TechNut

Some of you may recall a previous post where I lamented the fact that our ES only came with Halogen projector lamps. There was some discussion about LED conversion versus HID conversion kits in a previous thread. I started this thread to discuss that in more detail as I didn't want to hijack that earlier thread, which can be found here. I was reluctant to do an HID conversion because it also requires wiring to the battery, which is in the trunk on the ES300h. The nice thing about the LED kit is that it is a plug and play conversion. When I spoke to Car-ID they recommended this kit (they didn't even suggest an HID kit...) https://www.carid.com/lumen/lumen-le...175094448.html.

So my kit arrived yesterday and I installed just one so that I could take the comparison shots shown below. You can tell from the photos that the LED light is much whiter (color temp of 6500K) but not offensively bright. The first picture shows the pattern on the cabinet doors at the front of my garage. You can see the pattern is very much the same for the LEDs as it is for the halogens. In terms of driving with these lights, they are modestly brighter and obviously whiter. The biggest difference behind the wheel is the edges of the road are illuminated much better. Distance lighting seems about the same, but the illumination of the highway up closer to the car is much better.

So my concerns as I embarked on this project were numerous. I was concerned about the lights being too bright and blinding oncoming traffic. I was also concerned about the heat buildup - especially since these lights had their own fans. I was concerned they would be noisy. I also worried about the potential for flicker. I can honestly say none of these are concerns any longer. You can definitely hear a hum from the fans if you are standing directly in front of the car, but it isn't bothersome at all. The heat at the plastic headlamp lens is less than with the halogen, and the heat at the socket seems pretty similar to the heat of the halogen. So while they aren't as impressive as the factory LEDs on our NX, they are better than the factory halogens and it was an easy upgrade. The installation took about 30 minutes, mostly because I had to find good support braces to ziptie the load resister to.

Below are the photos if you would like to get some sense of the results of this lighting change.


Pattern appears very similar on the cabinet doors


Hard to tell from this angle but the halogen almost looks brighter.

Its amazing how the factory halogens seem very yellow from this comparison.

msyost

The upgrade looks great. Do you have any photos of the install?

TechNut

It's a little hard to really show a meaningful photo. The one on the right side doesn't show where I attached the small additional module, I believe it is called a load resistor. You can clearly see the bulbs and their fans though. This is about the best I can do so I hope it helps.

Left light - the load resistor is mounted to a bracket right above the headlight. The space around the left headlight is pretty tight.

Right light - you can see the zip tie near bolt at lower right corner. the load resistor is under that mounting bracket where there was some empty space within reach.

Arty101

Ward, good job and nice upgrade. I like the plug and play aspect with no further connections or mods. I was looking for this on my older Lexus RX at one point. To match oem hid lights, I wonder if they come in 4600K?

TechNut

Thanks. Actually, I was hoping for more like 5000k when I started researching but I think most LEDs are a higher temperature. You can look around but I don't think you will find anything below 6000k.

dchar

I noticed that the halogens on my mother's ES are gradually getting worse as they age. I'm glad that you had a good experience installing an aftermarket system. After some research, I may try to install these: https://www.theretrofitsource.com/al...rict=1#reviews
They seem to be pretty good. I worry about her safety when driving at night with the degrading halogens on her car. Definitely will attempt an install soon and I'll post results.

TechNut

Halogens will definitely age and gradually weaken. I think a new set of Phillips or Sylvania bulbs is only about $20 USD. I understand halogens should be replaced as a set. These new LEDs do such a good job illuminating the sides that my wife remarked that it looked like they had repainted the stripes on the road. I imagine they will really help improve visibility on rainy days.

The set you are looking at is rated at 6000K, so they will be just a tad warmer in color - although I don't know if one can really perceive the difference between 6000 and 6500K. I did see the warranty is three years and the Lumen lights I used have a five year warranty. I imagine they would be just fine though.

400to300H

Great thread Ward. Purchased my 2013 used and have no idea if its Halogen or HID but the dealership did give me this....



Would this break down by KBB accurately list if I had HID? Youd think it would list Halogen or otherwise but I dont see it.

jollick

Just look under the hood as it is easy to see the difference between HID and Halogen. I posted photos a while back. See photos of HID socket here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...placement.html

bc6152

Also, if you have HID headlights you will hear a slight humming noise when they're on. I didn't know I had them until another member posted that info and I listened.

400to300H

You guys are awesome. Appears I have HID. Very strange its not listed in my options list as it was undoubtedly an expensive option. So I wouldn't benefit from this LED kit...

bc6152

Just looked at my window sticker from 2013. HID's were a $515.00 option in 2013.

dchar

I think HID headlights are part of the Luxury package. I haven't seen a Luxury package ES with halogens.

TechNut

Coming from a Prius with HID headlights, I would also say it is pretty obvious from the light output. Frankly, you should be satisfied if you have HIDs and even if you have halogens and are fully satisfied, I wouldn't touch them. The only reason I wanted to try this is because I wasn't satisfied with the light output - a problem compounded by the excellent lighting of the NX that we naturally compared it to.

Nelexus88

They were a $565.00 option in 2014. Maybe new and improved or just extra profit?