bloomwcjkl

Another headlight bulb question.

Passenger low beam just went out.

I assume to replace both low beams at the same time.

Any opinion on these?


I check our 3 major auto parts stores and they wanted $100 for a single HID bulb. All of them united in price. One had a $95 option.

bradland

17 bucks for a pair ! Seems a little TOO cheap...
Get a brand name so you don't have to replace them again in 6 months. Try eBay with a search for "Philips D2S"

JffGRY706

01-03 has different bulb than 04-06. one is reflector and other is projector. My 05 has the projector bulbs that swivel on turns. they are not the same and are not interchangeable

Mobius1

Ideally yes it's a good idea to replace both rather than one.

01-03 are D2R. 04-06 are D2S. Don't cheap out on safety equipment, $100 for a pair of quality xenon is about right. Osram and Phillips are a good place to start.

bloomwcjkl

Today I failed (miserably) at changing my own low beam on my 01 LS 430. I decided to try the cheap set. I was able to get the old one out no problem.

The new one would not go in. It is labeled D2R/D2S. I'm not sure how it can be both. Most likely it can't be both, which is why it doesn't fit. It looks similar to the previous (Osram).

Interestingly I tried to put the old one back in and was not able to figure out how the previous bulb went in. It is only held in place by the small metal clip? I expected it to seat and lock with a twist. Then secure with the clip.

After much trying, I gave up for the day. I can usually get things, but slower than the average joe. This one got me today. Thinking of going to the Toyota dealer and having them replace it.

Mobius1

There is a 'u' shaped clip on the 01-03's that you do need to push into after placing the bulb in its socket. It freely swings but it gently bends outward when you try to push the clip to lock the bulb in place. The bulb itself doesn't twist, although the headlight assembly does have a notch to orient it correctly. Keep in mind the D2R's should have a metal tab on the bulb itself, which should be oriented above.

There is another bulb called the "D2C" but i've never seen one. I think that one is interchangeable between D2R and D2S's.

bloomwcjkl

The u clip rotated down fine. The new bulb was oriented with the metal bar up.

It just never felt secure. When I pulled the old bulb out it felt snug.

One issue is there is movement in the section that the bulb attaches to. So I could not push that hard.

I will try again tomorrow possibly. I did think it was strange I could not get the burnt out bulb back in. Probably not a good sign.

Thanks!

rkw77080

Most likely the set of bulbs you received are D2C which will fit physically for either D2R (2001-2003) or D2S (2004-2006). Please note that the D2R bulbs are painted to block portion of the light on the reflector to prevent blinding oncoming drivers. The problem with using the D2C on a D2R (2001-2003) model is that D2C are not painted and will look to oncoming traffic as if you have your high-beam on.




All D2R/D2S/D2C bulbs have a large square notch, which should be lined up to the 12 o'clock position on the headlight assembly. The metal conductor that goes to the tip of the light bulb is in the opposite position of the large square notch. In other words, the metal conductor should be at the 6 o'clock position when inserting the light bulb into the headlight assembly. Once inserted and seated, you should not be able to rotate the light bulb, but it may not be a snug fit. The U-shape spring will keep the bulb in place, while still have enough allowance for thermal expansion.

bloomwcjkl

Thanks RKW. I definitely received DC2 bulbs labeled as DS2/DR2.

I am going to go with better quality bulbs and hope that I can get it in today.

bloomwcjkl

I took a different route this morning. I removed the headlight so I could see what I was doing better. Once I did one, the other was just as easy.

The bulbs I had did fit ($16.99 from amazon labeled DS2/DR2) and I was able to get them both changed. Operator error and not being able to see/feel and get the right angle on the bulb was the problem.

As usual, I finished the DIY project. This time it took me 4-5x longer than it should have. Doh!

Thanks for all your help and the photos, suggestions. I will post an update on how long they last. I did the 4300k as they seems to be closest to stock color.

ltd76gold

Hello Bloom,
Those low beams....are they working out ok? I hesitate to spend 5 times more on bulbs than necessary.

Thanks
Doug k

bloomwcjkl

Working great so far.


They are a whiter white (4300k) as compared to my daytime running lights, but they work great. Get the "R" which are partially shielded to cast the light lower.

Price is great. I will buy another pair if/when I need them. I was making the install way to hard. After the first one, I can do it in my sleep.

ltd76gold

Must agree that these are certainly priced right and they fit perfectly.

The only tricky part is the two and one half twisting inverted to both see and feel what you are doing. The dudes that designed the access hole must have figured a small lass would be their main bulb changer😀

Thanks again all,

​​​​​​​Doug k