Good Replacement Headlamp Housings 2000 Rx300

[sigtauenus]

I'm looking for replacement headlamp housings and am hesitant to buy a pair off ebay, although that seems to be the best price at roughly $150 a pair. Primary concern would be potential leaks and moisture/fogging, but that has been an issue even with factory originals.

My wifes 2000 RX 300 was bought used, and the housings already seem to have been sprayed with a clear coat which is pealing off and besides light quality, it just looks awful.

I hate the idea of paying $250-280 for dealer replacement housings when they have already proven to be not of that great quality to begin with. If I have to replace the housings again in 4-5 years, might as well buy the cheap ones.

I've seen in the search that they can be sanded and polished or repainted with clear, but for $150 its not worth my time to do that with questionable results given their current condition.

Any suggestions?

Here are two on ebay that appear to fit, although I'm not sure how much they match the OEM housings.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LEXUS-RX300...sQ5fAccessories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2000-00-LEX...sQ5fAccessories

[cduluk]

Not worth wet-sanding and buffing.

Buy a used set of OEM headlights on ebay, NOT aftermarket. The ones you posted are aftermarket, not from Lexus in any way. They are replicas that will cause you many problems...

You can find used 99-00 version Rx300 headlights for less than $100. You may want to opt for the 01-03 Rx300 version headlights as i'm not aware of any "known" fogging issue with this series. They are the same size and are a direct replacement, the only difference is the use of chrome on the inside vs black.

Also, if going with the 01-03 series headlights, make sure they are the halogen version NOT the HID version.

[sigtauenus]

Not worth wet-sanding and buffing.

Buy a used set of OEM headlights on ebay, NOT aftermarket. The ones you posted are aftermarket, not from Lexus in any way. They are replicas that will cause you many problems...

You can find used 99-00 version Rx300 headlights for less than $100. You may want to opt for the 01-03 Rx300 version headlights as i'm not aware of any "known" fogging issue with this series. They are the same size and are a direct replacement, the only difference is the use of chrome on the inside vs black.

Also, if going with the 01-03 series headlights, make sure they are the halogen version NOT the HID version.

Thanks for the info, also thanks for replies to my other topics as well.

Looking at the lights on ebay, there is a lot of them on there that don't look clear on the main lens.

What are the problems associated with aftermarket? How about replacement housings from a supplier such as Autozone ($160 each)?

[cduluk]

Well some of the 99-03 headlights develop a sort of "haze" on the front lens just from dirt and debris and UV etc. It can be polished off rather easily.

The main problem you're gonna have with aftermarket is that, well, it's aftermarket. It might not fit just right, the quality of materials is not as strong as OEM, and there will probably be less UV protection. They might not be sealed and vented perfectly which could cause fogging etc.

I'm sure the aftermarket ones will be "OK", but i wouldn't count on them lasting more than 5 years or so without some type of issue.

And i'm not sure about any replacement headlight from autozone...

[sigtauenus]

Not worth wet-sanding and buffing.

Buy a used set of OEM headlights on ebay, NOT aftermarket. The ones you posted are aftermarket, not from Lexus in any way. They are replicas that will cause you many problems...

You can find used 99-00 version Rx300 headlights for less than $100. You may want to opt for the 01-03 Rx300 version headlights as i'm not aware of any "known" fogging issue with this series. They are the same size and are a direct replacement, the only difference is the use of chrome on the inside vs black.

Also, if going with the 01-03 series headlights, make sure they are the halogen version NOT the HID version.

Thanks for the info, also thanks for replies to my other topics as well.

Looking at the lights on ebay, there is a lot of them on there that don't look clear on the main lens.

What are the problems associated with aftermarket? How about replacement housings from a supplier such as Autozone ($160 each)?

I looked around on ebay and just wasn't happy with what I saw. The best looking ones still weren't clear like new. And I wasn't pleased with the idea of aftermarket ones with a no return policy. I ended up going with the Autozone ones because I knew I could take it home and try it and if I didn't like it I could take it back for a refund and not lose any money on the deal.

The housing from Autozone came with all new bulbs, made by Phillips, and I left them all in except the main headlight which I had recently installed brighter Silver Star Ultra bulbs by Sylvania. It also came with a new trim piece but I transferred over the old one that was already painted body color.

Total time for the install was about 30 minutes, most of that spent taking off the plastic wheel liner to get to the mounting nuts.

Fit on the Autozone unit was great, and I like the look to it.

If I get 4-5 years out of it, great, I'm ok with that.

I also just replaced the chrome Lexus L logo on the grill so the front of the car looks really nice and clean now.

If I have any issues with condensation with these housings I will post a follow-up.