Howdy, Foax! Just replaced the HiD bulbs in our 2005 Prius for the first time. Unhappily, though both bulbs operate, the driver’s side bulb has no “low beam.” Could this be a defect in my installation? (Of course, I realize that I can resort to the old bulb-swapping routine, and I will do this if necessary, but given the effort required to perform that trick I thought it best to ask here first!) Thanx & best regards, Walt
The low beam/ high beam function is performed by a moving mirror inside the headlight assembly, and is not a function of the HID bulb itself. I would look for a plug or wires that were changed in the process of doing the bulb.
Great idea, nh7o! (Sorry for the late response: I was sidelined by two funerals and a week-long illness; ain’t Life just full of little surprises?) I saw the “mirror” as I inserted and aligned the HiD bulb – it’s seems to be a paper-thin foil with a number of “fingers,” but the Bentley manual’s exploded drawing (p. 10-14) does not clearly identify this. Am I correct in assuming that the HiD Headlight Control Module (aka “ballast” and/or “mini-computer”) controls this mirror? If so, am I also correct in supposing that the only way to pursue this repair is by removing the entire headlight assembly?