rl9905 Posted November 3, 2004 Posted November 3, 2004 I have a 2000 RX300 and I've installed a Philips Ultinon 6000K HID Conversion kit on my car. My original 99-00 Headlight Housing doesn't have a nice Cut off line like the OEM HID's. Instead mine just glares out eveywhere and the beams doesn't project in the right place. I tried lowering the headlamps but it doesn't help. I know that oncomming drivers hate this and along with people who I drive behind. I was wondering, if I went to the dealer and bought the OEM 2001-2003 RX Headlights and have them installed professionally, will the 2001-2003 have that cut off line and do those headlights support HID beams? Another thing, I know that on the RX330 and the ES330 with OEM HID, when the car first starts and the headlights are turned on, they adjust and move up and down. What about on the 2001-2003 RX300 with OEM HID, do they also move up and down like that too? I don't want to go back to regular OEM Halogen or those imitation HID bulbs. I want to keep the real HID kit but i want to find a solution this problem. I've tried searching the forum but couldn't find any answers to my question. Please help if you can, I want to stop blinding people. Thanks so much.
Rx-Fan Posted November 3, 2004 Posted November 3, 2004 Why don't you try looking E-bay for used parts. I remember a thread on a Lexus board some place, where a guy bought a complete set of HID housings for his RX-300. The assemblies were complete with ballasts, lamps and leveling motors. He said hooking up the ballasts and bulbs was straight forward but trying to wire up the headlamp leveling motors and actuators on a car that didn't ship with this system direct from the factory was a real bear, so he had to skip that part. But if you find a used set of HID headlamp housings, you would have the true OE HID set-up with the kind of sharp cut-off you're looking for. Then just adjust them to the best position you can find to handle most driving conditions. The guy also discussed installing the housings on his RX in detail. Didn't look all that bad to do. Good luck
wwest Posted November 3, 2004 Posted November 3, 2004 The OEM system has a height sensor at the rear axle (no front sensor) which is an input to the leveling ecu mounted in the dash just above the stearing column. The ecu has an input which prevents leveling above ~15MPH. Major task to retrofit.
Arizona Posted November 3, 2004 Posted November 3, 2004 I drive a 330 2004 and a 300 2001 and do not like the HID at all --- they are set TOO low and it is very easy over drive the range of the lights… I much prefer driving the 2001 at night and would exchange the HID for the standard lighting in a flash… My guess is that the lighting issue could become a litigation problem for Lexus, and others, as there is no doubt in my mind it is a safety issue and recent comments in Consumer Reports re HID seem to confirm this…
Rx-Fan Posted November 3, 2004 Posted November 3, 2004 I drive a 330 2004 and a 300 2001 and do not like the HID at all --- they are set TOO low and it is very easy over drive the range of the lights… ← I completely agree and so I had the dealer re-adjust my '04 330 HIDs on the very first service visit at 1k miles. They actually went a little TOO FAR with the adjustment and the cut-off was about 10 ft above the car I'm following! Had them come back about half way from what they did and now they're great! Ask your dealer (actually DEMAND) to raise the cut-off. Just be careful they don't get too carried away. My dealer (in an unscientific way) parked another RX-330 w/ HIDs next to mine, both aimed at the same wall to use for aiming guidance. It worked - they just adjusted a little too much! Now, it's back to a good level not blinding people - but also not dropping off like a cliff right in front of you.
rl9905 Posted November 3, 2004 Author Posted November 3, 2004 I dont need to buy any new ballast or bulbs because I already have a ballast and a bulb from my conversion kit. Tried searching ebay but found nothing, still going to search. But Okay, so i search the Internet and I came across these After market Headlights which runs for $225 each. All i need is a sharp cut off line, I dont need auto leveling and all that stuff. I'm not going to be hooking up the autoleveling since it sounds to complicated. Just a good cut off will be good enough for me. I want to stop blinding people. So is this AFtermarket okay to use or should i stick with the OEM ones? RX300 2001-2003 HeadLights - CLICK HERE
Rx-Fan Posted November 3, 2004 Posted November 3, 2004 But the factory Lexus HIDs have the ballasts very nicely installed within the headlamp housing! No dangling wires and difficulty trying to mount ballasts all over the place. The factory version also uses a bulb designed for their HID housing - no guess work about which bulb to get, how to modify the mount to hold it etc. You can also get spare parts pretty easily too. See - you're trying to jam an existing bulb / ballast configuration that wasn't made for this housing, into a housing that probably doesn't have the cut-off capability you're looking for anyway. If it's a standard housing you'll need 9006 style bulbs. It's really not clear if you will be getting the cut-off you're trying to get by using the housings you've linked here. Are these projector style housings? The description says "RX300 Headlight (W/O HID). What does that mean? I'm betting these are not HID projector housings, but rather standard replacement parts that would be exactly what you already have. But contact them and ask b4 you buy them.
rl9905 Posted November 3, 2004 Author Posted November 3, 2004 But the factory Lexus HIDs have the ballasts very nicely installed within the headlamp housing! No dangling wires and difficulty trying to mount ballasts all over the place. The factory version also uses a bulb designed for their HID housing - no guess work about which bulb to get, how to modify the mount to hold it etc. You can also get spare parts pretty easily too.See - you're trying to jam an existing bulb / ballast configuration that wasn't made for this housing, into a housing that probably doesn't have the cut-off capability you're looking for anyway. If it's a standard housing you'll need 9006 style bulbs. It's really not clear if you will be getting the cut-off you're trying to get by using the housings you've linked here. Are these projector style housings? The description says "RX300 Headlight (W/O HID). What does that mean? I'm betting these are not HID projector housings, but rather standard replacement parts that would be exactly what you already have. But contact them and ask b4 you buy them. ← Okay i just got off the phone with the AUTO LIGHTS. I asked them about the "RX300 Headlight W/O HID", they said that it doesnt have HID (no bulbs or blast) and is not for HID light because it doesnt have the correct HID beam pattern. this one is for Halogen. Okay so no luck on that. I just called LEXUS and they said that it will be $1357.64 for each side and it comes with the Ballast, the Bulbs, Housing and the auto leveling Motor. He said that the dealership will not install it because it voids the warranty and there is no wire harness for the auto leveling. But i have no more warranty and i dont need auto leveling so it's fine. Hmmm now that they wont do the installation for me, i was thinking to bring it down to a Toyota dealear and maybe they might do it for me.
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