LX470 HID Retrofit Project

[Flipped Bezel]

Sorry I'm not sure at all. I'd bet Lou will answer once he see this question...

You could also read up more or post here in this thread and he may see it quicker: LX470 HID RETROFIT PROJECTOR BRACKET

 

[greasem0nkey86]

Lou built mine also....I didn't have the time or desire to open brand new housings up. I highly recommend this mod for anyone on the fence. It is like night and day compared to the OEM lights.

I really dig @greasem0nkey86 ballast bracket solution. It would be nice if he could share the file or dimensions so others could easily duplicate it. These would do away with having to drill holes in engine compartment sheet metal to secure ballasts like I did and give it a much cleaner installation..

I'd gladly pay extra for @Luke111 to offer a ballast mount like this with brass bushings installed in my next set of LX housings. The only worry is if ballast should ever fail it may require removal of the entire housing to swap it out...

I had Lou build mine as well, didn't have the confidence nor time to open up the headlamps. I opt'd for the D2S 5.0, based on the reviews, as it's a bit wider than the Mini H1 (supposedly) and I like the igniters right on the bulb.

Like @Flipped Bezel, I highly recommended the upgrade as well, I haven't taken the truck off-road yet, but even on road it's a big improvement over the halogen projectors.

I did provide the link for the brass inserts. I don't have any files or dimensions on the plate used to mount the bracket. I used paper to poke a hole on three of the mounting holes to get a template of where to drill the holes, placed said paper on a table, placed the ballast on the paper and drew out how I imagined the plate to be. It took several tries, had to cut down the plate a few times for the best fitment.

If you look underneath the headlight, from under the bumper, you practically have clear access to the three mounting holes to the plate. While there isn't much room, there is somewhat decent access.

I can provide some photos later this week.

 

[CutterH]

I recently did an HID retrofit with Lou’s bracket and it is an incredible upgrade. I cannot imagine going back to the old projectors.

I did a bit more than just swapping in the HID low beams, but my cost was:

• Lou’s bracket - $100
• Mini H1 HID projectors - $300
• Lou’s LED DRL/high-beam setup - $200 (not required for the lows, but matches the color much better)
• Used glass-front headlight housings - $250 total (I had old plastic fronts that were in bad shape and decided to swap the fronts while I had the housings open anyway)

The labor wasn’t too complicated, but it did take a fair amount of time.

 

[Flipped Bezel]

I had Lou build mine as well, didn't have the confidence nor time to open up the headlamps. I opt'd for the D2S 5.0, based on the reviews, as it's a bit wider than the Mini H1 (supposedly) and I like the igniters right on the bulb.

Like @Flipped Bezel, I highly recommended the upgrade as well, I haven't taken the truck off-road yet, but even on road it's a big improvement over the halogen projectors.

I did provide the link for the brass inserts. I don't have any files or dimensions on the plate used to mount the bracket. I used paper to poke a hole on three of the mounting holes to get a template of where to drill the holes, placed said paper on a table, placed the ballast on the paper and drew out how I imagined the plate to be. It took several tries, had to cut down the plate a few times for the best fitment.

If you look underneath the headlight, from under the bumper, you practically have clear access to the three mounting holes to the plate. While there isn't much room, there is somewhat decent access.

I can provide some photos later this week.

Thanks for the info and posting any details! That came out great and I agree on Lou's lamps.

I plan to get another set from Lou when I am ready to upgrade my wife's LX. I'd like to make a similar plate for those ballasts when I do upgrade that truck.

 

[apdxyk]

Your OEM toyota "relay system" is not putting out enough voltage to ignite the ballasts and properly power them. If you aren't going to install a relay harness that pulls directly from the battery to power the ballasts and only use the OEM power to open the relay, then you are not installing it correctly and potentially putting your stock harness at risk. Your stock wiring was not spec to that power load.

Could you provide numbers please? It is the other way around on all HID systems I have on my other cars: they have lower power consumption. I have a make with conventional and factory HID for example and have numbers.

LCMs are usually the culprits with the retrofits on some older cars. All proper ballasts and igniters have a decent working voltage range btw. Not sure about the cheaper Chicoms with fake Japanese names. And the proper ones have an interesting working hours minumum in their specs.

You guys are arguing without any numbers, just 'opinions'. Why would Luke have to warranty so many igniters if they were so good and overall design is engineered and tested properly?

Switching to glass alone is a night and day improvement.

