I have not made any headway working with Toyota on fixing my HID headlights going out. Now BOTH are going out at the same time so it's time to take action. I would like to replace the HID bulbs and wiring to use cheaper halogen bulbs. Has anyone ever done this conversion? New wiring harness and the boot that connects to the headlight pod will probably need to be changed. I figured I can fix it this way for a lot cheaper than the $1000+ HID replacement. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Scott
Fixing your HIDs won't cost anywhere near $1000. That said, if you want to convert to halogen, you need new headlamps. The ones you have are designed for the HID capsules and will not properly focus for halogen. HIDs use one capsule for both high and low beam, with a mechanical shutter to control the pattern. Halogens use separate bulbs. Tom
If you are capable of changing the lights over to halogen, you are more than capable of changing the HID bulbs. Dealer retail for the bulbs should be around $180.00 If the lights are working intermitantly it is probably just the bulbs. The ecu doesn't need to be replaced with the bulbs. I just changed both HID bulbs it took about an hour and a half. Removing and replacing the bumper was the majority of the time. The dealer wanted over $200 in labor for replacing the bulbs.
The cheap fix is to get a pair of HID bulbs from EBAY and replace them yourself. I just bought a new set for $20 ($10 for bulbs, $10 for shipping): 2 HID bulbs replacement D4R Toyota Prius 2006-2009:eBay Motors (item 170403534672 end time Dec-05-09 23:05:24 PST)
Uh... which bulb type would you choose? It may be cheap insurance to have a set of these just sitting around .
Any advice on taking off the bumper? I've tried to remove the bulbs w/o removing the capsules with no luck.
Ebay looks like a good alternative to the dealer $1200+ quote to replace 2 light bulbs and ballast! I will look for a set that will fit my 04. It looks like the 06-09 models have a different bulb.
Did you get them? $20 seems like a suspiciously low price, and he's charging the same for HID and halogen.
Yes I have the bulbs (not installed yet). They are really HID. I specifically asked in the ebay message to the vendor for D4R, 4300K bulbs as in the auction headline, and thats what they are labelled in the invoice. I bought similar ones awhile back for $40 at the time.
I bought 2 HID bulbs off Ebay for $70 shipped. Haven't had a chance to install them, hopefully I can this weekend.
I successfully replaced both HID bulbs for $70. The key to this job was an inspection mirror to see out to remove the bulb keeper. It took me about 45 min. and I took my time. It's a big savings over dealer prices!
Yep, the mirror on a stick helps a lot to see how that stupid wire clip is supposed to go on. Even more so, if like me, you manage to get it completely off. I have big hands and I got them replaced just fine. The hardest thing I found was that wire holder. Once you see how it works, it's not bad, but it's a pain to figure out the first time. Just don't take the next one off till you get the first one back on. That way, you can use the other one to see how things go together.
