IS250 brighter Halogen bulbs

Razor61 · December 21, 2020

The standard H11 Halogen dipped beam bulbs seem a bit weak on the IS250 so bought a pair of Osram H11 halogen Night breaker Laser 150% bulbs which I’ve used on other cars (LS400 being one of them) and they are better than standard. I didn’t expect them to be super bright but they did improve things. Fitted them to the IS250 last Thursday tested that they lit up etc but hadn’t driven in the dark since then until this morning to go to work, to my surprise they were were a lot worse than the standard bulbs. So much so that I turned round, drove back home and put the original standard bulbs back in! Took 20 mins because I’d already knew what I needed to remove.

I was a bit puzzled why they were a lot worse, they were not bright and there were sections of ‘dark’ stripes compared to the standard bulbs. The Osram bulbs have a blanked out section at the top which the standard bulbs don’t have, I presume this blanked out section (see pics) was causing the dark stripe effect in some way (maybe the way the headlight assy/lenses are configured in the headlight assy). The bulbs are not fitted ‘straight on’ but are at an angle so maybe this isn’t good for bulbs with a ‘blanked out’ section on the top/tip of the bulb, certainly not good for an IS250.

Has anyone else experienced this?

PCM · December 21, 2020

Odd... I have Osram HIDS in mine and they are great.

The new ones even better.

Mine is and old RX300...

Razor61 · December 21, 2020

Just now, PCM said:

Odd...

Definitely a bit odd, I’ve never seen it before but all the other dipped/full beam bulbs I’ve replaced were pointing ‘straight on’, the IS250 bulbs are not far off pointing completely outward to the side of the car and definitely not ‘straight on’.

Oh well, you live and learn by trial and error. £35 down the tube but not wasted because if I hadn’t have tried them I wouldn’t have known🤪

PCM · December 21, 2020

PS. My car has, Adaptive Front Lighting System, so I got a garage to change my bulbs... just an FYI.

Marleez · December 21, 2020

1 hour ago, Razor61 said:

The standard H11 Halogen dipped beam bulbs seem a bit weak on the IS250 so bought a pair of Osram H11 halogen Night breaker Laser 150% bulbs which I’ve used on other cars (LS400 being one of them) and they are better than standard. I didn’t expect them to be super bright but they did improve things. Fitted them to the IS250 last Thursday tested that they lit up etc but hadn’t driven in the dark since then until this morning to go to work, to my surprise they were were a lot worse than the standard bulbs. So much so that I turned round, drove back home and put the original standard bulbs back in! Took 20 mins because I’d already knew what I needed to remove.

I was a bit puzzled why they were a lot worse, they were not bright and there were sections of ‘dark’ stripes compared to the standard bulbs. The Osram bulbs have a blanked out section at the top which the standard bulbs don’t have, I presume this blanked out section (see pics) was causing the dark stripe effect in some way (maybe the way the headlight assy/lenses are configured in the headlight assy). The bulbs are not fitted ‘straight on’ but are at an angle so maybe this isn’t good for bulbs with a ‘blanked out’ section on the top/tip of the bulb, certainly not good for an IS250.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I have the same bulbs. But mine are D4S not H11. My car has AFS. They are really good. But if you want super bright white bulbs then go for Philip's ones.

normski2 · December 21, 2020

I'm surprised a 2010 model has Halogen headlights. I thought the Headlights had changed right across all models to HID type with D4S bulb.

Mine are ... I have the Osram Xenarc Cool Blue Intense D4S and they are very good.

My old 2007 Lexus had Halogen H11 and they were a bit rubbish it has to said.

Marleez · December 21, 2020

8 hours ago, normski2 said:

I'm surprised a 2010 model has Halogen headlights. I thought the Headlights had changed right across all models to HID type with D4S bulb.

Mine are ... I have the Osram Xenarc Cool Blue Intense D4S and they are very good.

My old 2007 Lexus had Halogen H11 and they were a bit rubbish it has to said.

