Swapping Xenon Lights For Normal Ones On A 1999V Ls400 Mk Iv

[FrankB]

Hi,

In order to import a Mk IV to France I might need to swap the UK-spec headlights for EU-spec ones (for RHD traffic).

Lexus France has been giving me 2 quotes, a not so reasonable one for normal lamps, and another ludicrously over-the-top for Xenon lights (1/3rd of the price of the car, just for the parts!!!).

The car I'm considering is a V-reg 1999 Mk IV equipped with UK-spec Xenon lights (I think they were factory-fitted, with headlamp washers).

Would it be possible to replace those original Xenon lights by normal lights (i mean replacing the whole headlamp, not just the bulbs of course)? The Lexus dealerships here are unable to confirm this.

Is the ballast included in the Xenon headlamp assemblies? Are the connections similar, so that downgrading to normal lights could be done just by swapping the headlights blocks?

Thanks!

FrankB

[TeamDax]

why not try searching on the US eBay site.... see if you can get a set of left hand drive headlamps.... you could always sell on the original lights on the UK eBay site to cover most of the cost

[FrankB]

Thanks TeamDax but what I would like to know is whether downgrading from Xenon to normal headlights is a simple swap of the headlights assemblies, or whether it requires modifying the connectors or wiring of the car too.

Xenon lights use a ballast to go from 12v to 24000v to feed the HID bulbs. if this ballast is included in the headlight itself and is only fed by the usual 12v wires from the car, then it is fine and I might just put normal LHD lights instead, keeping the original connectors on the car.

But if that ballast is somewhere in the wiring upstream of the headlights assemblies, then I might need to modify this as well to adapt normal lights.

Does anyone know whether the connectors and wiring in the car are the same for both Xenon and normal, or whether they are specific to Xenon for a 1999 Mk IV?

Are the Xenon and normal lights interchangeable?

Thanks!

FrankB

[ManicMark]

Thanks TeamDax but what I would like to know is whether downgrading from xenon to normal headlights is a simple swap of the headlights assemblies, or whether it requires modifying the connectors or wiring of the car too.

Xenon lights use a ballast to go from 12v to 24000v to feed the HID bulbs. if this ballast is included in the headlight itself and is only fed by the usual 12v wires from the car, then it is fine and I might just put normal LHD lights instead, keeping the original connectors on the car.

But if that ballast is somewhere in the wiring upstream of the headlights assemblies, then I might need to modify this as well to adapt normal lights.

Does anyone know whether the connectors and wiring in the car are the same for both Xenon and normal, or whether they are specific to Xenon for a 1999 Mk IV?

Are the xenon and normal lights interchangeable?

Thanks!

FrankB

In a word No, you will not be able to fit normal lights, The ballast is seperate & the mark 3 lights are a different shape. will it not go through a French test with beam deflectors

[ACLex]

The ballasts are integral to the light as you can see here......

As for the normal lights I am not sure as they are not shown :(

[FrankB]

In a word No, you will not be able to fit normal lights, The ballast is seperate & the mark 3 lights are a different shape. will it not go through a French test with beam deflectors

I don't intend to swap between a Mk III and IV. I just want to replace UK-spec HID headlamps with EU-spec lights on a British Mk IV.

I thought the HID headlamps were an option for the 1999 V Mark IV (at least in the US, they were standard in Canada). Was it standard for the UK?

Lexus France gave me a quote for normal lights and for HID lights. I thus expected the wiring to be the same, with the possibility to install either ones. HID headlamps are 4 times more expensive than the normal lights, which tends to make me think that they include the ballast.

ACLex thinks this is indeed the case.

[ACLex]

In a word No, you will not be able to fit normal lights, The ballast is seperate & the mark 3 lights are a different shape. will it not go through a French test with beam deflectors

I don't intend to swap between a Mk III and IV. I just want to replace UK-spec HID headlamps with EU-spec lights on a British Mk IV.

I thought the HID headlamps were an option for the 1999 V Mark IV (at least in the US, they were standard in Canada). Was it standard for the UK?

Lexus France gave me a quote for normal lights and for HID lights. I thus expected the wiring to be the same, with the possibility to install either ones. HID headlamps are 4 times more expensive than the normal lights, which tends to make me think that they include the ballast.

ACLex thinks this is indeed the case.

Just out of curiosity, how much have Lexus France quoted for the lights and do you have the part numbers?

By the way, the ballasts are indicated by part numbers 81107 and 81108 and everything marked in that box is included with the headlight.

Andy

[FrankB]

Just out of curiosity, how much have Lexus France quoted for the lights and do you have the part numbers?

By the way, the ballasts are indicated by part numbers 81107 and 81108 and everything marked in that box is included with the headlight.

Andy

First quotes I got from Lexus Marseille were 900 Euros +20% VAT per headlight + 2.5 hrs at 110 Euros per hour. So we're talking about 2435 Euros (2034 BP) for both, mounted. For info my budget for the LS400 Mk IV is 3000 BP...

So I enquired about normal lights and they told me 275 Euros +20% VAT per headlight, but they were unable to tell me whether I could mount them in place of Xenon lights. So I asked for info here.

