rxsuperman

My friend, who ownes a GS350 under warranty, just paid about $250 out of his pocket for the dealer to replace one of his burned out HID headlights. The dealer claimed that headlights are considered wear and tear item not covered under warranty. Is everyone in agreement on this?

DunWkg

Although not listed specifically in the exclusions, the warranty does have "wiggle room" in it for them to claim a lamp burning out is normal wear and tear. I might ask what the normal life expectancy of a lamp is and maybe you could get the cost prorated. (fat chance) Now a ballast might be a different story. It should last longer than a couple of lamps.

GrandSedanFan

iTrader: (1)

HID headlamps? They really ought to be seeing as one of the advantages is supposed to be longer life.

LexBob2

I see a lot of cars with their HID's on during the daytime. It would extend the life of the bulbs if used only dusk-dawn as there is only a certain # of hours that they are good for.

Sevn86

I see it all the time too. I was under the impression that the bulbs would also be covered under the manufacture warranty. Its called bumper to bumper warranty, not bumper skip headlights bumper warranty.

cafpaf

We had HID lights in our 2001 RX and shortly before we traded it we had to replace a bulb. I was shocked to find out that a replacement as a local shop was around $145 and at Lexus it was almost double that cost. This is just the bulb we are talking about and 5 minutes labor. It does not make a lot of sense to me when one considers that we can buy an entire HID kit with bulbs, wiring, ballasts, etc. from Xenon Depot for less that $200. If I ever need a new bulb, I will be contacting them first.

sightdev

shame the dealer charged you for HID bulb and told you as normal wear-n-tear parts if its within the bumper to bumper warranty period. as long as i can remember, Lexus used/uses long-life bulbs including the HID bulbs. In past twenty years of owning Lexus, I had to replace bulb one

RXSF

My HID bulbs were covered under warranty. but I guess a lto of times, ti depends on your relationship with the dealer and SA

kwbuggy

This is exactly why I get all my service work done at the dealership where I bought the car! I've been doing this since the 1970's with a wide variety of increasingly expensive cars and never have problems with warranty issues. You might save a few bucks changing your own oil on a $50,000 car but when you show up at a dealership that hasn't seen you for 3 1/2 years looking for free warranty repairs don't expect a hearty welcome.

Cruiter

Unless they suffered damage in some way, the headlights are part of the 'bumper to bumper' warranty.

markrivers

i can understand that side of the coin..
for me, it's not just about saving money and a trip to the service center.
BUT i firmly believe that as a driver, we should know our the ins and outs of our cars.

and call me ****, but i have more peace of mind with the DIYs'
perfect example is how many dealer's mess up the Tire pressure.
it's always over inflated.

another bonus is that we have Toyotas as well so my oil change wrench can be used with the Lexus.



going back to the topic, like everything else, the bulbs are DIYs for me

ejm3

In my experience HID's should easily outlast the warranty period unless there's some kind of a defect.

bmwhd

Bingo. I sell HID conversion kits and have used a set in my other vehicle for many years. My personal record at the moment is a set of Sylvania 4300K bulbs that now have 267,000 miles on them having served in two different Tahoes.

The HID capsules are rarely the first component to go, more likely a faulty ignitor or ballast.

py0413

Should be? I had the passenger side replaced on my 07 ES back in 08. Didn't cost me a penny and it was done fairly quick as I was chatting with my salesman.

kitlz

I had both headlights with AFS replaced in my RX330. I noticed condensation in one headlight, the SA found some in the other one. Didn't cost me anything and had a loaner while the work was done. Two tail light bulbs were also changed, again no charge. I'd say if it is considered a defect, and admittedly my dealer uses that word liberally, it should be replaced at no cost under warranty.