2008 GS450h -BOTH High-Beam Headlights just stopped working!

[GS450hSE]

On my 2008 GS450h, owned for six years - BOTH High-Beam Headlights just stopped working simultaneously and without any warning.  I noticed it when driving and I tried to use them.  The bright blue dashboard light indicator for the main beam comes on, and there is no warning message on the dash.  But those headlights aren't working (all the others are).

Easy, you say - their shared fuse must have blown.

Per the manual, both paper and online versions, one 20A fuse in the engine compartment fuse box handles both L & R main beam lights.  So, I went to replace it:

 

To my shock, the corresponding fuse (20A) was perfect, and tightly seated.  Continuity-checked with a multimeter.  In case the wiring didn't correspond to reality, I checked all the fuses around - all were also OK.

So I whipped out my OBDII scan tool app on my mobile (BlueDriver gizmo plugged into the vehicle's OBDII port), but no error code of any kind shows up.

The only odd thing I can think of is, in the last year, and only a couple of times - the car is driven thrice a day on average - the left dipped beam light did not come on, but came on when I gave the outside of the housing a thump.

Please, what do I try next?

I've heard there is a relay in the circuit, perhaps shared between the L and the R high-beam lights.  Could this be the culprit - and where is it located?

[Lexus-CT]

Are the bulbs LED, Xenon or Halogen?

No matter if all kind of bulbs have a limited life, it is very strange that both stopped same time. 

Could be source to the fuse. Have you tried to see if there is 12V on the fuse?

First question is my own curiosity to find out how long time the LED bulbs in the CT probably will last as LED is either difficult to replace or very expensive.

[GS450hSE]

1 hour ago, Lexus-CT said:

Are the bulbs LED, Xenon or Halogen?

No matter if all kind of bulbs have a limited life, it is very strange that both stopped same time. 

Could be source to the fuse. Have you tried to see if there is 12V on the fuse?

First question is my own curiosity to find out how long time the LED bulbs in the CT probably will last as LED is either difficult to replace or very expensive.

Bulbs are halogen. I confirm they failed simultaneously. There is 12v to the fuse.

[GS450hSE]

SOLVED.  It was the bulbs all along!

The high-intensity bulbs must NOT have failed simultaneously, but I only noticed the failure when the second one failed too!

[Lexus-CT]

Good it was a cheap solution.

[GS450hSE]

  

Yes!  😀

But now, an intermittent issue with a wholly different front light.

Please answer in that thread!

[Lexus-CT]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302647996440?fits=Car+Make%3ALexus|Cars+Type%3A450h|Cars+Year%3A2008|Model%3AGS&_skw=HID+for+lexus+gs450h+2008&itmmeta=01J8MH4G5BFHESSK17NPSY68SV&hash=item467739f018:g:xZoAAOSwfI1aa656&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKlzo9s2Nq7R4J%2F7vECEcHh7impjNNqIIWcoMnRdP1bsa4qGyXxonAQTvJGFWd7As6yAFDGaxeIse%2BSojBW9DnTXR47fyVwTRScyaL2ttZ8M9yI3Aj5qVdlI1Wsexw00DWiix%2FxX3fU0nvMu0aMWkruIoUdnCq06xeVx25877aQX2odlCuw8V4ag%2Fa8XkTvhnESvC3VUUoRfps%2BIBG6uWQ1x7O8K2p9HXUovIlLNRdYhSzqIZaHUQNgTth721LJR0pswI9Rgz0kf7g1U5P0dR5UOg%2B22R3HqJ%2FoKdbROhEQ7SQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBMooOSkcVk

 

If changing the whole system (not really expensive) problems should be solved.

As long as the 12V supply to the ballast is OK!

[GS450hSE]

UPDATE

Fully solved by getting the front bumper off slightly and changing the ballast for another (non-Denso) new one from ebay.  All perfect now, total cost half an hour and £20. 🙂  Result!