LS430 headlight pattern

[The-Acre]

Just planning our drive to Austria for the Spring. Does anyone know if the facelift LS430 has a flat headlight pattern?  The GS that we went in last May did but I don't know about the LS/Celsior.

[Herbie]

Can you not just pull up to a wall or garage door, switch on the headlights and look? At a complete guess I would think that if they are HIDs then yes, probably a flat pattern but if halogen then probably not - but that is just a complete guess.

[katana92_uk]

I can confirm LS430 does have flat headlight pattern.

left horizontal line is slightly above right horizontal line.

[The-Acre]

Thanks for that, I assumed that HID's would be flat but just checking as I think we've upset our Euro neighbours enough, best not to blind them as well!

[skyway]

Phil It will teach em proper like for driving on the wrong side

[The Lexus Enthusiast]

Remember to turn off AFS since when you turn the wheel the lights will follow and shine across the road. 

[The-Acre]

1 hour ago, The Lexus Enthusiast said:

Remember to turn off AFS since when you turn the wheel the lights will follow and shine across the road. 

We'll done, very good thinking!  And to answer your other question, yes they do dim over time which is why they need replacing in pairs, as I once discovered.

[The Lexus Enthusiast]

17 minutes ago, The-Acre said:

We'll done, very good thinking!  And to answer your other question, yes they do dim over time which is why they need replacing in pairs, as I once discovered.

In that case me thinks my old man is wrong and it isn't just my mom's eyes, just as I thought🤣, thanks for confirming Phil. You're lucky having AFS it really makes a difference. Only annoying thing is you'll have the amber light on the dash warning you that it's off the whole time you're abroad . Enjoy the trip it'll be fab in your Celsior- nice car and great route! Am doing Italy in March but in my car not Lexus unfortunately. 

[The-Acre]

27 minutes ago, The Lexus Enthusiast said:

In that case me thinks my old man is wrong and it isn't just my mom's eyes, just as I thought🤣, thanks for confirming Phil. You're lucky having AFS it really makes a difference. Only annoying thing is you'll have the amber light on the dash warning you that it's off the whole time you're abroad . Enjoy the trip it'll be fab in your Celsior- nice car and great route! Am doing Italy in March but in my car not Lexus unfortunately. 

It's not such a long trip this year, just Luxembourg and Salzburg, we're doing it in May but planning ahead we've got our accommodation all booked! Last year we did that plus Vienna and Switzerland, a lot of driving in the GS but a great drive and still a very, very comfortable car.

[Malc]

10 hours ago, The Lexus Enthusiast said:

Am doing Italy in March but in my car not Lexus

take care with where you travel and the specific local LEGAL need for winter tyres or chains in parts of Italy until maybe April sometime if I remember from my trip a few years ago !

Malc

[The-Acre]

21 minutes ago, Malc said:

take care with where you travel and the specific local LEGAL need for winter tyres or chains in parts of Italy until maybe April sometime if I remember from my trip a few years ago !

Malc

That's a good point, I think last year we only missed the requirement by two weeks.

[The Lexus Enthusiast]

30 minutes ago, Malc said:

take care with where you travel and the specific local LEGAL need for winter tyres or chains in parts of Italy until maybe April sometime if I remember from my trip a few years ago !

Malc

Thanks for reminder Malc, will be ordering some before we set off. The local requirement to us up there in the mountains is "catene a bordo dal 15 Novembre al 15 Aprile" so will definitely be travelling during that time and from past experience, and looking at the snowfall London got last night and still right now, it could turn out to be a really brutal easter over there unfortunately. If I remember correctly they officially introduced the chains requirement in about 2010/11 when I first noticed the signs- was only 10 yrs old so don't remember that well 😆

[BigBoomer]

I drove in France last year for 2 weeks and left the AFS switched on.
Also didn't fit any kind of "beam deflector" as the LS430 has flat beams rather than the silly inclined ones fitted to most cars.
Didn't get flashed once so yer not likely to be blinding people with the lights, unless yer on high-beam. 😀

[katana92_uk]

On 1/31/2019 at 8:48 PM, The-Acre said:

We'll done, very good thinking!  And to answer your other question, yes they do dim over time which is why they need replacing in pairs, as I once discovered.

yup. I changed mine to 8000k.

[The Lexus Enthusiast]

51 minutes ago, katana92_uk said:

yup. I changed mine to 8000k.

Hi thanks for the reply. Those look very nice indeed! The one thing I noticed about the facelifts is the stock xenons aren't ice blue like those of the non facelifts, but you have the best look now imo. Was it difficult to swap the bulbs? Am not practically minded when it comes to that area lol 

Alex 

[katana92_uk]

50 minutes ago, The Lexus Enthusiast said:

Hi thanks for the reply. Those look very nice indeed! The one thing I noticed about the facelifts is the stock xenons aren't ice blue like those of the non facelifts, but you have the best look now imo. Was it difficult to swap the bulbs? Am not practically minded when it comes to that area lol 

Alex 

cheers. TBH it was not that hard, just clips and connector itself. Only slight problem was tight space and not enough room to see or twist your hand. I got my son to hold small mirror while I was changing bulb looking in mirror 🙂 

I also have full spare headlight at home if you want me to take some pictures. I have few just now, leme share them.

 

[The-Acre]

Very useful photos. When I originally changed my bulbs I put my phone down inside to get pictures of the area I couldn't see and kept referring to them.