ramsee1

So I posted a new thread last week asking if anyone new how to change out the fog lights. I don't have a lift, so when I got my oil change, I asked the mechanic to do it. He said he had to drop the bumper to get inside. And now I have new back up lights. I go into the trunk, remove the lining... nothing! There are some bolts but I don't know which ones to remove. The manual states... BE SURE TO BRING TO YOUR LEXUS DEALER for changing the bulbs. Lights were easier to change on my 89 cavalier I had as a teenager. What gives? Vent your frustrations here. Ramsee1

chrislee8

I will find out this weekend if you still have the problem.

ramsee1

thank you sir.

L_Sport

I have a 92-96 model ES 300 and I have never had any problems changing lights, and I have changed and modified all of them including high beams regular head lights blinkers fog lights tail lights I even added extra blinkers in the bumper (check out the pick) and lights to eliminate my rims! Its pretty self explanatory you just look at it and figure out what needs to be unscrewed, I did all these lighting mods by my self with no manual or help from a dealer. And dropping your whole bumper to get to the fog's that BS you just get under there and remove the plastic scrape guard that screws on underneath your car to the bumper. After unscrewing this enough to see the fogs, just turn the water tight seal on the assembly and you will see some wires and a little metal wire, this is a latch, you wiggle it out of its locked position, don’t unscrew it. It’s a ***** to get back into place, trust me. So after you unlatch the metal clasp you light will want to pop out, don’t touch it with your finger, what dishwashing gloves of disposable gloves! These hologen light are very fragile, if they get oil from you finger on them when they reach extremely high temperatures the oil smudge on the glass will begin boiling and cause the glass to bend in that area and the light will explode, this sucks, trust me I know. If these instructions aren’t clear hit me up again.

ramsee1

hey L-sport, what's up. Thanks for the info. The fog lights are in and look good (I got HIDs). I could found the wire you were talking about before I had a tech do it. It's impossible to get at though without seeing. My tech guy didn't charge me which is good.It could just be easier is all I'm saying. The low and high beams I have changed myself. My hands are too big to fit in behind the housing, so that made it difficult. Right now I am replacing the back up lights. I took the lining out to expose the metal frame. I see some wires running inside the frame (and some plastic **** attached to a metal rod next to the trunk latch that I ACCIDENTALLY BROKE a piece off of! Is this important? ). There are several bolts that can be detached, but I don't want to unscrew anything that doesn't have to do with the back up lights. Everything is sealed from the outside, so I think my approach to this is correct. If you could shed light on this subject, I would be greatly appreciative. Ramsee1

L_Sport

No prob, you have to take out the whole tail light to get to the lights, there will be a lot of bolts that you have to unscrew I don’t remember how many, but its like 4 or 5 at least. There will be some larger bolts, don’t worry about those, just the ones that are the same size once you remove these you will have to wiggle out the tail light, from there I’m sure you can handle the rest. And the **** you broke, I wouldn't worry about it, as long as every thing still works, but I’m not sure what you broke.

ramsee1

thank you sir. I will do my best. As sad as it may seem, at the current point in time I don't even have a socket set. Pathetic, I know.

ramsee1

yeah I can do it. Who needs the Lexus dealers anyway! cough cough

ramsee1

Many thanks to Sick Lex and L-sport... Got myself a nice socket set and had the lights out and changed in 10 minutes. HIDs are sweet.

L_Sport

I never take my car to the Lexus dealer, they will rape you with prices, some times I call them for part #'s and maybe some advice but I never take my car there, they are like a two hour drive from me anyway, I do the most I can at home, it's like a little some, I have my car all on jack stands right now, because I’m working on making an instruction manual for installing my forced air intake. So I jacked the car up and took of a wheel to get to the left front inner fender to take step by step photos, because I have sold some, but they still e-mail me for more instructions, I guess need to add pictures to the instructions, any way what I’m trying to say is, they didn't have a forced air intake for my car so I got down and made one, I’m no longer afraid of the Lexus emblem, its just a car and I can work on it myself, I have gained so much confidence I do almost everything to it, and the thing I can't my friends Robert and Steve the "professionals" at import auto works do the rest, and also take time to show me how they did it. Just have confidence in your self. Lexus also offers a do it your self manual like the size of a telephone book that numbers every single bolt and washer in your car and give your step by step instruction on anything you may have to remover or replace, I’m saving up for one, because its over a hundred bucks, but this isn't like those cheesy books at pepboys, this is actually from Lexus!

face

You mentioned that you have HID in your foglamps. Are they auxilliary lamps or did you retrofit your OEM housing? Where did you get it? If you retrofitted, did you have difficulty since the original H3 halogen bulb is much shorter than a D2 capsule? I know that space is really tight under the hood so I'd like to know where you mounted the ballasts/ignitors. I'd love to see some pictures showing the installation and beam pattern. I've always wanted HID in my fogs!!!

ramsee1

L-Sport, let me know if you need any assistance in the instructions you are setting up. I am a graphic designer after all... it's what i do You could mail me photos and text and I can format and print it, and put it on cd for you.
Face- They're not the true HID lights. I'll be darned if I can tell the difference though. I have replaced all my factory lights with these and I'm more than pleased. I have used customerservice@plasmalights.com, ask for Eugene. Or you can try ChristopherLee@socal.rr.com, that Is Chris' personal address. All the bulbs are the exact size as the originals and are changed out the same.
To all- I haven't read everyone's profiles, but I think it would be great to have a post/area where everyone lists all the mods done to their car. I know everyone wants their car to be original, but so far everyone seems open to helping others. Perhaps this will avoid posts like the front strut bar. We can say I have this on my car, here is the brand, and it works. Ramsee1