Part of the process of addressing the driver's side headlamp last weekend. was viewing the video posted above. Very helpful for finding the hidden #10 bolts. Naturally, I ruined some snap clips along the way and will have to replace those. Found the allegedly water-tight bulb access cover on the back was cracked and a portion of the cover lip that screws into the housing to form the seal is missing. I am guessing this headlight and bulb was monkeyed with in the past prior to my purchasing it. All went back together okay and I purchased new snap clips from Toyota (ouch!) but at least I now have the correct part #'s for future use. I am going to eat the cost of a new headlight assembly with housing, and while I have it out I will do the ballast and a bulb. Passenger side remains to be seen. Gotta love cutting edge technology!
You're a lot more mechanically inclined and ambitious than I am. I'm going to bite the financial bullet and have an appointment for the mechanic to do it tomorrow. I want to make sure something like this is done correctly because of the type of driving we do.
Good luck on your repair. Unfortunately, even if is done right, that is no guarantee that you won't have problems again in the future. I honestly think this is a design issue.. a marginal design. Some folks replace bulbs, some ballasts, some work forever, and some never do work right. And I still have not heard a definitive answer and what the root of the problem is. I guess you already know that if the light(s) goes out while driving, you can just switch them off and right back on again and the lights will come back on. I finally gave up on my HIDs and replaced them with an LED conversion. ("HID to LED conversion" thread in this forum) Its a moderate DIY task, and I hope it lasts.
Repair is done. Jimmy found a really wet ballast besides the moisture inside the fixture. Fortunately the leak must be relatively new because he found no evidence of rust anywhere in there. He and I talked about changing to LEDs if anything goes wrong with the lights in the future. He has already changed his Prius to LEDs but his didn't have HIDs so it was strictly a "plug 'n play" job. He's willing to take on the wiring and conversion for me though.
Good to know. I ordered two OEM Toyota Denso ballasts (They are marked as such, anyway) on Ebay @ $38.00 each, and will hopefully address these things when I can zero in on a bulb. I figured I would do Both at the same time since I am motivated and can more easily gauge how long they last. I will be doing the complete headlight assembly on the driver's side since I found the cracks in the rear housing and missing portions of plastic where the round access cover is supposed to create a seal. Cold, wet weather is the enemy right now and I am past the age of doing this stuff regardless of the weather. A nice sunny day, 50 degrees or higher, is what I am most likely waiting for.