My 2010 has d4s not h11. I find my night breakers are white/yellow looking. Would have preferred abit more blue. Maybe I'll change for the cool blue. Are they more brighter?

Linas.P · December 22, 2020

On 12/21/2020 at 8:24 AM, Razor61 said:

The standard H11 Halogen dipped beam bulbs seem a bit weak

Am I sensing that non-SEL version come back to bite you after all?!😁

I never considered IS250 to have the brightest lights, but standard HIDs in SEL are reasonably good. I still replaced them with OSRAM Night-breakers, but it was more for colour change and one of bulbs was getting pink tint (on HIDs that means "dying"). The halogens on IS250 was always known to be a bit inadequate, and people were fitting OSRAM bulbs as upgrades, this is where my knowledge ends... maybe there are few patterns of OSRAM bulbs depending on the lens/reflector set-up?

Razor61 · December 23, 2020

12 hours ago, Linas.P said:

Am I sensing that non-SEL version come back to bite you after all?!😁

Nope, not at all and I’m more than happy with the SE-I. I would have preferred an SE-L but not particularly for the HID headlights. The standard halogens are not really bad, I just wanted to improve them that’s all.

Linas.P · December 23, 2020

I am just teasing you, but fact is that even worst HIDs are better than best halogens... I am still surprised that OSRAM didn't improve the matter as they are usually considered a panacea for cars with halogen. Do you know what bulbs were fitted to the car?

Razor61 · December 23, 2020

17 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

I am just teasing you, but fact is that even worst HIDs are better than best halogens... I am still surprised that OSRAM didn't improve the matter as they are usually considered a panacea for cars with halogen. Do you know what bulbs were fitted to the car?

I know you are😉 I didn’t look at the make of the original bulbs but the glass was clear all round with no blanked out bit/cap at the end. I don’t think it’s the Osram bulbs themselves but the design of the lens assy on the IS250. As said before the fitment isn’t straight facing towards the front of the car but at an acute angle. I can only assume the light is bounced in the lens headlight assy and the blanked bit at the end of the bulb disrupts the light. I fitted a set of the same Osram type bulbs on the Mrs IS200 at the same time, I bought a set for the IS250 and IS200 together, they have definitely improved things on the IS200 as I expected but the fitment is ‘normal’ straight on towards the front of the car.

LenT · January 2, 2021

I fitted a pair of D4S Osram Night Breaker Laser Xenarc , as they call them, with a claimed 200% improvement over standard bulbs - and when I took them out for their first night test, I would say they were certainly that.

But it wasn’t just beam range that impressed. The dip was also brighter and better distributed. Whereas I’d previously had to use the fog lights to augment dip, in order to light up the kerbs, which is essential with our narrow, potholed country lanes, the new bulbs produced a brighter, more effective light up the kerb.

However, as I recall, they were just over £100 the pair, so clearly not the same as the Osrams you fitted.

Razor61 · January 3, 2021

14 hours ago, LenT said:

so clearly not the same as the Osrams you fitted.

You are quite right, my headlights are not Xenon (as you have) or HID but halogen. The Osram D4s bulbs you mentioned and others that have been mentioned are a different type and configuration which don’t have the blanked out bit at the end, which I suspect caused the issue.

LenT · January 3, 2021

3 hours ago, Razor61 said:

You are quite right, my headlights are not xenon (as you have) or HID but halogen.

I came to the Lexus from a Honda Accord and one of the very few disappointments was what I felt was inferior lighting. I asked the Lexus dealer if my IS250 could be upgraded to the best available bulb - only to be told that it already had them!

Having then discovered the Osrams, I thought I’d do the upgrade myself. The manual specifies both main and dip as D4Ss but gives no fitting advice, other than to state it should be done by a dealer. After watching some YouTube videos of people struggling to replace main and dip, this seemed to be good advice.

