GX470 headlights question (4 Viewers)

[SandSpider]

I just bought a 2005 GX470. The previous owner had a set of new headlights installed a month ago. They came from Amazon, so probably not factory parts.

To make this simple, are the GX470 headlights supposed to be so crappy? I have never driven another GX470, so I honestly don't know

These lights throw large, dark blotches right in front of the car, maybe 6 feet out. Then the actual light is a fairly narrow band with a sharp edge at the end of its reach.

Also, the daytime running lights are two orange squares that look like they should be the blinkers. Are the factory lights like that?

Trying to figure out if the shop that installed these hooked them up wrong, or if they are just poor quality lights.

any suggestion for better headlights?

Thanks!

 

[kem]

Depends what you're used to, but I'd say the factory headlights suck. They're halogen. My 2010 Audi A6 had far superior headlights, but then again they are HID and not halogen. I am pretty surprised Lexus never added HIDs from the factory.

First I'd determine if your aftermarket headlights are part of the problem by comparing it to a stock one. If it looks the same then you can probably keep the housings and look into an HID upgrade.

 

[Tanner H]

The two bright orange lights are the daytime lights. i actually like those, especially on dusty trails.

just like @kem said: the factory halogen lights are pretty wack. I would suggest reading up on an led bulb setup. plug and play with much better lighting.


one final thing, your headlights probably werent adjusted when installed. look up any headlight adjustment on youtube and you can do it in front of a wall. the back of the headlight housing have little gears you can dial in your beam.

 

[kody472]

The two bright orange lights are the daytime lights. i actually like those, especially on dusty trails.

just like @kem said: the factory halogen lights are pretty wack. I would suggest reading up on an led bulb setup. plug and play with much better lighting.


one final thing, your headlights probably werent adjusted when installed. look up any headlight adjustment on youtube and you can do it in front of a wall. the back of the headlight housing have little gears you can dial in your beam.

Do you recommend any LED setup?

 

[kem]

I installed these today and they are a huge difference over the bulbs I had (2009 oem).
Amazon product ASIN B07TH8F1TP
The first two pics are side by side comparisons:

Then at night, this is both LEDs

 

[kody472]

I installed these today and they are a huge difference over the bulbs I had (2009 oem).
Amazon product ASIN B07TH8F1TP
The first two pics are side by side comparisons:
View attachment 2452913

View attachment 2452914

Then at night, this is both LEDs
View attachment 2452915
View attachment 2452916

Which one's are those?

 

[MrTorgue]

Which one's are those?

They look just like the Alla’s I installed on our 470. They are stupid bright. I put these in the high beams too (the correct bulb type of course). I bought a set for my 460 too

Amazon product ASIN B07TH8GNDS

 

[kem]

Click the amazon link

Which one's are those?

 

[kody472]

Click the amazon link

Thanks, but not sure why I don't see a link? Can you resend it?

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

I just bought a 2006 GX470 and bought a set of DEPO headlights (I've had extremely good experiences with them) and bought NARVA 150% 4200 Kelvin halogen bulbs. Not a fan of LED swaps or color.

Just remember that LEDs 99% don't produce enough heat to melt ice off your lights and has ALWAYS been a negative for me. Icy winters in East Texas and Louisiana have proven to be a PITA with LEDs.

Good Luck!

J

 

[SandSpider]

Icy winters in East Texas and Louisiana have proven to be a PITA with LEDs.

Say what? I've lived in Louisiana for 25 years and I can not recall one winter where I had ice on my headlights. In fact, now that I think about it, I can't recall any actual winters here.

 

[kody472]

Say what? I've lived in Louisiana for 25 years and I can not recall one winter where I had ice on my headlights. In fact, now that I think about it, I can't recall any actual winters here.

I've lived here my whole life (38 years). We had winter about 6 years ago. The roads got some ice and everything shut down.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Say what? I've lived in Louisiana for 25 years and I can not recall one winter where I had ice on my headlights. In fact, now that I think about it, I can't recall any actual winters here.

I've lived here my whole life (38 years). We had winter about 6 years ago. The roads got some ice and everything shut down.

I lived in Tyler, TX for years and we had icy mornings quite often and then I was assigned in Carthage, TX and had a 200- 250 mile radius work area (quite a bit into Shreveport/Bethany, etc). My company truck had been converted to LEDs and I had to scrap ice off the lights pretty much every morning over the course of two back to back winters in 2011/12. Visibility in the mornings and late evenings were crap to the point of being unsafe. I eventually changed out the bulbs and never happened again. The other company trucks that had LEDs were the same and followed my lead. When I went to Wyoming and got a new truck the first thing I asked maintenance was what bulns were in the lights. They said LEDS were not allowed in any regional vehicle there. I did more research and it is a well known issue that LEDs do not produce enough heat to melt ice off the lights.

Google search LEDS and heat to melt ice. It's a known issue.

 

[kody472]

I lived in Tyler, TX for years and we had icy mornings quite often and then I was assigned in Carthage, TX and had a 200- 250 mile radius work area (quite a bit into Shreveport/Bethany, etc). My company truck had been converted to LEDs and I had to scrap ice off the lights pretty much every morning over the course of two back to back winters in 2011/12. Visibility in the mornings and late evenings were crap to the point of being unsafe. I eventually changed out the bulbs and never happened again. The other company trucks that had LEDs were the same and followed my lead. When I went to Wyoming and got a new truck the first thing I asked maintenance was what bulns were in the lights. They said LEDS were not allowed in any regional vehicle there. I did more research and it is a well known issue that LEDs do not produce enough heat to melt ice off the lights.

Google search LEDS and heat to melt ice. It's a known issue.

I agree completely and I know about the LED vs frost. I put Trucklite LED headlights on my JKU when they first came out. On the Jeep forums, everybody that bought them in colder climates complained about that issue. Trucklite then came out with heated headlights to fix that issue.

I was just joking about the not having winter here, but we kinda don't. I live in southeast Louisiana. Not much of an issue. With that being said, I don't care for the color of the LEDs either. I'm looking into the bulbs you mentioned. Do you happen to have a link?

 

[jonnygx]

I heard the depo headlights last about a year or so before cracking so I held off, restored mine with cerakote ceramics and then I retrofitted with LED lamps and painted the housings. Here’s a little before and after.

 

[Nothinghead]

I heard the depo headlights last about a year or so before cracking so I held off, restored mine with cerakote ceramics and then I retrofitted with LED lamps and painted the housings. Here’s a little before and after.

I am at two years and about 20,000 miles (including two salty and gritty Utah winters) with depo’s and they look like new. They were worth it just to get a away from the green/yellow haze with oem, non-sport headlights. Like you, I’m running LEDs. I don’t know if the minimal heat from LEDs helps the plastic last longer or not. It sure doesn’t help stop them from icing over.