hid headlamp replacements

Super!
How far out of warranty were you on the second lamp? You must have talked real nice to them!?!?

 

I do not think one needs to. The DOT has been on Toyota's case regarding these lights.

There are ambulance chaser's out there advertising suing regarding HID failures. It's just good business.

I love the HID lights, but I do wish they were more reliable.

 

so toyota will always change these lights for free with a bit of argument?

 

I was told by Piercey Toyota of San Jose that headlamp bulbs are not covered under warranty. I paid $545 ($314 for the part and 205 for labor) to have the bulb replaced at about 48K. Funny how both bulbs are on equal amounts of time but the other bulb is still going strong at 75K.

 

Toyota paid for the replacement of both our headlights in March 08. Last week the drivers side went out, I paid to have it replaced....$300...called Toyota. They offered to pay for the replacement of the passenger side when it goes out. Today it went out....go figure. -------Here's the important part---Toyota said the bulbs they are now using are "permanent, wont need replacing anytime soon." She said these new bulbs are different, and wont "create problems with the computer on the Prius".

 

I just got off the phone with my "case manager" where I expressed my disappointment with her offer of a one time "good will gesture" to cover half the cost of the one HID headlight....nothing on the other that is now blinking ...when I asked if I could speak to someone else, she replied that she was the corporate contact and it was essentially take it or leave it offer...I declined...very disappointing "customer service" from Toyota on this issue......we have had toyotas for years, and was considering gen III to replace 2007 touring with 69,000 miles...but not unless they do better than this...lower the price to $150 on the bulb???!??!?,,, what is that???

 

Try ordering from highperformancebulbs.com. I got the D4R lamps - 2 for $49.95. They need very small amount of filing in the notch to fit in the head lamp assembly. DO NOT TOUCH THE BULB WITH YOUR FINGERS.
Installation on 2006 requires the bumper to be loose to install both bulbs. First time is a couple of hours to figure out how everything comes apart. After that should take 45min or so.
HID lamps are sensitive to moisture. I figured out why I have the issue of lamps going out prematurely: the large o-ring that twists onto the assembly does not seal from moisture. Need to figure out how to fix this. This happens on the passenger side only.

 

my driver side bulb blinked out the other day... then again yesterday... but yesterday both blinked out... hmm...

i was wondering if it's the ballast/control unit. the streets here hit the suspension pretty hard...

 

Got both lights replaced under warranty by the dealer. Called Toyota first to confirm they would replace and they confirmed and supplied a complaint number which I simply gave to the dealer. Nice and easy. BTW, I have a 2007 with about 35K.

 

Got mine from same place, nice guy. took me 45 min WITHOUT taking the bumper off to do BOTH bulbs. Some dealers are ripping people off on these bulbs and replacement labor. Iwas told by the dealer not to get aftermarket bulbs.......... HOW MUCH WORSE could they be? New ones are working great1

 

I have a 2005 and 2007 both have headlight problems, replacing bulbs is not the solution, only temporarily.
any one know of the real fix?

 

The driver's side HID headlight on our 2004 Prius started to go out intermittently back in November 2008. When we switched the lights off and on again, the headlight came back on and remained on without blinking for 5-15 minutes (the longer the trip, the longer the light stayed on). The dealer told us the bulb was going bad and would cost ~$500 to replace and we decided to wait until it failed altogether.

For the next 13 months there was no change in symptoms, but in December 2009 I got a ticket for one headlight out. Back to the Toyota dealer, who said the price of the bulb was up to $375 plus installation. We were still skeptical about whether the problem was actually the bulb, so we paid them another $90 to diagnose the problem and they said, "the bulb is bad." We coughed up a total of $600 including the diagnosis and when we picked up the car the new headlight bulb went out 60 times in the next 40 miles.

Back to the dealer, who said 1) it was fine when we gave it back to you, 2) we should have replaced the ballast for another $325 plus installation but we were trying to save you money, and 3) would you like us to replace the ballast on both sides while we're at it?

We were so angry that we bought a used ballast on eBay ($80) and paid the guy who fixes our tractor to install it. (Don't do this unless the guy who fixes your tractor is very talented and meticulous!) The replacement ballast didn't solve the problem, and by changing the new (dealer-installed) bulb from one side to another we discovered that the bulb was bad. We bought a pair of new bulbs on eBay for $75 and our tractor mechanic replaced the bulb our dealer had installed. Everything works great now and it only cost us $875. That's $600 to the dealer for NOTHING BUT FRUSTRATION, $80 for the ballast, $75 for the bulbs, and $120 to our tractor mechanic for his labor.

Now I have to sue the dealer for my $600. Toyota customer service was rude and I am looking forward to taking these SOBs to court.

I love my Prius but Toyota has done me no favors.

 

I hope they warranty them for more than 12 months!

 

I just got off the phone with Toyota Customer Experience Center 800-331-4331 and asked about my headlight going out intermently.
They said the bulbs are going out and no recall available. (I did notice a TSB # TC-09-018 on Edmonds web site)
I was told to take the car to my Toyota dealer for new bulbs and to send a bill for reimbursement for any amount over $150 per part to:
Toyota Motor Sales, USA
National Customer Relations
19001 South Western Ave.
Dept. WC10
Torrance, Ca 90509

Hope this helps
clm

 

What about labor? Toyota lowered the price to $150 months ago (I assume it was an answer to the above reimbursement case). Isn't there a permanent fix for these bulbs???

 

As a follow up (just saw the thread), I just replaced two HID bulbs on my Priuiii...plural priuses...and found that it was simply the bulb that was defective (first replaced the ballast and then the bulb after the headlights still failed). I think Toyota originally charged people extra to replace the ballasts too because they thought they were defective, but it turns out it's just the bulb usually (hence the reimbursements).

The bulbs are very cheap online ($33 a piece on Ebay--Make sure you get the right ones!!) and it only takes 20 minutes or so to change them out without having to take the entire bumper cover off (you just have to push it out of the way a little bit).

If you're handy with a screwdriver (as most people should be) you can replace both bulbs yourself for around $70.

For 2006-2009 Prius, you want:
D4R (R stands for reflector-based) 4.3k bulbs (Philips Xeneco is the OEM brand name for them). Make sure you buy NEW and do not touch them with your fingers...

I believe 2004-2005 uses D4S instead of D4R but I could be wrong on that.

$300 at the dealer is definitely a rip off considering how little work is involved and how little the parts cost them.

PS: Don't flash your headlights with HIDs. Apparently turning them on and off quickly (or back on when they are still hot, to be more accurate) can significantly reduce their lifespan (or so people say--mine started becoming flaky after I flashed them three times for the service menu hack).

Andrew

 

Good tip. I got the bulbs in and have a great repair book (Bently) saying the same thing, take the bumper cover off. If I can get away from not doing that, as said in a later post cool. Any problems? Also with the moisture problem, try hi-temp RTV to seal things.

 

I never knew that about not flashing ur lights. I guess it's the motor used to move the bulbs. They don't cost $300 any more, now $150

 

I don't know how you did it w/o taking the bumper cover off... I had to take it off to get to that last screw for the h/l assy. The lights look great tho, I got the 6k, not sure if its legal, guess i'll find out. I got 1/2 done putting everything back together and found out i put the wrong screws in the end cover holes. Time for a 10-hr break. Sweaty, dirty & hungry. What a pain. I fear I'll have to do this again w/in a year or two, hope not!! Deff. a learning exp.