1995 Es300 Headlights

[subydude999]

I am a new owner of a 1995 ES300 which is like new with only 25k miles. I really like the car but why do the headlights provide so little illumination? I have tried new bulbs (Sylvania Ultras) but there was no improvement whatsoever. The outside headlight clear plastic lense covers are still clear, like new, and the interior round lense appears lightly frosted white. I have shopped for new headlights on Ebay, but they seem no different than what is on the car now. The only solution that I can find listed in the Forums is to replace the bulbs and refinish the exterior clear plastic lense. Neither of these solutions seems appropriate. It seems to me that the small interior lenses should be replaced or cleaned? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[CUMan]

Our Es is a 94 model. I agree with you that the output from the headlights is pitiful.

A couple of years ago, I changed my low beam lights from 9006 to 9005. The 9005 bulbs are the ones normally used in the high beams. The 9005 has a slightly higher wattage than the 9006, and it does not have the blackened front that the 9006 has.

You have to do a slight modification of the plastic housing of the 9005 bulb to make it fit in the same cavity as the 9006. This involves removing a small sliver from one side of the plastic. This is easily done with a hacksaw. If you lay the two bulbs side by side, you will see what needs to be cut. The wiring harness is the same for both bulbs.

The higher wattage should not cause a problem with the wiring since the increase is so small. Assuming that your headlights are aligned properly, the increased output should not create a glare problem for oncoming traffic. Since I made this change, I don't recall anyone flashing their lights at us to complain that we are blinding them.

The difference in light output is not great, but it is an improvement.