Prius Gen 3 HID Retrofit -- The Right Way. Lexus RX350 Bi-Xenon, German Osram, Denso

Hi all. I wanted to share my Lexus RX350 Bi-Xenon retrofit. Many have said the RX350 non-AFS bi-xenon projectors are a direct plug and play for 2010+ Toyota models that use halogen projectors. But nobody really confirmed this for the Gen 3 Prius. I looked for photos, could not find any.

Long story short, this is true. However you will need to do some cutting. But very little. All in all, this project took me 10 hours. I'm experienced in wiring and lighting upgrades, so it may take you longer. It helps to have a spare car just in case you need to run to the store.

I did not want to go cheap Chinese/generic/aftermarket HID. I wanted full quality and full engineering in my lighting. My BMW also has full bi-xenon lighting treatment (however from the factory and upgraded bulbs and software edit etc)

Here's the list of parts I installed:

1) Lexus RX350 Bi-Xenon -- About $200 (Non-AFS) units from TheRetrofitSource.com.

2) STI-R clear lenses from TheRetrofitSource.com. About $40. This gives you more clarity and depending on how you tune your cutoff shields/projector lens, more color. You can read more on hidplanet.com regarding tuning. My lens is spaced with washers and the RV shield has been trimmed.

3) Denso Slim D2S ballasts from TheRetrofitSource.com About $190 If you buy these ballasts, they will need to be "potted" or waterproofed with a special epoxy. you simply open up the ballasts (one screw) and remove lid and internal plastic insert and pour the solution of 1 to 1 parts mixed epoxy onto all the internals of the ballasts. Leave the stock jelly inside. Pour right over it. Let it cure for 5 days and reassemble. MG Chemicals Epoxy <-- Link to epoxy

4) Osram D2S CBI <--Link (The best HID bulbs in the business) Made in Germany About $140 (used to be $200 a piece a couple years ago)

5) Dual relay HID wiring harness. I bought this from a local car shop. You can get it from TRS. About $15-20

For a DIY, you can check other sites on how to remove the headlights and top of the bumper. Take your time, go slow.



The RX350 projector on top and stock Prius halogen on bottom. Hole patterns are same. But the bi-xenon solenoid on the RX350 projector hits the stock Prius frame. You'll need to trim just a bit. Use a dremel with cutoff tool. Wear eye protection and a mask. Don't breath in the dust.

Cut along the red line. Just trim a small piece of plastic. All you need to cut. Nothing else. After you trim that piece out, the projector bolts right on.


**Will update with output pics tonight** but I tested them and they run great. Bi-xenon works great! All in all, about a $500 project and 10 hours of time (if you take your time and do things right) The engine bay looks stock and all wiring is routed very nicely and neatly =)


Here's the D2S Lexus projector and how it sits in the Prius headlight once everything is put back together.


I still have to figure out what to put on the back of the projector housing to seal it. Anyone run into this? It's not a big deal but i'd like to address it at some point. Right now I just want the lights in the car =D

I'll update with night time output pictures tonight.

 

These photos were edited to reflect the results as honestly as possible. Lights can be made to look brighter by using the automatic settings of a camera. So exposure was dialed down to achieve fairly accurate results representative of real world observation. They look really sharp. I'm happy with the result. Oh and a bonus pic of the LED turn signals I installed.

The LED wedge (194) bulbs I installed in the headlights are too blue for my tastes. I want more conservative (yellower) bulbs but they are hard to find for some reason. Every LED bulb tends to be on the blue side.

 

The ballasts and bulbs are good but that sounds like it's going to be lots of modding necessary. I highly doubt the TSX has the same mounting points as the RX350 bi-xenon non-afs projectors. As far as I know, only the RX350 non-AFS bi-xenon projectors bolt right up. I am not sure the RX330 does.. doubt it cause i've never heard of that

 

No problem. Yep I just screwed it down under the fuse panel box under the positive terminal flap. then neatly closed the box over the wire. easy peasy!I will shoot pictures later to show how I routed my cabling.

 

Can you post pics?

 

Thanks. Yes I saw your thread but wasn't able to tell too much from it as far as what I needed to cut. So I decided to post some high quality photos for people who want to do this. I'm using dual highs just as in my BMW as well (except with the BMW, it's just lines of code in software) =)

I sealed it using 90mm rubber caps. No silicone needed. 100% factory looking job. Someone posted the Prius uses 80mm caps and I want to say on the record that is WRONG. Thanks to that person for making me waste money!

90mm caps fit perfectly.