This is a friend of mine's car. The passenger side HID/Xenon OEM headlight is not working. Dealer says it's the bulb and is quoting $375 for the part to fix it.

My friend is wondering if he can buy an aftermarket bulb and install it all the same or if that would require modification or cause reliability concerns. In any case, what direction should he go from here? Surely there's something more reasonable than a $375 bulb.

 

Plenty of options. Ebay sells xenon bulbs for as low as $30 a set. He may as well order 2 bulbs, upgrade them to 6000K instead of the standard 4300K and be set. My suggestion would be to order Philips bulbs model # D2R.

 

So do they just screw right in or is there anything complicated about it?

When he balked at the price the dealer said something about a computer chip controlling the bulb so maybe it's more than the bulb that's burnt out... but maybe they were just BSing him.

Is one Philips D2R the same as any other D2R or do I need to look for one that's specifically made for a 2000 ES?

Thanks for your help.

 

You should replace the bulbs in pairs. You can buy them from ddmtuning.com which is locally based in San Diego. (they have a brick n mortar location and they will back up their products).

 

All D2R are the same. Make sure you get a good brand Example:Phillips, Osram. And as stated before, replace in pairs. It may very well be the ballast that is bad, To test, just take the other good bulb and put it in the side thats burnt out to test ballast.

 

As other posters stated, check the ballast out first by swapping with a know working bulb. If it is a ballast, that too is available through other sources then Lexus. If bulb, as others stated, a name brand one. No where near the 375.00 figure. Good luck.