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My HID bulb replacement on my 06 prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by windstrings, May 26, 2008.

  1. jaycat9

    jaycat9 New Member

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    I drove the car this week for about 5 hours with the lights on and there is still a clear difference between the two bulbs I received. I have sent the bad bulb back and stillenmaxima98 is going to replace it for me. (Anything less than one year old is apparently still under warranty -- this one is about one week old).

    I've attempted to attach a picture that shows the disparity in the two bulbs I received. As you can (hopefully) see, the bulb on the driver side is significantly brighter and whiter than the passenger side one.

    Here's the odd thing: I took the passenger side bulb out and temporarily replaced it with my one working OEM bulb. Surprisingly, the factory bulb also seems duller and a tad yellower than the bulb I just installed on the driver side. So is the bulb that I thought "bad" actually the proper bulb, and the the super bright white one is actually the wrong bulb? I have no idea. I just want two bulbs that match and that are preferably very bright and clear like the one currently on my driver side.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    Interesting.... have someone turn your lights on highbeam and off while you stand outside and look and make sure the metal deflector that "moves" when you switch back and forth is working Properly.

    It almost looks like one is on highbeam while the other is on low the difference is so dramatic!

    Its possible you didn't mount the bulb properly and its touching the deflecting mechanism to prevent its movement?

    You should also be able to tell at night or being a distance away from a wall or your garage door while you bounce between the two modes.

    If your new bulb does the same thing, my next guess is that its your ballast not putting out enough voltage in which case your in for a trip to Toyota.

    Its possible its looked that way for a while and you never noticed it until you started looking due to this problem that cropped up.
    "who looks at their lights from the front while driving" lOl!

    Another thought, does it look dimmer while actually using it at night?
    Bulbs are directed at slightly different angles from right to left so as an up close shot against a wall may not be indicative of what happens at a distance.

    As stated in the instructions, once your done with the install, the bulb should be nice and firm and not wiggle at all when manipulated it from the back.... barring brute force of course!

    Let us know if you figure anything out!
     
  3. 200Volts

    200Volts Member

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    After MUCH research and frustration(many companies said they have these in stock, but do not; i.e.UltimateHID) to find D4R bulbs less than $200 a pair, I bought the $70 a pair D4R 6k bulbs from stillenmaxima98 on ebay (yes they're from China, and Stan said so when asked). He's seems very customer oriented and the bulbs showed up as scheduled.

    Installation was 1.5 hours, THANK YOU WINDSTRINGS !!!
    Color is just very slightly blue tint. They are much brighter than my 123k miles factory bulbs.
    However, I can hear a fairly loud, high pitched whine from the bulbs-ballast area. Is this a problem or potential problem?
     
  4. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    I don't think thats an issue, especially if its only when you first turn them on... all ballast make a very high pitched whine if you have good hearing and listen close enough..... even the handhelds do many say... My high end hearing is not so good... but I can hear low end really well!..... The TV can be blasting and fans going in the living room and someone will drive up out front and I can distintly hear each car door that closes!.... even before the dogs do!... what gives? LOL!

    Usually they are noisiest when its first firing up.

    I've read how when a ballast is ran at a higher frequency they will whine more.... I don't know if the 6000K bulbs do just that or not.. I knowledge is pretty limited on ballast.

    Its pretty common to find this on the internet however.
    Heres another... but I don't think its an issue.
    I don't know how old you are, but this article says people over about 30 can't hear it.
     
  5. jaycat9

    jaycat9 New Member

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    Ok, that's good to hear. That sounds like my one bright (driver's side) bulb in the picture above. Now hopefully the replacement bulb I get for the passenger side will be just like it. I expect to receive it in the mail sometime next week and will let you all know how it works out.

    Thanks for the help/suggestions.
     
  6. frank99

    frank99 Junior Member

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    windstring no wonder we cant get off oil , the space shuttle might be ez to work than the prius , windstring did i read that the blubs move when we go to high beam??? stan the man has my bulbs coming but did a little testing tonight , i read here that low voltage on the light will cause them to go out , went out and started the pruis and let it run 7 minutes and off to work and guess what no lights out all the way to work, some one tell me what going on please thanks frank
     
  7. frank99

    frank99 Junior Member

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    does the prius have a 12 volt battery and what charges it and where is it in the car thanks frank

    my car is a 06 how can i change that in my info that is on the posts?? thanks frank
     
  8. avocadoman1

    avocadoman1 Member

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    the 12v battery is charged via an inverter. don't know the location, but probably under rear seat.

    click on the USER CP near top left of page. then to EDIT YOUR DETAILS.
     
