I currently have a 2007 Prius Touring, which has factory HID headlight bulbs. Last year when one of the bulbs burned out, I was shocked to see how much a dealer charged to replace it - right at $300! They said I was lucky because the cost of the bulbs had just come down (somehow I didn't feel lucky to replace a headlight bulb for $300). They also said they had to drop the front bumper (or maybe bumper cover?) to change it. So I am about to buy a 2014 Four with halogen headlight bulbs. I have three questions: (1) what would a dealer probably charge me to change a halogen bulb in a 2014 Prius (2) like my current Prius, do you have to drop part of the front bumper and (3) if the front bumper doesn't have to come off, can I just "reach in" and change it without having to remove a bunch of stuff?
I just changed the halogen bulb on my 2008 passenger side, it was a challenge at first but it turned out ok. I didn't remove the bumper, just removed a few bolts/fittings around the bulb area. I was glad I didn't have HID as the Halogen bulb was only $8 I heard the GenIII are much easier to replace. Youtube has many videos that will show you how it's done. You just need small hands. If you take it to the dealer, they will probably charge you the same amount of labor, just the price of the part for halogen is much cheaper. They will still tell you it's very hard and they have to remove the bumper etc, how else would you agree to hand over that much money for a light bulb? You can also just call your dealer's service department and ask them the price. I'm sure it's a set price they can quote off the top of their heads.
Changing the bulb is done in 2 mins, without the need of removing anything...and with eyes closed. I've been changing the bulbs for mine and my friends Prius II for years. It should be considered criminal offense for the dealer to charge you $150 per min for labor.
I changed my bulbs all the time on my gen 2, it's super easy. Look at the back of the light, twist the rubber cap, that comes right off. Un clip the clip that holds the bulb and put in the new bulb... It's that easy
The passenger side bulbs are easier to access if you remove the three 10 mm bolts holding the intake tube and coolant overflow tank and move them away from the back of the headlight housing.
This is a somewhat late reply to this post, but we had both of the HID lights replaced on our '08 Prius by the dealer under an extended factory warranty program, at no cost. Apparently they had so many HID units fail they extended the warranty coverage (I think to 5 yrs.). One of the lights failed just before the end of the standard warranty, and the other at ~4 1/2 yrs. I suspect this experience with HID lights persuaded Toyota to stop offering them on newer cars, though our new Prius 5 has LED's, which I like a lot, and may outlast me.