So I bought two sets, main and dip, took them along to the Dealer and settled down for a long wait. Well, fifteen minutes later it was all done. And one set handed back to me!

it seems that my model doesn’t use two bulbs, as the specs suggested, for main and dip, but one bulb for both with an electro mechanical switching system. I had no idea - and of course there’s no mention of it in the manual because it appears to be the only bulb on the car that Lexus don’t want owners to replace. I wonder why?

Incidentally the Service Manager was sufficiently impressed with the bulbs to want more details about them.

Marleez · January 3, 2021

5 hours ago, LenT said:

I came to the Lexus from a Honda Accord and one of the very few disappointments was what I felt was inferior lighting. I asked the Lexus dealer if my IS250 could be upgraded to the best available bulb - only to be told that it already had them!

Having then discovered the Osrams, I thought I’d do the upgrade myself. The manual specifies both main and dip as D4Ss but gives no fitting advice, other than to state it should be done by a dealer. After watching some YouTube videos of people struggling to replace main and dip, this seemed to be good advice.

So I bought two sets, main and dip, took them along to the Dealer and settled down for a long wait. Well, fifteen minutes later it was all done. And one set handed back to me!

it seems that my model doesn’t use two bulbs, as the specs suggested, for main and dip, but one bulb for both with an electro mechanical switching system. I had no idea - and of course there’s no mention of it in the manual because it appears to be the only bulb on the car that Lexus don’t want owners to replace. I wonder why?

Incidentally the Service Manager was sufficiently impressed with the bulbs to want more details about them.

I never heard of the bulbs switching. I have osram night breaker Lasers d4s. Do they switch?

F.A. · January 3, 2021

1 hour ago, Marleez said:

I never heard of the bulbs switching. I have osram night breaker Lasers d4s. Do they switch?

No. You have separate main and dipped beams. I’ve never heard of the electro mechanical switching system on either the HID or Halogen systems fitted to the 2IS. I was always under the impression that both were a two build system.
I think the dealer is referring to a BI HID / Xenon system. This was not available on the 2IS range but is standard on the 3IS iirc. @LenT what generation is your IS250, it sounds like you have a 3IS?

Texas · January 3, 2021

According to his profile 2015 IS250 Premier.

F.A. · January 3, 2021

36 minutes ago, Texas said:

According to his profile 2015 IS250 Premier.

Thank makes sense!

LenT · January 4, 2021

12 hours ago, F.A. said:

Thank makes sense!

Phew! That's a relief!

13 hours ago, F.A. said:

@LenT what generation is your IS250, it sounds like you have a 3IS?

As a Lexus newbie I have to admit that I have no idea. All I can add is that it was registered in Feb 2015, which I have gleaned could make it the last of its spec to be sold in the UK before it was replaced by the hybrid version.

I was as surprised as others here that it only needed one single filament bulb for main and dip. I'd never encountered this system before.

Anyhoo, my point really was to support these Osram bulbs, even if mine was a D4S as opposed to the OP's H11. But surely the really curious feature is that the OP had successfully used the same bulbs before with good results. I may have missed it but I'm not sure this disappointing result has yet been explained.

One thought that does occur to me - and I cheerfully admit I could be hopelessly wrong - is prompted by a warning on the Osram website. They claim that this range of bulbs is seeing a lot of counterfeits on the market. Not surprisingly, they state that they should only be sourced from their Authorised Dealers.

I got mine from one such - ABD.co.uk - and looking at their pic of the H11 Osram Night Breaker Laser Next Generation 12V 55W (!) there are some subtle differences in the packaging from the OP's. If they do turn out to be counterfeit - which might also explain why they didn't perform even as well as his previous H11 purchases - then poor assembly might explain the results he was getting.

Just a thought....

Texas · January 4, 2021

Quite a possibility ( counterfeit parts) as they are in a high price point and mean large returns for the fakers! I haven’t looked at the Osram Website yet but Manufacturers that do get their products copied by counterfeiters some times have a guide on how to recognise their genuine products.

