Toyota of Laredo Service Center Upgrades to UFO High Bay LED Lights Case Study

The Backstory of Toyota of Laredo's Relationship With LED Lighting Supply

The project began when Toyota of Laredo’s Parts and Service Director Beto Pena contacted LED Lighting Supply for consultative guidance on upgrading the lighting inside the dealership's Parts and Service Center garage. The Toyota Parts and Service Center combines the parts and service departments. Daily operational success is measured by technician productivity, repair accuracy, and the number of vehicles that move through the bays. The service garage was running on 400-watt metal halide fixtures that had reached the end of their service life. For a technician working under a hood or on a lift, inconsistent light is more than a comfort complaint. It affects the ability to read a part number, match a paint color, or spot a leak on a dark engine block.

The Challenge of the Auto-Service Center Lighting Project

Toyota needed a lighting expert to support an LED upgrade for this service center garage project. The legacy system had degraded to the point where it was slowing technician productivity, introducing risk, and extending repair times for dealership customers. The improper light levels in the Toyota service garages posed several risks:

• Fluid leaks, cracks, corrosion, and worn-out belts are easy to miss in a dark environment
• Technicians compensate for slower repair times with a drop light or flashlight, which occupies a hand that should be on a tool
• Aging metal halide lighting often shifts color as it burns, making wire identification, fluid reads, and paint color matching unreliable
• Uneven light output between bays forces the eye to readjust every time a technician moves, which builds fatigue
• Shadows under a lifted vehicle cause technicians to experience depth perception issues around lift arms, jack stands, and cords
• A metal halide needs 10 to 15 minutes to restrike after a power interruption, leaving bays dark and vehicles stranded mid-service
• Service advisors and customers walking through the bays face the same floor hazards without a technician's familiarity with the space

The lighting needed to align with the garage layout, accounting for where the lifts sit, how high a vehicle rises when it is up on the rack, and where technicians actually need light on the floor. LED technology provides a bright light output for reading fluid, wire, and paint accurately. An LED source comes to full output the instant it is switched on, unlike the metal halide fixtures Toyota had in place. The recommended light level for automotive service bays ranges from 50 to 100 foot candles (fc). This value is well above what the aging 400-watt metal halide system delivered on the service garage floor.

* Foot candle ranges are general planning guidance. Final fixture count, spacing, uniformity, and glare control should be confirmed with a photometric plan or a qualified professional.

LED Lighting Supply’s Custom Strategy and Solution for the Parts and Service Garage

Toyota was connected with LED Lighting Supply Product Specialist, Mike Ciaffone, for expert support on the service garage lighting upgrade. LED Lighting Supply guided the customer from the first call through the follow-up order. Our role was to translate the issues Toyota was describing on the shop floor. The strategy was to turn uneven light levels into a light fixture product recommendation and layout that would perform shift after shift. Toyota of Laredo's service center operates separately from the dealership showroom. This means the lighting in question applied to the garage, not the retail space.

LED Lighting Supply gathered the necessary details to determine light fixture recommendations in a service environment. This includes the ceiling height, bay layout, lift locations, the placement of the existing lights, and what tasks technicians perform in each bay. The recommendation was a 200-watt UFO LED high bay light. The solution delivers 30,000 lumens at a 5000K color temperature. 16 units covered the service garages in the initial March 2021 order. Two months later, Toyota contacted LED Lighting Supply to add 4 more, extending light coverage in another garage area.

* A licensed electrician must perform all electrical work and wiring in compliance with the National Electrical Code and local requirements. A qualified professional should verify final fixture selection, mounting, and placement.

LED lights reach full output instantly. The metal halide restrike delay had previously left the garage dark, and vehicles stranded mid-service. The high bay LED lighting layout provides uniform illumination on the floor and under car hoods, rather than creating dark spots and shadows.

The Results of LED Lighting Supply’s Auto-Service Center Lighting Solution

Toyota ran a full production cycle under the new lighting before deciding to extend it in another area of the garage. The garage saw improved performance, giving Toyota the confidence to continue working with LED Lighting Supply rather than shopping the market again. In total, 20 of the 200-watt high bay LEDs illuminate Toyota of Laredo’s Parts and Service Center. The garage now operates within the recommended range of 50 to 100 foot candles for automotive service work.

The uniform lighting supports a safer, more productive operation for Toyota technicians and customers dropping off their cars in the service bays. Technicians no longer work one-handed with a flashlight or drop light, improving efficiency and safety. The neutral color temperature means paint colors, fluid condition, and part numbers can be read effectively. This results in fewer missed findings during multi-point inspections and repairs. The lighting upgrade provided more than just improved visibility for Toyota’s garage. The LED solution is projected to save Toyota of Laredo $1,765 in the first year.

Estimated Savings and Payback for the Parts and Service Center

* Savings and payback estimations are based on the local utility rate of $0.0777 per kWh for commercial and industrial buildings in Laredo, Texas. These values are calculated by our LED savings calculator using operating hours, baseline wattage, fixture count, and payback details.

A service garage upgrade should start with the layout, matched to how the work areas are actually used. The new LED high bays put light where the work happens, at half the wattage of the metal halide fixtures they replaced. The specification holds up through years of daily use while reducing energy costs.