Did you guys see this HID recall?
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Did you guys see this HID recall?
I'm pretty sure the Toyota Prius uses the same bulbs as our Lexus the Philips Xeneco 42402 as OEM but yet.. they issued a TSB for the Prius guys but neglected all the other vehicles with the same bulbs with the same issues.
I've attached the PDF.
I've attached the PDF.
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Seems to me that they only wanted to address it on the Prius even though they use the same HID bulb on every dam Toyota and Lexus with HID's. I ended up replacing mine anyways but it would be great to get reimbursed as its ridiculous that HID's can't even last more than 4 years when they should last practically the life of the car. My 05 RX330 is still kicking its original HID's.
I also heard that Lexus and Toyota acknowledge this problem and they have switched over to another brand of HID bulbs called the Toshiba Harison which is a Japanese made bulb. I however can not confirm this without going and buying one at the dealer. I do not have have enough lube to do that.
Last edited by NYDesi80; 11-22-11 at 12:31 AM.
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I also heard that Lexus and Toyota acknowledge this problem and they have switched over to another brand of HID bulbs called the Toshiba Harison which is a Japanese made bulb. I however can not confirm this without going and buying one at the dealer. I do not have have enough lube to do that.
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Seems to definitely be the same problem as with the D4S in the GS. I'm sure I've heard of some members here being charged (big money) for new ballasts to 'cure' their problem. Obviously this was unnecessary - where do they stand? Also, xenon bulbs should last a lot longer (effectively the life the of the car) than it seems the Philips 42402 do (about 3 - 6 years).
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I suspect that most of us don't call into Lexus and complain vs. the Toyota owners, because we rather not be bothered. The more of us that call the Lexus customer service number and complain, the more they are prone to do something about it.
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This is familiar territory, having just battled Toyota over similar issues with an '08 Avalon Limited. It is definitely true that those who make noise get attention. The Avalon is cursed with not one, but two fundamental flaws in headlight design. First is the use of the highly unreliable D4S bulbs, which are notorious for burning out prematurely (despite the conventional wisdom that "they last 10 times longer than halogens"). It's the same problem as with the Prius, and it's correct that only the Prius has been addressed by Toyota. For Avalon owners you're still on your own--and the list price to change the HID bulb on an Avvy is around $800 at the dealer!
The second problem with the Avvy is that it uses a halogen bulb both as the high beam, and also as the DRL. They do the latter by running an inadequate voltage through the bulb. That in turn causes superheating of teh bulb, and subsequent burnout and in some cases, either shattering or melting of the bulb and the actual headlight assembly. Toyota finally owned up to that one and I just had my two headlight assemblies replaced last week on Toyota. The headlight assemblies alone were $2000 at retail.
So the message is, the early burnout of HID bulbs is a well established flaw in Toyota and Lexus products of this vintage. The only hope is to complain repeatedly to Cust Svc and hope that they address the issue eventually.
PS: Since one of my headlights is out, what bulbs have people used to replace? I don't want to spend $175 at the dealer. I can find Phillips bulbs online at half that price. Anyone have any experience? What about replacing the bulb yourself? According to svc manual it is a three hour job since front bumper has to be dropped to access bulb. Smart design, hum?
The second problem with the Avvy is that it uses a halogen bulb both as the high beam, and also as the DRL. They do the latter by running an inadequate voltage through the bulb. That in turn causes superheating of teh bulb, and subsequent burnout and in some cases, either shattering or melting of the bulb and the actual headlight assembly. Toyota finally owned up to that one and I just had my two headlight assemblies replaced last week on Toyota. The headlight assemblies alone were $2000 at retail.
So the message is, the early burnout of HID bulbs is a well established flaw in Toyota and Lexus products of this vintage. The only hope is to complain repeatedly to Cust Svc and hope that they address the issue eventually.
PS: Since one of my headlights is out, what bulbs have people used to replace? I don't want to spend $175 at the dealer. I can find Phillips bulbs online at half that price. Anyone have any experience? What about replacing the bulb yourself? According to svc manual it is a three hour job since front bumper has to be dropped to access bulb. Smart design, hum?
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Hope this helps
Rob Cordona
World Racing
2170 W. 190th St.
Torrance CA 90504
(310) 533-1751
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