Headlight problem

Read the thread,,

Don't mess with it as it will put you SOL with the dealer. Take it to the dealer have them look at it and give you an estimate,,, and then don't let them fix it unless they going to pay 100% AND file with the NTSB!

The bulbs cannot be easily checked as they are not conventional bulbs,, and they cannot be easily taken out and swapped!

Icarus

 

No, you're just very, very lucky to have a dealer that doesn't. Charging an analysis fee is very much the norm, not the exception. The fact that you got in the door without a minimum fee being mentioned (without an ExtWarr to cover things) is amazing.

 

Define "easily".

I consider the driver's side to be quite easy to take out, and the only reason the passenger side is "hard" is because my gorilla hands are too huge to fit in there once the intake tube is out of the way. I almost had the bulbs swapped a couple days ago in 5-10 minutes, until the spring bail popped loose on the passenger side, and I had to pull the WW tank and set it out of the way to get the bail back in place. Even then, the whole job was less than 30min with a "long" list of tools consisting of a 10mm openend wrench and a screwdriver.

BTW, removed my 2nd blown Ebay bulb, replaced with Philips original bulb, sending the Ebay one back for replacement soon. This time, it was rather obvious that the bulb was at fault, as once I had it out, I could see metal sputtered onto the bulb's insides that didn't belong there.

 

The passenger is pretty much the same as the drivers, except if you want to have a chance to see what your doing, you need to lift out the windshield washer reservoir.. which is easy too.

Now that you know how the spring works "from doing the drivers side", you may can go by feel.

 

Having replaced one factory and 2 Ebay bulbs, I know all about it ;-)

The problem this last time is that the spring popped completely out of the housing, and didn't want to go back in, even after forcing it back into its' hooked slot. I was hoping to not have to remove the WW tank this time, and almost didn't have to, but once the spring became an issue, the tank had to come out.

If I ever have to remove the headlights entirely (like if Toyota doesn't own up and do something, and I find D2R ballasts for my spare 04 housings), I will probably put some hotglue on the seat for the spring to make sure it doesn't come out again (can't just smack it to shrink the metal around the spring, as the spring seat is potmetal, it'd break).

 

Wow!.... I discovered forcing doesnt work... I bent one of my springs so bad when I first did the job, I finally had to take the other one out to compare to get my first one bent back to the proper shape so it would work right.
It is a flimsy way of mounting..seems these rocket scientists should be able to do better.

Opps.. I forgot..... they dont do O rings either!

 

After reading all of these posts, and other web articles, I was ready for a fight when I called Toyota to complain about the same issue in my 2006 Prius. The inverse was true. The folks over there were a bit hard to get in touch with, they seem to insist on calling after 6pm. But after I finally spoke with a case manager, they set me up for a diagnostic at no charge with my dealer. After a bit more phone tag they agreed to reimburse me for full replacement of the bulbs and control modules despite the 90k miles I have on the car.

 

Check my photo album. It isn't terribly difficult to get to them. However, I don't know if there is any way to tell if the bulb is good or not by sight. They aren't like filament bulbs where you can SEE the wire is broken.

 

My driver's side HID bulb just went out again on my 2005 Prius. 1 year and 8 days ago the same bulb was replaced by Toyota for $565.00. That was an insane price to replace a bulb, which is supposed to be a lifetime bulb. Dublin Toyota, who replaced the original bulb has offered to Good Will the price of the bulb, but I still am being billed $165 for labor to switch the bulbs. OK, appreciate that, but they should be replacing it for free. I called Toyota Customer Relations and filed a formal complaint with them. Then of course I tried to file an on-line complaint with the NHTSA but their complaint form does not work! Figures.

 

I think we should keep these links current and add as new ones arrive.
The media is the only power that will get their attention as it finally comes down to affecting their pocketbook as wary consumers buy elsewhere.

Call it blackmail?.... whatever.. but this is ridiculous for two basic reasons among others.
1. The bulb itself is very cheap "at toyotas cost", and the labor should be as you really don't need to take the bumper off or take over 20 minutes to change a bulb if your a Toyota mechanic with half a brain and have all the cool tools and toys to get the job done quickly..... yet they stick it to us and take advantage when they should be making it good themselves.
2. They are not redeeming their good name by making this right with the customers...at the very least, they should do a recall.. take their lumps and be done with it.

 

They win not matter what. The bulb cost them ~50% or less of their list price, certainly less than the $165 than they are going to stick you the labor. (They offered my the same deal,, bulb(s) for free if I paid $90 labor for both!) I said no thank you, and eventually they did it all gratis.

If Toyota won't do it for free,, find someone that can do it cheaper. This is not rocket science!

