Kane007

Hi Lexus family, last year I was visiting my cousin and to make a long story short, she accidentally lightly backed into my 2013 GS350 in the front fender. She came into the house and told me and my stomach dropped. But after looking at the car, I didnt really see a huge issue. There was only a scratch and that was pretty much it, so I was like "its okay, its just a scratch'.... a couple days later, I got a message on my dash saying my Front Adaptive Light wasnt working but that seemed to correct itself after a little while so I didnt think much of it.. but then I noticed that there was now moisture starting to get into the headlight and I am not sure what to do now. It looks terrible, so I am turning to the forums for some advice.

I attached some pictures.. the pic with the circled area is where she hit my car. I did see that one of the mounts seems cracked but it doesnt appear to be any crack going into the housing that would allow moisture to enter but obviously I can only see part of the headlight from the top and I cannot see any deeper behind it or behind the fender.

What do you guys recommend here? I am hoping that I can perhaps use some silicone to seal the crack but I would need to locate the crack first obviously. If I got a new headlight or a used headlight off of ebay, is it just plug and play or would the Lexus dealer need to do any type of "programming" ?

Your advice would be appreciated. Thanks

AJLex19

Sorry to hear - that's an unfortunate circumstance because its family and its something you couldn't notice until a few days later. If the moisture is inside, you can be sure one of the seals or part of the housing is damaged allowing moisture to get in.

If you're inclined, you can remove the housing itself and give it further inspection.. In any case, I would personally opt for a replacement. I don't think there is anything that needs to be done from the dealer, it should be a straightforward swap if you get a new or used one online. Just confirm your headlight part number via your VIN and check prices online/ebay.

Kane007

I hear that I would need to remove the bumper cover in order to replace the headlight. Is that hard to do? I'll need to locate some instructions or a youtube video. I am thinking that I will need to remove it to at least see what is going on deeper in it since I cannot see much from the top while its installed. A new headlight is big bucks.. they are like $3000+ brand new which is ridiculous.. starting to think that perhaps I should have gone thru insurance but yes, it is not easy when its family. She kept telling me she will pay for everything but I dont take money from family so I declined. I didnt realize this would happen though.

AJLex19

I think it will be easier to remove the bumper to remove the headlamp and if you search the forum there have been a few posts about how to remove the front bumper.

As far as cost, It shouldn't be that much for a single headlamp housing...it will be around $1000-$1500 for a new headlamp depending on the options/specs. At www.mylparts.com you get a 10% discount from clublexus by entering promo code CL5 and that would be for a brand new, genuine part from a Lexus Dealership.

Take a look at the price for a headlamp assembly with AFS: https://www.mylparts.com/oem-parts/l...ly-8114530f90/

richard203

iTrader: (1)

from the picture looks like ur top part of ur headlight is broken

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

Don't buy a new headlight, buy a used one on eBay from the same year, otherwise the new lens will be noticeably clearer than the other side. It will look out of place. Not to mention significantly cheaper to buy used part.

SNiiP3R

iTrader: (3)

You can easily repair the broken tab in less than 24 hours with just an epoxy glue. You will need to take the headlight off. Then get some sand paper and sand the area down underneath the tab.
There is 2 types of epoxies, in liquid and in putty forms. You need both, buy the J-B Weld epoxy putty stick and epoxy glue syringe at Home Depot.
Use the epoxy putty stick first to glue the tab, make sure that it's sealed properly. Then apply the liquid epoxy on top. It will be rock solid when it cures.

Kane007

The tab is broken but that doesnt look like the source of the leak? When I looked at the broken tab, it looked superficial, if that makes sense. Like, where it broke did not penetrate far enough to leak into the housing.. the tab seems to be broken "on the top part" of the housing.

Kane007

I have been searching but havent found an acceptable one on ebay yet.. so there is no "programming" involved for a headlight swap right? I can simply take out the bad housing, put the bulbs and ballast back onto the new one and install and that is it?

SNiiP3R

iTrader: (3)

Trust me there will be a hole underneath the tab, even a small crack is enough for the headlight to buildup moisture inside. There could also be a crack in the housing that you are not seeing right now.
I'd suggest you take the headlight off and inspect it. Then use the method I suggested to seal any cracks and tabs. It's very easy to take the headlight off, you don't even have to take the whole bumper off.
Just work on the right side. There are like 4 - 5 screws that you need to unscrew and then you can pull the bumper off, leaving the left side untouched.

I have had 2 tabs broken, and was going through exact same issue. Until I fixed them.

truthbtold

I had the same crack on my drivers side headlight. The dealer could help either. I bought some clear silicone to put it over the crack once all the condensation dried up inside the light and it hasn't had moisture in the light since

tsiceman

I fixed mine with tenex 7r to weld the polycarbonate (lens), if it is cracked. Buy it at hobby store.

Kane007

well, you were right! I removed the broken tab and there it is, a nice big hole in the housing. I hope this is the only hole and that there is no other crack deeper in the light.

SNiiP3R

iTrader: (3)

anbark22

I had the same type crack in my headlight housing. I took it to a local auto body paint shop where they used an epoxy to repair it. They charged me $50.00, but they did excellent work. The welds were much stronger than the factory. They also explained to me that oftentimes insurance companies would not pay for a new housing assembly ($1K to $2K) for broken tabs, etc. and would authorize them to merely repair them.

Hope this helps.