So a few months ago my right front HID headlight went out and was replaced by Toyota (under the 50K HID Headlamp warranty). The next day, it was out again. I went back to the dealership and they looked a little deeper and told me it was a burnt terminal. What the report said was: "Found Burnt Terminal #1 connector H5 and head lamp cover, harness. Need to remove right head lamp assembly to: *Replace Rear Headlight Cover * Wire harness between cover and ecu * Replace connector H5 * Repair Terminal #1 at connector H5 The dealership wanted $400 for this, but I got my neighborhood shop to do it for a little over $100. The headlamp was fine for a while and then the problem came back recently. The right headlight would be out when I started the car... and then it would usually flick back on after driving for a few minutes. Now it's apparently out all together. What else could the problem be?
Could be the ballast or the bulb. To trouble shoot it just swap the bulbs from left to right. If the problem follows to the other side its the bulb.....if it stays its the ballast. If its the ballasts, I would look at the wires. You can buy a new Denso D4 ballast from The Retrofit Source online: headlight upgrades for all applications
Is switching the bulbs to check something I could do myself? (The fact that I'm even asking should give you a sense of my limited car/mechanical knowledge!) Is the ballast covered by the HID warranty or just the bulbs? They replaced the wiring and connectors in July (saying it looked slightly burnt) -- would a faulty ballast have caused this? It is possible that the old ballast has burned the new wires, too and I'll have to replace the wiring again?
Check this vid out: To check the ballast u'll have to remove the front bumper so that u can remove the headlights
^^^ Thanks. Although I have no experience w/them, there was a recommendation at If you need a awesome mechanic READ THIS | PriusChat. Yes, one can switch the bulbs yourself but there isn't much room. When I tried to change mine, the darn clip came off and I ended up having to remove the front bumper cover as I couldn't remove the washer tank to make room (can't remove washer fluid tank, trying to replace passenger side HID | PriusChat). There was no way I could get the clip back on blindly, despite my best efforts. I can't speak to the driver's side bulb. Some folks such as Carolyn at Luscious Garage (who I'm sure has PLENTY of experience) can clearly do it w/o removing the front bumper cover. Toyota Prius Class Action Lawsuit | Toyota Headlight Lawsuit | Girard Gibbs LLP says the bulb and ECU (ballast) are covered for 5 years/50K miles.
Possibly. Depends on the cause. If it's the ballast and/or bulb only, then yeah, it should be totally covered.
Avi, That'd be great. You're in Tujunga? I work in Studio City. How early do you open? Maybe I could come by before work sometime next week or this weekend? Feel free to send me a private message... Thanks! John
