Trebbor

Hi Everyone,
I thought that my night vision was starting to fail as for several months, I've had difficulty seeing at night while driving my 2008 Lexus RX350. When I first bought it, I was amazed at the great lighting that the HID plasma bulbs provided. I guess that over the years, they've gradually dimmed even though it wasn't obvious. I did a bit of research and several articles mentioned that the life expectancy of the bulbs was about 4 to 5 years. Not sure if this is true, as it is probably more related to how long they're actually on rather than the years in the vehicle, but decided to replace the bulbs just in case. Bought a pair of Philips OEM bulbs on Amazon and installed them today. Wow! My night vision has returned. Best investment of $60 per bulb.

But...if you do the replacement yourself, be prepared for learning some new words, especially if you have larger hands. Getting to the bulb and replacing it is somewhat trickier than the instructions in the Lexus factory manual or in the instructions you'll find on the web. You are mostly doing the work without being able to view what you're working on. If you have an inspection mirror and a bright work light, that really helps. If anyone is interested, I can post some instructions.

Bob

exmeaguy

Thanks Trebbor for the post. I had to replace the HIDs in my 2007 about a year ago and I am still fuming from the aggravation of maneuvering blindly in the tight space.

dganapol

Thanks for the information. Anyway you can provide the link in Amazon or manufacture of the bulb?

Thx,
David

Trebbor

This is the link to Amazon.com for a single OEM bulb supplied by Amazon. You can also buy them as a two pack for a bit of a discount but they are provided by a third party. The bulb is a Philips D2S Xenon HID headlight bulb. Beware that there are lots of fakes out there that say they are made by Philips. Again you can search the net to show you how to detect the fakes.
Bob

dganapol

Thanks, I looked at Lexus and they are $153.00. I will try them out.

Daivd

VtecGSR95

These are the OEM bulbs for $85.00

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/co...l#.VoaEelKumwh

Just installed them.....they also have many other options, some cheaper, some not.

gt1209

Does the headlight module need to be removed before HID bulb can be replaced? Or does headlight module only need to be removed when self-leveling motor needs to be replaced?

jakenbake

You don't have to remove anything other than the dust cap to replace the bulb. It is a bit of a tight squeeze though. Watch a video or look at some pictures so that you know what you are doing. Some of it has to be done by feel.

hisstojay

Can anyone educate me on how to know if my RX350 has HID bulb? Is there any means of knowing....?

bigboss

by just looking, oem HID will be white vs yellow/white on the non HID. If you low beam is the same color as your high beam, very high chance its not HID.

On my 09, I have the AFS HID and it will move back and forward when you start it up.

hisstojay

Is it possible to install HID if the RX doesn't come with HID.....; is it plug and play?

bigboss

yes,

if you go with OEM, you will need to rewire the lines and buy new headlight housing and ballast. ~$2k-$3k

if you go with HID retrofit, it won't be as good as OEM but its a cheaper alternative. they can range from $20 to $120. the cheaper the kit, the less quality the temperature color and strength is. They are plug and play. The new hype is LED now.

elpinguino

New here, and glad that I came across this thread. I have a 2008 RX 350.

Pretty sure I have the HID. They're white, vs the yellowish white for the high beam.

I suspect that the HID bulbs are a lot dimmer than they're supposed to be. Maybe this is a naive question, but how can I tell objectively if this is the case? They haven't ever been replaced in 12 or so years.

Also, if I were to want to replace them, are there any good resources out there? Haven't had much luck with YouTube.

Felix

I'd replace them since tis been 12+ years......D2S is the bulbs you'll need....Since your there, I'd replace the foglites w/ Sylvania Zevo Led 9006 bulbs as well......Use a pr of latex gloves. Replace them same as regular bulbs. I even replaced the parking bulbs w/ led bulbs too....

elpinguino

Thanks. Are there any resources out there you recommend, YouTube or elsewhere?

I opened up the hood and it doesn't seem like there's easy access to the bulbs. Would I have to do a lot of disassembly?