Replacing halogen headlamp bulbs

I can't recall the last time I drove at night, but Chris recently noticed that the low beams on my car weren't working. Stopped at a Wal*Mart yesterday to pick up relacements and, on the way home, checked the owners manual to check on which fasteners need to be opened (Chris was driving, not me). The owners manual says "Call your dealer if a headlight doesn't work". It then goes on to mention the danger of electric shock when replacing the bulbs and, of course, the handling precautions associated with halogen bulbs (hold by the plastic base, not the bulb itself).

There sure seems to be a contradiction in the above (call the dealer vs be careful when handling the bulb), but does anyone know why I shouldn't change the bulb myself? I seem to recall changing halogen bulbs on other vehicles with no such warnings.

The shock caution is for the HID lamps that run at very high voltages.  The halogen bulbs use just 12VDC.  Just be sure to wipe off any fingerprints with alcohol after inserting the bulb.

Thanks Ned. What are HID bulbs? Are those what the owners manual refers to as "discharge bulbs"? There were apparently two options for bulbs for this model year and I made the assumption mine were halogen, thinking I'd return them if not. If it turns out that mine are in fact HID, how would I get an electric shock if everything is turned off (or maybe I could disconnect the battery)?

The owners manual has this statement at the beginning of the "Replacing light bulbs" section, with no reference to bulb type:

"If it is necessary to replace a bulb, take the vehicle to your dealer as soon as possible. Use bulbs with the bulb numbers and wattage ratings given in the table."

Edit: Just found an explanation of HID bulbs. Life was so much easier when we used to light the wick in the old carriage lights.

HID (High Intensity Discharge) bulbs are those obnoxious blue headlamps that are always adjusted too high and blind the oncoming drivers.  We hate them.

You shouldn't get a shock if the lights are off, but the lawyers just know someone will try changing one with the power on.  I expect the concern is replacing with the wrong type bulb, again CYA lawyer speak.

Looks like Ned has it covered Tom.  Let us know how you make out with the replacement.

Ned nailed it - trying to change one with the headlights turned on. No need to worry about different types however, as the bases are completely different.

The connectors on the high beams go straight to bulbs, whereas the connectors on the low beams go to what look like they might be ballasts. The back of the light enclosures also say "Low beams, danger high voltage". So it appears the low beams are HID and the high beams are halogen, although I don't recall them being "blue" lights.

I just spent an hour trying to get at this stuff to confirm they're HID and now realize why they tell you to take it to the dealer for a bulb change    I closed the hood in disgust and I'm thinking that, in addition to the nearest dealer being an hour away, he'll find a way to charge me a lot of $$$.

I guess I'll continue with daytime-only driving.

There are HID bulbs that appear normal in color and not blue, but don't know if they are made for autos. These were 400W metal halide bulbs that truly simulate daylight and are very easy on the eyes. Used them when I was growing orchids.

Tom said:

I guess I'll continue with daytime-only driving.

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Or drive with the high beams on, they're less annoying than those HID lamps.  With our degraded night vision, we avoid night driving if at all possible.

Tom said:

I just spent an hour trying to get at this stuff to confirm they're HID and now realize why they tell you to take it to the dealer for a bulb change    I closed the hood in disgust and I'm thinking that, in addition to the nearest dealer being an hour away, he'll find a way to charge me a lot of $$$.

I guess I'll continue with daytime-only driving.

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Gee Tom those dealers have to make money somewhere.  Seems the newer the automobil the more complicated.

With any amount of automotive knowledge, you ought to be able to tell you if have HID's or not... they are completely different-looking than standard "yellow" halogen bulbs.  You headlight assembly will be different too, as HID's are a pinpointed, focused beam... rather than a wide catch-all spread of light.  That being said, many newer cars make it extremely difficult to reach the backs of headlamp bulbs regardless of the style.  I wouldn't necessarily spend the time and money at a dealer though... any full-service oil change place or auto garage should be able to handle this without a problem.

P.S. What kind of car is this (year/make/model)?  I know several Olds Aurora owners (from the Aurora forums where I'm an Admin) that have upgraded to HID's and can do some research for you if you'd like.

