Great Car, Lame Back Up Lights?

[mjdarch]

I have about 2500 miles on my new RX 350 and am amazed at what a wonderful car it is, with one exception.

As dazzling as the front tracking headlights are, the back up lights are so dim I can barely see anything as I back up. Am I missing something?

[Rx330driver]

do you mean the white lights? i never noticed them, and it never really bothered me. They provide enough so that i can see the backup camera pretty well, but i dont really need light i guess.

Try stepping on the brake lightly while backing up to get the red. the LED lights should be better

[wwest]

do you mean the white lights? i never noticed them, and it never really bothered me. They provide enough so that i can see the backup camera pretty well, but i dont really need light i guess.

Try stepping on the brake lightly while backing up to get the red. the LED lights should be better

Simple replace the bulbs with 50 watt 12 volt bi-pin halogens.

[ccds]

I wouldn't try the 50w halogen replacement....

I did that and it caused all kinds of problems with the car.

I ended up being towed back to lexus and they traced the problem to the bulbs.

I also had to replace the rear unit that holds the bulbs because the bulbs are so hot they melted

the lens.

Not a good idea

:(

[wwest]

I wouldn't try the 50w halogen replacement....

I did that and it caused all kinds of problems with the car.

I ended up being towed back to lexus and they traced the problem to the bulbs.

I also had to replace the rear unit that holds the bulbs because the bulbs are so hot they melted

the lens.

Not a good idea

:(

Why, how, would you have backup light on long enough to melt the lens??

Towed back to Lexus...??!!

Did they give you a detailed explanation?

[ccds]

The whole story is:

I ran the 50w halogen lights and because of the much higher rated current draw it blew the main fuse causing the car to run on battery only. Once I drove far enough I eventually ran out of battery and the car just quit. Lexus roadside towed the car back to Lexus (40 miles) and traced the problem to the 50w back up lights. While they were tracing the problem they left the car in reverse and bingo it over heated and the lens actually crystallized and caused the lens to shrink making a small divot in the clear lens. I replaced both lens. It also melted the bulb socket that holds the back up light bulb.

My Lexus dealer service was great. Even though it was my fault for changing the bulbs that caused all the problem they did not charge me for

service.

[wwest]

The whole story is:

I ran the 50w halogen lights and because of the much higher rated current draw it blew the main fuse causing the car to run on battery only. Once I drove far enough I eventually ran out of battery and the car just quit. Lexus roadside towed the car back to Lexus (40 miles) and traced the problem to the 50w back up lights. While they were tracing the problem they left the car in reverse and bingo it over heated and the lens actually crystallized and caused the lens to shrink making a small divot in the clear lens. I replaced both lens. It also melted the bulb socket that holds the back up light bulb.

My Lexus dealer service was great. Even though it was my fault for changing the bulbs that caused all the problem they did not charge me for

service.

"...it blew the main fuse causing the car to run on battery only..."

Seems highly improbable....

The back up lights are separately fused and it seems to me that fuse would always blow first.

Insofar as I know there is NO fuse between the alternator output and its connection to the positive battery post.

[Rx330driver]

back to the post about them not being bright enough in the first place. why do you need the light? isnt it to just warn the people around you?

[mjdarch]

The whole story is:

I ran the 50w halogen lights and because of the much higher rated current draw it blew the main fuse causing the car to run on battery only. Once I drove far enough I eventually ran out of battery and the car just quit. Lexus roadside towed the car back to Lexus (40 miles) and traced the problem to the 50w back up lights. While they were tracing the problem they left the car in reverse and bingo it over heated and the lens actually crystallized and caused the lens to shrink making a small divot in the clear lens. I replaced both lens. It also melted the bulb socket that holds the back up light bulb.

My Lexus dealer service was great. Even though it was my fault for changing the bulbs that caused all the problem they did not charge me for

service.

"...it blew the main fuse causing the car to run on battery only..."

Seems highly improbable....

The back up lights are separately fused and it seems to me that fuse would always blow first.

Insofar as I know there is NO fuse between the alternator output and its connection to the positive battery post.

[mjdarch]

back to the post about them not being bright enough in the first place. why do you need the light? isnt it to just warn the people around you?

I live on a steep hillside in Colorado and have a pretty tight backing out sequence. I previously drove a Pathfinder and the backup lights gave me a clear view from my side rear view mirrors of all the obstacles. Also, don't you watch to make sure there are no kids/animals, etc. behind you as you back up?

[kokanee]

back to the post about them not being bright enough in the first place. why do you need the light? isnt it to just warn the people around you?