(Not even starting on cones and rods in our retinas and eye strain from the wrong spectrum at night with piss poor spectrum continuity in case of LEDs)

 

[Luke111]

If anybody has question regarding the brackets or custom retrofitted lights please PM me or move the conversation to the bracket thread

LX470 HID RETROFIT PROJECTOR BRACKET

LX470 HID RETROFIT PROJECTOR BRACKETS ARE AVAILABLE www.lbbuiltwerks.com HID MINI H1 BRACKET AND PROJECTOR INSTALL GUIDE https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/led-drl-and-high-beam-for-lx-and-lc.1126169/ In my quest to simplify the retrofit process in my LX470 I decided to have a bracket made...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[katit]

Could you provide numbers please? It is the other way around on all HID systems I have on my other cars: they have lower power consumption. I have a make with conventional and factory HID for example and have numbers.

LCMs are usually the culprits with the retrofits on some older cars. All proper ballasts and igniters have a decent working voltage range btw. Not sure about the cheaper Chicoms with fake Japanese names. And the proper ones have an interesting working hours minumum in their specs.

You guys are arguing without any numbers, just 'opinions'. Why would Luke have to warranty so many igniters if they were so good and overall design is engineered and tested properly?

Switching to glass alone is a night and day improvement.

(Not even starting on cones and rods in our retinas and eye strain from the wrong spectrum at night with piss poor spectrum continuity in case of LEDs)

As I mentioned above - I just did retrofit.

Couple simple facts
- Luke developed bracket which makes conversion to Morimoto HID plug n play.
- Morimoto is just his choice and from what I see the biggest player on a market with warranty and cost/value. Do you have any alternative?
- I love how HIDs perform and I even got another set from TRS for my wife's minivan. I had glass already. Retrofit is like night and day.
- I DID NOT like wiring. Not clean. I just mounted ballasts inbetween high and low beam with 2 screws. Still there relay harness, ignitors. Not clean..

So, I am totally with you on everything you said but for the price I think there is no better way.

I think we should give Luke credit for bringing affordable solution.

I also think Luke need to create better DIY for when and how route wires, mount ballasts, etc. Calling/texting is nice - but having detailed instructions for whole process would eliminate all that(calling/texting)

 

[apdxyk]

I think we should give Luke credit for bringing affordable solution.

Absolutely. Great work, and it is no small amount of work involved. My hat is off!

As always with the mass market, everything is built to the price point. This hobby can get expensive quickly. If you want to go the affordable way, simply be prepared to replace parts now and then.

The design subject is involved, requires quite a bit of compromises. Everybody has their preferences. Just remember that the Kelvins go up with the hours on the bulb, and in my case I replace the bulbs earlier than most folks who do that when something is dead. 4300K is the highest you should eve need, there is one (I think) that is 4100K rated, unless I missed something. The higher the Kelvins the higher your eye fatigue is going to be if you really drive nights for long hours. But, at the beginning, it is "Yeah! Wow! Especially on the snow!"

P.S. if I were to recomend anything, it would be Luke's turn-key solutions with a call and detailed discussion of what is involved and what to expect. Expectations management.

 

[katit]

The design subject is involved, requires quite a bit of compromises. Everybody has their preferences. Just remember that the Kelvins go up with the hours on the bulb, and in my case I replace the bulbs earlier than most folks who do that when something is dead. 4300K is the highest you should eve need, there is one (I think) that is 4100K rated, unless I missed something. The higher the Kelvins the higher your eye fatigue is going to be if you really drive nights for long hours. But, at the beginning, it is "Yeah! Wow! Especially on the snow!"

P.S. if I were to recomend anything, it would be Luke's turn-key solutions with a call and detailed discussion of what is involved and what to expect. Expectations management.

In my case - I don't drive a lot at nights, just short trips around town. So, light needed only at certain times of year when it gets dark early. Maybe 4 month a year. And it's all local.

I got 5500k bulbs, for wife's car I ordered 4500k
I don't feel any fatigue, I would say otherwise, I feel more relaxed driving at night vs original lights.

IF. There was purpose made wiring with correct length, few connections and detailed instructions - I would pay for that! Ideal solution IMO would be a "block" with relays, igniters and ballasts all in one neat package.

 

[xirforever]

Here is an update on the igniter situation just in case this might help someone in the future. I went ahead and bought one new igniter and swapped it out to see what happened. I drove around for a month like this and collected data. In which period the headlight with the new igniter did not fail to light a single time, so I was very pleased. The other igniter failed roughly 20% of the time (I would make a tally on a sheet every time the headlights would turn on for a month).

With the problem confirmed, I called TRS. I told them that I knew I was probably out of warranty because it had been over a year since I bought them, but I wanted to see if there was anything they could do to help. Turns out, there is a 5 year warranty on those igniters. TRS was very easy to work with, and got me squared away. The problem has now been solved, and I am back to loving my headlights. I guess with the 5 year warranty it makes the situation much better, but this is definitely something that should be addressed.

Here are the dimensions to the ballast mount if anyone wants them.

