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HID installation voids WARRANTY!!

16K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  jennypenny 
#1 ·
i went to my dealer today, he said that he noticed that i have modded the headlamps, he stressed that if anything goes south with electronics of the car, it will not be under warranty..

i am so so sad now.....

guys, any comments or feedback..
 
#2 · (Edited)
So let them prove it !!!

Does adding a windshield mounted gps or a radar detector also void the warrentee?

Replacing stock rims cause the shocks to fail - pleeeeeeease !!

If sh*t happens take the HID's out and they are non the wiser.


Dealers spout this stuff all the time.
 
#3 ·
I agee with audi4t. And if you look the electical load at 35W is the same as the original headlights. The dealer is just spouting bunk.
 
#7 ·
exactly what i said, the Service Manager said that since the electrical part is connected to other electronics, it may interfere with the rest of it.


Eg: lights are connected to the battery, during the HID startup, larger current is drawn, so if the battery gets faulted, its because of the HID.

i was really sad when i found out. now, i am unsure to keep my HIDs or to remove it to avoid complications.
 
#5 ·
Since you are in Singapore it's a tough call depending on the laws over there. I would contact Lexus HQ customer service for an answer in writting. Once I had my answer if it is in your favor take it to the dealer and show them how they lost a customer.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I don't think that you are going to be happy with the answer from Toyota. They take the hard line position that any modification of the "electrical" part of the car voids the warranty. I was told by a person who has been with Toyota for many years that the dealers are now even reluctant to use radio shops to fix radio problems. All they do now is replace whatever is broken with a unit from Toyota, rebuilt or new, whatever they send.

I asked the service writer to have them put in a cigarette lighter type socket switched at the footwell of the passenger seat of my Prius, but he said they weren't allowed to do ANY modifications to the electrical system under direct instructions from Toyota.

I think they are wrong and you can eventually prevail, but it is fairly expensive litigation, so I suspect the best thing to do is only do easily reversible mods and take them off if you need service on that area of the car. I always keep the old parts when I put on accessories.
 
#8 ·
thanks for your advise. i will check with my father (lawyer), he could probably help me out if anything happens.

Any other advise guys? really appreciate it!
 
#9 ·
It's funny that a few of you guys immediately start talking litigation. I would suggest that the threat of owner litigation is the reason why a non-factory approved vehicle modification may void the warranty in the first place. But go on, sue everyone, it's the American way.
 
#12 ·
anyone seen this?

LEXUS CT200H HID/LED HEADLIGHTS ASSEMBLY 2012 ONLY | eBayts really really expensive.
 
#14 ·
That's not entirely true, because they probably would have made an entry into the Lexus computer system that would follow the car wherever you went. You would have to remove them before you went to the dealer IF you had any inkling that they might be snooping around the headlights.
 
#16 · (Edited)
This is an old thread but the explanation offered is bizarre. HID lamps are ignited initially by a ballast, the side that is connected to the vehicle circuitry remains constant, on the other side of the ballast you got high voltage that will ignite the xenon gas. This is my understanding how high intensity discharge xenon lamps works. If there is voltage upsurge on the H11 socket that you interconnect the ballast to, the fuse will blow thus preventing catastrophic failure of any other component in the vehicle.

If the concern here is related to that particular circuitry, then lower the fuse value. Look at the fuse box, locate the circuitry for each side, pull it out to confirm it, and go to auto store and buy lower value. In this manner if anything happens to the converted HID circuitry and it experiences current upsurge the fuse will blow, thus safeguarding other components in the circuitry.

I have examined the CT200h fuse box, it is much more comprehensive than normal car. I do not believe there will be any issues if the conversion is done properly. Japanese cars ain't got CAN bus issues like the German cars. They do not integrate control area network logic in their bus.
 
#17 ·
So a basic H11 conversion kit would be good enough, without any risk of affecting the electronics?
 
#19 ·
Yes that is true. I have Kensun HID lights (~ $ 55); installed 11 months with no problems. Some people have gone with the more expensive Morimoto lights (~ $150). The main difference between various HID lights is the ballast and the correct information is a follows. HID lights do not generate, nor require high voltage to initial arc. The purpose of the ballast is to limit the current once the arc fires and creates negative resistance.

Even the first time you can install HID lights in between 30-40 minutes. You remove the underwood cowling with pop rivets and the undo two screws to move your windshield washer reservoir out of the way to access passenger headlight. Then you unplug you lights, put in HID lights plug in ballast and plug in lights on each side. It is recommended to get some industrial strength Velcro (about $8 at Lowes or Home Depot) to secure the ballasts.

If you think you are going to have an issue with you Lexus dealer, which more than likely you won't, it is very easy to remove the HID lights and go back to OEM halogen.

As far as HID color, 4300K matches the LEDs perfectly. I myself prefer the more 6000k white with a bluish tinge because it lights the road with a more crisp white color.

Good luck, don't worry and enjoy you HIDs
 
#23 ·
yes. the guy that did the back-up camera is at risk too.. hopefully, nothing will happen to the electronics. if anything, it would seem that your service centre will blame it on the mod related to it.

i think the only warranty issue would be the rear view mirror. like the other pros here will say, if you mod rims, they cannot void your sound system warranty.
 
#21 ·
FUD

This whole thread is ridiculous, making a
mountain out of a molehill; the typical factory FUD line. If you instill Fear Uncertainty
and doubt in the minds of a person they will remain subservient to you desires
and will not exercise their mind and suppress any ingenuity or creativity.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Originally I voiced strongly against the contention that HID coversion will void warranty by Toyta Motors of Singapore, but now that I have finished my own HID conversion I changed my position.

There is no "shoe box" to protect the back side of CT200h's light assembly. This is really bad, I mean BAD. This is so cheap and un-Lexus ....The aftermarket HID harness terminates in two prongs that will allow you to insert in the female underside of the type H11 phenol OEM connector. Typically, like in my Subaru Outback, you then will stuff these back into the "shoe box", you drill a 1 inch hole for the rubber plug, so effectively the open side the female phenol is in a protected environment of the "shoe box".

In the CT200h you ain't got this, so the underside of the phenol connector is now exposed to the hostile engine compartment environment. A solution is to make up a male connector for the aftermarket HID harness side, and connect into to female OEM phenol connector, thus providing a effective seal again. I am in the process of making/getting one.

Perhaps Toyota Motors of Singapore encountered shoddy installation practices by aftermarket shops, and logically to minimize their exposure they are denying warranty protection for HID mods.

PS: the pix came out blurry, but you will see in the center connector two wires coming out of the yellow tape, these are the wires from the two prongs which I had inserted in the female connector.
 

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#26 ·
today. my notto xenons stopped working in Auto mode.

i have to use the stalk to start them (moving on and off repeatedly)

any advise guys?
 
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