Gen3 2010 2011 Headlight bulb longevity - upgrade to HID?

BOY am I glad I saw this post! We have a 2011 Gen 3 hatch in which there have been LB problems since the car was 2 days old, the last of which was within the last year. In the last light failure my wife was driving at night when both LB bulbs blew. The car has just over 30k miles and is well under 36 months old. I am really burned about this because I was dealing directly with the service Mgr. of Erdman Toyota, Merritt Island, FL. I was never informed by anyone in this dealership that there was a TSB to correct this dangerous problem even though I expressed my concern about my wife's safety driving her car at night. When the car was 2 days old I was driving at night driving my grand daughter back to school when one LB bulb shorted making it difficult to see. I am really burned at this service Mgr. and this dealership where I bought the car.

 

Halogen bulbs - how they work.
Brighter bulbs were wanted, but when they made them brighter they also drew much more power and generated much more heat. The glass melted!
So back to the drawing board. They used chemistry and physics.
First, use quartz for the envelope. Melts at a much higher temp. allowing the envelope to fit in the car!
Next, because it is brighter the filament runs hotter. The tungsten was vapourizing, thinning the wire, which then ran hotter still at that point and the bulb failed as the filament broke. So....
Use chemistry. Fill the bulb with a halogen under pressure, which combines with tungsten vapour. Keep the volume very small (which also required the quartz envelope due to the heat). Keeping the volume small ensures the tungsten halide will be held close to the filament. It migrates to the hottest part of the filament where, due to the extreme heat, breaks down back to tungsten (attaches itself to the filament) and the halogen. A self healing filament! Halogens, for those not chemically inclined, include chlorine, bromine, iodine, fluorine and two other very rare halides. They don't use fluorine as it reacts with glass (etches it). Yes, they still fail, but when they were developing them the first try ones failed after a few seconds! The production ones have pretty good life. I have yet to replace one (knocking on wood).

What happens if the bulb is operated below rated voltage? It runs cooler. The tungsten halide won't recombine with the filament. Hence, short life.
If you run two in series as in a DRL, it's cool enough the filament doesn't vapourize and you still have long life. And when you turn on the headlamps they are switched to parallel operation, making them run hot enough to self heal (here in Canada all cars use DRLs and you can't turn them off in normal operation).
A H4 bulb draws about 5-7 Amps and that's a lot of power. A smaller wire will drop several volts, even over a few feet of wire. So that's probably why they had the "oops".

Finally, because the bulbs run so hot you DO NOT want fingerprints on them! It traps the infrared and heats the envelope even more, causing it to fail. So if you accidentally touch the bulb while installing it clean it off! A degreasing solvent works well for this. I use "non-lubricating contact cleaner" with a lens cloth. Even an alcohol swab will work.

 

Anyone have comments on installing H11 LED Low Beam Lights. I copied this from the
Lexus CT200 Forums. They look very interesting except they are shipped from China.


Install $75 LED Headlights That Are Bright Enough
I did comparisons between these LED headlights and the stock halogen. I found that the LEDs are just as bright and work great in the CT200h's projector housing. These are LED headlights that work for only $76 instead of $3,400. I recommend these if you want LED headlights.
Also many LED headlight options have fans due the lights getting really hot, this specific LED design does not need a fan and just has cooling fins. Now it does get hot enough to burn you, but so do the stock halogens.
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Main LED list is here: Install Interior LED Lights

Install OEM Fog LED Here: Install Lexus OEM LED Fog Lights on 2011 CT200h
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H11 20W LED Headlight 6000K CREE - XML2 chip (also it is fanless) Spec: 2400 lumens per light (this spec seems legit)
$75.99 is for qty 2 bulbs. Make sure to choose H11.
Buy Here: 40W 2400x2 LM 6000K H4 H L H7 H11 CREE XML Chip Car LED Head Light Fog Lamp DRL | eBay
The shipping took almost 3 weeks.
There are several vendors selling the same thing and you might able to find these cheaper on a site like aliexpress.


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The bulb comes with an H11 adaptor.


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Stock Halogen Headlight

Halogen Yellowish Color

LED Whitish Color
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Comparisons


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Halogen Lights




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Led Lights



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Halogen Lights



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Led Lights



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Halogen Lights



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Led Lights

They look like almost the exact same brightness between the halogen and led. The LEDs are whitish while the stock halogens are yellowish. These will work for headlights with the same brightness as stock.

 

Good information Smokiejoe, as I was looking at those newer fanless models without the external ignitor.

As I've personally just replaced a cheap ebay HID set where the ballast housings were getting rusty looking and the colour temperature of the bulbs was somehow off with diminished output, installed a newer xtreme HID kit with small digital ballasts. Very happy with the illumination so I trust you pictures and post will help others. Some of the LED kits were specific in notes to advise against installation into projector housings. Having not read that with the fanless kit you pictured I was curious as to how well they would do in our stock housing. Look good and use even less power than the 35 watt HID kit.

