Possible Headlight Problem

NEILJ · January 2, 2014

Have had my lexus sc430 for about two and a half months now and have come to realise what a quality product it is in everyway.

However tonight driving home with the headlights on I thought they were a bit on the dim side. When I arrived home I noticed that one of the zenons was out and thought it must have blown so that would mean the faf of taking the air filter box out etc etc. For some reason I thought try switching them off and back on again and hey presto both lights working again. Have had a brief look around under the bonnet and all seems in order.

So my question is has anyone else experienced this or similar or does anyone have any ideas of what might cause this.

Thanks in advance for any opinions or suggestions.

TeesLS460 · January 2, 2014

I'm having the exact same problem with both headlights on my recently bought LS460. According to other forum posts, this means the headlight bulbs could be going bad, or it could be the ballast (transformers). My car is going to the dealer on Monday to get it sorted.

Paul_G · January 3, 2014

I have never seen this, and have had my SC for several years.

Raj Rupra · January 3, 2014

I had the same problem on my 6 year old GS 450h. Lots of opinions from mechanics and lay-people, including loose connection, failed ballasts and expired bulbs. Worryingly a mechanic who had diagnostic equipment told me it was the ballasts and managed to get a quote (expensive) from the Lexus dealer for me.

When I decided to take the plunge and call the dealer myself, the lady on the other end of the phone immediately knew it was the bulbs. So, I booked the car in and ended up paying around £200.00 for bulbs and labour, inc VAT. Expensive, I know but it could have been worse, had I trusted the "know-it-all" mechanic!

Bear in mind, I had to reduce the labour charged by the dealer. They wanted £260.00 because they reckoned it took one hour to change both bulbs! I had to alert them to the unreasonableness of that charge. They were supposed to be the experts who know the cars inside out, so I suggested that half an hours labour would be more than sufficient, especially considering the price of the bulbs and the age of the car.

NEILJ · January 3, 2014

Thanks Suman, Paul and Raj for your replies all very helpful as these forums are.

So it looks like this is not a new problem but in particular thanks Raj for telling me about your experience with the Lexus dealership.

I have had Jaguar in the past and the main dealers look for the maximum amount of money they can make from your problem but I hope this is not the case with Lexus.

They did however point you to the fault straight away which is a good sign. I will monitor the lights for the next month or so and look to getting the bulbs changed and report back.

It will be a relief if it just turns out to be bulbs and not harness or ballast resistors etc. so we shall see. My main reason for buying the SC430 is the reliability so far of my RX, which wasn't my first choice of 4x4 but has proven to be a good choice. The SC430 again wasn't my first choice of V8 sports but as soon as I sat in one and saw the quality of everything it blew anything else out of the water.

Really pleased so far and feel a million dollars when driving it, shame I don't look a million dollars in it. Hope this glitch is just a one off.

Regards

Neilj

alphacat · May 22, 2014

I have just had this problem on my 430sc. As I parked behind another car I noticed one light was out.. Switched it on and off but no luck.. Went to work for 8 hours came back to the car and its all working again.!! I have checked the price of the lamps and they are not that expensive so I wont be getting Lexus to fit it if I choose or have to replace it..

NEILJ · May 22, 2014

Alphacat

Good luck with changing the bulbs from the engine bay I believe it can be done but I ended up taking the front bumper off and getting it resprayed at the same time.

Some bulbs are very cheap and I wondered whether to buy them but I went for osrams at about 35 pounds each as I didn't want to risk any further problems and having to remove the bumper again so hope you get things fixed.

Neilj

alphacat · May 24, 2014

Alphacat

Good luck with changing the bulbs from the engine bay I believe it can be done but I ended up taking the front bumper off and getting it resprayed at the same time.

Some bulbs are very cheap and I wondered whether to buy them but I went for osrams at about 35 pounds each as I didn't want to risk any further problems and having to remove the bumper again so hope you get things fixed.

Neilj

I wont be doing it but I will buy the lamps.. a good grade 'pair' can

Alphacat

Good luck with changing the bulbs from the engine bay I believe it can be done but I ended up taking the front bumper off and getting it resprayed at the same time.

Some bulbs are very cheap and I wondered whether to buy them but I went for osrams at about 35 pounds each as I didn't want to risk any further problems and having to remove the bumper again so hope you get things fixed.

Neilj

I wont be doing it myself and I understand taking the bumper off is probably just as easy. I dont think £35 each is expensive when you see what Lexus charge. I have heard charges of £75 each at a Lexus dealer just for the parts.

OZZYOZ · August 27, 2016

I am new to this forum. I recently took my SC430 for an MOT but sadly I am told that I need a new driver side HID and ballast. Th price quoted by the garage was £55 for the HID and a whopping £430 for the ballast. Does anyone know a good breaker for the SC430 as I am having real problems locating one.

Thank you

Paul_G · August 27, 2016

This guy seems to have one : -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/supercarparts1?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

Raj Rupra · August 27, 2016

Hi Ozzyoz.

By HID, I'm assuming that your mechanic means the HID bulb and not the complete headlamp unit, unless that's corroded or damaged in some way. I'd clarify that with him before paying more and changing the complete headlamp unit. As far as the ballast is concerned, any reputable motor electricIan should be able to check whether it's functioning correctly.

If you plan on keeping the car for a while and you haven't done it yet, I would get both of the bulbs changed for starters and see of that isolates your problem.

I hope that helps.