headlight discussion

I've worried about our LED headlamps, too, since there's no bulb to replace if one goes out and the unit costs well over $500. But the CarCareNut was asked about them he said they came out around 2014 and he hasn't seen an issue with them burning out but he has seen some get water inside of them if they get cracked.
I do worry about them yellowing in our crazy-high UV rays here in Colorado so I spray a coating of Meguiar's Headlight Coating which is supposed to protect from UV rays for a year.

 

Do they have bulbs? I think the whole unit has to be replaced, $$$$$. Gen 4 is that way, don’t even want to say how much for one. It factored in my decision to sell the 2020 Prime LE to Carvana. Now I have another 2020 Prime, anyway. The search for this on Toyota parts sites is “composite headlamp.”

 

Toyota USA parts database is a write-off, and it looks like dealership with online parts are using it as well, so anyway looking on EBay, see used 2023 headlights are going for around $1200 USD apiece. Maybe someday consumers will revolt; reject cars with these UV-vulnerable styling excercises.

I'd love to see something like a 6~8" round headlight, glass, with replaceable bulb.

 

For Gen 4 headlamps, you can pick one up for $431 on Amayama, shipped from Japan but, of course, the first place to search would be at a pick-and-pull junk yard since Prius' seem to be totaled quit easier than other models because of the sky-high repair costs.

https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/8113047690

 

I suspect the perceived issue is with low beam distance, not brightness or color within its factory set beam pattern. However the beam pattern is a federal standard intended to avoid blinding oncoming traffic especially in areas without streetlights. In fact a factory pattern will be shorter on the left side than the right for that reason.

Many have gotten used to their older halogen projector housings which allowed easy led retrofits, usually with increased beam distance due to the non-compliant led source bouncing erratically off the projector housing. In these cases retrofits often are equivalent to high beams in distance and brightness. Which is why some states do not allow retrofits.

Add in reduced night vision as we age and we find many lamenting their factory compliant led beams, now standard on most models .

 

Not sure what's going on here; there's "Unit, Head Lamp" and "Head Lamp Lens". For me, before shipping, they're $1287.61 (CDN) and $204.07 respectively.

https://www.amayama.com/en/catalogs/toyota/prius-phv/4-hatchback-right-zvw52-2017-3348/electrics-4/headlamp-311

"Prius PHV" was the only Prius option showing for 2023, so not sure what's going on there.

 

The resemblance is superficial and non-functional. Those pictured '86 Corollas all have pop-up headlights, like my Accord of the same vintage, and the Integra that is still my spouse's daily driver. Only your lowest-left image shows them popped up, all the rest show them retracted.

I don't recall seeing anything similar since the old-era sealed-beam mandate was dropped. Those old lights, especially the single-rectangular version, had awful beam patterns compared to today's lights.

 

I hope not...I've always driven with my headlights on all the time for years, now. (Old habit since I used to drive motorcycles and you want all the visibility you can get out there!)

 

Those ebay sellers usually are a ripoff I have found. A person can search to their hearts delight on many dealer online websites, sometimes they have sales on top of discounted prices and free shipping over $75. You get an authorized brand new part with warranty. One size is much less on the 2023.

https://parts.toyotaofgrandrapids.com/search?search_str=Composite+headlight

 

I only resorted to EBay because the Toyota parts database that's used on the official toyota parts site, and looks like the workings of dealership online parts departments as well, is basically broken. With your link above, I tried searching for 2023 Prius headlight, in "parts", got this:

 

Search composite headlamp. I saw a bunch, some even more than my gen 4 Prime, but mine is one of the highest. Like a new Tundra with led headlights, discount is going to be over $1500 each, plus tax of course.

 

For safety reasons, it is a good idea. Though if your car has DRLs, you can just leave them turned on, as they is sufficient and use less energy than headlights. E.g. my 2012 Prius's DRLs can be turned off, while my later Forester has more typical DRLs that cannot be turned off.

Headlights these days should be turn-on-once-and-forget, you don't need to manually turn them off anymore because the car does it automatically after a brief (and user adjustable) delay.

 

Here is the headlight fitting a 1995 Ford Econoline with sealed beams for comparison. Available today for $10 or under. I had this vehicle I bought new. Towne Ford in Redwood City CA. I thought it had the best headlights and forward visibility that could exist. Can’t compare side by side now, but I remember night driving was easy, the road fully lit on low beams. Of course it sits higher than almost any factory vehicle and the lamps are wide spaced. I don’t know why they sit so high but I would look down into full size pickups in the day. Other than 11 mpg from the 5.8 and no rear visibility at all, it was real nice.
So a $1000+ per side today is a bit much.
More Information for PHILIPS H6054

or here is one for the big spender that includes xenon gas in your all glass no bulb sealed beam.
More Information for WAGNER H6054BL

 

The "problem" with the gen5 headlights is that they have an incredibly sharp horizontal top cutoff due to the way they're placed into the body of the car. More traditional setups have the headlights on the top of the car or flush with the front of the body. Those type of headlights have a much softer cutoff. I suspect it's mostly a psychological subjectivity issue and the gen5 headlights are just as good or better than traditional lights in the real world. But it would take a well-developed test to be certain.

You'd need a gen5 and a second car with headlights at the same level(and properly adjusted to stock). Then you'd need to install identical good quality cameras in one of the seats of each car at the same height off the ground. And then you'd need to run both cars over the same road at night in the same conditions. Finally, you'd need to run the videos side by side to see if objects consistently showed up better in one video over the other. Only then could you make an accurate statement as to whether the gen5 headlights are "bad".

 

... and make a careful selection of the weather conditions being tested, of the types where a lousy upper cutoff causes difficulty. E.g. various fog densities, and heavy falling snow.

 

Maybe a headlight test was already posted, but here is one.
2023 Toyota Prius Prime