Hi everyone,

New to the forum here, i did some searching but didnt find same question so here is the issue.

I have a 2007 GS350, one of my headlights will come on but shuts off after a short period. 1-+5 minutes. I can immediatly shut my lights off and then turn them back on and the light comes on.

Is this the Ballast? Is it the Headlight?

Where can i get new headlights that wont break the bank if thats what needs to be changed?

 

Sounds like your bulb(s) might be going bad. Do you know if they've ever been replaced?

 

^^^

Your bulb is going bad, I just went through the same thing. Bought new bulbs and all has been well.

I bought these and have no complaints:

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/com...l#.VgMIUZc2tQs

 

Although I completely agree with you on the site (I've done a TON of business with them and never had an issue over the past 5 years) I disagree on those bulbs. HID bulbs are very much a "you get what you pay for" type of product.

The reason I say this is because I've done retrofits and used all kinds of HIDs before and these are a crap shoot. They are always hit or miss. Even these specific ones he bought, I bought. They flickered and went out and worked intermitently. I shipped them back and bought the step up. They have worked great and have a great color to them (pure white).

You can pay less and take a chance (I have bought those for another vehicle and they were great for 7 years), or you can spend more and not have to worry about it ever with these:

Osram D4S 5500K

 

Yeah man I am with you on that, I am firm believer in you get what you pay for. I had a buddy recommend those Morimotos and for $50 I just figured it was worth a gamble. So far so good with them.

 

Thanks guys for the input. The consensus appears to be the bulbs. i will order new ones.

I have heard in the past and read other forums and most seem to agree that you get what you pay for. I have bought different LED bulbs at home and that is pretty much the same where you get what you pay for. I will look for a quality replacement and hopefully will not have to ever deal with them again.

thanks guys.

Mike

 

If I were you, I would swap the bulbs around, left to right. If the problem moves to the other side, you have a bad bulb, if it stays on the same side, your ballast is acting up.

 

Yeah but that will take more time for a 10/90 issue percent wise. There's only one bulb acting up. If it were ballasts, it could also be a power issue further down the wires which is pretty rare. In general, for a stock ballast to have issues is uncommon and opening up a whole new can of worms. 90% of the time it's the bulbs. HID bulbs are a maintenance item just like changing your oil where as ballasts should not be. With his symptoms, I'm willing to bet going with new bulbs, assuming he hasn't replaced them before, makes the most sense considering this would be close to their end of life after almost a decade.

With all that said, if you do have the time, arnieosp is right, that would be a safe bet to check that to troubleshoot to see if it is your bulb or ballast. I'm not trying to shoot that down, I just doubt it's a ballast issue the way you described it.

 

Let's say one was unlucky enough to be one of the ~10% who have a bad ballast; is it an easy DIY fix?

I've seen eBay plastered with used Denso ballasts in the sub-$100 range, whereas last I checked, a new headlight assembly is $1000+

 

A good article regarding HID bulbs. http://priuschat.com/threads/not-all...-equal.101472/

 

That is actually a great read!

It depends on your skill level and technical ability. As far as replacing the headlight assembly, that has nothing to do with the ballast. The ballast is not in or on the assembly. It is at the other end of the braided silver cable that plugs into the bulbs. That's what you would be replacing.

 

It was to my understanding that the ballast is part of the headlight assembly or attached to it in some way. The Lexus dealerships around me only sell the entire assembly, and stated to me that the ballast, AFS motor, etc. were all parts that cannot be purchased individually (through the dealer, at least).

And I'd say I'm willing to learn and get my hands dirty, but having some direction in things like this is always a huge time saver. Some people say the bumper has to be dropped, others say the ballast can be accessed via the wheel wells. Just curious to see if there is a consensus or advised way to go about it, hope I'm not thread jacking.

 

My comment was misleading now that I have re-read it. The ballast is a separate entity of the headlight housing, yes, however, it is secured to the bottom of each housing. So technically, to get to the ballasts on the bottom of each housing, you have to essentially take out each headlight or the offending side if it's just one. If you are somewhat familiar/comfortable with taking the front end apart of yours then all you need is time and A LOT of patience.

The ballast itself is a small thin rectangular box that is screwed/mounted to the underside of the headlamp housing. The only way to get to it is to remove the headlamp. You must remove the entire under carriage cover and left wheel wall covers and then remove the front bumper and remove all the engine compartment covers to get access to the screws that hold the left headlamp in place as well as to remove it without damaging anything. Do not attempt to pry the headlamp off. It is sealed to keep water from ruining your HID and if you try and pry it you will likely crack the seal or the whole housing. The headlamp on the passenger side is much easier and does not require full removal. So I am praying for you that it's the passenger side giving you grief.

As far as Lexus telling you they only sell the entire setup is true. However, you'd save a ton of $$ just buying the ballast and replacing it. You're going to go through the exact same steps anyways. As far as the price jump for the whole assembly compared to just a component, I would take a stab and say that the AFS motor is close to the top of the list of why it's so expensive.

If you're interested, a member did a write up of how to do this and there is a good walkthrough video I can link to you if you want to proceed.

Hope this clears some things up!

 

Seriously, thank you so much for the thorough explanation. Sadly, it's my driver's side light that's going wonky, so if I go forth with this, it sounds like I'll be spending the better part of a day on it.

I also think there's already been some water in the housing, as I see a couple of rust spots here and there by the lens if I look closely. But I'll start by ordering a ballast and replacing the bulbs to see if that fixes the problem. I found a walkthrough in the DIY tips and tricks thread, but the photos had been taken down. If you happen to have a link to that video I'd really appreciate it. And again, thanks for all the help thus far. This is why I love being on CL!

 

In that case (water/rust being in the housing), it will only cause issues down the road. If your finances permit, I would suggest replacing the housing. You will shorten the life of your ballast and bulb as well as the whole AFS system with moisture inside. I can't find the video walkthroughs anymore so I'll take a look for the write up on here.