I just purchased and installed the LEDs that arileee linked. Clipped the ends and crimped on female terminals following Lloyd-ss pictures . I didn't experience any static/interference, so I didn't have to do any shielding. @ariklee , can you give an update and let us know how your LEDs have held up? @Lloyd-ss , same thing. Can you give an update how yours have held up? I'm tempted to buy an extra set to have them available in case they ever burn out and I have to replace them in the future. .
I am still running this unit in my car -> I actually only have 1 installed. Installed one to compare it to HID one and ended up forgetting to install the other side. Every time I visit the forum, I am reminded then promptly forget. Previously the HID was going out so much and so often I figured the other HID would go out so soon that I would be forced to replace it. Now I am wondering how long the last HID bulb will last.
I've got a 2004 Prius (base model) with HID and the left headlight assembly must be replaced as well as the ballast (going out every hour but restarts when I turn the headlights off and on). Since I have to get one new headlight assembly and probably a ballast would it be less expensive to change both lights out for and aftermarket LED solution, are there less expensive solutions out there? Any constructive guidance is appreciated! As a side note, this is my first hybrid and this forum has been invaluable. I got it from an insurance pool, undrivable and now I'm driving it everywhere. I have been able fix the inverter overheating, rebuild the battery blades with 18650 cells, recover from the triangle of death and add bluetooth streaming.
I would say I have been happy with switching to a LED light. It was very inexpensive and was at least 95% equal brightness of the HID.. I think I paid $45. For me I just took out the old bulb pushed the HID cap to the side, then connected into the 12V line coming in from the black cover cap. I can switch back to HID if I so desired. Since the ballast on my left side went out I actually removed the HID connector. On my right side, I left it in play, thinking I would always be able to compare LED to HID at a drop of a cap.
Thanks for the suggestion. Since the drivers side headlight assembly is broken would I be able to purchase a cheaper non-HID assembly and install the LED bulb? The HID fixtures are hard to find and expensive
Yes, it is cheaper to go the Non-HID way. I had already paid for newish used lights (so I could get a replacement ballast) , but you would need to figure out how to connect the HighBeam etc as if I recall that wiring might be different between the lights. Also since the LED was designed to work in an HID enclosure I am not sure if you would use the same type of LEDS or not. I was looking for a quick solution that was reversible.
Time to shed some light on an old thread. These are the LED bulbs I purchased from Headlight Experts for $99. That's more than some bulbs from Amazon. They came well shielded and did not cause radio interference. The bulbs are a direct fit. 1/4" spade terminals had to be crimped onto the original power supply wires. Here's what the low beams look like. And the high beams.
This is quite a coincidence. I did the original conversion and started this conversion a little over 3 and a half years ago. It worked well, but the radio interference was an annoyance. Well, about 2 months ago, one of these lights quit working, so I found a newer version on Amazon for $46.99. be sure the product specifically says it replaces the D4R type of bulbs. The new lights went in very easily and plugged into the original 3/16" spade lugs. Also, 1) no radio interference, no clocking required to get the proper hi/low beam operation, and they appear to be brighter. Basically, just a better product than was available 3-1/2 years ago. I also took the opportunity to polish the haze off of the the light enclosures using automotive paint polishing compound, followed by so Novus lens polish that I had on hand. Here is a picture of the new box with the old lamps and my home-made shielding effort. As for how long it took, THIS TIME, the total process took less than an hour. You'll need a phillips screw driver and 10mm socket. For a first try, if you are methodical about the process, allow half a day. There are some tricks, so follow the guide at the beginning of this thread. STRAWBRAD - I am glad your conversion worked out good, too. Lloyd
That sure looks tempting. So basically all you do is unplug the old light and plug in the new one? Does the old ballast stay?
If you are handy and don't get frustrated easily, yes, that is the basics of it. Look at the first picture in post #3 in this thread. The round black plastic cover comes out of the headlight housing with an eighth turn, Similar to a jar lid. The red and black wires with the white sleeving are the original wires and stay inside the headlight housing, disconnected. The new lights have 2 wires and plug in where those 2 wires came out of. you can pop out some of the plastic dividers where the wires plug in, to make it easier to connect the new wires. Take a risk. Do one side first and make sure it works ok before you open up the other side. It just takes a little bit of time. It was really nice not having to mess with the lights for 3 and a half years. My wife loves the car and won't let me sell it so I have to keep it running and safe, and that is still pretty easy to do. Lloyd
thanks I sure wish these aftermarket vendors would take the time to post YouTube tutorials for their products. Or incentivize their customers to do so. They'd end up selling more products
It seems to me that any vendor should have a video given that they or a customer must have installed it in one vehicle and that all is needed is a cell phone or cheap camera to produce it. YouTube distribution of the video is free. Even when problems are encountered during the install that is helpful to see. It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars or more to get a product out the door but can’t afford to spend a few bucks to produce a video should be a red flag. I’ve talked recently to a number of vendors and they don’t even want to be proactive enough to contact service shops to seed a large metropolitan market. Doing it the first time is a real PiTA especially with the requirements for small space on passenger side access. A video is very helpful.
I hate to get wrapped around the axle about this because there are so many different perspectives and outcomes, and each approach works for "someone." As I have gotten older I have started to lower my expectations, not because it is the right thing to do, but because I realize that is the reality, and it just keeps me from getting frustrated. Let's take these headlights, for example. I think they are all made by a few factories in China, and then sold and re-sold by hundreds of different distributors. Who in the supply chain makes the videos? When I was looking for my first set of LED replacements, I found various applicable videos on youtube, all made by folks like you and me. I think most people shop for price these days, along with fast delivery and easy returns and exchanges. Big outfits like amazon meet those 3 criteria, but customer service (installation and usage) is left to the abundance of customer reviews on the same sites. And you always see complaints about "inadequate instructions." But I have also used sites that DO provide lots of extremely helpful and objective info and testing. One such site is Trailcampro.com. They sell hundreds of trail cameras/ game cameras, and do in-depth testing of them. I use their reviews and I also buy my cameras from them. Their cameras are a little more expensive than on amazon or other zero-service suppliers, but I, like you, personally think giving the few extra dollars for their very helpful efforts is a small price to pay. BUT, for every buyer like you and me, I bet their are several who will look at the info on the trailcampro site to make their decision, and then go to a cheaper site to save a few bucks. One final example has to do with appliance repair parts. Personally, if I think I can fix something, i am loath to pay someone else to do it. Looking around on you tube always reveals a handful of videos doing the repair that i need. I have yet to find a video that is actually produced by a manufacturer. But I still manage to get the job done. I think the bottom line is that no one in the supply chain wants to produce "install and service" videos that will more or less be pirated by other suppliers, and might or might not help them to get additional customers. Just my 2 cents. Not saying what is right or wrong, just how I see it. Lloyd
Wasn’t exactly my point. I’ve spoken to a few vendors, not manufacturers, who tell me it’s easy but cannot identify one commercial shop who’ve done it so I can call them and get it done. I don’t want to learn the hard way how to do something that I may never do again, and risk causing collateral damage, that’s why I’d like to see it done. That way I decide if it’s something I want to try or just pay someone to do. I’d gladly pay a shop $100 to install a $100 item for a total of $200 of it save me four hours of my time.
