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To the engineer who designed the low beam headlights on the Toyota Highlander

This topic can be found at:
https://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/230601935/m/1930062674

November 04, 2020, 09:44 AM
Edmond
To the engineer who designed the low beam headlights on the Toyota Highlander
I hope someone kicks you in the balls repeatedly.

You decided to offset the mount for the bulb which makes it nearly impossible for me to put an LED there. I know I can use an LED because the highest trim comes with an LED. The heat fan on the LED won't let it clear the housing.

I have tried 6-7 different manufacturers.

They should make engineers maintain the cars they design.


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November 04, 2020, 12:07 PM
bonfire
What year is your highlander? I had a 2017 and it was a pain to install the led bulbs due to space. Once I did get them in I can't remember if I had the dust cover back which I don't think I did and I had zero issues for three years. Traded it on a 2020 highlander which has the LED headlights and they are amazing. I got mine from https://www.headlightrevolution.com


In war, truth is the first casualty. Aeschylus Greek tragic dramatist (525 BC - 456 BC)

November 04, 2020, 01:11 PM
Edmond
2018 Highlander XLE.


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November 05, 2020, 05:49 AM
vthoky





God bless America.
November 05, 2020, 06:32 AM
BigSwede
Here is a video of the procedure for your Yota. This is the only reason I love youtube. The guy uses extended dust caps on the headlamp assembly

I just received my LEDs for the kids Sorento and will be replacing them Saturday, made sure via video they would fit first





November 05, 2020, 09:11 AM
Edmond
quote:
Originally posted by bonfire:
What year is your highlander? I had a 2017 and it was a pain to install the led bulbs due to space. Once I did get them in I can't remember if I had the dust cover back which I don't think I did and I had zero issues for three years. Traded it on a 2020 highlander which has the LED headlights and they are amazing. I got mine from https://www.headlightrevolution.com


Thank you for the link. I was looking through the bulbs and they said not street legal. But headlights come from the factory with LED.

What's the deal with that?


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November 05, 2020, 10:20 AM
Orguss
Is it possible the LED housing is different from the housing for the bulbs that were originally on your truck?



"I'm yet another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet raised to an alarming extent by Hollywood and Madison Avenue, poised with my cynical and alienated peers to take over the world when you're old and weak!" - Calvin, "Calvin & Hobbes"
November 05, 2020, 01:28 PM
Perception
quote:
Originally posted by Edmond:
quote:
Originally posted by bonfire:
What year is your highlander? I had a 2017 and it was a pain to install the led bulbs due to space. Once I did get them in I can't remember if I had the dust cover back which I don't think I did and I had zero issues for three years. Traded it on a 2020 highlander which has the LED headlights and they are amazing. I got mine from https://www.headlightrevolution.com


Thank you for the link. I was looking through the bulbs and they said not street legal. But headlights come from the factory with LED.

What's the deal with that?


The deal is that LED bulbs should not be used without housings designed specifically for the LED. There may be an option for LED headlights on some models of your highlander, but the entire housing in that case is designed around those LED bulbs even if it looks similar. LED light in housing designed for halogen=poor cutoff and beam shape, and glare for oncoming traffic.




"The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford, "it is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards."
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard, then the wrong lizard might get in."
November 05, 2020, 04:14 PM
HRK
Just a word of caution, headlight housings not specifically designed for LED bulbs put out a blinding pattern to oncoming drivers.

Yes you may have more light, however it's misdirected since the reflector is designed to work with halogen bulbs that work differently.

Find a set of the correct LED reflectors on Ebay or Amazon, or in a junk yard if they fit from multiple years, then put in a LED bulb, you'll get a much better light pattern and won't blind everyone.



November 05, 2020, 06:01 PM
kramden
quote:
Originally posted by vthoky:
I agree 1000%. Some idiot coming towards me with what I'm sure is his (or her) bright lights on. I flash them and no that was actually their low beams. Absolutely blinding. If you're going to put them in ...GET THEM ADJUSTED!!!!!!
November 05, 2020, 06:25 PM
P250UA5
quote:
Originally posted by kramden:
quote:
Originally posted by vthoky:
I agree 1000%. Some idiot coming towards me with what I'm sure is his (or her) bright lights on. I flash them and no that was actually their low beams. Absolutely blinding. If you're going to put them in ...GET THEM ADJUSTED!!!!!!


Yep.
Had a set in my '16 F150 & only got flashed once when pulling a heavy trailer.

A user on the F150 forum found a set that had the LED chips were almost exactly where a halogen filament would be.




The Enemy's gate is down.
November 06, 2020, 12:14 AM
1lowlife
See if you can buy the OEM LED headlights and put them in your lesser class Highlander.
On my Tundra forum we put 2018 and up stock LED headlights in 2014 and up Tundras all the time.
Although we need an iHacker harness to do it.

Research and see if you can do it in your Highlander.

If anything replace your stock halogens with Sylvavina Silverstar for a whiter brighter light, much better the yellow stock bulbs..
Not the cheap ones or the Ultras, just the plain Silverstar in the link.

I've run them in my Tundra for years.
November 06, 2020, 03:56 AM
Chowser
My bmw comes with led headlights from the factory and the housings look different for the halogen cars. In fact there is no separate high beam bulb. The same leds do low beam and high-beam.

My daughter’s new subaru came with halogens but i found aftermarket leds that take the reflector into account and her led lights are aimed correctly. It looks much better and she can see more at night without blinding people.



Not minority enough!
November 06, 2020, 11:45 PM
sigmonkey





"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
November 07, 2020, 10:12 AM
gpbst3
It must be a Toyota thing. I had a Tundra and wanted to swap out the bulbs. The manual says to remove the wheel well lining and reach up and remove the bulb blind. After my arm looked like I was attacked by a cat I tried plan B.

I found another video and had to remove the front grill and a corner trim piece to drop the entire headlight to access the bulb.


November 07, 2020, 05:19 PM
Chowser
quote:
Originally posted by gpbst3:
It must be a Toyota thing.


no. it's a make it hard to work on everything thing.

my '06/'09 BMW headlights were swapped by opening a panel in the wheel wells.

my ex's '08 buick lacrosse, i had to loosen the entire front bumper, pull it out a little then barely had room to change the bulb.

my daughter's '20 subaru, i had to move part of the airbox out of the way to replace a bulb, but it wasn't too bad.



Not minority enough!