Steelers12

Hello all. I have a 2007 IS 250. I bought it used. It has 99,000 miles on it. My headlight, the passenger side and the driver side, intermittently go out. Not at same time. Sometimes it's the passenger side and the driver side works and vice versa. I took it in to Toyota and they checked the headlamp bulbs. They said the bulbs look fine. They think it is the headlight assembly actuator. Has anyone ever heard of that, or have had a problem with that on there IS? Any ideas what it could be? It's out of warranty. And from what I'm told the headlight assembly actuator is very expensive.

idoke1

iTrader: (5)

I think what they meant was the ballast. It is an expensive oem part. I'm leaning more towards the bulbs needing replacement. When I first had an issue like this, I went to lexus to have it checked out. They said my bulbs "looks" fine and it is most likely the ballast. I decided to buy the bulbs and see from there first. Good thing I did that as it was the bulbs. Mines went out at 96k miles before I replaced them. The old bulbs still works but sometimes it will flicker and shut off so I replaced it with new ones and been trouble free.

Steelers12

Thank you so much! I will definitely try replacing the light bulbs first!

Mike285

I have the same problem. I hope its a cheap fix. I just bought my car with 67k miles.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

you can find used ballast on ebay for a decent price

kennyD

First off, what type of headlights do you have? Halogen? HID? with AFS?

Headlight assembly actuator? Hmmmm.. An actuator is an electromagnetic component that when energized will move a lever forward, or backward? That actuator? In which case, I only know of one that is involved with the headlights, and it's a motor, not exactly the same as actuator. It functions as the auto leveling mechanism (AFS). Highly doubtful it would affect your headlight in the way you're describing, considering the symptoms. Bulbs do go out, so do ballasts. Flickering was the first sign before my ballast completely died. I would find a working vehicle and test your bulbs first, seeing as they are the cheaper fix.

In any case, a motor is a relatively inexpensive item, (relative to your choice of vehicles. Drive a Lexus, can't really complain about part prices. While the ballast can be considered just a tad pricey. Prices are from Sewell Lexus (Genuine OEM parts). CL members do get a nice discount. Prices reflect discount.

Part #: 8566148030 MOTOR, HEADLAMP LEVELING, RIGHT / PASSENGER SIDE HID, HIGH DISCHARGE W/ AFS AUTO LEVELING (I'm sure the other side costs exactly the same, but different part number) Price: $125.01

Part #: 8110753501 Light Computer, Ballast. Price: $170.89
I bought a used ballast on Amazon for $65.00, works perfect.

One thing you should know, the motor can be easily replaced on the headlight, because it is accessible from the outside. The ballast is another story. I do know the headlights pretty well, having opened them up multiple times and retrofitted different projectors. I'm pretty certain that the although the ballast can be accessed without taking the headlight apart, the cable that runs from the ballast to the bulb cannot be removed without opening up your headlight. That cable is wedged underneath the components inside the headlights, and with the big plug at one end, you cannot just pull it out, and the other end is permanently attached to the ballast. I'm pretty sure replacing a ballast would involve baking your headlights. Been there, done that.