As I posted in https://www.clublexus.com/forums/8479228-post161.html, the dealer replaced my left headlight assembly under goodwill because of the bubbling issue ( I'm at 51200 miles on my 2012 IS350 so did not qualify for the TSB). Now the LEDs (DRLs) and the high beam light match exactly with the old headlights, but the low beam bulb light is a lot warmer and appears less intense.

I notices that the bulb in the new headlight is crystal clear and appears to change color a few seconds after turning on from blue to green/yellow, but the bulb in the old headlight is a milky white and remains a much cooler brighter color. This could be due to the milky/white color of the bulb.

I bought this up with the dealer and he claims that the bulb was never replaced but moved from the old housing to the new headlight assembly. He says a new HID lamp on the old one will cost around $355.

Now, I'm very confused about this whole issue. Are my lights operating normally? It could be that they were always like this and I never noticed. Could it be that the bulb in the new headlight is a cheapo halogen instead of the HID bi-xenon bulb, and the dealer is not admitting?

The bottom line is that the low beam from the headlights is clearly not matched in color and intensity and it's really bothering me.

Please someone, help me figure out what I should do.

 

Do you have pics of the light output with your old headlights? Have they actually seen the difference in colour or has it just been explained to them?

I would take the car back and get them to replace the bulb on the new headlight to match the one on the old one. The new bulb should not look different from the old one if they actually had just swapped it over. I have a feeling they just used a D4S bulb off their parts shelf or something. Do not take this lightly, take it back there and demand an explanation. If they won't do anything, your best bet is to get a pair of replacement bulbs from XenonDepot, Nigel-JDMParts, or HIDPH (all forum vendors). I personally just bought a pair of Philips Ultinon bulbs from Nigel for $150, much better than paying $355 for a single bulb that may or may not match with the old one.

 

Are HID (xenon) lamps the only option for all headlights on these cars? Or do some have normal halogen lamps in them?

I think that I have the auto-leveling headlights because I have the headlight washers and I see the beam going up and down when I start the vehicle. Although I did not see an AFS button or menu anywhere. If my lights are auto-leveling, do I need different lamps from the stock?

 

AFS doesn't come on the 2011+ headlights, but I believe autoleveling does. Also, I believe all 2011+ headlights are HID only, which means only D4S bulbs will fit. 2006-2010 headlights were either HID or halogen, depending on which package you got with the car. The halogen units used H11 bulbs and the HID units use D4S.

 

I took it to the dealer this afternoon and he stated the color looks different because the bulb in the older headlight was 'on its way out' and recommended replacing it. Total cost $288 and some change for one bulb! He said the other bulb was not too far from going out as well. They only accept parts from their own parts store. I think I may as well attempt to replace them myself. Is there a DIY for these somewhere?

I just got this car as CPO just a couple of months ago and I'm not happy that I should have to spend $550 on two light bulbs so soon. I believe the CPO warranty doesn't cover the bulbs. Can anyone confirm?

Another issue is that the older headlight unit has oxidation on the lens/projector (I don't know what its called, its the circular glass piece immediately in front of the bulb), which causes the light to appear different as well.

I bought this car at 48800 miles and I'm kicking myself for not bringing up these issues before the original warranty expired. I would've gotten two brand new headlight assemblies under the bubbling TSB for free. Oh well, at least they replaced the one with the bubbling under goodwill, u can't win'em all...

 

Can you post pics of the oxidation on the projector lens? I've never seen that before.

Like I said, you best bet is to buy a pair of D4S bulbs from one of the vendors here, then use a DIY to replace them yourself. You'll probably save $200 doing this yourself and sourcing the bulbs yourself.

Odd thing is, I have an 08 and I haven't had to replace my bulbs yet.

 

I've attached some pictures. The left headlight is the new one, the right headlight is the old one. I don't know if the slight milkiness of the lens/projector is obvious, but the pictures with the lights on convey the difference in the light temperature and diffusion. The old one is bluer and more diffuse, the new one is warmer and not as diffused.

 

^^ it could be misaligned causing one to be brighter than the other but when changing hid bulbs, you should change both due to the fact that the newer bulb will burn brighter then the older bulb.

 

The service rep said they never changed the bulbs, only the headlight assembly. The bulbs are the same as before.

 

^^try to see if the beams are aligned properly. Best way to check is to pull into your driveway when dark. Leave the lights on and see if they are both straight. Keeping the line of light beam on the garage gate, check to see if one light beam is higher then the other. If it is, it will need to be aligned.

 

I've been playing with HID since the late 90's and i gone through so many pairs of burners (XENON Bulb). I change them so regularly because i manage so many cars, friends and family, we always have spares.

do the cut-off line test like idoke said....

If you could, take the bulb cover off in the back and re-seat the bulbs. sometime when the bulb do not seat correctly, the beam will be off and color will be slightly off.

Nigel deal is good for Real Philips D4S.. my buddy is using the HIDEXTRA D4S bulbs for $70 and works good too... But i want to try out the Toshiba D4S bulbs next...

if i were you, i would get some spares because they are possibly on their way out... Bulbs are like consumables... they go out when all the GAS is burnt out..

 

also yeah, they probably didn't change the bulbs when they changed your HOUSING. they cheap, so they won't give away free... very likely moved the bulb and all electronics from old HOUSING.

 

Thanks for the tip. The left light beam is indeed lower than the right. Is it possible it got misaligned due to faulty installation of the headlight assembly? What's the fix for this? Can I do it myself?

I'm really pissed that the dealer tech could not diagnose this probably and they were pushing me to purchase new light bulbs ($560+). I can't say for sure if it were incompetence or dishonesty but it's going to make me think twice about taking it there for service.

Does anyone know if I need to take it to a Lexus dealership for all scheduled services to keep the CPO warranty valid? Or if I take it to a buddy mechanic of mine and purchase OEM parts myself form Sewell etc. would it be acceptable proof of keeping the car properly maintained?

 

^^ I think when they replaced it, they didn't aligned the headlamp assymbly. You can fix this yourself but it may not be accurate and may cause more alignment issues. I would definitely make the dealership do it. Call and tell them there something wrong with the low beam light. Tell them one is higher then the other and its causing you vision issues driving at night. They should fix that considering its CPO. If not, CALL lexus corporate and complain to them about the issue you have with this dealership.

 

But some of the other threads mention that the left beam *is* supposed to be lower than the right to protect oncoming traffic. So is it supposed to be lower or completely at the same level as the right beam?