hid headlamp replacements

Any instructions as to how to remove the bumper cover? Looks like I may need to replace mine soon.

I drove in the garage last night and both headlights were dark even though the green dashboard indicator lamp was on. Turned the switch on the stalk off and then back on and they came back on. Does this sound like a HID lamp problem?

Tim

 

I found these videos on youtube, could be helpful.

Personally I would not do all that, I'm convinced if you're careful you can do it without taking the headlights out.

 

I think it's a little strange that both went out at the same time - is it possible that you had one go out and didn;t notice until the 2nd went out? It sounds a lot like the HID problem if it happens over and over again (and I would expect one lamp to always go out before the other, never or rarely both at once).

I highly recommend you take off the cover since the bumper cover is really easy to remove- you just have to have a 10mm socket wrench ($9 at Pep Boys). As I've stated before, it took me an hour, and it helps to have a second person when you take it off.

 

For good measure I just replaced both with the exact same German made bulbs as the oem without removing the bumper or really much of anything.

Incase anyone needs it in the Bay Area, CA I'll replace anyones bulbs for $80 each includes labor with the EXACT NEW oem bulbs that Toyota charges $150 just for the bulbs. Hope I'm allowed to post this..

I'm an experienced mechanic and electronics tech, I think it's easy. It's silly to remove the bumper... I only removed the air intake (top). (two pastic clips also two plugs on the water tank)

I'm happy to help anyone who wants to do it themselves too.

Cheers,

-Dave

 

No bumper loosening is required. But it might make it more fun than it was for me.

 

2 yrs after replacing them on my 06, I disagree. I replaced mine with ebay sourced bulbs, and have had ZERO issues since.

 

I changed out my own HID bulbs at the end of 2013. It started with the R. side bulb glowing "pink". After that, the bulb went out, but if I turned them off for five minutes they would work. I finally got tired of this on-off-on procedure so I delved into the unknown of HID removal.
On the net, I found a gentleman that had posted his version of how to remove the HID bulbs. On mine, my hands are too big to unscrew the cap over the back of the headlamp assembly. My humble finding is to completely remove BOTH headlamp assemblies so I could get enough leverage to crank those covers off.
You don't have to completely remove the front bumper cover, I let mine just dangle by the lower screws on the front so as to keep alignment of everything.
The bulbs I purchased were from Advanced Auto at ninety-nine dollars each. The bulbs went in easily with out a fuss and no corrosion anywhere. I bolted and plugged everything back in and it all worked. (Then, I found out that Amazon had the same bulbs for a lot less, SMH)
I have had no other problems, except for one small exception. Driving home one night, the Prius looked a little darker than normal. Not wanting to tear the front end off, again, I moved a set of wires near the headlamp unit on the right. That slight motion caused the bulb to illuminate. Could all of these bulb replacements have been avoided by a simply movement of a wiring loom then held in place by a nylon tie? My bulbs made it nine years and one hundred forty thousand miles before they went away. Toyota may be replacing them as a matter to avoid any more lawsuits.

 

I did a halogen swap for $170 total, swapped the assemblies, bulbs, and connectors with shrink wrap and my car looks great is just as bright and only costs 20 bucks to replace both headlights in the future.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Can you post where you bought the parts for this? I’ve always thought this should be an option.

 

Halogen assemblies from Amazon for 118.98 with free shipping. Bulbs from Autozone $21.99. Connectors from Autozone around $10. Heatshrink at Autozone around $4. Butt connectors from Autozone $3. And i used sandwich bags $1 to cover the unused HID plug and Zip Ties from Autozone for $3.

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Interesting.
I don’t need to do this now, but seems like a sensible option when the HID’s become problematic.
So you saved and covered the HID connector. What source or what part of the wire harness did you use to supply power to the new halogen lights?
I see Amazon has several assemblies for Prius. Those are just the lens housing and you buy bulbs and connectors that fit that housing right? Then wire into somewhere.
I’ll assume you removed the bumper for all that. Watched the video, a lot of stuff to remove but not difficult.
Thanks for the info.

 

Yea you buy bulbs and connectors that fut the bulbs, then wire into the brights into the hot wire for the flap mechanism i used a multimeter to find what wire to use and the ground and normal lights from the connector that goes into the ballast, before the ballast. Using a mutimeter on volts to find the hot wire each time and on ohms to a good ground to find the ground wire.

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It saved me $150 over buying new bulbs and them going out again in a year or two to start the cycle over again, now its only 20 to buy both new bulbs and halogens will last alot longer, and i dont have to take the bumper down anymore to change them since theres quite a bit more space back there

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Factory hids can be had for $50 for the pair on EBay. I think the connections get iffy after some time. I used a product called Deoxit on all the connections and it seems to keep them working longer.

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https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F173604164036

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Factory bulbs are junk Toyota Prius Headlight Class Action Lawsuit | Prius HID Headlight Lawsuit

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Just to update this thread with relevant information for those having the same issue, it is generally the ballast underneath the headlight unit on the passenger side that needs to be replaced because it corrodes over time from water seepage. The bulb itself if it is HID will last for years.

If you decide to replace this ballast yourself, the most important thing is to make sure to take off the entire headlight unit and install the ballast plug to the bulb correctly. If not plugged in correctly and you turn on the headlights for the first time to test, you may end up having electrical problems, such as a fried 12v battery.

I've had a headlight replacement done for free from Toyota when there was signs of water condensation on the headlight unit. People generally freak out when they see water seepage but a little bit is fine. The headlight unit especially HID is around $500 so its no joke. Looking back, I feel bad for Toyota because they didn't have to replace the headlight since it was in good condition and that most of these headlight unit just needed a new ballast which is around $70 OEM($30 aftermarket).