Icarus

 

Hey talonts, could you photo-document the HID replacement next time you do it? I imagine you're used to turning a wrench, given that you have a DSM

 

Well, I had my bulb replaced and I paid Dublin Toyota $165 for the labor and they gave me the bulb for free. That was nice of them; right? However, the real news is that Toyota Customer Relations agreed to pay the labor fee, so in the end it will have cost me nothing. I faxed them the invoice Friday night with a nice letter.

It gets better... Toyota Customer Relations also asked me to fax them the invoice from my 2008 HID bulb replacement, $566.04 from Dublin Toyota and they said they would look into reimbursing me for that too- but no promises on that one. But at least they showed interest.

So, here is the kill shot for Dublin Toyota for me. The technician said my water pump was leaking and they recommend replacement of the water pump and drive belts at the same time for $800 plus tax, or $874.00. I said do not do the work.

I called Toyota 101 in Redwood City, (I have an office about 1 mile from them) and asked them their cost for the water pump and drive belt replacement (exact same things) and they told me $539 plus tax, or $588.86! That is $285.14 cheaper than Dublin Toyota. I booked an appointment for Monday morning and they are giving me a rental car for $9.95 per day -a brand new Prius! I am looking forward to being able to drive the new Prius for a whole day, about 150 miles.

So it seems Dublin Toyota, whose service department waiting room was full of people waiting for their cars, cares not about gouging their customers to help them pay for their brand new state of the art facility (it is nice) on the backs of their customers. I do not deny them the right to make a profit, but come on now- they are way out of line in my experience with them and will not be going back.

I will say that Kasey Wills, (my service advisor) was very nice; polite and professional. Also the actual technicians seemed nice too. They spent about 5 minutes talking to me about my car and all of the mods it has on it and how clean it is. Unfortunately the cashier's office staff was not what I would expect for Toyota.

 

I'll try to do so, but the area is so tight with my large hands, and so much stuff is in the way, that the first time I swapped a bulb, the pics didn't show squat.

And my DSM hasn't had a wrench on it in over 2 years - threw a rod bearing, haven't had time/space for an engine rebuild :-/

 

I bought both of my bulbs off of eBay for 69.00 for "both" of them!!!
4300K HID 35W Xenon OEM Replacement Bulbs D4R


Here are some tips to remove the HID bulbs:
Don't turn on the bulbs just before this operation, it will only charge the ballast and make the
job a bit more hazardous.

1. The black plastic shield across the front of the car under the hood comes off with the
removal of the 6 plastic push-in retainers use two small screwdrivers, coming from opposite sides to
lift them and then they will pop right out. Remove the shield. (note for re-installation - the front
edge slips into a slot on the color matched grill/lower bumper cover.)

2. Take a small flat head screwdriver and lift up the top center of the three plastic plugs that
hold the top of the color matched grill/lower bumper cover.

3. Also remove the two round rubber bumpers that have phillips screws holding them on.
Careful they may be REALLY tight.

4. You need to remove two more (phillips head) screws. These hold the top corner of the
grill/lower bumper cover to the front fender(s). They are at the top rear corner of the grill/lower
bumper cover, inside the wheel well liner.

5. Now you can carefulluy pop loose the grill/lower bumper cover. CAUTION - it is still
bolted at the bottom but you only need enough room to expose the lower bolt/screw that
holds the headlight assembly on. It is a hex head with phillips slots in it, just like the other two that
hold on the headlight assembly.

6. Remove all three of these hex/phillips bolts/screws.

7. Begin to remove the headlight assembly. You will need to remove the parking light and
turn signal bulbs. They turn 1/8th turn counterclockwise and pull out. You don't need to totally
remove the assembly, just enough to get access for the next step.

8. Now remove the back cover of the light assembly to gain access to the bulb. Its about 4
inches across with little fins to give you traction when attempting to turn... don't hit them with a
screwdriver nor should you use pliers or tools.. you "will" break them off if you do!!!..
Turn counterclock wise. If it resists... wiggle it a bit to loosen the large O ring underneath and try
again. "Constant" tension seems to be the key... if you look very close you will see it turning very
slowly.
It takes about an eighth of a turn before it stops and you can wiggle it free.
Once you've done this once, it’s much easier should you need to do it again, turn or flip it out of the
way .

9. Now that you can look inside, you will see everything "except" what looks like a bulb….
Lol!... but the chrome electrical connector that goes to the back of the bulb will be visible. Its above
the wire windings you will see below.
Turn that chrome piece counterclock wise about 1/8th of a turn to hear "a click" and it will
pull off.
DO NOT put your finger into it or allow it to accidentally contact any metal, as it comes from
the ballast with high voltage... I took mine and put it near metal to discharge it... with one of the 4
I did, I actually heard a pop from the arc!

10. Now you can see how the wire keeper is set before you remove it.
They pull in, and back and then out to release the bulb.
The bulb pulls right out.... Note the solid wire on the bottom of the bulb, it goes to the
bottom when positioned properly in the lens!... replace it the same way, or you will have a
nasty shadow on the ground as it shines.

