Three weeks ago my driver side headlight went out, I thought well that is odd b/c HID's usually go pink then die but then again it is a bulb and they can blow. So I bought a brand new pair of HID bulbs, waited for them to arrive then put them in and still not light! Next move I let my tech take a stab at it, after he trouble shooting it turns out to be the "Computer Light Controller" (Ballast) that the dealer wanted $290 for. I passed, asked for the part # (85967-50020) bought a used one online for $55 and once again another week of waiting. Today I finally had the ballast swapped out for the new/used one, while my tech was installing I asked him to put the new bulbs in since I already bought them. I will sell my old bulbs to someone who wants to a pair of 4300K. Ok what killed my ballast was H20, that's right it looked like someone dropped in a bucket of water or left it outside for a month!! My only guess was when the detail guy cleaned my engine bay sometime ago and he got a little crazy with the pressure washer, how else could water get to the ballast like that?


Now I have light! I hated driving around with one headlight but I was very impressed with how well the one projector covered the road, any way here are some pics of both ballast.

Old ballast










Front Cover & Inside




Major Corrosion






New Ballast Example


New HID Bulbs Bright!

 

where is it located? I would like to see if it's in good condition cuz my headlights shut off too sometimes

 

Well it won't be fun to get to and have a look see. It is located under the headlight, you will have to remove the bumper and headlight to get to it.

 

Great post Tee!!

 

That picture in the dark is just crazy, hot HID has no cast-off of light beyond the cut-off line. Good thing I don't drive in total dark much, because I've always thought what the heck if something is falling from the sky, I won't see it until it comes below the border.

 

I figured there were a good number of Lexus owners that wore hats, but I didn't know some were of the tinfoil variety.

 

Hah, notice that the street sign which is clearly above the horizon is lit up? Digital cameras aren't very good at capturing the extreme amount of dynamic range experienced while driving at night.

 

What temperature is the new bulbs? Same as before or ?

 

Same as before OEM 4300K, but as the years go by the bulbs tend loose lumen output and coloration. My oringinal bulbs have been in the car since 07/04 (based on the cars date of birth) which makes them 5 yrs old so that is to be expected.

 

Thanks Tee

got to take a look at that.

 

I am having a similar problem but hopefully it is not the ballast. Every now and then when I turn on my headlights, the passenger side light does not turn on. I turn them off and back on and it will work. It has only happened 4-5 times in the past year. Could this be the bulbs going out or a ballast going out?

 

Tee - Great post and pictures thanks very much for making us aware of this potential problem. I will have to be more careful when I periodically clean and rinse the engine bay in the headlight area.

 

Glad this thread could be of some help. BTW I bought the ballast on ebay used in mint condition for next to nothing.

 

I wish I had an 04 and up cause my headlights in my 03 isn't nearly as good

 

good post!! exactly what I needed..