retiredva

Guess I'd better apologize up front. I have very little experience with using message boards and each time I do I screw up. With that out of the way -- I need a new battery for the key for my 95 ES. The remote lock/unlock feature no longer works. Guess I'll order the lithium battery on line for $1.00 and pay the $7.00 shipping. Smartest way to go or is the lithium battery the same as I can buy at Target? The bigger issue is my headlights. I've cleaned them every way the thread participants suggested (except removing them from the car), but they're just plain dim (too old). Asked the guy who works on my car to replace them thinking they would cost approx. $200 each. He checked and told me he can only buy them from Lexus for approx. $450 each. Sound right? He said my final cost would be approx. $1100. The car has 180,000 miles and runs great, but $1100 for headlights?!. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks for you patience.

3rdelement

iTrader: (1)

yeah replace the lamps with silverstars. since i made that conversion ive been very happy. Also keep in mind...current headlights can burn out eventually but usually they just get dimmer and dimmer.

lexusk8

Not sure about Target, but you can buy a similar lithium battery at your local Radio Shack. Should be in the $2-$3 range. As far as your headlights go, it's hard to picture the current state of your headlights. If you have a digital camera lying around, maybe you can snap up a couple detailed pics of your headlights and post them up for us to check out

TRoyals14

the $450 may be for the actual headlights, not the bulbs only, at least that's what it sounds like
is it your running lights, low lights, or brights that are low?
u can pick up some silverstars for less that $50 a piece at autozone
as for the keys, i have a 2000 es, i paid $3.41 and fixed my keys
just stop by radioshack

Lexbox

$450 is darn good if they are BRAND NEW. My insurance company paid $675 for one headlight when I was ran into a while back.

TRoyals14

totally
$450 is real good for headlights, if you want the full compartment
IMO, you should just clean out your existing headlights bigtime. if you break 'em, so what, you were gonna get new ones anyway, just order em and somehow last till you get em put in
they'd have to be real dirty to mess up the light comin from the bulbs that much, and it may just be cheaper to beef up the power of your bulbs enough to over come the smoggy headlights
and if you're a real deal chaser, try a scrapyard
i dunno up to u, it's your car

redzeppelin

Yeah, there is no reason to get new headlight housings unless they are damaged. Just pick up some silverstars and replace the old ones. You can find a couple of DIY's if you use the search functions, replacement isn't hard and doesn't take long. Good luck.

Pattidenis

My key quit unlocking the door of my 1995 ES 300. I just got a watch battery and tried it, with no luck. Do I need another battery from Radio Shack--I thought a battery was a battery.

If it still won't work any deals on a reasonably priced replacement. I am old and lazy and don't want to unlock by hand, but don't want to spend $200 on a 1995 car either.

Please help!

Thanks,
Pattidenise

3000

When I went to Lexus for a key battery, it was free (my SC's master key). Oh and those lights, did you use the "cleaner"? Nevermind... um yea you could try searching the lights at a dismantler to see if they carry any. For example those dismantlers that specialize in specific brands. I don't know of any in the loc. of where you are at, but you could try searching there because they might sell them for about $200 or less. They are used but they might still be clean.

Pheonix

$200 a pop for used ES 300 projector headlights in mediocre+ condition is the norm.
Take them out, take everything off of them, set them in a 300*F oven on a cookie sheet (Don't kill a good cookie sheet... Atleast put tin foil over it) for 10 min. Take all of it out - with a cat's paw, screwdriver, disposable knife pry & cut the plastic lens off the black ABS body. Leave the oven on. If you have to re-heat it, put the thing back in the oven for another 5 min.


Obviously... Don't be an idiot & just set the thing down on an oven rack. Just as idiotic would be setting it in the oven & let it rest against something. It will melt.

When that comes off, set the projector lens's in the dishwasher on a normal cycle, when it goes to the rinse cycle throw the chrome frontpiece in & try the plastic lens if you wanna chance it not melting. It shouldn't, but dishwasher mileage may very...
Pick the lenses up with a paper towel to keep them from getting prints all over them & wipe the water drops off before they dry.

All the outputs are f'ing hideous. You can try a 9005 silverstar mod, but it just doesn't really help noticeably on the road compared to a normal bulb. Slightly better would be modding some HIR's to fit. Best would be to get some good 9006 rebased HID's & combo shim the lens out (Mine worked best about 1/4-3/8" shimmed out) & cut & build a new projector cutoff. That way it doesn't glare.

retiredva

Thanks very much everyone for your input. I need to immediately put aside the very detailed (and appreciated) response about taking apart the housing. I'm lucky if I can use the right end of a screwdriver. You taught me one additional thing, I think. It appears there's a difference between the headlight and the bulbs. The plastic cover on the front of the unit (headlight?) is somewhat fogged. I'd cleaned it with various plastic cleaners and it's better although some is on the inside. The bulbs themselves appear to be "fogged" but that's probably the way they've always been. Believe they're just fading regardless.
Am I correctly understanding that my service guy can remove the entire unit from the car and simply replace the bulbs with silverstars? If that's the case, we'll give that a try. Don't want to spend too much money. I'm planning on keeping this for a second car and buying a new TL or '02 525i a local dealer friend of my wife's has.

Thanks again!

3rdelement

iTrader: (1)

you can change the bulbs. and believe it or not the silverstars DO make a difference. I noticed a difference and so do my passengers. and that was replacing new lamps with silverstars. So i would highly recommend that. and cleaning the projector lense can help (havent had to do that yet though.) and always make sure the plastic lamp cover is clean and clear as well.

anyways good luck and dont rely on service departments to much. goto walmart or autozone and get the silverstars and put those in. I wouldnt bother doing a mod to fit the 9005's. In my opinion its not worth the risk.

good luck!

retiredva

Great! Thanks. I'll give it a try and let you know. Very much appreciated.

Pheonix

What risk? You knock off a tab on the bulb & get an extra 15% more light. A cheap 9005 will put out more light than a 9006 silverstar. Might as well combine them both, they just don't do that much.

ES Boy

Rear ended a Montero about a year & three months ago, so I figured I might as well get new headlight assemblies since I was getting the Signature body kit and Jet Black paintjob all around. I had Sylvania Silverstars before I crashed, so I'm still using those until I get HID's, whenever that may be.

Brother's '95 SC400 has Silverstars as well, but I guess the new headlight assemblies make mine look less halogen-like.