Cleaning Headlights

[IS300FSPORT]

Under normal operation when the headlights are on if you spray the windscreen washer, the headlamp jets also spray which is good especially during winter months. 

However if you spray again in a short time it doesnt spray the headlamps again, whilst waiting in the car with my little one today discovered when she pulled stalk continuosly it sprayed the headlamps again. Anyhow after experimenting if do you 5 short bursts of spraying the windscreen screenwash it does the headlights again which is handy during winter when the road salt/muck deposited on the headlights reduces vision.

Learn something new everyday thought id share maybe common knowledge but this is a discovery for me. 

 

[NemesisUK]

Pretty sure it details this in the handbook. It's the same with my RC and RX. Well also on my previous mercedes....

 

[J Henderson]

The 2nd-Gen IS only sprays the Headlamps on the initial pull of the wash/wipe stalk. But there's a separate button to operate them (independently), anytime you like.

[PRT68]

Yes, I was aware of this.

As an aside, many years ago I was a driver at the local car auctions, driving the cars  to the rostrum to be sold. 

This involved a very slow drive with punters giving the cars a good look over. 

Some of the traders were particularly arrogant, and us drivers used to love it when we good give their trousers a good soaking.....

[Rabbers]

It may be just an impression but I find that the amount of screenwash fluid consumed by the headlight cleaning system is disproportionately high - not alarmingly so but sufficiently for me to check the reservoir level at least once a week in winter and always top up before any long drive in dirty (literally) weather.

[IS300FSPORT]

1 hour ago, Rabbers said:

It may be just an impression but I find that the amount of screenwash fluid consumed by the headlight cleaning system is disproportionately high - not alarmingly so but sufficiently for me to check the reservoir level at least once a week in winter and always top up before any long drive in dirty (literally) weather.

Yes in the hope the fluid isn't frozen... 

Regardless I guess a good old wipe down usually does the trick, not that Im complaining but sometimes we forget the basics  tech can make some of lazy or should I say lazier 

[Rabbers]

3 hours ago, IS300FSPORT said:

Regardless I guess a good old wipe down usually does the trick, not that Im complaining but sometimes we forget the basics  tech can make some of lazy or should I say lazier 

I take your point entirely, Al.  But, then again, I‘ve always considered Lexus’ gadgetry overload to be one of the marque’s main attractions, especially for lazy people like me.

[NemesisUK]

7 hours ago, Rabbers said:

It may be just an impression but I find that the amount of screenwash fluid consumed by the headlight cleaning system is disproportionately high - not alarmingly so but sufficiently for me to check the reservoir level at least once a week in winter and always top up before any long drive in dirty (literally) weather.

"Check the reservoir level"??? 

I just wait for the screen wash low indicator to come on! 😎

 

(I do take the point of checking before a long journey though 👍)

 

[Rabbers]

1 hour ago, NemesisUK said:

"Check the reservoir level"??? 

I just wait for the screen wash low indicator to come on! 😎

I guess I’m just neurotic.  Never in my life have I seen it come on.  I don’t even know it’s there. 

[Paul Brooksbank]

Do you mean to tell me I've got headlights? 😁

[IS300FSPORT]

16 minutes ago, Paul Brooksbank said:

Do you mean to tell me I've got headlights? 😁

Oh Dear not very bright are you!

 

[J Henderson]

5 hours ago, Rabbers said:

I guess I’m just neurotic.  Never in my life have I seen it come on.  I don’t even know it’s there. 

On a 2nd-Gen IS, it's impossible to miss. It's prominence and tone are more akin to;

"Launch codes acquired. Nuclear devastation imminent!"

 

[Rabbers]

7 hours ago, J Henderson said:

On a 2nd-Gen IS, it's impossible to miss. It's prominence and tone are more akin to;

"Launch codes acquired. Nuclear devastation imminent!"

 

Thanks for the heads up.  Confirms that avoidance is the best policy.

[Linas.P]

On 10/5/2023 at 8:28 PM, IS300FSPORT said:

Under normal operation when the headlights are on if you spray the windscreen washer, the headlamp jets also spray which is good especially during winter months. 

However if you spray again in a short time it doesnt spray the headlamps again, whilst waiting in the car with my little one today discovered when she pulled stalk continuosly it sprayed the headlamps again. Anyhow after experimenting if do you 5 short bursts of spraying the windscreen screenwash it does the headlights again which is handy during winter when the road salt/muck deposited on the headlights reduces vision.

