Headlight Bulb alternatives
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Headlight Bulb alternatives
I have a 2007 RX400h and one low beam is out. The car has HID low beams bulbs which are $175/bulb from the dealer. Rather then spend $175/bulb I am considering substituting with Sylvania H11 SilverStar zHe Halogen bulbs which are $64/pair from Advance Auto Parts who claim that the bulbs are an exact fit for my vehicle. I'm willing to give up a little of the brightness. My questions are; (1) can I do damage to the vehicle by not replacing the HID bulb with another HID bulb, dealer supplied or otherwise, and (2) should I replace both low beams at once even though only one low beam burned out.
#2
Instructor
iTrader: (1)
First of all, you cannot put an H11 Halogen bulb into a D2S HID socket, not only will it not fit, the connectors are completely different. Advanced is wrong if you know you have an HID setup, I also have never seen a 400h with Halogen headlights.
To answer your questions:
1. No, an HID bulb is an HID bulb, any D2S bulb will work but avoid cheap replica bulbs which have flooded the online markets. Stick to Philips or Osram which can be bought for much less than dealer online, Philips 85122's can be had for ~$70 for a pair.
2. I would recommend both if you never have, they lose intensity over time but it is not required to change it unless it is completely out.
To answer your questions:
1. No, an HID bulb is an HID bulb, any D2S bulb will work but avoid cheap replica bulbs which have flooded the online markets. Stick to Philips or Osram which can be bought for much less than dealer online, Philips 85122's can be had for ~$70 for a pair.
2. I would recommend both if you never have, they lose intensity over time but it is not required to change it unless it is completely out.
Last edited by Lexuswiz; 11-11-17 at 12:08 PM.
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Botto (11-11-17)
#4
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Thanks for your help. I now see that the fitting is completely different on the socket. I did find the 85122's for about $70 and fired them up....expect to have by Tuesday. It looks like you have to remove the rubber from the wheel well to get access to the low beam. A little bit of pain but it beats paying hundreds to the dealer.
#6
Intermediate
You can do it from engine bay,,my hands are big and still did it from inside, for the passenger side you can remove the windshield container neck by unscrewing one bolt and work your way
#7
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
So my 85122s showed up today and for the life of me I cannot work my hand up from the bottom after removing the fender cover for the bulb on the driver's side nor can I reach it from above through the engine compartment down. I removed both covers on the top of the engine on the driver's side, the other that covers the radiator cap and the cover that is directly behind it as well. There is a small plastic box that contains fuses under and a relay under one cover and if I could loosen it I think I could get access but it is not obvious to me how to loosen it. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks for your help.
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#8
So my 85122s showed up today and for the life of me I cannot work my hand up from the bottom after removing the fender cover for the bulb on the driver's side nor can I reach it from above through the engine compartment down. I removed both covers on the top of the engine on the driver's side, the other that covers the radiator cap and the cover that is directly behind it as well. There is a small plastic box that contains fuses under and a relay under one cover and if I could loosen it I think I could get access but it is not obvious to me how to loosen it. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks for your help.
#10
I have a 2007 RX400h and one low beam is out. The car has HID low beams bulbs which are $175/bulb from the dealer. Rather then spend $175/bulb I am considering substituting with Sylvania H11 SilverStar zHe Halogen bulbs which are $64/pair from Advance Auto Parts who claim that the bulbs are an exact fit for my vehicle. I'm willing to give up a little of the brightness. My questions are; (1) can I do damage to the vehicle by not replacing the HID bulb with another HID bulb, dealer supplied or otherwise, and (2) should I replace both low beams at once even though only one low beam burned out.
#11
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
The low beam on the driver's side is the one that failed for me so I'm not sure if this info will help since it is your passenger bulb that failed. Also, I recently sold my 2007 RX400h so I can't go to the car and see what components are where under the hood. It was difficult to replace but I finally was able to do it by through the engine compartment versus going up through the wheel well. (Although I could reach the bulb going up through the wheel well I could not get a good enough grip on it to turn the bulb the 1/4 turn to get it out of the socket.) What was helpful to me was using a small mirror (I used an old compact makeup mirror from my wife) so I could see what I was doing. If I remember correctly, the passenger side looked easier but you'll probably have to disconnect and remove the battery to get access to the low beam.
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#12
The low beam on the driver's side is the one that failed for me so I'm not sure if this info will help since it is your passenger bulb that failed. Also, I recently sold my 2007 RX400h so I can't go to the car and see what components are where under the hood. It was difficult to replace but I finally was able to do it by through the engine compartment versus going up through the wheel well. (Although I could reach the bulb going up through the wheel well I could not get a good enough grip on it to turn the bulb the 1/4 turn to get it out of the socket.) What was helpful to me was using a small mirror (I used an old compact makeup mirror from my wife) so I could see what I was doing. If I remember correctly, the passenger side looked easier but you'll probably have to disconnect and remove the battery to get access to the low beam.
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