Thanks Scotty. Without being able to get to the bulbs, I can't tell what they look like or what color they are. Looking from the front of the car, the front (end) of all bulbs have some kind of cover over them, so I can't see the bulbs. FWIW my recollection is that these headlights put out a bright white light. Don't recall seeing yellow or blue.

After opening all the fasteners I could find that were holding the assemblies, they (the headlight assemblies) wouldn't come out, which makes me believe there are more fasteners that are not visible or readily accessible. I tried removing the air filter so I could get at one of the assemblies from the rear, but it doesn't want to come out. (Actually, the short accordion hose attached to it doesn't want to move even after loosening the hose clamp).

This topic gives new meaning to the saying "how many folks does it take to change a light bulb?"  ;D

Appreciate the offer to try to get some info on another forum. It's a 2000 Lexus LS400. Bought new and, since I keep my cars forever, I need to get another 10+ years out of it. Hopefully the high beams don't burn out before then 

I'm not fond of the quickie lube places, although I've used them for oil changes and chassis lube on some of our vehicles over the years. One time I was sitting in our prior Suburban while the guy had the hood up and I could see the guy in the next bay working on a Honda Accord. He went through the motions of yelling stuff out as he supposedly completed things. I watched him struggle with the air filter and, since we had an Accord at the time, I knew he'd have a tough time getting the filter out unless he knew how to do it. I watched him struggle for a while, then he yelled out "air filter good", although he hadn't been able to remove it. My confidence in these places hasn't been good since. Most of these places can't even inflate my tires to the correct pressure; Despite me telling them what the correct pressure was, I'd always have to stop around the corner and lower the pressure by 10 psi after they'd over inflated them.

The car is due for a service, so I'll probably get the local garage to change the bulbs while I'm there, if I haven't figured it out before then.

Edit: My wife just arrived home, so I decided to check the headlights on her Lexus; They're different from mine. Only two of the four bulbs on hers have covers over the ends. Looks like the connectors are much easier to get to.

I agree some things are just best left for the maintnenace folks.  While I prefer to do my own Maintenance there are times when it just isn't worth the bother to do it myself.

It seems odd to me that BOTH low beams would go out at the same time.  Have you checked all related fuses and circuit breakers?

Frank,

It didn't occur to me that they might have quit working at the same time. I rarely, if ever, drive at night so I had no idea they weren't working. We have several "daylight headlights required" stretches of road around us, so they've been used quite a bit. But, in daylight, I had no idea they weren't working.

I'll check fuses and hopefully they're easier to get to than the bulbs. Thanks for the tip.

Unlikely that the headlights are fused. They're almost always on a self-resetting c.b.

Tom, if you're still trying to figure out whether you have HID vs. halogen... here's a suggestion from a 2005 Caddy CTS owner on the Aurora boards (FWIW he had upgraded to an HID setup on the 2002 Aurora he used to own also):

The way to tell on my CTS is on the headlamp lens itself. If it has HID, it says DS1 on the lense, if it's halogen, it would say HB4 I believe.

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I know you said your lenses had some kind of covers over them so you may or may not be able to see any lettering or other indicators.  Another indicator of HID's is when you turn them on, they start off slightly dim and then reach full brightness within a few seconds (similar to a fluorescent light fixture) in case you noticed that when they WERE working.  Figuring that out doesn't make bulb ACCESS any easier, but at least you'll know what kind of bulbs you need to shop for...

Thanks Scotty. I just looked and didn't see any markings on the lenses. (The "covers" I mentioned are only over the front of the bulbs; They're approx 1" diameter.)

I'm pretty sure, based on a few other observations I've mentioned, that the low beams are HID and high beams are halogen. But we'll find out for sure when we get the assemblies out or get better access to the bulbs.

Someone else at ACNA posted a link on upgrading headlight bulbs on a 1990-1994 LS400... not your year I know, but maybe some of the screws and other access instructions here are similar to your 2000:

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/lighting/h3conversion.html

Tom,
A Google search turned up several Q&A's about replacing the builbs, but all said the same thing - remove the battery (drivers' side) or the air box (passenger side). They say the bulbs a readily accessible if you do it that way rather than trying to take it out from the front. Some also mentioned that you can't buy the HID bulbs from Autozone and the like, and they cost $50 from the dealer or about $300 to have them do it.