My first post here as I just purchased a 2004 LS430 with 23K miles ...and guess what didn't work? Yep, spent 2 days researching/troubleshooting and concluded amp is kapoof already. My symptoms were no audio and 2 rather loud crack/pops heard thru speakers when turning on car.
Removed amp this morning and overnighted to same place. A lot of $$$ to have the amp fixed but cheap compared to other options. Hopefully I'll have sound in a few days as I'm curious to hear what this system sounds like. Hopefully the speakers are good.
You're right ...the truck panels are a pain.