Roland

 

I'm at 80,000 miles and replaced both the headlights at about 60,000 miles each. The sidelights lasted a little less time though are a lot cheaper. The drivers side (RHD) was difficult to access though.

I think 60k out of a bulb is good going, esp considering the car was used at night a lot and I also use my headlights when it rains - which is quite often here.

The original spec Toyota bulbs last much longer than some of these cheap bulbs or those white, brighter ones. You get what you pay for in life. My granny always said "buy cheap, buy twice" and it appears that applies to headlamp bulbs

 

DO check clearance behind the headlamp housings before ordering the LED set mentioned above. It's usually too tight for those heatsinks to fit.

 

Had exactly the same thought when I was looking at these things online. Luckily most sites have a dimensional breakdown so that you can easily check for fitment up front before you pony up for a set. I have a section of my commute that has no street lighting and is sometimes foggy and snowy during a stretch between November to December. The high beam reflectors with stock bulbs are great in my opinion, aside from the fact that you really don't help by switching on the high beams when it is foggy or raining heavily. Too much bounce back. I bought the amber 9005 high beam bulbs thinking they might let me get away with using them the odd time without as much of an issue... but have to wait a few months yet to see.

I miss some of the real fog lights that were fitted to some of my cars back in the 70's and 80's... most of the stuff today is just for show.

Roland

I still have all the original Toyota bulbs... they never did burn out before I sought more light on the road for my older eyes.

But these guys here like to use barely any street lighting and the pedestrians have a thing for dark clothing.

Things have looked up of late though with improvements to our highways and major interchanges close to Vancouver, with some streets even getting upgrades to LED's with decent illumination compared to the old stuff. To me it feels like Lapland around here in November and December, with the days so short that you drive to work and back home later in the day in total darkness.

Roland

 

Tour de France. Must be a lot of people like to watch paint dry!

 

lol

Oh I agree, but apparently it's the largest annual sporting event in the World, so there must be some interest somewhere.

Tour de France The Facts | Le Tour Yorkshire

3.5 billion people watch it every year - about half the Worlds population and 188 different countries televise it (compare 111 million watch SuperBowl). 12 million people actually go out and watch it in person.

I don't recall people rioting if their team lose (World Cup), nor having to be part of a thuggish gang hating everyone who doesn't support your 'side' (football/soccer in general). It also appeals to both sexes and there was a whole rather bizarre French procession for about 2 hours prior to the riders passing, which was erm, interesting.

Am I cyclist? Nah. I'm from Yorkshire. I watched it because it was free

 

45,000 miles and four low beam replacements. What is wrong?

 

Do you leave your light switch in the On position? If yes, your bulbs might last longer if you get in the habit of turning them off and on, the main thing is that they aren't in the On position when the car is started or made Ready.

SCH-I535

 

First time I heard this part. Interesting if true.
I checked and appears to be true indeed. Sounds like same wiring are defective causing too much voltage drop.

 

Makes one think that perhaps those who have replaced the halogen bulbs with the newer LED bulbs or HID kits may be ahead of the game with using lower voltages, getting better light output and possibly no hit on bulb lifespans, which may be longer than halogens to begin with.

Roland

 

I know my previously clear 9005 highbeam bulbs got an orangish coating on them after being used at reduced power for DRLs. I never use them at full power (highbeam):



They last for years though. I've never had a highbeam bulb burn out yet.

SCH-I535

 

Use them at high beam some and see if the discoloration goes away.

 

I actually prefer them with the orangish coating it makes the DRLs
more visible IMO, during bright, sunny conditions.

SCH-I535

 

Besides, I don't think the capsule, where the coating is, will get hot enough to vaporize the material to redeposit onto the filament. Even if the bulb is run at full voltage/current.

 

as being a heavy truck mechanic for way too many years that I'd like to count-- in a "regular" vehicle with alternator have seen guys leave lights on while truck off and re-start not turning lights off 1st. and a spike from alternator blew every bulb out in truck and trailer. The prius is a different animal but still old school ---- I turn everything off then start-- yet I help maintain vehicles at area F.H. and they're off with battery dis-connect and when they flip the switch everything is on long before it starts-- they hit "G" for go and see no problems even with all lit up while starting. So take your pick-- do or don't -- do you feel lucky??? Well ? Do ya??? has anyone done an LED conversion kit or just low beam lights ? and what of out come????

 

I get to replace my light bulbs every 4 months or so I really love the car I HATE THE LIGHTS!

 

Saw this product on Amazon, seems to have good review (against those no brand eBay products) and won't cost us too much, any idea or experience with this product?

Zenex HID Conversion Kit H11 4300K (OEM White)