 

[jerryb]

I have found the best ignitors are the pinkish round ones with the black backing. Found on Ali, eBay etc, and what trs use to send out before the fake stainless rectangle ones with fancy sheathing. I broke two of those before I even turned a switch.

No offense to trs, they're just doing what they need to do.
The prongs break off easy and there's no significant click when they're seated. Unlike the ones they use to sell.
The other fact is, no one is going to buy a well made relay set up with quality cords and ballasts.

I'm happy there's all these cheap parts out there to test around with. It's pretty amazing you can have better headlights than the 100k all LED Lexus and Mercedes out there for a few hundred dollars.

They warranty them (cords) any time because they cost about 25 cents. 18c actually for 100quantity. Good on them for doing it.

 

[Joe422]

I've been running HID's straight wired straight to the stock HL harness for over 16 yrs on my '04 LX.

Did have the occasional ballast go bad from more expensive aftermarket HID kits, and ironically, the cheaper DDM Tuning HID kits have lastest the longest... plus they have lifetime warranty.
DDM is pretty popular and well know for Euro car guys.. BMW's etc... and I've used DDM Tuning HID kits (ranging $35-75) in Hondas, Toyotas, Lexus, Audi's, BMW's.. etc.. and they have all outlasted the other kits... plus I can just walk into the local store (Huntington Beach) and they'll hand me a new ballast/ignitor/bulb, etc.. on the spot if it goes bad. Can't get myself to buy the pricier aftermaket HID kits anymore... unless they are OEM brands (Hella, Osram, etc). 7 cars in my family are currently still running DDM HID's... all functioning fine, some over 10 yrs old.

That being said... I have no affiliation w/ them... but just sharing past and current experience, in case anyone is willing to hear other options.
.. and yes, they are made in China.. most likely your kit will be shipped direct from China... just Clorex wipe it and enjoy~

 

[Ironsides]

Where can I buy those brackets ?

 

[jtb517]

Where can I buy those brackets ?

I’m three sheets to the wind right now … but pretty sure this is what you want…

LB BuiltWerks - Design - Fabrication - Retrofit Lexus LX470 Headlights

Custom Lexus LX470 Retrofit Brackets or New LX470 OEM Headlights Retrofitted with Morimoto HID/LED Projectors.

lbbuiltwerks.com

 

[Ironsides]

^^^Thanks!

Does anyone know where we can buy new glass?

 

[jtb517]

^^^Thanks!

Does anyone know where we can buy new glass?

I don’t think you can buy the glass lens by itself. Pretty sure you have to buy the entire assembly.

 

[777300er]

Anyone willing to pay 30-40 USD for a set of those ballast brackets? Will come with hardware and as many ballast patterns as I can get before release drilled into it. Currently setup for Hylux and Morimoto XB35 ballasts but will also have the pattern for denso slims.

 

[vvalker]

I don’t think you can buy the glass lens by itself. Pretty sure you have to buy the entire assembly.

I just bought the glass lensed headlamps from a local Lexus dealership. They were $367.51 each (running a sale for Christmas) List is $645.03. I see them on LexusPartsNow.com for a similar price, though.

Part numbers:
81170-60802 LH with glass lenses
81130-6A082 RH with glass lenses
Lexus of Fremont
Wholesale Parts Direct 510-623-5411 Ask for Gary or Scotty

Good luck!

 

[logicbyondreaso]

Here is an update on the igniter situation just in case this might help someone in the future. I went ahead and bought one new igniter and swapped it out to see what happened. I drove around for a month like this and collected data. In which period the headlight with the new igniter did not fail to light a single time, so I was very pleased. The other igniter failed roughly 20% of the time (I would make a tally on a sheet every time the headlights would turn on for a month).

With the problem confirmed, I called TRS. I told them that I knew I was probably out of warranty because it had been over a year since I bought them, but I wanted to see if there was anything they could do to help. Turns out, there is a 5 year warranty on those igniters. TRS was very easy to work with, and got me squared away. The problem has now been solved, and I am back to loving my headlights. I guess with the 5 year warranty it makes the situation much better, but this is definitely something that should be addressed.

Here are the dimensions to the ballast mount if anyone wants them.

View attachment 2181502

Are these brackets being produced for purchase?
If not, are there any objections on using the above drawing to make a small batch for anyone interested?
I plan on modeling and sending out to a shop to have them made. If people are interested I can see what a small batch costs to make.

 

[LCT]

Anyone willing to pay 30-40 USD for a set of those ballast brackets? Will come with hardware and as many ballast patterns as I can get before release drilled into it. Currently setup for Hylux and Morimoto XB35 ballasts but will also have the pattern for denso slims.

I know it’s been a while since you posted but id be interested if you have any available.