Kennyr44

mine wiggled also

pearlLS460

I believe the wiggle has something to do with the Auto-Leveling feature.

RandyV

Very nice, Brian - I know this will be on my DIY list at some point in the future. I already have a couple replacement bulbs ready for when that time comes.

Added this thread to my Subscribed list for easy access when I need it.

Patentguy

I changed the bulb on the left (driver) side last night. Posts were helpful, but I found it to be helpful to also go in from the hood to access the bulb. If you pop off the left plastic cover, you can barely see the white bulb cover through the space between the edge of the fender and the black box that apparently houses electronics for aiming the lights. The black cover can be easily removed with three 10 mm bolts and lift and wiggle and slide back towards the window. This give more space to reach in if your wrists and lower arm are not too thick. This way, if you also pull back the liner you can manipulate the white cover with both hands, one from above and one from below. This makes opening and replacing the white cover much easier. Note the white cover has four tabs 90 degrees apart, and you can see from above where the tabs fit in the housing, which makes it easier to start closing the cover at the right rotation. The cover rotates about 45 degrees to open and close. Replacing the white cover is a bit tricky because of the black O-ring and the cover needs to be exactly perpendicular to the housing opening. Again, using two hands helps.
The wires that hold the bulb are more easily opened and closed from above, and if you are careful to note the orientation of the bulb as you remove it, you will know about where the tabs are in the housing to more easily replace the bulb.
It does not look like you can replace the bulb from the top without pulling back the liner, since there is no clearance to remove the white cover due to the liner (although I might try it if I have to do this again). Also, I was not able to pull away the liner as far as Brian or in the video. Certainly, I had to remove more screws and pop-ups than in the video.
It all took about two hours, since I was experimenting and considering options. Would take half that next time. I didn't do the right side (yet).

The new bulb makes a buzz for about 30 seconds when turned on. No sure if that is just the cheap bulb I bought. Doesn't seem to be a real problem.

R Z

Last Saturday evening as we were returning from a party, I was turning left onto the street that leads to our neighborhood. All of a sudden behind me are blue flashing lights. I pull over and the officer tells me one of my headlights is out. He gave me a friendly warning ticket. I've since ordered two replacement bulbs. A friend of mine's son works in an auto body shop and can take cars apart in his sleep. He offered to put them both in for me. Hope to get it done this weekend.

yyymmm31

Something is wrong with the forum? My posting disappeared. In any case, I am re-posting it.
My passenger side low-beam light has been on and off for a while. I ordered two Philips D4S bulbs (part # 42402C1). I replaced the passenger side bulb today. I found that it was easy to access the back of the headlight by removing the tire and partially removing the liner (front portion). There was plenty space after the tire was removed. I was able to use both hands to remove the headlight back cover (the round beige/white cover), unscrew the power connector and the lock wire, and replace the bulb. The whole process could take about 45 minutes, but I took the opportunity to rotate tires, inspect brake pads, rotors, control arms, etc. The new Philips bulb is whiter and brighter than the old OEM bulb even though the new and old bulbs looked identical (exactly the same). Yes, I also heard a buzz sound when I first turned on the light. The buzz sound went away after 20-30 seconds. However, after turning the lights on and off a few times, the buzz sound seemed to disappear. I bought the bulbs from a reputable vendor at a reasonable price (not those cheap $10-$20 bulbs). Perhaps new bulbs will give some buzz sound when they are turned on for the first few times and the buzz sound will disappear after the bulbs are used a few times. Thank all of you who have done it and shared your experience on the forum.

SW17LS

That’s why you always want to buy them in pairs. The color compared to the old one will be notably different.

R Z

Last night, my two headlights were replaced. As much as I "considered" trying this task, I'm glad I didn't. My friend quickly removed the panel in the wheel well and had the bulb out in no time flat. The problem began when he coudn't get the "hook" or the clips seated back in place. We watched the video again, but unfortunately, that's the one section of the replacement that's not shown. So basically, he was trying different things until he got it. Probably took him an hour. The second side went pretty quick as mentioned above in this thread. I'd guess no more than 15 minutes tops. It's a tight squeeze and he did a lot of it by feel without a view. This guy has an incredibly even temperament. So when he mentioned more than once this was the dumbest thing a car company could do, I totally agreed. At once point he considered removing the bumper, but we decided that wasn't really an option at this point in the game. I've not driven the car yet, but turning the lights on in the garage worked perfect.

rscharf

Can this thread be added to the:

★ LS460 LS460L LS600hL FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and DIY Thread ★

R Z

On a side note, the first time I drove my car after the lights were replaced, as I backed out of the garage, the lights came on. So did, the AFS light. It was day and when the lights went out, the warning did not go away. Once I got to my destination, I looked up what the AFS light was all about. I believe it has something to do with the headlights turning. About 2 hours later when I started my car, no warning. That night when I went out again and the lights came on, no warning. I'm about to head out again, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

tofuprod

I have some Osram CBIs en route for my 2013. Coming from Germany so the wait time is nearly a month, oh well.. early mini Christmas gift for myself once installed.

RR601

I know most of the time. Whiter and brighter bulbs mean you give up something. Dont last as long

yyymmm31

I posted the msg below last Saturday (11/19/2017) but it never showed up. I tried several times to re-post but I was always blocked. Don't know why my postings were blocked for a moderator to review. Anyway, hope that the information is of some help to members who need to replace the headlight bulbs.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I replaced my driver's side low-beam bulb yesterday (replaced the passenger side bulb a week ago). I removed the tire and partially removed the wheel liner (the front portion of the wheel liner). There was plenty of space for me to work around and I had full view of the back end of the low-beam light structure. I used both hands to unscrew the backend cover (the round beige cover) as it was a bit tight. After removing the power connector (the plated ****), I had a full view of the two bulb lock wires and therefore it was very easy to unlock the bulb and take the bulb out. The installation was reverse of the process. No problem. The total time I spent was about 45 minutes and most of the time was spent on removing and reinstalling the tire and wheel liner. Four of the wheel liner plastic pins were old and worn, so I replaced them with new ones (bought from eBay $5 for 20 pieces). I used Philips D4S bulbs (part # 42402C1) as my replacement bulbs and they looked identical to the OEM bulbs, including the prints on the base of the bulbs.

M3dicDO

Just replaced my right headlight bulb on my 2008 LS 460L. Took no more than 15 minutes once I had the wheel off and the inner fender liner screws off. In total it took me about 35 minutes from start to finish. So here are a few important things I've learned from doing this for the first time:
- Found the best price on , $44.54 Looks genuine and worked like a charm. They delivered with FREE SAME DAY SHIPPING! Ordered it the morning I noticed the bulb was going out during my morning commute, it was waiting at my front door when I returned from work.
- 100% agree that the bumper does NOT need to come off
- You only need to take the screws off the fender liner, and NOT actually remove the liner off the car. The liner bends easy without breaking, and you only need enough room to fit your hand through plus a little extra to see what you're doing.
- You don't need any tools once the liner is out of the way. The bulb comes off easily with one hand.
- Pay special attention to the orientation of the bulb as it comes out. There are notches on the bulb that have to line up with the headlight assembly as you put the new one in.
- Make sure the bulb works before you put everything back together
- Not a bad idea to change both bulbs at the same time, because the new ones are definitely much brighter than the old ones. The difference is immediately obvious!
- It's a lot easier than you think!

Protholl

OK I've watched the video twice and looked at the pictures provided by the OP. It seems this procedure could also be used to install replacement fog-light bulbs as one of mine has gone poof. Am I missing something?

Thanks and Merry Christmas to you all (unless that offends you.. then I'm sorry)