on ebay. Both charge $140 for the work. I understand they get wholesale pricing from Pioneer. I used the Florida one. I mailed the radio to them last Wednesday. They received it on Friday, replaced the LCD unit that same day, charged me $140 plus $20 for return shipping, and put it in the mail this past Friday. I'm supposed to receive it next week. The Florida company is Factory Car Stereo Repair, Inc. (407) 830-0777. The Connecticut shop is Jodis Repair Center (860) 953-1679. I used a local car stereo shop to remove the radio from the dash. That shop will reinstall it once it is fixed. Total charges from the local shop for r&r was $45.

I first posted the above last year.

[lancesavage]

If you have a pioneer radio in it, your right, they are junk for the cost Lexus charges. Same thing happened to my 2000 gs300 in 2002 just out of warranty. Someone from this site gave me the same instructions to buy the lcd board from Pioneer (99 bucks at the time). It was but it was a very easy job to remove the radio and replace the board. Apparently the problem was at the electrical ribbon connection . Mine has worked perfectly ever since. If you decide to replace it yourself, I can dig up the instructions for removal. The middle console trim is a bit tricky unless you know how it comes out. Takes less than a half hour to pull out.

[sunman2010]

Yes. The LCD screen is blank, I cant see anything on it. I am just using the controls based on what I remember from reading the instruction manual.

I have a 2000 GS300, the audio display screen is blank, but the Audio system works great. Its a Lexus factory system. Does anyone know if I can replace the only the display screen only or do I do have to buy a new audio system altogether? Pls advice.

Sunman

Are you refering to the LCD screen ?

[sunman2010]

Thanks for your detailed post here. You are right, the dealer I bought from asked me to buy a new system from him altogether and said they dont replace the LCD screen only! Naturally, I refused.

I dont know if my system is Pioneer or not, how do I find that out?

In my view, these stereos are unquestionably defective. There is no legitimate reason for the LCD unit to require replacement--ever. The LCD unit on my GS300 has gone bad twice. The first time occurred when the car was less than 2 years old, and Lexus simply replaced the whole radio under the factory warranty. The second time happened just recently. There are several ways to take care of it when your LCD fails. Lexus does not repair the radios. If not under warranty, your dealer will charge you around $1500 or more, depending on the model, to replace the radio with a new one, or $700 to $800 for a rebuild (if they can find one). My unit was a Pioneer model. Pioneer will sell you a replacement LCD unit. Cost is about $109.95 for my model. I understand the work is simple, once you have the radio removed from the car. Just a few bolts to remove to take out the defective LCD and replace it with a new one. I am aware of two repair shops who will remove and replace your LCD unit (after you remove the radio from your car and send it to them). One is located in Florida and one is in Connecticut. I found the Florida shop from a post on this web site. I found the CT shop on ebay. Both charge $140 for the work. I understand they get wholesale pricing from Pioneer. I used the Florida one. I mailed the radio to them last Wednesday. They received it on Friday, replaced the LCD unit that same day, charged me $140 plus $20 for return shipping, and put it in the mail this past Friday. I'm supposed to receive it next week. The Florida company is Factory Car Stereo Repair, Inc. (407) 830-0777. The Connecticut shop is Jodis Repair Center (860) 953-1679. I used a local car stereo shop to remove the radio from the dash. That shop will reinstall it once it is fixed. Total charges from the local shop for r&r was $45.

I first posted the above last year.

[sunman2010]

How do I check to find out if mine is a Pioneer system or some other make?

If you have a pioneer radio in it, your right, they are junk for the cost Lexus charges. Same thing happened to my 2000 gs300 in 2002 just out of warranty. Someone from this site gave me the same instructions to buy the lcd board from Pioneer (99 bucks at the time). It was but it was a very easy job to remove the radio and replace the board. Apparently the problem was at the electrical ribbon connection . Mine has worked perfectly ever since. If you decide to replace it yourself, I can dig up the instructions for removal. The middle console trim is a bit tricky unless you know how it comes out. Takes less than a half hour to pull out.

[dcfish]

How do I check to find out if mine is a Pioneer system or some other make?

If you have a pioneer radio in it, your right, they are junk for the cost Lexus charges. Same thing happened to my 2000 gs300 in 2002 just out of warranty. Someone from this site gave me the same instructions to buy the lcd board from Pioneer (99 bucks at the time). It was but it was a very easy job to remove the radio and replace the board. Apparently the problem was at the electrical ribbon connection . Mine has worked perfectly ever since. If you decide to replace it yourself, I can dig up the instructions for removal. The middle console trim is a bit tricky unless you know how it comes out. Takes less than a half hour to pull out.

What are the numbers/letters on the cassette door flap ?

[sellerj]

I had the same issue with my radio. As lancesavage said, it is a really simple fix that doesn't take long. However, if you plan on keeping the car for most of it's life, you may want to look at the radios sold by one of the large electronics vendor. You can get a radio that is better then your stock radio with more features. The site that I use tells you if it fits your car, includes the necessary components specific to your car and lets you compare features of multiple options. I already replaced my LCD screen once and the replacement has started having the same issue after a few years. The new radios include options like GPS and the ability to connect to MP3 players. They also let you add a backup camera. A couple of replacements at $110 per will pay for most of the new radio.