Hey guys, I just bought a Lexus and right off the lot the check headlight system warning came on. Both headlights were working. I brought it into the dealership and while it was there the passenger headlight broke. They didn’t claim to break it, and told me it would cost $2400 to fix it. I’m working with the sales team to get them to cover the cost(and that’s a pain). My issue is why would the light suddenly burn out in the dealership? Is it necessary to replace the whole headlight assembly? Also, if I want to do it myself is there a place that has instructions? Any other wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

This is the passenger light that went out while it was in their possession. It has condensation in it. It was working before I brought it in.

 

Welcome to the forum!

There is a TSB for headlight condensation on the 2014's due to the housing cracking in certain spots. This is a defect in the light and there is an updated headlight for the vehicle.
It looks like you have the LED headlights, so a complete replacement would be needed considering you have two issues: cracked housing and LED's that are out (it's probably the computer in the headlight that's gone from the condensation).

Just a couple observations...and it could just be the lighting in the pic...the bumper seems to be a different color to the fender and hood...and the fog light surround doesn't appear to be sitting/installed properly.
I could be completely wrong...I'm just looking at a pic on a screen.

 

The paint on the bumper looks like a respray, the gap where the fender meets the bumper looks a little off to me as well as how the fog light sits, I don't think you should be able to see the clips that well.

​​​​If the headlight which has all this condensation in it fell out when they removed the light, the car was in an accident and not properly repaired.

Unfortunately, a TSB claim on a replacement will be denied because of it.

 

Yep there was a dent behind the wheel and the dealership fixed it and repainted it. I'm wondering if the light was damaged during that repair? I feel like it is their fault because the light was working, but after I took it in it wasn't. It was just the "Check Headlight System" warning on my dash that was lit, and caused me to bring it in.

 

387, there was a dent behind the wheel that the dealership fixed and painted. This would void the replacement then? I'm wondering if I bought an obd2 could I figure out the exact issue with the light? Maybe it's the ballast? or burnt out bulb?

 

I had a headlight replaced under the TSB. They had me pull into the garage and had the bodyshop manager inspect the car first to make sure it wasn't leaking due to an accident. Luckily, they knew it wasn't because all the hardware was untouched and the bumper was original paint because of all the pitting down to the plastic.

A few weeks later I got hit on the other side. I ended up getting a new headlight because the tabs were broken and there was a crack in the housing after the bodyshop took the car apart.

Were you aware your car was in an accident and did you buy it from a Lexus dealer or elsewhere? Hopefully, you have some recourse.

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I bought it from a used car chain, they have a Lexus dealership, but I don’t think they are tied together for whatever reason. One of the sales manager’s offered me $600 to get it fixed, their service shop wants $2400. I’m frustrated because the light was working before I brought it in. I think they broke it further and should pay for it all, the whole thing is shady. The fender wasn’t dented it was dented between the passenger door and the wheel. Would that affect the light?

 

I should have mentioned that with the TSB it has a time and mileage limitation that warranty will cover the repair.
In the case of a 2014 vehicle, the TSB would not be covered under warranty as it has long since expired...accident or not.

In regards to the OBD2 scanner...basic scanners will only show powertrain codes. A bluetooth dongle (like Veepeak) combined with a phone app may retrieve the headlight codes and is a lot more cost effective than purchasing a high end scanner.
Having said that, without seeing the headlight it would hard to recommend a repair course of action.
Given we know that the headlight has condensation, and it's a 2014, it's reasonable to assume the housing is cracked. If the cracks are found, they can be sealed (with silicone)...that will look as good as how well the silicone was applied.
If the computer in the headlight is damaged, which is likely the cause of the headlight being out, then it will need to be replaced.
With both those issues combined, the most effective repair would be to replace the entire headlight...thus solving two problems at once.
Keeping in mind to replace the headlight the front bumper needs to be removed, thus making the car immobile during the time of the repair.
You could also consider getting a used headlight that functions.

A dent on the fender isn't going to cause the headlight to fail...and from the location where you said the dent was, it's definitely not going to cause a failure.
When the warning message popped up on the dash it was your early warning that the light is failing. It's probably coincidence it failed when they had it in the shop...keeping in mind the condensation and warning message were both present before taking it in.

 

Thank you this is all very helpful. I’m looking into doing it myself... Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is the computer the same as the ballast? I have a guy with a light assembly, but says it does not include all of the modules. Also, do you have any suggestions of where I can find instructions to do the install? I’ve seen some videos on youtube, but none are done for this specific part... I might make a video myself for people to reference in the future.

 

Whatever name you want to refer to them as (computer, ballast, module), you will need those with the headlight. Chances are the LED bulbs are fine, it's the module (or whatever you want to call it) that is the issue.
I haven't had an LED headlight apart, so I can't say how many modules it has...I would assume only one.
Once the bumper is off, swapping the headlight is just a matter of unbolting it and bolting in the new one.
Some beam adjustment may be necessary.
There are videos on Youtube for removing the bumper, which is the biggest portion of the repair.