Hey everyone, so out of the blue both of my headlight bulbs just bit the dust... which I had a funny feeling it would happen as the other day I noticed a bit of flicker with my headlights. So with that being said, does anyone know or have any recommendations on replacement bulbs? Doing a quick search, I believe they are the Philips D4S Xenon HID bulbs, but they are 4300K colour temperature and was wondering if these are my OEM colour temperature as I have the AFS lighting package. Any insight on that?

Also, how easy is it for the install? Called up my local dealer and they wanted $300 per bulb, plus $168 for the install plus taxes, so $768 for a set of bulb replacements... OUCH.

Thanks everyone!

 

 

I previously bought Osram CBI's from Amazon Spain. Even with shipping, it's still significantly cheaper than any North American online retailer.

Bulbs are sold by Amazon, not 3rd party seller - so they are genuine and have all the right seals/hologram/check codes for verifying authenticity.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...on-europe.html

 

Look for "OSRAM 66440CBI" on Amazon.es , it comes in a 2 pack.

 

Standard D4S Philip bulbs should be around $40-$60 each. Amazon sells them:
You can check the # on the bulb's box you receive from Amazon and confirm via Philips website its authentic. Also, folks have had good things to say about XenonDepot if you're looking to change the look to a different color (5000k / 6000k).

Dealerships are charging way too much to change headlamp bulbs. You can do it yourself as there are lots of DIY videos on youtube and threads on the clublexus forum that can help you tackle the job yourself. It will probably take you an hour and change to replace both yourself. Note: If you do this yourself, wear gloves and avoid touching the bulb itself. Here is a helpful thread:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...b-removal.html

 

Should we be changing these bulbs out even though they're not burnt? Does the light output diminish over time?

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix!

Seriously though, Xenon bulbs do have light output diminish over time but in my experience, not enough to create a safety concern until they get a certain number of hours-in or basically after about 5-10 years of use. In my previous GS, the light output seemed fine for me until the output turned purple..until the output turned purple, i didn't notice any difference.

I think the only way I would have known my HIDs weren't outputting the same was if I put a new bulb on one side and compared the output side-by-side...most folks don't notice a 10% or even 20% decrease in light output since we drive the car all the time.

Keep in mind, just the act of turning on your HID headlamps diminishes output as it requires the components of the bulb to heat up on initial fire-up which decreases the longevity over time. If you feel like the HIDs aren't as bright as day one with your ride, you're probably right - but remember, there are folks still driving around with standard halogens and have no problems seeing ahead!

This all just reminded me that i've seen some late model BMW, Benz and Jaguars with standard halogens which is very surprising...

 

Replacing the bulbs takes no more than 5 minutes if you have done it before. That dealership pricing is a massive ripoff, stay away from them. Local mechanic can do it for much less.