My HID bulb replacement on my 06 prius

I drove the car this week for about 5 hours with the lights on and there is still a clear difference between the two bulbs I received. I have sent the bad bulb back and stillenmaxima98 is going to replace it for me. (Anything less than one year old is apparently still under warranty -- this one is about one week old).

I've attempted to attach a picture that shows the disparity in the two bulbs I received. As you can (hopefully) see, the bulb on the driver side is significantly brighter and whiter than the passenger side one.

Here's the odd thing: I took the passenger side bulb out and temporarily replaced it with my one working OEM bulb. Surprisingly, the factory bulb also seems duller and a tad yellower than the bulb I just installed on the driver side. So is the bulb that I thought "bad" actually the proper bulb, and the the super bright white one is actually the wrong bulb? I have no idea. I just want two bulbs that match and that are preferably very bright and clear like the one currently on my driver side.

 

After MUCH research and frustration(many companies said they have these in stock, but do not; i.e.UltimateHID) to find D4R bulbs less than $200 a pair, I bought the $70 a pair D4R 6k bulbs from stillenmaxima98 on ebay (yes they're from China, and Stan said so when asked). He's seems very customer oriented and the bulbs showed up as scheduled.

Installation was 1.5 hours, THANK YOU WINDSTRINGS !!!
Color is just very slightly blue tint. They are much brighter than my 123k miles factory bulbs.
However, I can hear a fairly loud, high pitched whine from the bulbs-ballast area. Is this a problem or potential problem?

 

Ok, that's good to hear. That sounds like my one bright (driver's side) bulb in the picture above. Now hopefully the replacement bulb I get for the passenger side will be just like it. I expect to receive it in the mail sometime next week and will let you all know how it works out.

Thanks for the help/suggestions.

 

windstring no wonder we cant get off oil , the space shuttle might be ez to work than the prius , windstring did i read that the blubs move when we go to high beam??? stan the man has my bulbs coming but did a little testing tonight , i read here that low voltage on the light will cause them to go out , went out and started the pruis and let it run 7 minutes and off to work and guess what no lights out all the way to work, some one tell me what going on please thanks frank

 

does the prius have a 12 volt battery and what charges it and where is it in the car thanks frank

my car is a 06 how can i change that in my info that is on the posts?? thanks frank

 

the 12v battery is charged via an inverter. don't know the location, but probably under rear seat.

click on the USER CP near top left of page. then to EDIT YOUR DETAILS.

 

My 2007 Prius had the same passenger-side intermittent headlight problem I've read about. It has 65k miles. Yesterday my dealer replaced it "under warranty." No charge for parts or labor. It was the bulb, and not the computer, that needed preplacement. It took them about 30 minutes. They did not have to take off the bumper -- but they probably have the "right" tools. The Service Manager says he's replaced 5 of them in the last year -- so he wants me to think it's not a problem for every Prius, just for some. Of course I only care about mine, so I was glad he fixed it for free. It probably helped that we've bought 4 other new vehicles from him in the last 5 years.

 

Ok, I'm all set. Got my replacement bulb from stillenmaxima, spent about 5 minutes installing it (I should go work for Toyota as a tech in the service dept!), and I'm good to go. This bulb matches the same clear bright white as the one working bulb in the pair I originally purchased from him.

 

I checked my owners manual for my 2005 Prius and it lists the bulb as a D2R.

Thanks for the write up and the links for purchasing the bulbs Windstrings. I would like to swap mine out for a set of 6k bulbs.

 

I just got hit with the headlight problem as well. 2006 model. These things are obviously faulty from the factory. Of course, it's happened right before a long road trip. I doubt I can get replacement bulbs in time. I've emailed stillenmaxima98 to see if he is willing to overnight them. Irritating as hell. It wouldn't be so bad if I could get the stupid things locally. I'll probably just have to watch for the one to go out and flip the switch to get it re-lit for this trip.

2006 owners reading this, BUY THE REPLACEMENTS NOW. Even if you don't need them now. Because when you do, having them on hand is priceless.

 

Frank, the battery is under the luggage area floor in the right rear corner. It is charged by a DC-DC converter from the main traction battery which is charged by the HSD motor/generators.

 

Tip for replacing driver's side bulb:
Use your LEFT hand to insert the bulb. I could not hold the bulb straight with my right hand.

 

It's now been 1-1/2 months with the new bulbs/lamps installed and I haven't had any problems at all. They look great and $69 was a great price for them. If anyone is on the fence, Stillenmaxima98 on ebay is a good source for these bulbs.

 

Like F8L's '05, the '04 HID bulb is D2R.

Note that bruceha_2000 has a good photo album and instructions for his 2004 Prius D2R HID bulb replacement. I think it would also be useful for HID owners with the D4R bulb:

PriusChat Forums - bruceha_2000's Album: 2004 Prius HID bulb Replacement

 

I have a 2004 Prius with HID headlights. After my 100,000 extended warranty expired, both bulbs started the typical “turn off every few minutes†problem.


I replaced them with bulbs off eBay and it was much easier then I was expecting. Here’s what I did, it took about 15 minutes per side.

1. Loosen two screws in the wheel well, one at the bottom and one under the plastic splash guard at the seam of the bumper cover.



2. Remove the quick-release fasteners and the hood bumpers from the top of the bumper cover.



3. Pull the bumper cover forward and release it at the top seam under the front fender. This sounds much harder than it really is. This gives access to the lower headlight mounting screw and gives room to move the headlight around.



4. Loosen the fender mounting screw just above and behind the headlight.



5. Gently pull the fender up and back a bit while sliding the headlight forward a bit. It’s a bit tight, but the headlight will squeeze past the edge of the fender and slide forward, giving easy access to the back of the headlight unit.



6. Remove the bulb access panel and electrical connector and you can see the bulb.



7. Unclip the bulb and replace it without touching the glass.



8. Put it all back together in reverse order.


Good luck! You’ll be really happy at saving several hundred dollars.