I find that because of the dark shading in the rear window it makes it pretty hard to see when backing up. I have to back out of the garage and down my driveway which is about 60 ft. No street lights as well.

[deltapony]

back to the post about them not being bright enough in the first place. why do you need the light? isnt it to just warn the people around you?

I find that because of the dark shading in the rear window it makes it pretty hard to see when backing up. I have to back out of the garage and down my driveway which is about 60 ft. No street lights as well.

Did you ever find an answer to the poor back up lights? I have talked to the dealer as well as the manufacture with no positive response or answer.

[wwest]

The whole story is:

I ran the 50w halogen lights and because of the much higher rated current draw it blew the main fuse causing the car to run on battery only. Once I drove far enough I eventually ran out of battery and the car just quit. Lexus roadside towed the car back to Lexus (40 miles) and traced the problem to the 50w back up lights. While they were tracing the problem they left the car in reverse and bingo it over heated and the lens actually crystallized and caused the lens to shrink making a small divot in the clear lens. I replaced both lens. It also melted the bulb socket that holds the back up light bulb.

My Lexus dealer service was great. Even though it was my fault for changing the bulbs that caused all the problem they did not charge me for

service.

"Even though it was my fault...."

NOT...!!

For some reason the dealer was not exactly truthful with you.

The LS460 has a 10 amp fuse for serving both backup lights. Two fifty watt halogen backup lamps/bulbs would draw ~9 amps and so in the normal case the 10 amp fuse would suffice. And quite obviously it would quickly blow, open the backup circuit, at even the slightest overcurrent problem.

So your "main fuse" blew for an entirely different reason which is probably why the dealer didn't charge you for the service.

Were it me I would go back and find out exactly what they found wrong that caused the main fuse to blow.

[jaddyrx350]

I have about 2500 miles on my new RX 350 and am amazed at what a wonderful car it is, with one exception.

As dazzling as the front tracking headlights are, the back up lights are so dim I can barely see anything as I back up. Am I missing something?

Dear mjdarch:

Ok, it has now been just over a year later from your original posting (if I read correctly, that you made in Jan 2007). This past fall, I purchased a left over 2007 RX 350 and you are not exagerating the back up light situation/problem. It really is a serious safety issue -- and it is just a matter of time before a child or a pet is run over because you can't see! I am absolutely convinced that there has been some property damage already -- resulting from this situation.

I am open to an after market solution. I have a tow hitch on my car and would even be willing to mount a small back up light atached to the tow harness (maybe the power could be run through the tow harness cable?). Lexus dealership gives me some smug response when I asked to increase the wattage of the bulbs claiming they are LEDs and you can't change them. I am more than willing to take the car to a non-Lexus facility to try and correct this...

I would very much appreciate any suggestions on this matter???

jaddyrx350

[wwest]

50 watt halogen backup lights, LS400

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...t=0#entry288004

[tbear2]

I have the tow hitch and added 2, PIAA 50w backup lights (they come as a kit with the relay and wiring). I chose not to include a on/off switch in the circuit. With the dark window tint and my old eyes, it's much better, but not wonderful.

Remember not to add any additional load to the current backup light circuit, just use that power to trip a relay. I tapped into the rear 12 volt outlet circuit for power that will go to the lights via the relay; going directly to the front fuse box for the 12v power to the relay is technically better, but I didn't want to rip up even more of my new luxury car.

The dissembling to gain access to the wiring took a long time, the wire insulation is thin and tough and several wires in the harness have the same color. I ended up using a probe on my voltmeter which has a very fine pin to validate I had the right wire before I added the wire taps. I hate wire taps, but could find no easy way around them, the connectors for the circuits are near the amp for the sound system, and I was concerned about damaging the interior just to get to them. Instead, I accessed the harness in the rearmost hatch cavity, on the floor, below the 12 volt outlet, near the trailer htich connection. I fed the wires through the hitch wiring grommet.

The wiring harness and circuit information as well as some interior panel disassembly can be easily downloaded from the toyota/lexus online-manual site. In a hour or 2 you can download tons of PDF files to save on your pc. It only costs about $10 for one day of access.

I have the lights attached to the round tubing of the hitch using stainless steel hose clamps. I put black rubber under the light bracket and hose clamps to prevent damage to the hitch paint. Not elegant, but functional. I aimed them a bit above horizontal so I could see poles, signs, etc that the rear camera does not make obvious.

I sent Lexus a note that the weak BU lights were a safety hazard, but never heard anything from them. I also posted the issue on the DOT vehicle safety site, you might want to do the same.

[Lucy39216]

I have about 2500 miles on my new RX 350 and am amazed at what a wonderful car it is, with one exception.