Latest news came from Lexus Paris where they first told me that the LS400 never had Xenon... "only the 430 and later did". I proved them wrong and when they finally checked (I had to find the VIN of a French 2000 MkIV, the UK VIN would only allow them to order UK-specs headlights), they told me 275 Euros +20% VAT for the blocks without bulbs (assuming we use the UK bulbs in the EU-headlamps) + 2.5 hrs at 110 Euros per hour, so less than 1000 Euros for everything.

They also told me I could not install normal headlight on a Xenon-equipped model, as the connectors would be different.

ACLex, I just noticed you are a Lexus dealer. How much would it cost me in the UK to have EU-spec Xenon headlamps fitted on a 1999-2000 UK Mk IV? (I don't have the parts numbers)

Is it really true I could not mount normal ones?

Thanks!

FrankB

[ACLex]

Just out of curiosity, how much have Lexus France quoted for the lights and do you have the part numbers?

By the way, the ballasts are indicated by part numbers 81107 and 81108 and everything marked in that box is included with the headlight.

Andy

First quotes I got from Lexus Marseille were 900 Euros +20% VAT per headlight + 2.5 hrs at 110 Euros per hour. So we're talking about 2435 Euros (2034 BP) for both, mounted. For info my budget for the LS400 Mk IV is 3000 BP...

So I enquired about normal lights and they told me 275 Euros +20% VAT per headlight, but they were unable to tell me whether I could mount them in place of Xenon lights. So I asked for info here.

Latest news came from Lexus Paris where they first told me that the LS400 never had Xenon... "only the 430 and later did". I proved them wrong and when they finally checked (I had to find the VIN of a French 2000 MkIV, the UK VIN would only allow them to order UK-specs headlights), they told me 275 Euros +20% VAT for the blocks without bulbs (assuming we use the UK bulbs in the EU-headlamps) + 2.5 hrs at 110 Euros per hour, so less than 1000 Euros for everything.

They also told me I could not install normal headlight on a Xenon-equipped model, as the connectors would be different.

ACLex, I just noticed you are a Lexus dealer. How much would it cost me in the UK to have EU-spec Xenon headlamps fitted on a 1999-2000 UK Mk IV? (I don't have the parts numbers)

Is it really true I could not mount normal ones?

Thanks!

FrankB

Wow, those are some prices!

without using your Vin number, I can see that there are only two options for the 97 on LS400.

I can supply either

LHD Xenon headlights complete at £541.24 + vat each as per 81110/81150 part numbers

or

LHD Xenons minus the bulbs, ballasts etc for £138.31 + vat each as per 81135/81175 part numbers.(just re-use your parts)

Those are retail prices and I can do 10% on the complete units and 5% on the bare units.

As for a halogen option, I do not seem to be able to find one :( as appears that they were Xenon only in the UK.

Hope this helps.

Andy

[FrankB]

Wow, those are some prices!

without using your Vin number, I can see that there are only two options for the 97 on LS400.

I can supply either

LHD Xenon headlights complete at £541.24 + vat each as per 81110/81150 part numbers

or

LHD Xenons minus the bulbs, ballasts etc for £138.31 + vat each as per 81135/81175 part numbers.(just re-use your parts)

Those are retail prices and I can do 10% on the complete units and 5% on the bare units.

As for a halogen option, I do not seem to be able to find one :( as appears that they were Xenon only in the UK.

Hope this helps.

Andy

Hi Andy,

It seems I will get a 1999 Mk IV. The VIN number is JT153UF2000128498. Could you confirm the prices for both complete headlights and "empty" blocks without the bulbs and ballasts that I will have already in the RHD headlamps?

Thanks!

FrankB

[ACLex]

Wow, those are some prices!

without using your Vin number, I can see that there are only two options for the 97 on LS400.

I can supply either

LHD Xenon headlights complete at £541.24 + vat each as per 81110/81150 part numbers

or

LHD Xenons minus the bulbs, ballasts etc for £138.31 + vat each as per 81135/81175 part numbers.(just re-use your parts)

Those are retail prices and I can do 10% on the complete units and 5% on the bare units.

As for a halogen option, I do not seem to be able to find one :( as appears that they were Xenon only in the UK.

Hope this helps.

Andy

Hi Andy,

It seems I will get a 1999 Mk IV. The VIN number is JT153UF2000128498. Could you confirm the prices for both complete headlights and "empty" blocks without the bulbs and ballasts that I will have already in the RHD headlamps?

Thanks!

FrankB

Hi Frank,

complete LHD headlamps are £487.12 + vat each with 10% discount.

Bare LHD headlamps are £130.05 + vat each with 5% discount.

Carriage will be around £18 + vat depending on the weight.

Andy

[Redsteve]

Hello Frank.

Are you sure you need to change the lights at all?

A few years ago I had an American pick-up truck. It was imported to the UK from Italy (it belonged to a US serviceman serving in Europe) and it was still running on US plates.

To be able to register it in the UK I had to put it through the SVA test, which is a much more involved MOT.

The guys who did the work for me just adjusted the lights as much as they could to point the "wrong" way and it sailed through the test with no problems.

Maybe there will be enough adjustment on the LS lights to just get you by without spending any money.

Just a thought.

Steve.