11. Take the new bulb and be careful not to touch the glass in any way unless you wipe it
back off with acetone or similar.
Note, there are 3 notches in the bulb flange so you can see if its placed in the hole perfectly,
While holding the bulb in place gently place the wire keeper around the bulb and push far back and
hook one side and then the other.
This is one of those jobs that’s easy once you’ve done it once but can be a pain if your
careless and bend the wire as it won’t hold properly if bent too far, you would have to take out and
bend it back for a secure fit.

12. If you have the keeper in correctly, the bulb will be firm and not able to wiggle with
normal manipulation .
Now remember how you had to turn the chrome electrical base 1/8 turn counterclockwise to
remove it?... so now before you touch the back of the bulb, take that base and place it over the
back of the bulb and push on gently and now turn it clockwise to lock in place. It goes on very
gracefully and easy.

13. Place the black plastic backing and O-ring on the housing of the lens cover and turn
clockwise to lock into place.

14. Wrangle the headlight assembly back into place and re-assemble everything in reverse
order. All Done!
-----------------------------------

a HID dealer told me the D4C bulbs are cheap, because they are made in China and don't have the
ceramic band of paint that D4R bulbs have. $230/pair seems to be the going rate for factory OEM
bulbs NOT from Toyota.

 

Note that removing the bumper cover, or even partially removing it, is not necessary unless you are also swapping the headlight housings or ballasts.

Even with my gorilla-sized hands, you only have to pull the fusebox cover on the drivers side, the top black cover, and the air intake tube on the passenger side. If you have issues with the passenger bulb, removing the WW tank (but leaving the hose connected) and setting it on the fender gets you all the room you need.

Even with having to remove the WW tank, you should be able to replace the bulbs in 15min, using just a couple of screwdrivers and ratchet with 10mm socket and extensions. If you have smaller hands and don't have to remove the WW tank, just the screwdrivers and 5 minutes is all you need.

 

Way to go Talonts... Good post!... not that doing it the other way is wrong, but it is getting confusing for the total novice to figure out whats up with all the differing viewpoints of simple verses very involved technical ways of doing this.

Everything is simple if you have the tools and either know what your doing or have done similar.

But removing bumpers etc puts many people on "tilt" when they are contemplating whether this is a viable option.

Its good to clear the mud and realize that someone with normal household tools and a little time can do this. :cheer2:

 

Thanks for the directions on removing the headlight assembly, it worked perfectly. I'd only note that to get to the bolt in the fender liner you need to push the liner back a bit to reveal it, but you don't need to disconnect it.

Fortunately I haven't had the light going out, but I did have trouble with condensation inside the lens on the driver's side. I removed the assembly and used a shop vac to blow it out. I don't have dry compressed air, but the relative humidity here is 15% so that should be fine.

I'm not sure how the water got in; there's no visible cracks and the bulbs were tight. It's possible the dealer did something when they replaced the coolant storage pump, which is right under it.

 

Holy Holiness, this page is chock full of all the HID headlamp info I ever needed! Thanks so much for the details on changing the bulb myself, and the links to the all the articles about the lawsuits and pending recall. I am now armed with everything I need when I march into the service department to demand that my HID headlamp be fixed, free!

.. I'll demand nicely, with a smile on my face.

 

Don't feel bad. I took my Toyota of Wilbraham, MA because my engine light came on, and my Nav wasn't working, and my headlights were cutting off randomly. They said they would charge me $100 diagnostic on the engine and $100 diagnostic on the Nav. I thought that was high just to tell me what was wrong.

They came back, told me I had some codes that needed resetting charge: $90. They said I had a crack in my water pump, and everything needed to be "drained and repaired", charge: $1,200 and that they couldn't replicate the problem on the nav, but they would only charge: $50. They said they could look further into the problem, but suggested that since the problem could "reoccur", I should just replace the whole navigation unit for charge: $1500!!! They also said they didn't know what was wrong with my headlights, and it might be the ECU....? But they couldn't tell me without further diagnosis, charge: $100

I paid them my $150, for all their hard work, (they were nice enough to only charge me $50 and not $100, for doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with the Nav) I took Sophie (My car) to another Toyota dealer were they actually bothered to touch my DVD and cleaned it at NO CHARGE! They couldn't find "the crack in the water pump" that Wilbraham Toyota claimed would cost me so much to fix. I wouldn't brink a moped to Lia Toyota of Wilbraham for repairs. At West Springfield, Toyota at least they were able to tell me my headlights were related to the ECU and it would be something like $800 per light? Sigh, why so much for a clear design flaw on Toyota's part? I may never buy another Toyota, and I do want a 2010 Prius. Maybe I'll get a GM Volt instead, at least then I KNOW I"m taking a gamble. Anyways...I thought Toyota stood quality and integrity? Clearly I was mistaken.