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Headlight assembly melted - replace with OEM or aftermarket?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Tom Bonneau, Jul 23, 2013.

  1. Tom Bonneau

    Tom Bonneau New Member

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    So I noticed my driver side light was out a few months ago so I replaced the bulb myself with a standard Sylvania no problem. A week or so later, the passenger side goes out.

    That one is harder to replace due to the placement of some fixtures, but I thought I had it in well enough and that was that. But I noticed it didn't look quite right so a week later I tried to re-fasten it and I could just tell it really wasn't snapping into place the way the driver side did but felt secure enough.

    Anyway, this week that light goes out and I try to replace it and I noticed the bulb was actually broken and pretty much gone. I try to replace it but I simply can't get the new bulb to snap into place. After finally angling to take a look with a light I can see that the casing has been totally burned and melted and that's why it won't fit.

    Now I can't tell when this happened, if it happened after the first burn out which would explain why I couldn't secure the initial replacement, or if because I couldn't secure it and it was loose it melted the casing.

    Anyhow, I might be able to get the dealer to cover the replacement but really don't want to deal with that hassle as I'd have to fudge about putting in a non-Toyota bulb and I'd rather just pay than lie about something like that.

    My question is: Do I pay $250 for OEM Toyota or $150 for aftermarket? I did some reading on aftermarket Toyota headlight assemblies and at least for the Rav4 lots of people saying how awful they are, but can't find anything specific to that in this forum.

    I'm just looking to replace with a standard assembly. Any advice is helpful.

    Thanks

    ETA: 2010 Prius I
     
    JMD likes this.
  2. genetiix

    genetiix Member

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    I would recommend OEM. Ive had aftermarket housings before in my previous cars. Though they may look identical, the beam pattern wasn't as good.

    Try Ebay, you should be able to get a mint condition OEM one for an aftermarket price.

    Good luck!
     
    JMD likes this.
  3. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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  4. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Yes, try to get OEM from eBay.

    I always remove the bolts holding the air intake box and move it and the hose in front of the passenger headlight out of the way before removing and replacing the lowbeam or highbeam bulbs.

    Also, don't touch the bulbs with your fingers when installing them. The oils from your hands will create a hot spot on the bulb leading to premature failure.

    I would guess you installed the passenger bulb incorrectly, at an angle, due to the awkward access you described to the passenger headlight. That bulb was skewed enough that it melted the housing from it's close proximity.

    SCH-I535
     
  5. Tom Bonneau

    Tom Bonneau New Member

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    Thanks for the fast input, guys. I was leaning OEM and I'll definitely go that route without second thoughts now. It's like a plumber once told me: buy cheap, buy twice.
     
  6. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Yep, love those words of wisdom. Like measure twice, cut once. ;)

    Make sure the bulbs are sitting straight after you install them in the new housing. Have fun removing the bumper cover to gain access to the headlight housing. ;)

    SCH-I535
     
  7. Tom Bonneau

    Tom Bonneau New Member

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    Yeah, my neighbor swears he can pop off the bumper no problem and align it etc. haha I'll believe it when I see it. Might try to find a good autobody place to do it. As you can tell, I can't even install a difficult-to-reach headlight bulb, so I'm not the sort to be trusted with removing bumpers!
     
  8. Dealeo

    Dealeo Junior Member

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    So did your ever get a new OEM housing? I did the exact same thing you did. I can now get the new bulb to click into place but the previous bulb melted the housing a bit and now I have an annoying long shadow arm on the passengers side. It bugs me but maybe not $200 worth Lol
     
  9. Clive D'sylva

    Clive D'sylva New Member

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    Hi Mate, It is a fault and Toyota is responsible to repair. I don't know if you are in the US or Australia, but in the US there is warranty enhancement for this issue, but Toyota has not told us in Australia yet about this issue. There is a Law suit in the US against Toyota for not disclosing this fault. I'm going through Toyota to repair my Vehicle as why should it cost me when they sold me a lemon of a car for nearly $22000 back in 2013. I've had to spend nearly $5000 for a new HV Battery in 2015, now this. I'm seriously thinking about taking legal action against Toyota.