Main headlight bulb

kellogsj · June 21, 2020

Keep in mind they coming from Germany so may take a little longer to arrive with everything going on right now.

Thanks a lot

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kellogsj · June 27, 2020

Keep in mind they coming from Germany so may take a little longer to arrive with everything going on right now.

I got my mate who’s a mechanic to switch the existing bulbs over and both have stayed on. This was done to find out if it was the bulbs that needed replacing or the ballast, but up to now everything seems ok. Is this normal.

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ahmed24 · June 27, 2020

2 hours ago, kellogsj said:

I got my mate who’s a mechanic to switch the existing bulbs over and both have stayed on. This was done to find out if it was the bulbs that needed replacing or the ballast, but up to now everything seems ok. Is this normal.

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That happened to me a few times with the aftermarket bulbs but then after few days the ballast detected the bulbs issue again and started to turn the bulb off. Once it took over a week before the other ballast saw that bulb as faulty. It's the ballast that turns off the power to the bulb when it thinks something isn't right.

Ofcourse there is also the chance that your original connector to the bulb wasn't on properly but if this was never touched I wouldn't think that was the case.

kellogsj · June 27, 2020

That happened to me a few times with the aftermarket bulbs but then after few days the ballast detected the bulbs issue again and started to turn the bulb off. Once it took over a week before the other ballast saw that bulb as faulty. It's the ballast that turns off the power to the bulb when it thinks something isn't right.
Ofcourse there is also the chance that your original connector to the bulb wasn't on properly but if this was never touched I wouldn't think that was the case.

It was the drivers side bulb which was flickering then going off. But now that bulb is on the passenger and passenger side one is now on drivers side. Everything seems ok now at the moment. My mechanic mate said all connections seemed really tight and where in good condition. As you say they’ve probably never been touched and are more than likely original bulbs. Now I’m confused lol

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ahmed24 · June 27, 2020

If that bulb is just on it's way out then it's current draw etc will fluctate in certain ways. The ballast will read this. Each ballast will have a slightly different tolerance of this and what one ballast may see as a faulty bulb the other one may not see straight away. If you leave it like that and the bulb is truely faulty then the bulb will continue to deteriorate and eventually the other ballast will also pick it up as faulty. Usually a bulb on it's way out starts deteriorating quite quickly. Had this issue on a friends 2012 RX450h too, he changed the bulb over and he said it was fine but I could tell there was a slight colour difference on the faulty bulb which is also a sign.

kellogsj · June 27, 2020

If that bulb is just on it's way out then it's current draw etc will fluctate in certain ways. The ballast will read this. Each ballast will have a slightly different tolerance of this and what one ballast may see as a faulty bulb the other one may not see straight away. If you leave it like that and the bulb is truely faulty then the bulb will continue to deteriorate and eventually the other ballast will also pick it up as faulty. Usually a bulb on it's way out starts deteriorating quite quickly. Had this issue on a friends 2012 RX450h too, he changed the bulb over and he said it was fine but I could tell there was a slight colour difference on the faulty bulb which is also a sign.

So should I switch bulbs back over to original side and just replace the one which was on the drivers side which was originally the one which was causing the problem, or leave as is and see what happens.

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ahmed24 · June 27, 2020

9 minutes ago, kellogsj said:

So should I switch bulbs back over to original side and just replace the one which was on the drivers side which was originally the one which was causing the problem, or leave as is and see what happens.

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I would just leave it and wait and see just to be sure.

kellogsj · June 27, 2020

I would just leave it and wait and see just to be sure.

Will do and thanks for you help. [emoji1303]

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ahmed24 · June 27, 2020

No problem, keep us posted on how it goes

kellogsj · June 27, 2020

No problem, keep us posted on how it goes

[emoji1303]

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LenT · June 27, 2020

I don’t know if you’ve done the deed yet, but I’ve just replaced the HID main/dips on my IS250 with the new D4S Osram Xenarc Night Breaker Next Generation (!) bulbs. I think they’re a significant improvement and well worth the investment.

Driving around our narrow, potholed country lanes is now a much more comfortable experience. Previously I would even put the fog lights on to get a better view of the near side verge. The new bulbs now provide a much better defined and brighter light just on dip.

Main beam is similarly improved.

If you want to be sure about sourcing them, the Osram site lists their distribution partners. I used Autobulbsdirect and their service was excellent. I hope this is useful.

kellogsj · June 27, 2020

I don’t know if you’ve done the deed yet, but I’ve just replaced the HID main/dips on my IS250 with the new D4S Osram Xenarc Night Breaker Next Generation (!) bulbs. I think they’re a significant improvement and well worth the investment.
Driving around our narrow, potholed country lanes is now a much more comfortable experience. Previously I would even put the fog lights on to get a better view of the near side verge. The new bulbs now provide a much better defined and brighter light just on dip.
Main beam is similarly improved.
If you want to be sure about sourcing them, the Osram site lists their distribution partners. I used Autobulbsdirect and their service was excellent. I hope this is useful.

I haven’t bought any replacement bulbs yet, as I’ve swapped them over to find out if it’s the bulb or ballast that needs replacing. Thanks for your help. [emoji1303]

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Tyre Tread · June 27, 2020

I had exactly the same issue about a year ago and di exactly what you did, swapped the bulbs over to check if it was the bulb or the ballast resistor that was fault and I even got the same result. The faulty bulb worked for a short time then died.

