idsrvit

I already posted this question on the LX 470 site, and just realized there is a forum specific for lighting, so sorry for the repost, but here is the question.
I have a 99 lx470 and my low beam lights are terrible (IMO) They do not seem bright enough as I can only see about 5 feet ahead of me in the dark. They seemed to be pointing too low and I asked the dealer at the last check up to bring them up for me. I was told the tech said the lights were within the range of where they are supposed to be. But I am constantly flicking my lights from high to low for oncomming traffic. Does anyone have any suggestions (that won't kill me in cost) on how to get my lights brighter when in low beam? Or...if I have to go the expensive route, what do I do and how much does it cost? This is very bothersome to me. Thank you for your time

siniquezu

Do yo have HIDs?

idsrvit

At the risk of sounding like a moron.... I have no idea. Whatever is stock for a 99 LX470.

southernsc

are your lights yellow?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well the lx470 never has hid from factory, so unless he has hid kits, he doesn't have hid. and since he doesn't know, probably that's just the stock halogen.

could it be that the bulb is going bad? i feel weird too, if no one has touched the system before, i don't see why it's aiming lower and lower. did you try to shoose the light on the wall when you are say 10 15 feet away and see how low the beams are?

idsrvit

To my knowledge, the bulbs are stock for 99. I am sure they have been replaced at one time or another but I have only had the car for about a year and a half so I have never had to replace them myself. Just for the record...."he" is a "she" not that it matters, but maybe you will go lighter on me not knowing all the technical answers to your questions. (smile) I posted the same question on the LX470 site, and it seems that I am not alone in thinking the lo beams are not bright enough. They seem to point directly in front of the car angling down right away instead of a gradual angle out in front. The dealer told me they are where they are supposed to be, so it has been checked. It is just the intensity of the bulb that IMO is too low. Like a weak flashlight not giving off enough light. Not something I would expect from a Lexus. I was hoping to find an "easy" fix to this problem and thought the guru's here would be able to help me. I am going to see what it involves to have the bulbs replaced with "Sylvania Superstars" as someone else suggested. Does anyone know if there are any modifications needed to use a different bulb, or can I just pop out the current one and replace it with the superstars?

lexusk8

idsrvit, no offense intended to you, but every time I see an LX 470 around here, I wonder to myself why Lexus never thought about installing better headlight design on that particular SUV. IMO the RX had the best looking headlight design with very good light output, even with stock halogen bulbs. Why the designers of the LX chose not to follow that path is beyond me

Anyway, I think Sylvania Silverstar bulbs should greatly improve the lighting on your LX. The nice thing about these bulbs is that most of them are plug-and-play, so you can do it yourself in a matter of minutes. Just follow the link below for all your Sylvania bulb needs

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...otiveLighting/

RayGS3

Check your low beam level indicator. Make sure it aims correctly

You can find the instruction inside your owner manual.

I also agree that silverstar will offer brighter light output.

siniquezu

The problem with SUVs is that they are too high for sedan alignment. Since the headlights are perched high, they need to be aligned further down to meet alignment standards. The exact opposite is true of lowered vehicles. I can't speak for why the headlights are dim. Perhaps lexus lowered the intensity to deal with blinding issues. Silverstars are NOT going to make it brighter, it will in fact make it dimmer but appear brighter by shifting the light pattern to be more bluish. What you can do is replace the bulb with another set of stock halogen bulbs. I have a few if you want them. See if that makes a difference. If these don't turn out well then you have a couple of options:

1. replace with HIDs (an entirely different and complicated story)
2. (although not really recommended) buy high intesity bulbs and run a relay for more power
3. deal with it

good luck.

siniquezu

BTW, I'm not saying that silverstars are a bad option. I'm just informing you that they will not make it brighter, just appear brighter. Which is great for a low cost modification for a whiter light output. If you are going to replace with silverstars, they are a simple replacement, unclip, twist, turn, and remove.

herragge

I have an LX as well, and I agree with everyting thats just been said.

However, if we go the expensive route, preferably HID, can I just get an 9006 HID kit? Will it essentially be plug and play?

I'm not sure if I will be able to do a retrofit, even though I know they produce a better cut-off. I would do it, but I don't really have anyone that knows how to do it, nonetheless myself.

Let me know of any other disadvantages of a HID kit for a non HID car...I have been lurking on buying an HID kit for a while now.

Thanks

slawek65

www.hidplanet.com - all info You want.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i agree. if the lights haven't been altered before, i can only blame on the design, where the car is so high up, you can't really shoot the headlights far away.

i am probably against the idea of hid kts though. yes its bright, no doubt, but man, i can only imagine the kind of glare you put on other drivers in front of you

Lexkost

Add some aftermarket driving lights under the bumper, but replace the 55 watts bulbs they come with and install 100 watt ones, but make sure you aim them right.

GSquicksilver

Lexkost, I am really surprised you haven't burned your headlight wiring harnesses with your high wattage bulbs. Did you do some mods to the wiring?