Mattsrx350

New to the forum. I’m hoping somebody can tell me if I can do this or not I currently have a 2011 Lexus RX 350 the headlights for whatever reason I do not feel are bright enough they are the HID factory lights I was wondering is there anyway that I can upgrade t the headlight housing to match say a 2015 RX 350 that have the OEM LED lights built into them is there anyway that I can make that work.

LeX2K

Are there suitable LEDs that will go in place of you HID bulbs? Power will be connected to the red/black wires that were going into the ballast. Can't say if the boots will interfere with the LED bulbs.

edit - I see there are LEDs that go directly in place of the original bulbs, driven by the ballasts

This doesn't make sense to me since you will be using extra power for nothing but plug n play.

iolmaster

iTrader: (1)

The 2015 does not have LED headlights. It has the HID just like yours. the only thing that is LED is the DRL bulbs. By the way, HID bulbs do dim over time. New bulbs will be brighter than the ones in your car at this time.

Clutchless

Just get new HID bulbs as posted above they do get dimmer over time. You can get ones that claim to be brighter than the OEM bulbs. It is a D4S bulb.
The link below is to a vendor that supports this forum.
FYI because the headlight housing is not designed for LED they will not work as well as HID and you will not be able to see as well at night with LED bulbs although when you stare at them when you are 40 feet from the car they may appear brighter.
I don't think you can swap the newer RX headlights as they made changes in the 2013 refresh.
Do some searching as this has been asked about many times on this forum.

​​​​​​https://www.xenondepot.com/

Link to another bulb source I found on another forum recommendation https://ddmtuning.com/UltraBulb-D4S

I bought some Osram Nightbreakers here, but really cannot say they were much brighter https://www.hidconcept.com/collections/hid-bulbs

See these older posts on this issue
​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...d-as-well.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...onversion.html

ellocovg

iTrader: (1)

The headlights on are trucks very good output. If yours aren’t that bright as others suggested your bulbs are probably on there last legs. Also make sure your lenses are clear and not in need of polishing.

RadiantX45

Not to beat a dead horse but I agree with Clutchless and ellocovg, HIDs are powerful but can get dim over time.
A while ago my right side HID headlight went out completely. I replaced that right side only and could definitely see a difference in output between the new and old. If the plastic cover is fogged up you might try going for a reconditioning as well.

The 2011 RX450h had an LED headlight option, shown below. You could try to find an entire assembly set for both sides to replace your current HID assembly. Although, I am not sure the connections will communicate to the vehicle properly as the 2011 RX350 w/ HIDs uses a Bi-Xenon setup (single bulb) for main beam/ high beam, while the 2011 RX450h with the LED option uses the LEDs for low beam and a separate halogen bulb for high beam. Also, I've read the LED option for this generation is not as bright as the HID so probably not worth it as this would be extremely expensive.

RX in NC

I agree that you will be much better off just replacing your fading HID bulbs with new ones. And that is from a financial standpoint, an ease-of-installation standpoint, and a total light output standpoint.

jby25

Would I be able to swap my HID assembly with the LED projector assembly? Are all the connectors the same? I found a set of a wrecked 450H on ebay and would like to put it on my car

Clutchless

jby25 - I doubt they will fit or connect the same way - However -
What model year is your RX? What model year is the wrecked RX whose headlights you found on eBay?

If you read the posts above you will see that your best option is to just get new D4S HID bulbs and restore your headlight lenses if they are cloudy or yellowing. The HID bulbs get dimmer as they age.

rosshanna8

Any update on the outcome of this inquiry?

I would really like to replace the OEM HID headlight assembly on my ‘13 RX 350 with the OEM LED headlight assembly from a ‘13 RX 450h — I just think they look better. My local Lexus dealership (where I take my RX to get serviced) said that it can’t be done. Hoping to get a second… and different opinion with proof that it can be done.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Monica21

Hello. I have a 2010 rx350 with 225k miles. I love this car and want to keep it. My drivers side headlight went out. Mechanic quoted me $2200 to replace ballast (I’m assuming the entire headlight assembly). It’s not the bulb, we already checked. I have the HID AFS system. Can I switch to LED by purchasing new headlight assemblies for both sides? Is this something I could do myself? I’m not handy but good at following directions. Also, if I can switch to led, does anyone have a recommendation where to purchase? Thank you so much!

Clutchless

You cannot easily do an LED conversion. Your best bet is to repair what you have. Also get 2 new bulbs as they get dimmer over time. It only takes a few minutes to replace the bulbs, there are lots of youtube videos. You can have a car detail shop polish and restore the headlamp housing lense surfaces.

Get another opinion. The ballast is separate from the headlight assembly and the cost is under $80 and the replacement time should be less than an hour. Your mechanic is taking advantage of you if all they are replacing is the ballast. If they are also replacing both lenses and ballasts and the AFS system etc etc (which are not needed according to you - then he is still a crook and or you need to explain more of what he plans to replace.

https://www.headlightexperts.com/oem...0-Lexus-RX350?

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salimshah

I assume you did the swap to check. How about swapping the ballasts. Salvage yard eBay or even Lexus parts will sell you for less than what you have been quoted. The AFS adds more restrictions + complications in swaps of the whole assemblies.

Salim

L0WLYFE

Ballast arent anything special... Its nothing more than a transformer that ramps up the voltage... Dont let the dealership fool you.. when I replaced them, the model numbers were identical and even had the same markings on them as the factory ones...Not suprised if they came out of the same factory...But of course the Lexus dealership wants to make u believe its some rare GEM that they will sell u and is somehow different than the $50 ones...I replaced both in my gs350 when I replaced my headlight housings...Each one cost about $50...They've worked beautifully from the day I replaced them.. been almost 2 years now.. Biggest mistake was changing over to an LED from the HID.. I learned my lesson the hard way... I wanted to have something that was brighter and would last longer.. however not having light from all the way around the bulb really skewed the focus of the light beam as well as the overall brightness of the lights...Im switching back to HIDs this week.. my $.02