Driver's side low-beam headlight died (kinda)
 

(All other lights in the car, including highbeam and everything on the passenger's side, works perfectly)

My 2006 52k mile (but under 7yr/100k mile Platinum Lexus warranty) Lexus IS350 has a headlight problem.

The headlight (driver's side only) will turn on (each and every time) when I turn on the headlight. However, it then turns off about 3-5 seconds later.

It does this consistently (in other words, fully turn off the lights, then flip it back on and the driver's side light again turns on for 3-5 seconds) and repeatedly.

Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong? Dealer wants $291 to replace the light bulb, but I think it's not a light bulb issue (since it obviously works) and the dealer should fix the entire thing under warranty (since it's not the light bulb's fault - something else is failing, and that should be covered under my warranty; I don't disagree the light bulb itself would not be covered.)

1. did your 2is come w/ factory HID's?
2. if yes for ^, did your 2is come w/ aftermarket D4S bulbs?

a good way to check if it's the bulb - or something else - that's bad, swap bulbs from side to side.

if the same side does the same thing, then it's not the bulb but something in the oem HID circuit.

if the other side starts acting up, it's the bulb.

Glad to know im not the only one having this issue, I was just trying to read up on this exact same problem

Is it easy to change the bulbs or is it best to have a dealer do it....and is there already a DIY for changing bulbs does anyone know???

Owner's manual shows how to remove the bulbs, but neither I nor the AutoZone salespeople (who would normally be happy to insert the bulbs to try them out) could figure out how to release the lock and get into the light assembly to replace the bulb. Does anyone have any ideas on how-to guides? The Lexus book is remarkably unhelpful; it's got a basic picture or two but we all couldn't make head nor tail of it.

lol, well thats a start i guess....we'll get this figured out sooner or later anyone else?????

Everything in the car is original equipment.
I don't know if it has HIDs (??) but the car is the IS350 with Navi, ML, rear shades, and 18" tires; aside from that it's stock. :)
I didn't put any aftermarket D4S bulbs in there; it's all OEM from Lexus.

Hope that answers your questions.

see this thread for D4S bulb removal. installation is the reverse.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...hid-bulbs.html

I found a D4S bulb for about $100 shipped. Between that cost and the risk in taking everything apart I'm going to hit up my local Lexus dealership; Costco gives me a 15% discount on all Lexus service so the net will be 291 - 15%, or about $247 - to me it's worth $150 to have an expert install the entire thing and troubleshoot in case it's a problem that's more than just the bulb (and so would assumedly be fixed under warranty at zero cost, vs. the sunk $100 if I buy the bulb.)

Thanks for the help folks!

I've had this problem, and Lexus replaced the HID bulb. After a year, its starting to do it again. I have seen at least 5 - 6 ISx50 in my area with a dead HID bulb. I believe it may be the ballast, but im not too sure....

there have been cases of D4S bulbs dying early, both OEM and aftermarket.

based on seeing responses in this forum, the OEM HID system is finicky at best.

to the OP: i would consider this a warranty repair, since you have a platinum lexus warranty. take your lexus to an authorized lexus service center and have them diagnose what the problem is.

Light bulbs are excluded from the Platinum warranty support; since this is a light bulb I don't think it can be included. Any thoughts pro/con on this?

Thanks!

strange. i had a oem D4S bulb go out on me, and when i brought it into the dealership they replaced it under warranty. i guess the terms and coverage of the regular factory warranty and the platinum extended warranty are different.

i would try the DIY linked a few posts back. it's really not that hard to do, and you'll save yourself a bunch of money doing it.

What's done is done - I didn't want to wait a few days for a bulb and possibly get a ticket for having a headlight out, plus have the risk of not getting the right part, breaking something, or having a larger problem if it was more than just the bulb. I went to another Lexus dealership (where the price was cheaper!) and saved about $40 from the first Lexus dealer's quote - $260 list, $220 or so after 15% discount. Robbery, but at least it's fixed.

i spent 90 on d4s bulbs and they work perfectly. club lexus discount from any of the vendors here