SkiMe

Forgive me as I see so many threads on HID's....but I can't find anything with pictures or similar to our specific vehicle (2013, RX450h). Our passenger side, low beam headlight went out so I got new bulbs off of Amazon. Through my research, it was recommended to replace both bulbs in pairs so they had equal colors.

I picked up 2 of these D4S bulbs on Amazon.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00480J4I2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

When I go to change the bulb, the first thing I see is the ballast unit (with the metal fins), but it's not obvious to me how to remove it. Are there screws to remove or does it twist off somehow?

I see other threads showing a simple clip, or someone says twist it.....just don't know for sure.

Any guidance or a thread with pictures?

Also, do I need to disconnect battery or is that really just a "general statement" that people say....just because.....and everyone else says it before starting any type of maintenance project.

Thanks in advance!

MellonC00

Mods: Please move this to the hybrid forum.

SkiMe

Is the Hybrid HID headlight system different than the standard gas engine? I'd think they are the same, and the thread should remain in the main RX forum.

Clutchless

One of these many youtube videos should help. D4S bulbs are the same for about any Lexus or Toyota.

SkiMe

Well, got her done! It really was quite simple...I guess I didn't see the tabs on the back ballast thing when I first glanced at it. Anyways, after moving the coolant filler hose out of the way, I could twist the ballast part counterclockwise and move out of way. Disconnect electrical connector and then twist the bulb socket.

Two spring pin clamps to unhook and the bulb is free!

Put in the new one and buttoned it all up. I didn't do the driver's side yet because we had to leave, but initial color looks very close to the original. Pretty dang easy!

SkiMe

Pics of job....

MellonC00

my bad. i was misinformed.

CFT3

Thx for your post and pics, @SkiMe — spot-on and with them was able to quickly replace both D4S bulbs in under an hour last night, from hood release to verifying all systems functional. Glad there are still a few items owners can fix on these vehicles; that this one cost me ~$700 less than dealer quoted ($399/side+tax) makes it all the better.

RXAgain

I don't normally invest time into thread replies, however, I feel obligated to show support for helpful, accurate, and useful posts. The information provided by SkiMe is spot on. I spent hours searching the internet for pictures and instructions specific to the 3rd generation RX; this was one of only a few that hit the mark. I replaced both HID along with both hi-beam bulbs in less than an hour with really no problems other than overcoming my concerns with the "Danger" warnings. In my case, I simply turned on my headlights hours in advance to discharge any power reserve and then turned my lights completely "Off" (DRL OFF) on the controller ****. I did not disconnect any terminals on the battery.

lex_rx

Pretty easy to do once you figure out the proper process and technique. It takes, literally, a few minutes. I replaced one in December 2015 and so far the other bulb is still the original on my 2011. Got the part from Amazon.ca for about C$70, over $100 at Canuck Tire.

nsnqst

This is exactly what I was looking forward; yet to do the replacement but I think it will be fairly straightforward. After a lot of search over the past couple of weeks, I found nothing on the procedure to do this replacement. Surprisingly nothing on YouTube either. However, SkiMe nailed it! This is the only thread that explains how to replace HIDs on 3rd generation RX.

Thank you so much, SkiMe!

Gardel

Hope I can find some insight. My passenger side low beam (HID) sometimes goes out. If I put the high beams, everything in the passenger side seems to go out.
Any thoughts?

Clutchless

I am a little unclear on the exact scenario. You said the passenger side low beam sometimes goes out. This could be a failing bulb (most likely) or ballast. What year and how many miles on your RX? Are they the original bulbs? If so get a new pair of HID bulbs.
Then you added the high beam thing. So when you put on the high beams, the high beam on the passenger side does not work along with the other lights in front? If that is the case you may have a bad headlight switch.

Others may have better ideas about this problem.

Non

Start by checking the high beam light bulb, it's a regular halogen bulb, number 9005. The bulbs are cheap and easy to change, so you could swap the driver and passenger side to check them. If one is burned out change both. If the high beam bulb is not burned out, you need to troubleshoot the wiring, by checking if you're getting +12 volts and good ground to the connector.

Then try swapping the low beam bulbs too, if the problem moves then the bulb is the problem.

If all your bulbs are good, then check the ground wire going from the headlight assembly to the chassis ground. The screw that connects the wire to the car's body sometimes rusts.
.

Gardel

Great! Thank you for the input. Today the lights are working fine... I am going to remove the plastics from the engine bay and start trying out different things. Now, I do know one of the tiny parking light (bulb) is bad, so I am going to replace that first and see if things get solved.
Now, I did see many threads talking about bad quality xenon bulbs. If this happens to be the issue, which ones should I buy? Which brand? Thanks in advance and I will come back and report.