After some research I bought Osram bulbs as when they arrive they have a code you can put in on their website to check they are genuine.

I seem to recall I paid about £100 for the pair.

kellogsj · June 28, 2020

I had exactly the same issue about a year ago and di exactly what you did, swapped the bulbs over to check if it was the bulb or the ballast resistor that was fault and I even got the same result. The faulty bulb worked for a short time then died.
After some research I bought Osram bulbs as when they arrive they have a code you can put in on their website to check they are genuine.
I seem to recall I paid about £100 for the pair.

Where did you get the osrams from.

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ahmed24 · June 28, 2020

On 6/20/2020 at 11:01 PM, steve2006 said:

If you fancy Osram here you go

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/osram-night-breaker-laser-d4s-xenon-single-box-48177223Z?type=shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjw57b3BRBlEiwA1ImytisBlu0gb9tOwJnhMDnQJ9_NDmP6s-ESpOdYbYElHKmLhjmSyt7rYRoCASUQAvD_BwE

Tyre Tread · June 28, 2020

6 hours ago, kellogsj said:

Where did you get the osrams from.

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Had to dig out the invoice: From Powerbulbs.com

Looks like they've come down in price and with a multibuy discount a pair is £65.98 inc delivery. I paid £93.98 in Oct 2018 😞

https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/osram-xenarc-d4s-mercury-free-single-xenon-hid

kellogsj · June 28, 2020

Had to dig out the invoice: From Powerbulbs.com

Looks like they've come down in price and with a multibuy discount a pair is £65.98 inc delivery. I paid £93.98 in Oct 2018 [emoji20]
https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/osram-xenarc-d4s-mercury-free-single-xenon-hid

Thanks for sending me the link. Let’s hope it the bulb and not the ballast lol

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ahmed24 · June 28, 2020

3 minutes ago, kellogsj said:

Let’s hope it the bulb and not the ballast lol

I really doubt it's the ballast. I've worked with many Lexus models with D4S bulbs and all these symptoms have always been bulb issues. Ofcourse there is no guarantee that it isn't ballast, but all the experience i've had with it tells me it's the bulb. Furthermore, if it was the ballast then the offending ballast will still continue to do the same thing when you swapped the bulb. The fact that it's working temporarily on both sides means the other ballast is seeing the faulty bulb as not yet faulty but will soon see it as it begins to deteriorate.

ahmed24 · June 28, 2020

1 hour ago, Tyre Tread said:

Looks like they've come down in price and with a multibuy discount a pair is £65.98 inc delivery. I paid £93.98 in Oct 2018 😞

https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/osram-xenarc-d4s-mercury-free-single-xenon-hid

Now that's a bargain for genuine Osram😀

kellogsj · June 28, 2020

I really doubt it's the ballast. I've worked with many Lexus models with D4S bulbs and all these symptoms have always been bulb issues. Ofcourse there is no guarantee that it isn't ballast, but all the experience i've had with it tells me it's the bulb. Furthermore, if it was the ballast then the offending ballast will still continue to do the same thing when you swapped the bulb. The fact that it's working temporarily on both sides means the other ballast is seeing the faulty bulb as not yet faulty but will soon see it as it begins to deteriorate.

Thanks a lot Ahmed. Which model do you have.

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ahmed24 · June 28, 2020

8 minutes ago, kellogsj said:

Thanks a lot Ahmed. Which model do you have.

I have a 2006 IS250 SE-L which 've owned for 13 years. I have worked on IS, GS, CT and RX models

kellogsj · June 28, 2020

I have a 2006 IS250 SE-L which 've owned for 13 years. I have worked on IS, GS, CT and RX models

I’ve only ever owned 2 cars, both are 250’s. I’d like a GS 450h in the future.

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LenT · June 29, 2020

On 6/27/2020 at 8:32 PM, kellogsj said:

On 6/27/2020 at 8:32 PM, kellogsj said:

I haven’t bought any replacement bulbs yet, as I’ve swapped them over to find out if it’s the bulb or ballast that needs replacing. Thanks for your help.

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https://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/d4s-osram-night-breaker-laser-xenarc-next-generation.html

This is where I got mine from. £110 a pair. And Osram claims them to be the brightest Xenon bulbs in the world!! (Road legal, I presume that is.)

kellogsj · July 7, 2020

I really doubt it's the ballast. I've worked with many Lexus models with D4S bulbs and all these symptoms have always been bulb issues. Ofcourse there is no guarantee that it isn't ballast, but all the experience i've had with it tells me it's the bulb. Furthermore, if it was the ballast then the offending ballast will still continue to do the same thing when you swapped the bulb. The fact that it's working temporarily on both sides means the other ballast is seeing the faulty bulb as not yet faulty but will soon see it as it begins to deteriorate.

Hi Ahmed, I changed the bulbs over, and both are still working fine.

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ahmed24 · July 7, 2020

10 minutes ago, kellogsj said:

Hi Ahmed, I changed the bulbs over, and both are still working fine.

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Original bulbs? probably still too early to tell. Just let it run as long as it can and when bulb starts giving issues then swap it out. I would just buy a pair of new bulbs and have it as backup. If you are changing to osram then swap it as a pair.