Rx330 Passenger Side Head Light Condensation (Replacement Question)

[touchmenot]

The passenger side Head light (HID without AFS, but it has AUTO LEVELING) was not working on my 2004 RX330. I saw a lot of condensation / water inside the head light assembly.

Took it to a mechanic and he said the ballast is gone. So did some research on the forum and ordered one from eBay (OEM). It seem to work well. But now I want to replace the head light assembly because when the mechanic open the assembly to replace the ballast, the cover was filled with water and the ballast was rusted. I do see a lot of people have similar issues. I am out of warranty. So not sure if there's any point going back to the dealer.

I dont want to fry up another ballast. So did some research on cheaper alternatives for the headlight assembly.

Here's the question I have.

I believe the AUTO LEVELING motor is part of the head light assembly but does not come with the assembly it self. So does this mean that I can reuse the existing leveling motor on the new head light assembly? If I get an after market headlight assembly, should it be compatible to fit the auto leveling motor? Or is it recommended to go with the dealer. The dealer did say that the head light assembly does not come with the leveling motor and its separate. So not sure what added value I would get for the high price (around $700 compared to $200 for after market).

Looking forward for the advice / expertise / comments from you experts.

Thank you

[cduluk]

i'd stay away from aftermarket replacements... Try to look for a used 07-09 Rx350 headlight with your specs (HID without AFS).

The headlights for the 07-09 models are identical to yours except the seals were modified to not cause condensation. If you get a used one, simply install the ballast, bulbs, and you're good to go. <_<

[touchmenot]

i'd stay away from aftermarket replacements... Try to look for a used 07-09 Rx350 headlight with your specs (HID without AFS).

The headlights for the 07-09 models are identical to yours except the seals were modified to not cause condensation. If you get a used one, simply install the ballast, bulbs, and you're good to go. <_<

Thanx much cduluk. Do you know if the 07-09 RX350 HID without AFS will have the AUTO LEVELING component built-in? If not, is it possible to remove the auto leveling component from my existing headlight and mount it on the new one? Appreciate your advice.

[cduluk]

Well, there are 3 versions of the 04-09 RX330/350/400h headlights:

1: Projector, HID, Auto-leveling, AFS

2: Projector, HID, Auto-leveling, no AFS.......(the version you have)

3: Reflector, Halogen, no Auto-leveling, no AFS

So, you should be good. All HID versions, all years, have Auto-leveling. <_< When you get the headlight it should have the auto-leveling motor still attached; it's very complicated to remove it without messing up the equilibrium.

[cduluk]

dp

[touchmenot]

Well, there are 3 versions of the 04-09 RX330/350/400h headlights:

1: Projector, HID, Auto-leveling, AFS

2: Projector, HID, Auto-leveling, no AFS.......(the version you have)

3: Reflector, Halogen, no Auto-leveling, no AFS

So, you should be good. All HID versions, all years, have Auto-leveling. <_< When you get the headlight it should have the auto-leveling motor still attached; it's very complicated to remove it without messing up the equilibrium.

Thank you very much cduluk. Appreciate your advice. That makes perfect sense. I just found a used one on eBay. Hopefully it should work. I will update once I have the headlights replaced successfully.

[cduluk]

Definitely, let us know how it goes!

[touchmenot]

Definitely, let us know how it goes!

OK. Its time to update this post.

Got Good news and Bad news.

GOOD News - I got the replacement headlight assembly (a used one from eBay). It beat my expectations. It fit perfectly even though it looks a reconditioned one. (All I care is that the condensation does not come back. I guess time would tell me.).

BAD News - The HEAD LIGHT (HID - low beam) on the passenger side is still not working. All other lights work fine. Here's what I am experiencing. The HID lights up (but it flickers and the brightness is no way close to the driver side) and after about 30 - 40 seconds, it shuts-off. I got an used ballast from eBay. But here's what is confusing me. Since the ballast i got from eBay was not working, I tried the old ballast (which the mechanic said was fried) and its behaving the same as the one from eBay.

The eBay merchant says it was tested to be working OK. But since both the ballasts are showing the same behavior, I am not sure if something else could be wrong. Is there anything else that could be wrong? My mechanic says the fuse looked good and the only thing that controls the HID is the ballast.

Any thoughts on what else could be wrong or need to be checked before i go for another ballast?

[cduluk]

Can you try and plug the drivers side headlight into the passenger side wiring and see if it flickers?

I can't think of anything within the car itself that would cause that to happen. The ballast and bulb are the only things i can think of which might cause flickering.

Could the bulb be bad?

[touchmenot]

Can you try and plug the drivers side headlight into the passenger side wiring and see if it flickers?

I can't think of anything within the car itself that would cause that to happen. The ballast and bulb are the only things i can think of which might cause flickering.

Could the bulb be bad?

CDULUK,

Forgot to mention this. I did swap the bulb from the passenger side and put it on the driver side and it worked fine. So i guess its the ballast thats bad again. The only thing I did not try is to take the ballast from the driver side and try it on the passenger side. Not sure if worth the effort if there's nothing else that can cause the flickering.

Thanx for your advice. I am going to get the ballast replaced next week. Will update the post as soon as I make some progress. Its sad that too many folks have the same issue and LEXUS does not seem to bother since this seems to be a design flaw.

[cduluk]

Hmm... it may actually be worthwhile to remove the entire drivers side headlight and plug it into the passengers side wiring. It's odd that two ballasts are bad. It "could" be that the wiring going to the headlight/ballast is bad, and that your ballasts are good. But if you already ordered a new ballast then wait and see I guess...

Let us know how it works out!

[touchmenot]

Hmm... it may actually be worthwhile to remove the entire drivers side headlight and plug it into the passengers side wiring. It's odd that two ballasts are bad. It "could" be that the wiring going to the headlight/ballast is bad, and that your ballasts are good. But if you already ordered a new ballast then wait and see I guess...

Let us know how it works out!

cduluk,

Alright, its time for update again.

I received a replacement ballast and installed it today. Finally the head lights are working great. So the problem was indeed the ballast.

But now I see another issue. The AUTO-LEVELING warning light is ON all the time after I start the car. Not sure if I need to bother much or if this is a big deal. I checked the level at which both the driver and passenger lights are pointed and they seem to align up. Also they are pointing pretty much at the same level as it used to be before i changed the headlight assembly and the ballast.

Any advice is appreciated.

[cduluk]

Do the headlights still "dance" up and down when you turn the car ON (with the headlights on)?

Is the plug to the auto-leveling motor on the headlights in all the way? Sometimes you've gotta press really tight to ensure the plugs are making full contact. <_<