greeknasty

In the market for a 13 or later rx350. Was talking to a friend who has a 10 LS and he is taking his car in to check headlights apparently the auto leveling is messed up not sure exactly and I know the projectors are diff but just wondering if anyone has had any issues. If so how much is it to replace the HID version?
Thanks and hope to be apart of the community soon

AZJoe

I have a 2013 RX350 w standard halogen headlights. I am disappointed in the brightness and distance they light. Had a Highlander Hybrid with no lighting issues. Have a 2002 ES300, with HID headlights and they are much better than halogens. Not sure if auto leveling is available on 2013 RX.

If you check the lighting forum here, there will a lot people who have converted their headlights...I not that brave or competent

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lighting-128/

greeknasty

thanks for your input..i definitely plan on getting the HID version coming from an infiniti i dont think i can go back to a non-hid headlight ha. my concern isnt really of the quality of the light output itself but rather the quality of the parts used.

JDR76

We have the auto leveling HIDs in our '13 RX350. Haven't had it long, but so far they've been great.

konradsa

I don't really think you will find an answer here. 2013s are barely a year old yet. But Lexus is generally not known for using substandard parts.

Interestingly though, Lexus has simplified the lights a lot starting with the 2013s. They removed the AFS feature, auto hi beams, and switched from bi-xenon to xenon low beams/halogen high beams. While this has upset some people (including me), there is a high probability that these new lights are the most reliable ones yet.

greeknasty

Oh wow i didn't know that! I was thinking they came with afs. Maaaybe I should look into the 2012 then! I liked the new look of the 13 headlights but if its as you said then jeez. Now let me ask you this..the lights with afs. How's the parts quality?

JDR76

What's "AFS"?

greeknasty

Headlights will turn as you turn corners. That has been a feature I've always wanted and come to find out they got rid of it! :-(

JDR76

Thanks. Correct, our '13 does not have that, though the lights seem sufficient, even without it. They do have auto leveling, though.

greeknasty

I see. It all depends on pricing i guess. I've seen a few 2012s here in nc go for 36 where many used 13s are still in the low to mid 40's. I may just wait for 13s to go down

BertL

OP, FWIW, I had zero problems with auto leveling or AFS with the HIDs on my 2006 RX450h, and have had no issues with my alsmot 18-month old 2013 RX450h LEDs that have auto leveling. Having been around these boards for many years now, I'm not aware of a pervasive headlight issue, so I suspect your friend's problem is an isolated incident. Unfortunately, even with great quality most of us enjoy with Lexus, things sometimes to go wrong.

Lighting output in both cases was more than sufficient for my needs. Do a few searches and you'll find many threads on the subject of headlights with pictures, differences and people that desire and/or have converted them one way or the other.

Good luck with your pursuit.

konradsa

Keep in mind it's not just the headlights that have changed, there are other subtle changes for the 2013, such as better placed parking sensors and addition of BSM that are making the premium worth it IMHO. The resale value of a 2013 in a couple of years will probably be also a bit higher than the 2012 due to the "facelift" the 2013 got, while a 2012 just looks the same as a 2010.

greeknasty

thanks for the insight!

elba123

What is auto leveling?

BertL

Very simply (opposed to a technical explanation ), the headlights adjust themselves up and down as your front-end goes up and down to avoid putting the lights in the eyes of the drivers ahead of you.