Da Hapa

My wife and I are contemplating purchasing a MY2002 RX300 AWD from my parents. Its in great shape with damn near all the options (Nakamichi, roof rack, towing package, heated seats, etc.). The vehicle has 53,000 miles on it but has a Lexus extended warranty for 7 years/100K miles.

The only thing I'd like to change on the car is the headlamps. I know Lexus offered and HID option on later model RX's (mabye even in MY2000) but this just has the standard halogen headlamps. Coming from our current cars (Honda S2000 and Lexus IS300) we're spoiled with the performance of the HID's.

If I were to change the headlamps, do I need to buy whole new units from Lexus?
Is it a pretty simple change over?
How much should I expect to pay?

I know I can go aftermarket but I've heard that non OEM HID's are going to be banned and I'd rather have the real deal anyway.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Christian

Manuel RX

HID was an option starting model year 2001.
It looks like the OE clusters would be a straight replacement.

Any quotes on parts ??

BurnishedGoldRX

Your main problem is going to be with the wires going to the HID lamps. You have a connector which goes to the auto-leveling motor as well as a 4-prong connector for the high/low beams. I'm not sure you can retrofit a vehicle(even a 2002) with the correct wiring for the auto-leveling motor. It takes information from the VSC and anti-lock as well as a few other systems. If possible, it may not be a cheap option(especially if you pay the $1200/light that the dealer wants).

mooretorque

If it can be done for the GS, it should be possible for the RX also. It will not be possible to obtain auto-leveling, however. This thread

(https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=100292)

from the GS forum is not especially descriptive but seems to show that it can be done fairly simply. You could pm DevilDog or VVTi (both are Lexus master service techs, I believe)

Manuel RX

Is it possible just to retrofit the HID system (low-beam) into the OE halogen setup, and not mess with auto-levelling motors and hookups ?? off-road use only, yada yada

A "factory" upgrade will no doubt cost $$$. Which is probably why there's been a lot of noise lately about aftermarket HID conversions, which typically do NOT handle the auto-levelling capability.

BurnishedGoldRX

If you mean using the original headlight assembly with HID bulbs, you'd have to modify the base of the bulb(most after-market HID kits have these - i believe spinteews did this). The problem with that route is that you won't have the exact beam cut-off of the OEM headlights and you run the risk of creating a lot of glare to oncoming traffic. As far as using the OEM HID headlamps without the autoleveling system, it has been done. The drawback to that would be if you had a lot of weight in the trunk and it was making the car pitch upward, the auto-leveling system would not be able to lower the headlights to compensate. I think most people just aim their headlights down a little to try to prevent things like that from happening. But if you went to OEM route, you would have the proper beam pattern. Do a search on this forum - there are a few threads with pictures comparing the OEM HID patterns to that of aftermarket HID in a halogen headlamp assembly. BTW, you can usually find the HID headlamps on ebay for less than $500 for both.

eyebike

I installed Sylvania Silverstars on my wife's Jeep Liberty. They're pretty bright and also very white. Comes pretty darn close to the HID on my RX330. A very much cheaper and easier option. You will need 9006ST for low beams, 9005ST for the high beams. Only about $50 per pair. I only changed the low beams on her car A big difference compared to her regular halogens.

http://www.sylvania.com/bin/carApp/c...00&x=27&y=9#1.

BurnishedGoldRX

I had some SilverStars on my 300 for a while. One night I was driving home and noticed that things seemed a little dark. I discovered that both of my SilverStars had blown and I was driving with nothing but my fog lights. I like the SilverStars, but they don't seem to last too long(this was my 2nd set). Hope you have better luck than I did(I still have them in my high beams, BTW).

eyebike

I think I might have read somewhere life expectancy is about a year. They are nice though. I have kept her originals in the glove box in case they're needed. Fortunately, doesnt take long to switch them out.

jeremyp111

I too installed the Silverstars. I planned on adding HIDs , but instead have just kept the silverstars because they are really bright and white. I don't know how much better HIDs would be for me, especially for the money. If you do go with HIDs, then post back how you did it.

Jeremy

eyebike

Apparently, somebody did modify their Lexus (GS) to HID. His GS took 9006 bulbs. The 2003 RX300 also takes 9006. Unfortunately, the RX330 takes an H11 bulb. His final cost was $460 for the Phillips HID. . Not sure if they make a replacement for the H11.

Phillips website
http://www.xenontechnologies.com/index.htm

ClubLexus forum discussion
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...t&pagenumber=1

BurnishedGoldRX

Well there are 2 ways to do the mod. One method involves what they did with their GS - you can get an HID kit that comes with a harness that plugs directly into your stock 9006(low beam) connector and has the HID bulb bases modifed to fit the 9006 socket in the back of the headlight. The drawback to this is the non-OEM HID beam pattern with the excess glare. The other method is to get the original HID headlights and splice into your harness and run voltage to the headlights. With that method, you get the correct beam pattern. However, you'll get auto-leveling with neither of them. HID kits used to be pretty fairly available(I know of 1 dealer that has stopped selling them) for about $500 or so. They're pretty much exactly what OEM HID has as far as ballasts and bulbs, and is usually cheaper than going the OEM headlamp housing route.

Da Hapa

Hey guys/gals -

Thanks for all the feedback. Its sincerely appreciated.

We're having the car gone over thoroughly by Lexus tomorrow morning, but it looks like we're buying it.

I plan to talk to the dealer tomorrow and get a feel from them for how much the conversion would cost. I found an online resource which retails the entire headlamp assembly for $275/side but I'm uncertain about the autoleveling feature and how much to install, etc.

Worst, worse, I may just do the SilverStar upgrade. The OEM headlights aren't terrrible (headlights have come a long way) but they really are in a different league from the lights on my S2000 and I think the more legal light I can put on the road, the better.

I'll keep you apprised of my progress but appreciate the feeback.

mooretorque

Da Hapa, I think you may still misunderstand. OEM autoleveling is not possible as a retrofit at all. Well, with enough money, anything is possible, but the RX would have to be disassembled down to the frame. It would be cheaper to buy an RX330!!

Good luck on the RX......sounds like a great deal!!

seitz

What is this online resource? Do they sell stock HID headlamp assemblies? If so, please tell where you found it as I would like to buy some!

Thanks.

Adam
2001 RX