llcc1975

I just noticed that my fog lights stopped working (they will not turn on). All other lights (and electrical to my knowledge still work as before).

The only change I made a few weeks ago was to hardwire a new radar detector. To connect the power lead, I used one of those "add a fuse" connectors to turn the existing 7.5 amp ACC fuse to accomodate 2 fuses.

Would this have done something to it (I wouldn't think that the fog lights would be tied to a 7.5 amp accessory fuse though)?

Help?

purplehazek4

Check the fuse box under the hood next to the battery. You'll have to remove the cover by removing 4 clips. 2 pop clips(press the center circle to release), and 2 plastic nuts by the firewall. Then you will see the fuse box next to the battery. open the fuse box and locate the blue 15 amp mini fuse closest to the driver's side sideview mirror. you should see a 7.5 fuse, a gap, and then the blue 15 amp fuse which is the one for the fog lights. you'll probably need needle nose pliars to remove it, and once removed inspect it well since it's so small.
If the fuse is ok, then try changing out your bulbs.

Dan

llcc1975

Thanks Dan - I will give that a shot tonight. I'm hoping it's not the bulbs because I just changed out the bulbs 2 months ago with new ones.

EyeKutr

iTrader: (5)

dumb suggestion, but you have the low beams on right, not high when turning on fog lamps

llcc1975

Yes, that was the first thing I checked. The fogs do not work on low beams.

llcc1975

Checked the fuses in the engine compartment and the 15 amp for "FR FOG" was just fine. There was also this big square thing that the fuse diagram also showed as "FR FOG." Any idea what that was and if that could be the culprit?

purplehazek4

Relay...well, if the relay went bad, your fogs would not work. But relays don't usually go bad.
I guess test the bulbs now

Dan

llcc1975

Honestly, I didn't think it was the bulbs at all but it was. They both burned out at the same time (at less than 3 months old). Very odd. And I thought that Hella made a quality product but evidently not these Yellow Stars. Maybe I just got a bad batch but who knows. I even went with stock wattage (55W) and they still didn't last.

Of course my dumb a** threw away the stock H3 bulbs when I replaced them with the Hellas just to find out that the dealer wants $41 PER BULB for replacement "Lexus" H3 bulbs. What a ripoff. I ended up going to Autozone and bought regular H3 replacement bulbs from Sylvania ($4.99 a piece). They work fine but hopefully won't ruin everything as my dealer is saying (I quote, "ask any mechanic, but Lexuses are very sensitive, you have to use stock everything").

purplehazek4

Glad to hear it wasn't anything serious... and what a BS comment from the stealership! I'm really getting annoyed with the way they try to take advantage of their customers.

llcc1975

This was my first truly "bad" experience with the Lexus dealer service department. I realize that anytime you go aftermarket, you are taking a risk with a vehicle. However, replacement lightbulbs? That's a joke. I asked him who made the "Lexus" foglights and he just said, oh a special maker of bulbs in Japan made to Lexus specifications. Well, I didn't want to spend the $80 for the pair to find out who made them so I'll take their word for it (by the way, the total estimate for them to change out the H3 bulbs was $185?!?!?!?!). He went on to say that if I used aftermarket side marker or tail lamps, that this was "okay" but you "don't want to mess with aftermarket on any of the headlights or foglights."

But, if you look at the stock bulbs that I pulled from the low (H11) beams and the high (9005) beams when doing my headlight upgrades, they were Philips and Sylvania, respectively. Gee, "special" Lexus bulbs indeed!

I actually argued with the dealer over this for over 20 minutes but to no avail. He just kept saying it was just a sensitive car. I asked if Toyotas were also as sensitive and his response was that no they weren't because Lexuses are just built differently. Okay, I just lost any confidence in this service advisor's ability to tell the truth.

Sorry, just had to vent. This experience really frustrated me. I expected more integrity from Lexus and especially from this dealership, which is part of a very large publicly-traded dealer group.

V8_Fan

May I ask which dealership in AZ is this? My local dealership was telling me the LX needs "major" service every 15K miles. Their major service consists of an oil/oil filter change, air filter change, cabin air filter change, replace front/rear diff and t-case fluids, drain & fill ATF sump. And their price? The drum roll.....$700! What have they been smoking? BTW, I bought the made in Japan denso air and cabin air filters on the web for $17 and $26 (for BOTH cabin filters vs $40-50 for each filter at the dealer) at densoparts. They also sell the OEM denso iridium plugs, etc. for the GX/LX V8. Also, another tip for DIY'ers is you can buy a 5 gal pail of Mobil 1 75w-90 fully synthetic gear oil for the diffs/t-case for about $130. That comes to $6.50/qt whereas if you buy the 1 qt bottles from your discount autoparts store, it's $9/quart.

Salvator

Re: Sensitive bulbs... The only time I have seen this actually come into play is on a BMW. There is an indicator on the dash that shows if a bulb is out... if you use a gold base bulb instead of the silver base bulb as they come from the factory, the difference in the impedance (?) causes a false blown bulb signal to be sent... the bulb still works however... I concur that the Lexus "advisor" was blowing smoke out his rear end in your situation... nice to see that BMW doesn't have the monopoly on that...

The G Man

There are many people on this forum who use aftermarket bulbs on their fog lights with no problem. I have PIAA in my fog for over a year now.

llcc1975

It is Lexus of Chandler. But, I think you'll get the same message from Scottsdale Lexus because they are both under the same corporate ownership umbrella.

Wow - $700 for what is included in that "major" service is a little ridiculous -- but based on recent events, not so ridiculous relative to the other Lexus service prices. Considering this is the same motor as in the Land Cruiser, the GX, the V8 4Runner, and the Tundra, I'm wondering if the Toyota cousins require such "major" services every 15k (and the cost).

By the way, when I asked about service on my GX (at the dealer I purchased from--Scottsdale), they said just change the oil every 5k and do a major every 30k.

Thanks for the advice on the DIY parts. That's very helpful.

llcc1975

I used to have a Mercedes, and it would tell me when a bulb went out so I never bothered with aftermarket. Nope, I think blowing smoke seems to be alive and well in the industry.

And that's the conclusion I came to in first deciding to go with the Hella bulbs. I was very surprised that they burned out so quickly and both at the same time. Do you have the PIAA Ion crystals?