Headlight assembly differences

Hi all,

I purchased a replacement headlight assembly for my 2014 Prius v (wagon) after the top of my driver's side headlight cover broke. I finally got around to replacing it and it doesn't seem like the right fit. Looks like the adjuster is in a different configuration and there is one big lamp instead of 2 smaller ones:



I naively trusted eBay's fit guarantee and now it's months past the return window. (Was this supposed to fit a Prius 5 or something?) Should I try to make it work somehow? I don't think the dealership would touch a non-OEM part. I'm unsure about messing around with this in an irreversible way by myself or at an autoshop. Any ideas?

 

Thanks so much for the information everyone.

You are all correct. I should’ve checked better. The part number fit my VIN on the Toyota parts online store but turns out that was just for any 2014 Prius V wagon.

I was also mislead by the bulbs: previous owner apparently put halogen bulbs in the LED assembly. So that made me wonder if the LED adjustment was working or not.

I’ve just dropped the car off at the dealership for them to check the ECU on both headlight assemblies. If they are both broken, I may need to change both. I’m hoping someone was just trying to save money on bulbs…

If both assemblies need changing, that’s going to be 1-1.5K just in parts. Dealership seems to think that since it came with LED assembly, it must stay that way. But putting in halogen assemblies on both sides would save around $800. Does anyone know if the assemblies can be switched to halogen? The wiring doesn’t seem all that different: halogen has one cable set that LED doesn’t. The connectors on the car are the same as far as I can tell.

 

Sure thing, let me figure out if it is usable at all and I’ll get in touch afterwards.

 

That makes total sense. This was what I was starting to gather as well so I started reaching out to salvage yards and parts stores around. I was able to find an LED assembly from another 2014 Prius V wagon. It was too cheap to be working though, so I asked the dealership if my old assembly's ECU was working to transfer it. That's when they told me I needed the following:

Timing gasket resealing: $3,580.52
Rear shock absorbers replacement: $962.17
Replace front sway bar links: $478.21

This is only 5 weeks after I spent $1,860 to replace rear brake pads and rotors, flush brake fluid, get fuel injection and decarbonization done, have the lower ball joints replaced, and wheels aligned. I had gone for an oil change and tire pressure warning. With the regular oil changes and tire rotations, a new 12V battery, and spark plug replacement, I've already spent over $2,500 on maintenance in the 18 months of owning this car. I've driven it a whooping total of 3.4K miles. There is no gas economy in the world that could justify another $5K in repairs...

All of this is to say, thanks so much for all your help everyone but looks like I won't have a Prius V for much longer. It was a nice car while it lasted.

 

When I bought the car, when I got the previous repair, or with the new repair quote? I have a feeling you’re going to say all of the above…

Here is the said leak btw. I checked the oil level and it’s not visibly different from the last change 5 weeks ago. No oil puddle under the car. But the tech is talking about the water pump being leaky so we shall see. Definitely planning to get a second opinion before I give up on my 2014 v.

 

I'm in the DFW area so let me know if you have any recommendations for independent shops.

I haven't had the gasket and suspension job done yet, just got it diagnosed at the dealership today.

That's the thing: I keep bringing the car in for electrical issues and they scare me into costly mechanical repairs. I know enough for routine maintenance and minor mechanical repairs but not enough to judge how bad a situation is when they throw it at me like this.

I went to get my tire pressure warning light addressed last time; walked out with the brake pad and flush etc work done. This time I took it in for headlight replacement and they give me all this stuff. No change in my oil levels, no oil puddles, car is completely quiet and starts silently and immediately. I bought it 137.7K miles in December 2021, it's now at 141.1K. I've barely used it! I'm going to get the headlight changed so it's road-ready again and get the gasket looked at by another shop. Already found a potential headlamp assembly at a parts shop in Grand Prairie. If the mechanic would've just told me my ECU works instead of poking around my engine and suspension, I'd have changed it already.

And you're right about the salespeople too: I asked them what the cash purchase value was; the salesman at the dealership had the audacity to say 3.5K. I laughed at him. He offered 9K (my loan amount left) if I traded it in. I wonder if the service and sales people are working together to trick people into giving up their cars. The secondhand car shortage seems bad: I've been getting at least one call a week from Toyota dealerships to trade in my v for a new car.