Toyotas are the cars we see most, and they cover the whole range of headlight designs: plain halogen reflectors on the Corolla NZE and Vitz, HID projectors on older Prados and Harriers, and factory LED on newer ones.
What a Toyota needs depends on which of those it has. A reflector headlight gains the most from a projector retrofit. A factory HID car usually needs its tired projectors and bulbs replaced. Almost all of them need the lens cleared first.
Most cars in Kenya arrive as used imports that are already several years old. Their headlights have had years of sun before the first Kenyan owner switches them on, which is why lens haze and tired light sources are so common here.
Ask about my Toyota
Model by model
Factory lighting varies by grade and year. This is a guide. We confirm what your car has when we see it or a photo of it.
From the factory
Halogen reflector headlights on most grades, with HID on some higher grades.
What we suggest
The big reflector housing has plenty of room, so it takes a 3.0 inch Bi-LED projector well. The gain in low-beam reach is large.
From the factory
Halogen on lower grades, HID projector low beam on mid and upper grades, LED on later and higher grades.
What we suggest
Halogen and ageing HID cars are good candidates for Bi-LED projectors. The fog lamp surrounds also take running lights with an amber turn-signal function, as in our photos.
From the factory
HID projector low beam on most, often with a swivelling function.
What we suggest
After this many years the projector and bulbs have usually lost output. Replacing the projector with a Bi-LED unit restores the light, and the lens almost always needs restoration.
From the factory
Halogen reflector headlights, with HID on a few higher grades.
What we suggest
These are the classic dim-and-yellow headlights. Restoration alone makes a visible difference. A projector retrofit turns a weak beam into a sharp, wide one.
From the factory
Halogen reflector headlights.
What we suggest
Small housings, so we fit a compact projector. LED bulbs dropped into these reflectors cause glare, which is why we retrofit a projector and not just change bulbs.
What goes wrong
Toyota lenses from the 2000s and 2010s haze heavily once the factory coating wears off. It is the most common reason for poor light on these cars.
Reflector headlights on the NZE and similar models were never strong, and a dulled reflector makes them worse.
HID bulbs lose brightness and shift colour as they age, and the projector's reflective surface dulls. A 12-year-old Harrier rarely gives the light it left the factory with.
A common shortcut that looks bright from the front but scatters light and dazzles oncoming drivers. We remove these and fit a projector.
Questions
If the lenses are yellow, start with restoration because the haze is blocking light. If you still want more reach afterwards, a projector retrofit is the real fix for that reflector headlight.
Yes. We fit LED surrounds around the fog lamps that run white as daytime lights and switch to amber with the indicators.
Often yes. After a decade the original projector and bulbs give far less light than new. A Bi-LED projector also switches on at full brightness with no warm-up.
Send the make, model and year, and whether you want a restoration or an upgrade. You will get a price before any work starts.
