Dropped my '07 350 off at my local tire pro franchise this morning for an alignment (crooked wheel = pet peeve) and to have my new Garax 6k bulbs put in. My current bulbs flicker and go out after about 5 minutes.

The shop nailed the alignment but they refuse to install the headlights stating that without discharging the ballast first they could kill themselves. Only the dealer can discharge the ballast and this only the dealer can change the bulb. My nearest dealer is 2hours away...

Is there any truth to this?





TL;DR - Shop says only dealer can change headlights because of ballast voltage.

 

Lol im no expert but this sounds kinda dumb to me.

 

False, I've pulled many. But I've also removed the battery and let the car sit. Without the battery in the car and hooked up all power sources will use the residual power stored therefore draining it. Do it yourself.

 

Sounds kind of silly to me, but I'm not an expert either. I changed my HID bulbs with the battery still connected, no problems.

 

Might want to think about going to another mechanic. You do not need to discharge a ballast. Disconnect the battery and there is zero power going to those ballasts. I call bull****. Hell, just do it yourself.

 

Well to my understading the HID ballast acts as a capacitor which stores a higher charge than the battery can provide, therefore a huge electric shock can happen if you touch the power wire or a part which holds electrical current to a ground. I would advise just being safe unplug the battery and let it sit for an hour.

 

i've changed many 2IS HID bulbs without disconnecting the battery, just DIY, wear latex gloves and go slow n easy when putting the bulb into the housing socket...

i suggest you find a better shop to patronize~, goto a local club lexus meet and ask where the guys get their work done~

 

HAHAHAHA, get me this guy's email addy so I can e-mail him and laugh at him. Discharge a ballast? Where do people get this bull from?

 

I'm also not an expert. But from what I've picked up from my time with wiring & electronics, the capacitor within the ballast is discharged as the light bulb draws the remainders of the charge once the power has been cut. It's the same principle when you unplug your laptop charger and you watch the bulb die. However, you don't see the HID bulb discharge as the charge is drawn out of the ballast almost instantaneously. Any residual charge that is held from the connection to the wired car would be gone within a matter of moments once disconnected from the battery.

That's how it was explained to me. It could be wrong, but that's how I understood it.

 

Thats bull **** its the easys thinge to do just turn off the lights and replace

 

complete BS, just turn off your car and you'll be fine

 

They just don't want to do an aftermarket bulb install and are using that as an excuse!

 

First off you took your car to a tire shop and ask them to also do you headlight bulbs LMAO. That was a mistake. Maybe it just me but i wouldnt let a tire shop pop my hood and mess with my electrical stuff. Even if it is just a light bulb.

 

Ive changed bulbs before with the car running... not a big deal.

 

Weird I would say your shop is just lazy, but they did your alignment. I would suggest going to a different shop from now on. Like everyone said you should be able to do it yourself