jlim0930

Hello,

I am a total n00b when it comes to cars but my wife's been complaining that the lights on our 2006 gs300 is not as bright as it used to be. Maybe due to age but these were the original bulbs that came with the car.

I am doing research right now to see which will be the best bulbs to get to replace it.. can someone recommend some bulbs? and does the newer type of bulbs require any other things to be swapped out ? should i stay with oem bulbs? and what were the oem bulbs for my car? I am not one to get it all fancy... just want it to be bright.

secondly how hard is it to replace? i looked at several posts and it seemed pretty hard to get into ? can some of you share your experiences?


Thanks in advance!!

evolvedgs

Yes its 99% due to age; the originals will either start flickering, work sometimes/sometimes not or just get lower brightness.

Search for Garax brand ones that are rated at 6000k brightness...can find them on eBay. Bulbs that came with the car and that are on there right now are 4300k rating. But trust me the Garax 6000k are nice and bright white. A pair should run $100.

It's easy; just requires a little patience.... check this out

Thanks in advance!![/QUOTE]

jlim0930

Thank you very much!!!! that was very helpful!!

so if i upgrade to the Garax 6000k would I have to swap out any ballast or anything else or would it be just a straight replacement ?

jlim0930

sorry one more question... if i get the Garax 6000k is it low beam or high beam or is it both ? would i still have normal night lights and still be able to use high beam also ?

sprtn131

The garax is plug and play, no mods needed, just don't touch the glass part (the oil from your fingers will make it go out faster) is the low beam only the high beams are separate and are also you're day time running lights

rl9010

My personal experience with Garax is not very good. I found them to be worse than oem especially on wet rainy days. After my fallout with Garax (lasted 3 weeks) I found Carmate GiGA hid straight from Japan.

I have been using these HID's in all of my families lexus cars for years and have not had an issue. They are brighter and whiter than the aforementioned Garax bulbs.





Carmate GIGA H.I.D. 6000K





With shield bulb is D4R without the shield it is D4S. Compare vs oem phillips

Here is a startup video of the bulbs.

Feel free to pm if you have any questions!

evolvedgs

Don't mention it ... I'll bill you later for the advice ;-)

No you don't have to replace the ballast. It really is as easy as the video shows. The only difficulty in the install is just lining everything up with the bulb in the housing (just as the video shows).

jlim0930

awesome!! thank you everyone for your help!

are the 6000k's really blue? or is it more white?

rl9010

The garax 6000k I found was more blue.

The Carmate 6000k is more white.

Either way wooo new hid bulbs!

NickTee

6000k is going to be have a blue hue. It also puts out less lumens compared to equivalent 4,300-4,700K bulbs.
Also, what shape are your headlights in? I imagine there may be a layer of oxidation that is dimming the light output.

jlim0930

the outside of the headlights are in pretty good condition... had this car since late 2005 and there is a very very slight yellowing on the clear plastic but not very "frosty"

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

just be careful with cheap bulbs, they dont last long in these cars. not saying you have to spend $200 for a pair of bulbs but those $30 bulbs dont last very long.

i loved my garax bulbs

Gotcha350

If you want to play it safe...just get OEM Philips bulb...if you want to play it super safe...order them from Lexus...other wise the two that they have listed are good...but if you are looking for the brightest bulb then the 4300k to 4700k are going to be what you want....as you go up in temp the color changes blue then more purple...

evolvedgs

Lexus dealership charges $235 per bulb and $65 to install. So to replace just the bulbs you'd be looking at $535 for replacement.

Ouch.

NickTee

So your first step would be to remove that yellowing. That will improve appearance and slightly improve lighting.
As others have said, your best bet is just to get a brand like Philips(beware of fakes) that are known for their quality. There's a reason all the major OEMs don't use these cheapo brands: they're not known for their outstanding quality and longevity, unlike the major companies.