Headlight Condensation T-SB-0188-11

We had condensation on the drivers side HID Headlight assembly and we went around and around with the local dealer, even showed him the TSB, and still Toyota would NOT cover it nor replace it under extended warranty...They wanted north of $500 to repair and or replace assembly...I said baloney...even though, its a defect in the 07-09s and through no fault of mine...the seal on the assembly is no good. So i decided to fix it myself...after getting the assembly out and off of the car...i could see where moisture between the clear portion of the light and the black bottom portion was located and we took the assembly into the house, where, of course its warmer, and completely dried out the interior of the light, (be careful of the HID bulb itself) and then we let the assembly warm up and took a small bead of clear silicon on the entire area where the clear and black sections meet...we worked it between the two sections and let it dry at room temperature for 24hrs...then we took the completed headlight assembly back to the car and reinstalled it...plugged in the turn lights/side lights and HID light...put the bumper back in place and buttoned everything up...then we ran through the car wash and bingo, everything was dry inside the light...Total time involved was about an hour for labor and $7 for automotive silicon sealant...A far cry from $500 bucks...

 

I just noticed my drivers side headlamp is starting to have moisture inside. My wife took the car to work this week and it rained solid for two days. This car typically is garaged and when we were commuting together I would drop her off and the Prius at my job would be in a parking garage.

What happens if you just let it go without attention? Does the moisture
eventually cause the lights to fail?

What are the steps to remove the light and perform your procedure? Do you have to remove the front bumper to get the headlight out?

I'm wondering if the Prius, despite high gas prices, is worth it due to high maintenance costs.

Thanks for any advice.

Kelvin

 

I had my headlight assembly replaced in my '06, but that was under the 30 day warranty offered by Toyota dealer after I purchased in '09. Doesn't help, but one way it was done.