Learn something new everyday thought id share maybe common knowledge but this is a discovery for me. 

 

I am pretty sure there is separate button called "just waste more screenwash" just exactly for that reason. 

I could never understand why anyone would want to use it, but it seems that is for your use case.

It is good find that screenwash function stops wasting the screenwash on headlights after few initial presses (I didn't know that), but I am quite surprised that you found the headlight wash feature "useful". In my opinion, apart of wasting half of the screen wash in single wash it makes absolutelly not difference to how clean the headlights are... especially in summer it is annoying when you try just to clean the bugs from windscreen at night and it covers entire car in screenwash and then all the dirt sticks to wet surface just making massive mess and headlights even dirtier. In winter I guess it is less of an issue, but still I have never found that headlight washers made any difference to how clean/dirty were the headlights... and I don't just mean Lexus... I mean all cars with headlights washers. The most ridiculous example was once when I was driving in ~ -21C and I had -50C screen was in the car (or maybe -45C), but the point is that I tried to wash the headlights driving on "highway" because it was snowstorm and I thought for myself "this is going to be the first time in my life when headlights washers actually going to be useful"... just for my lights to go out completely few second later. I had to stop on the side of the what in UK would be classed as B-Road, luckily for me in Europe such "highways" have clearance on the sides to stop safely. Anyway... what I have found when I stopped was that spray from the jets just frozen into solid piece of ice and completely blocked the lights. Later I was discussing this occurrence with little bit more experienced people (who regularly drives in such conditions) and it turns out that this was to be expected with screenwash rated for very low temp - it is like 70-80% alcohol, so it does not freeze over, but it evaporates very quickly, so it is good for cold morning when you clean the windows/lights in stationary car and for melting ice/snow, but if you try to use it when going fast on the road the alcohol content evaporates almost instantly and you are left with just frozen water/chemicals (basically all non-alcohol parts). 

Anyway... why am I saying this... the headlight washers seems like good idea in theory, but they just don't work in my experience. 

Perhaps if you have off roader and go deep in mud where headlights gets covered with mud... they probably would work in that instance, but for the rest of normal circumstances they just kind of useless. 

[IS300FSPORT]

On a 2015  F Sport there is no Manual button for headlamp washers at least not on mine. No big deal to be fair as you say how likely are you to use it.

@Linas.P interesting read to be fair now I'm curious to unnderstand if the big commercial lorries have to comply with certain screenwash during winter months not a pleasant outcome if the windscreen is covered.  Half of these issues are as a result of the screenwash being diluted maybe a full drain & refill with full concentrate to reduce chances of freezing fluid from Nov-March? I dont know but I may experiment & report back.

Now thinking about it had a Ford a few years back as a company car & they had a windscreen defrost feature which was fantastic prevented screenwash freezing on the windscreen when sprayed & so much easier in the morning no need to defrost. 

Maybe heated jets & the reservoir including the lines is the end solution & I wouldnt be surprised if Mercedes have developed something already for safety reasons. Have to admit it is abit overkill but if its what the end consumer wants it should be an option. My car is getting on now maybe Lexus have stepped up their game on the latest models. Wont know until it comes time to change.

[Linas.P]

Didn't realise it is not on later models, but I guess Lexus decided it is not being used much... I always thought it is kind of strange to have such button. I would want opposite of that - button that switches of headlight washer OFF.

Yes Ford has entire windscreen heating on some models, on Lexus we get just the bottom of windscreen where the wipers rest. I this not really big deal to be honest - it probably saves minute or two in the morning, but turn-on on windscreen defrost fan mostly does the job. As long as windscreen stays above 0C it will defrost and won't freeze over, so it does not need to be actually hot.

I never had windscreen jet's freezing over on me, but headlight washers did. Basically in very cold condition to wash the headlights, one would need to stop first, because doing it at speed really results in "interesting" situation. 

[Mincey]

On 10/6/2023 at 11:03 PM, J Henderson said:

On a 2nd-Gen IS, it's impossible to miss. It's prominence and tone are more akin to;

"Launch codes acquired. Nuclear devastation imminent!"

 

You're not wrong - I remember mine going off just as I was about to start a 90 minute journey to Thetford. All the way I was trying to think of where I could stop to get some water. Bong! "Washer fluid low" every few minutes. It was one of the few times I was glad to get to work...