rominl

iTrader: (4)

lately i have gotten a lot of people asking me how to change out the hid bulbs in their cars (currently i have seen GS and IS). it's actually not that hard, as long as you know what you are doing. so i figured i would post the instructions here. there wont be any pics though, the spacing behind the headlights are way too tight to take any meaningful pics. plus the orientation would be bad and no one would understand.

disclaimer: this is mostly for people with small hands. seriously if you have big hands, good luck. the pessenger side might still be ok, but the driver side could kill you. don't force your hands into anything, if you get your hands stuck, it could be really troublesome. if you have big hands, you can take off the bumper and then take off the headlights and do it from there.

before i start the instrucitons (pretty much the same for GS and IS with one little different step), i will define some terms for my own use first.

1) when i talk about clockwise and counter clockwise, i am talking about the direction you see when you place yourself right behind the headlights. so basicaly when you stand in front of the bumper and bend your body all the way and stick your head behind the headlight, that's how i would refer things

2) when i say top, bottom, left, right, i assume you are at the position where you are right in front of the headlight (standing in front of the bumper, either on the driver or pessenger side). the top means the top part of the headlight. the bottom menas towards the bottom of headlights. right means close to driver side, left means closer to pessenger side

ok, so now let's started shall we. here is the instruction for GS (i will note which step is not necessary for the IS). i will go over one headlight, and it's the same steps for the other headlight. when you change bulbs, PLEASE start with the pessenger side. it has more space and easier. practice it and warm yourself up. the driver side is always a pain in the butt. also, please, make sure you TURN OFF the car!!!!

1) from behind the headlight housing, you can see a big circular plastick cap. you can see a **** on the cap. make sure you REMEMBER the posistion where it is at, coz' you will havet o install it back in the same position. believe me it's not easy when you try to put it back

2) turn the whole plastic cap counter clockwise. this will loosen up the plastic cap and it will come off. put it aside (REMEMBER the **** position!!!!!!)

3) (this step is not necessary for the IS. i have no idea why the IS does not have these) now you can see the back of the headlight, where the power connector for the hid bulb is. you will see a silver color cap. you have to take these off first before you get to the power connector. at the top and bottom (refer to above definitions) of the silver cap, there are little **** that clips on the cap. you have to pull on them in order to loosen up the cap. this is HARD to take off, i warn you. i have small hands and it's still a big pain. take your time, feel around, get a small mirror and see for yourself what's going on. once the ***** are off the cap will come off

4) now you see the power connector behind the hid bulb. turn the connect counter clockwise for about 45 degrees and it will come off. set it a side so it doesn't block your way. remember how the power connector position is before you twist it off!

5) ok, now you have to take off the bulb. close closely to the back of the bulb, you will see two metal wires, one on the left and one on the right. you will see the open end of the two metal wires towards the top. these wires are actually the clips that clip down the bulb to the headlight. work on one clip first (say the right one), press the open end of the wire clip in, and move it towards the outside (in this case right). it will come off and loosen up. do the same for the other one (left).

6) after the two clips are off, the hid bulb is now loose and you can carefully pull it out. do NOT touch the glass portion of the bulb!!!!!!

7) take the new bulb, carefully, and put it in.

8) while holding the bulb, put the two metal clips back in. make sure they are locked into place

9) put the power connect back on, twist it clockwise and lock it. careful, turn to lock it, but not with great force, you can break the clips! (i have seen that happen before...)

10) put the silver cap, push it in and clip it back into place

11). put the plastic cap back on, twist it clockwise to lock it. good luck, like i said, this is NOT that easy

well, you should be set. if you do everything correctly, go to your driver seat, turn on the headlights, and you should see light from the headlights

SOARISTO

Hello!! LEXUS Pilots!!

Refer to these figures.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

wow this is awesme, nice diagrams! thanks for the work!

importprod

This place sells replacement bulbs for the hid kits that come in the car

http://www.autoaccessorystore.com/ho...lios&options=1

bowlingbob

iTrader: (2)

Thanks Henry for the great instructions on changing out the bulbs. I noticed one of my headlights was burned out last night . Should I change both bulbs or can I change just one ? Also what brand should I use and where can I find them at a decent price? I live in So Cal. Thanks for all your help.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

you are welcome to match teh color you should change both, otherwise one will look brighter for sure. and for the bulbs, try classified, maybe someone is willing to sell

or try ebay?

bowlingbob

iTrader: (2)

Thanks Henry. I also noticed you can get the bulbs in different outputs. I think the factory ones are 4300 k but I also noticed you can get them in like 6000k, 8500k.What do the numbers actually mean and what output would you suggest ? Stay with the factory ones or change? Thanks again.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

that's the color temperature of the bulbs, it has NOTHING to do with the brightness (just in case someone got confused). it's just a standard of what color the light is going to be. sunlight is around 4300k, which is what the stock hid is (and that's the only legal hid color temperature)

the higher you go, the bluer and bluer it gets. imho, 6000k is the highest you should go to. anything higher than that, the color gets so blue, and the lights get very dim (it gets darker and darker). also coz' of the difference in the color wavelength, the higher color temperature bulb the lights can't focus on the road as well. so if you get 8500k, first it's going to be very blue. second it's very dim you can't see the road. third you create a lot of glare for other people

so go with 6000k if you want, but nothing more

bowlingbob

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for your input.

Matters

Hey, just posting to say thanks for this thread. The instructions were great and saved me a lot of stress. I reckon I would have snapped the power cord off if it wasn't for your instructions!

By the way, if there are any fellow Australian's reading this thread please note that it's a lot cheaper to buy HID's globes off e-bay than at the dealer. I rang all Sydney Lexus dealers and they were quoting me $375 AUD per globe (which I think is about $280 USD). I was able to get two 4800k HID globes from Germany for $100 USD (inc. postage) from ebay - I had to wait two weeks for postage but it was worth it.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

welcome to clublexus! and we are glad that you found the information you need let us know if everything is good

gapxguy

I'm having a hard time taking off the clip that holds the silver cap in place. Does anyone know how to take off the metal clips?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

it's hard coz' of the space you have to play with too.

the clips are above and below the cap. if you feel it, you will feel a **** at the top of the cap. you will need to pull that thing upward ,and at the same time pull the cap backward. not easy at all though

sputniknyc

iTrader: (2)

great write up!!!!
Took me 15 minutes to do the passenger and then 3 minutes to do the driver.
Thank you so much for this write up

rominl

iTrader: (4)

you are so welcome bill, i am glad my instructiions are helpful! it's definitely hard to describe here