As dazzling as the front tracking headlights are, the back up lights are so dim I can barely see anything as I back up. Am I missing something?

Dear mjdarch:

Ok, it has now been just over a year later from your original posting (if I read correctly, that you made in Jan 2007). This past fall, I purchased a left over 2007 RX 350 and you are not exagerating the back up light situation/problem. It really is a serious safety issue -- and it is just a matter of time before a child or a pet is run over because you can't see! I am absolutely convinced that there has been some property damage already -- resulting from this situation.

I am open to an after market solution. I have a tow hitch on my car and would even be willing to mount a small back up light atached to the tow harness (maybe the power could be run through the tow harness cable?). Lexus dealership gives me some smug response when I asked to increase the wattage of the bulbs claiming they are LEDs and you can't change them. I am more than willing to take the car to a non-Lexus facility to try and correct this...

I would very much appreciate any suggestions on this matter???

jaddyrx350

[fbsdmd]

I have about 2500 miles on my new RX 350 and am amazed at what a wonderful car it is, with one exception.

As dazzling as the front tracking headlights are, the back up lights are so dim I can barely see anything as I back up. Am I missing something?

I must agree with you about the back up lights. You almost have to have someone get out and direct you. They were just as bad on the 2004 RX 330 we traded in. I think it's a real safety issue, and Lexus should be ashamed of themselves for not correcting the problem in at least four years. I bet there have been a lot of accidents.

[wwest]

I have about 2500 miles on my new RX 350 and am amazed at what a wonderful car it is, with one exception.

As dazzling as the front tracking headlights are, the back up lights are so dim I can barely see anything as I back up. Am I missing something?

I must agree with you about the back up lights. You almost have to have someone get out and direct you. They were just as bad on the 2004 RX 330 we traded in. I think it's a real safety issue, and Lexus should be ashamed of themselves for not correcting the problem in at least four years. I bet there have been a lot of accidents.

Not sure why, but in ~50 years of driving I have NEVER had a car with adequate backup lights.

Started upgrading them myself so many years ago I've forgotten when it actually was.

[fbsdmd]

I have about 2500 miles on my new RX 350 and am amazed at what a wonderful car it is, with one exception.

As dazzling as the front tracking headlights are, the back up lights are so dim I can barely see anything as I back up. Am I missing something?

I must agree with you about the back up lights. You almost have to have someone get out and direct you. They were just as bad on the 2004 RX 330 we traded in. I think it's a real safety issue, and Lexus should be ashamed of themselves for not correcting the problem in at least four years. I bet there have been a lot of accidents.

Not sure why, but in ~50 years of driving I have NEVER had a car with adequate backup lights.

Started upgrading them myself so many years ago I've forgotten when it actually was.

I'm not against an aftermarket fix, but I don't have a camera or a trailer hitch, and I'm not comfortable with cutting the sockets apart. How about Lexus coming up with a fix?

[wwest]

I have about 2500 miles on my new RX 350 and am amazed at what a wonderful car it is, with one exception.

As dazzling as the front tracking headlights are, the back up lights are so dim I can barely see anything as I back up. Am I missing something?

I must agree with you about the back up lights. You almost have to have someone get out and direct you. They were just as bad on the 2004 RX 330 we traded in. I think it's a real safety issue, and Lexus should be ashamed of themselves for not correcting the problem in at least four years. I bet there have been a lot of accidents.

Not sure why, but in ~50 years of driving I have NEVER had a car with adequate backup lights.

Started upgrading them myself so many years ago I've forgotten when it actually was.

I'm not against an aftermarket fix, but I don't have a camera or a trailer hitch, and I'm not comfortable with cutting the sockets apart. How about Lexus coming up with a fix?

FAT chance...!!

It took them 10 years to come up with the first partial, and totally inadequate fix, for the extremely HAZARDOUS problem of the windshield fogging up spontaneously and unexectedly. And how long is it going to take for them to come up with a final and complete fix for the transaxle 1-2 second downshift delay/hesitation/shift flare problem that seemingly was introduced at the base level with the early RX models in '98..?

But in the meantime your other option is to buy an aftermarket lamp that uses a higher wattage Halogen bulb with a "base" that matches, plus into your OEM backup light/lamp socket. I think I have even seen those, lamp bases, that you can plug your own choice of bi-pin halogen wattage into in the Performance Products catalog.

[Harrier]

...RX 350... back up lights are so dim I can barely see anything as I back up. ...

Has anyone found a plug-in solution to increase the brightness of the RX3xx white backup lights, or a way supplement/replace the white backup lights? It is almost 2010 and still no progress?