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The taillight bulb poll

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Tideland Prius, Nov 22, 2007.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Alright, so I went into the parts dept. today to get my taillight bulb replaced. After waiting a few mins, someone comes to the desk and asks what I need. I tell him I need a tailllight bulb for a 2005 Prius. He asks me which one so I quickly said "the left side". He responded with "well, there are 3 bulbs. Which one to do you want?" I kindly responded that there is only one bulb and it's the red one. Figuring that I probably don't understand English, he tells me that he'll go get a diagram and that I' can point to the bulb that I need.

    He goes behind the other desk and prints out something from the computer. He shows me a service diagram of the Prius showing the rear of the Prius and the respective bulb part no. I tell him it's this one, pointing to the taillight bulb. "Which one?" he asks. I told him, "no. 3. This one right here" pointing to the taillight bulb again. At this point in time, I was starting to get a bit frustrated that the parts dept. rep didn't know what the hell I was asking for.

    "No. 3 you say?". "Yes." So he goes to the back and finds the "no. 3" bulb. As he was punching the parts no. into the computer, I asked, "So, the other bulb is the reverse light and the indicator?" To which he replied, "well I don't know, right?"

    At this point, I'm thinking this guy is completely dumb. He can't tell the difference between reverse lights, indicators and taillights.


    So much for "Your Toyota dealer knows Toyota best"



    So I'm asking you guys, was I wrong to say I was looking for a taillight bulb or am I just not used to North American terminology??

    Voting starts... now.
     
    #1 Tideland Prius, Nov 22, 2007
  2. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    you're correct that it's the tail light bulb. but asking for the red one... not gonna get you anywhere at the local parts department. it's a white light that goes behind a red lens :p

    they do have yellow light bulbs, but not red ones. as for the rest, yes the other two are reverse and turn signal.
     
    #2 galaxee, Nov 23, 2007
  3. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    #3 hobbit, Nov 23, 2007
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Nov 22 2007, 09:28 PM) [snapback]543122[/snapback]</div>
    Yeah I didn't realise it was white til I replaced it. But I mean the first instinct was.. well it's the red coloured one lol.
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Nov 23, 2007
  5. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    How would I describe it? Simple. The little clear one that cost $1.

    And I did that just last week. So, it obviously works... depending who you ask.
     
    #5 john1701a, Nov 23, 2007
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <shrug> Didn't know it cost $1 (Cdn$1.44 after taxes). I never had to replace a taillight bulb lol.
     
    #6 Tideland Prius, Nov 23, 2007
  7. ScottY

    ScottY New Member

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    Ah, I had to replace mind few weeks ago. I told him the same thing, I wanted the tail light bulb. The guy gave me a reverse light bulb! So I took the bad one out, went back in and he gave me the correct one.
     
    #7 ScottY, Nov 23, 2007
  8. alanh

    alanh Active Member

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    I would call them all taillights -- they're lights, and they're on the tail. If I need a specific one, I'll mention the function: brake light, turn signal, backup light. I assume the brake light is what you're calling the "tail light"?
     
    #8 alanh, Nov 24, 2007
  9. sparkyAZ

    sparkyAZ übergeek

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(alanh @ Nov 23 2007, 10:47 PM) [snapback]543493[/snapback]</div>
    The brake light is actually an LED assembly and should never 'burn out'. It's the top-most assembly on the tail light cluster. The 'tail running light' is the lower-most bulb and comes on with the park lights.

    I would pop the bulb-in-question out and hand it to the parts guy - the part number is printed on the bulb. Also, on mine the passenger 'tail running light' sometimes goes out but the bulb is not bad - just a bad contact. Tapping the lens brings it back on. :rolleyes: Take a look at the filament to make sure it is really burned out before buying a new one.
     
    #9 sparkyAZ, Nov 24, 2007
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    sparky,

    yeah the filament was gone.

    lol at the person who chose the last voting option.
     
    #10 Tideland Prius, Nov 24, 2007
  11. hybred tom

    hybred tom Junior Member

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    i had three bulbs burn out Tail light (running lights) drivers side 2004 any ideas why?
     
    #11 hybred tom, Dec 6, 2010
  12. dalenag1

    dalenag1 New Member

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    I have a 2004 Prius with 125,000 miles on it. I have had the tail light bulbs replaced five times. The last one cost me $35. Pretty crazy for a $1.50 bulb. So, this time, the sixth bulb replacement, I decided to do it myself. Being a single, 40-something, women, I don't do much car repair on my own. I easily got to the bulbs, first popping out the bottom bulb, then the center one, which I believe was the one that is out. The bulb was easy to pull and replace, but now, both the reverse light and the running light (center and bottom lights, are not working. Uhg. Any ideas?
     
    #12 dalenag1, Jan 2, 2011
  13. cairo94507

    cairo94507 Active Member

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    I always replace them in pairs. So if the right taillight goes out I buy two and replace both. Likewise with the side marker lights, etc.
     
    #13 cairo94507, Jan 4, 2011
  14. J.Wilkie

    J.Wilkie 80 Mile Daily Commute

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    I've replaced mine with LED bulbs I found on billetanything.com. So far 1,000 miles and no issues. These fit OEM no mods.
     
    #14 J.Wilkie, Apr 13, 2011
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