Razor61 · January 4, 2021

8 hours ago, LenT said:

I got mine from one such - ABD.co.uk

I have only purchased headlight bulbs from ABD.co.uk for the past few years and is where I bought the bulbs in question so they are not dodgy counterfeit, unless ABD has supplied counterfeit which I doubt. Not sure about the subtle difference you mentioned as they look the same to me, apart from my photo wasn’t taken in a photographic studio🤣

As for poor assembly.................it’s not difficult to fit the new bulbs themselves on the IS250, IS200 and LS400. The most difficult bit is taking off any bits in order to get to the bulbs, mainly the drivers side on the IS250. I have fitted quite a lot on other cars over the years as well and always double check they are fitted correctly. On the IS250 I made absolutely sure that the new bulbs fitted and even rotated the same amount as the originals to fix them in.

I wasn’t questioning the quality of the bulbs themselves as I have always been happy with them and I bet if the H11 bulbs I purchased are fitted to another make of car they would probably be just fine. I’m pretty convinced it’s the silver ‘cap/paint’ thing on the top of the bulb (which is clearly visible in the photos) that is the problem for my IS250. New bulbs with silver ‘cap/paint’ thing on the top fitted resulted in worse and pretty poor illumination with dark stripes - original bulbs refitted which don’t have the silver ‘cap/paint’ thing on the top resulted in back to standard halogen illumination - that settles it for me and I can only guess that the design of the headlights on my ‘halogen’ headlight equipped IS250 does not like bulbs with the silver ‘cap/paint’ thing on the top.

Of course the bulbs I got may have been faulty or a faulty batch, who knows but I’m not going to buy another set. I’ve looked at pictures of other makes of H11 bulbs just now on the internet and they all have the ‘cap/paint’ thing on the top, some silver and some black, the originals in my car do not have this and are all clear glass. I may give Lexus a call tomorrow and see if they can shed any light on the issue😀

LenT · January 4, 2021

On 1/2/2021 at 12:01 PM, royoftherovers said:

LenT · January 4, 2021

17 minutes ago, Razor61 said:

I have only purchased headlight bulbs from ABD.co.uk

Then like you I would have every confidence in them. The comparison I made was with the specific H11 Osram as shown on their web page. But I would now say that the minor packaging differences are probably not significant.

I hesitate to suggest anything else as you’ve probably already done it!

However, if their website bulb checker confirmed that that was the correct bulb, then I would have thought they would refund your purchase in view of your dissatisfaction - and maybe have a solution to the poor performance.

When I bought the D4Ss from them, the bulb checker didn’t know that I only needed one bulb per lamp, but ABD refunded the unused pack without a quibble.

One way or another, I hope you have a brighter New Year!

Razor61 · January 4, 2021

30 minutes ago, LenT said:

I hope you have a brighter New Year!

🤣 that’s a better pun than mine! I’m going to take one of the bulbs out at the weekend and make sure it is all clear glass and I’m not losing it......

Razor61 · January 13, 2021

Just a slight update on this, it's a bit bizarre, it may make you laugh, it may help someone or people may have noticed this as well. It is a bit difficult to explain but I'll do my best🙂

So I've been travelling in the dark to work since I got the car a couple of months ago and have had the sat nav/multimedia display on all the time. Start of the journey to work entails a narrow dark country road with no street lights and some left hand 90 degree bends. When going round the first left hand 90 degree bend I struggled to see the left hand side of the road, so much so I was making sure I was compensating right so as not to clip anything. I could see the right hand side ok but I literally couldn't see the left hand side of the road unless I put the front fog lights on, which prompted this post about brighter bulbs.

On Monday morning I decided to to turn off the sat nav/multimedia display because it was very bright and annoying me. The next morning when going round the same left hand 90 degree bend in the dark with the sat nav/multimedia display off I could see the left hand side of the road ok. Mmmmh that started me thinking and I can only assume that because the screen was so bright it was blocking my vision to left, similar to a car coming towards you with bright headlights and it blocks your vision. The display is in the middle of the car but it's on the left when driving.

I'll play about with the display brightness or put it on night mode.