  9. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    No Bro.. only a little metal reflector or "deflector" moves that surrounds the bulbs light so it hits the inside reflector differently.
     
  10. JerryJ

    JerryJ New Member

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    My 2007 Prius had the same passenger-side intermittent headlight problem I've read about. It has 65k miles. Yesterday my dealer replaced it "under warranty." No charge for parts or labor. It was the bulb, and not the computer, that needed preplacement. It took them about 30 minutes. They did not have to take off the bumper -- but they probably have the "right" tools. The Service Manager says he's replaced 5 of them in the last year -- so he wants me to think it's not a problem for every Prius, just for some. Of course I only care about mine, so I was glad he fixed it for free. It probably helped that we've bought 4 other new vehicles from him in the last 5 years.
     
  11. jaycat9

    jaycat9 New Member

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    Ok, I'm all set. Got my replacement bulb from stillenmaxima, spent about 5 minutes installing it (I should go work for Toyota as a tech in the service dept!), and I'm good to go. This bulb matches the same clear bright white as the one working bulb in the pair I originally purchased from him.
     
  12. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I checked my owners manual for my 2005 Prius and it lists the bulb as a D2R.

    Thanks for the write up and the links for purchasing the bulbs Windstrings. I would like to swap mine out for a set of 6k bulbs. :)
     
  13. ttabbal

    ttabbal New Member

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    I just got hit with the headlight problem as well. 2006 model. These things are obviously faulty from the factory. Of course, it's happened right before a long road trip. I doubt I can get replacement bulbs in time. I've emailed stillenmaxima98 to see if he is willing to overnight them. Irritating as hell. It wouldn't be so bad if I could get the stupid things locally. I'll probably just have to watch for the one to go out and flip the switch to get it re-lit for this trip. :mad:

    2006 owners reading this, BUY THE REPLACEMENTS NOW. Even if you don't need them now. Because when you do, having them on hand is priceless.
     
  14. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    Hey, welcome to the forum Jerry..... good to know there are some good dealers out there too!
     
  15. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Frank, the battery is under the luggage area floor in the right rear corner. It is charged by a DC-DC converter from the main traction battery which is charged by the HSD motor/generators.
     
  16. 200Volts

    200Volts Member

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    Tip for replacing driver's side bulb:
    Use your LEFT hand to insert the bulb. I could not hold the bulb straight with my right hand.
     
  17. cgates30

    cgates30 Junior Member

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    It's now been 1-1/2 months with the new bulbs/lamps installed and I haven't had any problems at all. They look great and $69 was a great price for them. If anyone is on the fence, Stillenmaxima98 on ebay is a good source for these bulbs.
     
  18. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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  19. windstrings

    windstrings Certified Prius Breeder

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    those are nice pics..... would be nice if someone got a pic of that wire clamp while it was on the clips verses off, but good luck getting a camera back that far!

    My hats off to those who did the job in 30 min... it definately took me a bit longer than that, but it was this forum that gave me the guts to even try, now seems its getting easier and easier!..
     
  20. bigeric

    bigeric New Member

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    I have a 2004 Prius with HID headlights. After my 100,000 extended warranty expired, both bulbs started the typical “turn off every few minutes†problem.


    I replaced them with bulbs off eBay and it was much easier then I was expecting. Here’s what I did, it took about 15 minutes per side.

    1. Loosen two screws in the wheel well, one at the bottom and one under the plastic splash guard at the seam of the bumper cover.



    2. Remove the quick-release fasteners and the hood bumpers from the top of the bumper cover.



    3. Pull the bumper cover forward and release it at the top seam under the front fender. This sounds much harder than it really is. This gives access to the lower headlight mounting screw and gives room to move the headlight around.



    4. Loosen the fender mounting screw just above and behind the headlight.



    5. Gently pull the fender up and back a bit while sliding the headlight forward a bit. It’s a bit tight, but the headlight will squeeze past the edge of the fender and slide forward, giving easy access to the back of the headlight unit.



    6. Remove the bulb access panel and electrical connector and you can see the bulb.



    7. Unclip the bulb and replace it without touching the glass.



    8. Put it all back together in reverse order.


    Good luck! You’ll be really happy at saving several hundred dollars.