Head light replacement

Do you have HIDs or halogens?

My dealer wanted a lot more than $112 to replace a burned out HID (~$167 for the bulb alone + labor). I'm going to DIY on my intermittent passenger side HID and have already ordered a replacement HID from Amazon for $50.44 + tax.

There are plenty of headlight replacement threads here on Priuschat. Unfortunately, if your hand is too big to fit despite removal of things in the way (in those threads), then you'll need to remove the front bumper.

 

Is bumper removal what the dealer mechanics have to do to replace the bulb (Toyota's recommendation) ?
100$ seems low for that amount of work.

 

About 6 months ago I replaced one HID headlight at a Toyota dealer, and the total cost $276 for parts, labor and taxes. Soon the second light went out, and I decided it's not worth paying almost 300 bucks for it. So I ordered HID bulbs from eBay - 2 for $70.

I went to a local mechanic with this bulb, and although he suffered for 40 min, he eventually managed to replace it without taking off the bumper. The labor only cost $20.

Unfortunately the cheap eBay bulb went out after less than 6 months, so I had to replace it again, and took it to a different mechanic. He also managed to replace it without taking off the bumper, and the labor cost $25. Luckily the eBay shop had a 6 month warranty, which they honored, and sent me a replacement bulb.

So I say there is absolutely no point going to the dealer for a bulb replacement. Any mechanic can do it, and if you don't tell them to take off the bumper, they will try to replace the bulb without doing this.

 

I don't know if it's Toyota's recommendation but there have been stories of dealers doing that here on Priuschat and at Luscious Garage | Blog | Prius headlight problem, D4R HID bulbs *still overpriced, not covered under warranty*. There are a bunch of YouTube videos of people doing just that...

I looked at the owner's manual and it doesn't at all tell you to remove the front bumper, but it doesn't call for removing the washer fluid container, which should give more room.

I haven't replaced mine yet (waiting for bulbs I just ordered). These might help:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...7938-my-hid-bulb-replacement-my-06-prius.html
http://priuschat.com/forums/knowled...38842-how-change-headlamp-headlight-bulb.html
How to Change the HID Headlights on a 2007 Prius (Without Removing Bumper) - wikiHow

I hear that watching the video of the guy replacing his headlights by removing his bumper might help because at least it gives you an idea of what's you won't be able to easily see.

 

I’m not sure if anyone has said this on here but from experience, ONLY USE OEM bulbs.

Not always an oem guy myself but every aftermarket bulb I’ve ever used on Gen 2 has failed within a couple months whereas the $40 Toyota dealer bulb has lasted several years. Also, I’d recommend just buying 2 for $80 and doing them both at once. Unless you have incredibly small hands, it’s worth taking the bumper off when replacing. It’s honestly not that hard to take the bumper off and when one bulb fails another will fail before you know it.

I heard from an engineer that the bulbs are designed for specific uv tolerances. That being said, apparently the bulbs on the Prius are specifically designed for space grade uv tolerances.