After a week of ownership one of my headlights went out. I was horrified to discover the OEM price of the bulbs - but with a little research discovered that Amazon is selling them for $43. Don't know if this is a standard price for this item on Amazon, but I thought I'd let readers know since it seems like a great deal. I am expecting delivery today (ironically it seems the problem hasn't happened the last few days, but I know that may mean the bulb is just on its way out. I'm hoping my car isn't one of the ones affected by the HID headlight issue).
Best to replace them in pairs. Replacement is a bit of a pain, search this site for installation tips. Good Luck, Dan
I had a 2006 with HIDs upwards of 9 years before recently selling it. I have replaced the bulbs probably 7 times. Some last longer than others. I typically purchased through eBay and paid around $30 for a pair. Typically I purchased daylight around 4300 or 5000 which gives the brightest white light. I was never a fan of the blue or purple lights. I got pretty fast at changing them. One screw midway into the front wheel well and the remove the top black panel over the radiator and then take the three screws out holding the headlights. I would typically only put back two of the three screws making the change out easier the next time. You can then separate the bumper panel on the bottom enough to work the headlight out. After than it is a mater of twisting that top which often is difficult to loosen. Then pull the old one out and replace it. Never tough the light bulb glass with your bare fingers as the oil will cause it to heat up at that spot and break. I always kept the lights on during the day on auto sort of DRL lights. Had I kept them off during the day they would have lasted more than several years. The HIDs are a real weak area in the Prius that I had. They were replaced once by Toyota. But then off warranty I did the rest. Good luck. Manny
Thanks. I had heard that they were best replaced in pairs, but only ordered one once I saw the price (I guess I'm still having sticker shock .. replaced several bulbs in my Passat not long before trading her in and didn't have any idea how expensive bulbs could be!). Does that mean the headlights will be unevenly bright I'm guessing? I have a friend (former ASE mechanic) coming by to help me tomorrow & don't have time to get another bulb by then. Perhaps I'll replace the 2nd one in the next month ... or since I haven't had problems with it recently (the one time I'd noticed it was out was when I'd left them on for several hours by mistake a week ago, then it was a bit flaky the next day but fine since) maybe I'll just wait & do them both ... hmmmm.
There may be a bit of a difference in color or brightness. I would do one now and the other soon. You should be able to do it without removing the headlight assemblies. There is a waterproof domed cover over the back of the assembly that needs to be removed for access to the "bulb". Spray a little bit of silicone or WD-40 along the seam to help the O-ring slip as you turn the cover to remove it., Best to stick with Philips for replacements. Not all HID Bulbs are created equal | PriusChat Good luck, Dan
