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Prius Tail Lights

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by theinterloper, Jun 5, 2010.

  1. theinterloper

    theinterloper New Member

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    I've noticed that some Prius' have a tinted upper portion of their tail light (aligning the the lower hatch window). Is this a model year change?
     
    #1 theinterloper, Jun 5, 2010
  2. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    Yes. I think they were present on the 2004s but I think they had melting issues due to sunlight so they removed the tint for 05? I might have the years wrong.
     
    #2 a_gray_prius, Jun 5, 2010
  3. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    they are on the 04 and 05's.. they changed the cars in 06... including standard rear wipers.. vsc, rear view cameras (not available on 04 and 05), higher res screens with different "formats"... etc.. etc..

    also... the interior was changed out. the 04 and 05 models have plum interior... since it peeled, they changed it out for a textured material.
     
    #3 V8Cobrakid, Jun 5, 2010
  4. josh2008

    josh2008 Active Member

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    The top portion of the taillamp housings (where the brake LED's are) was black plastic on the 04-05 models. They had some issues with excessive heat and melting so the 06-09 models have that section of plastic chrome plated.
     
    #4 josh2008, Jun 5, 2010
  5. theinterloper

    theinterloper New Member

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    Thanks for all the insightful replies. :)
     
    #5 theinterloper, Jun 5, 2010
  6. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Hmmmm . . . melting?

    The puppies below have driven across 120 degrees Vegas & Mojave more than once ... and yet not a crack / melt / peal to be found.
    ;)
    I think the clear came about just to make the red lights look more bright ... but who knows. It wouldn't be my 1st bad guess.

    .
     
    #6 hill, Jun 5, 2010
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Take a look at the LED brake lights. Each LED is within its own cell. The bottom of each cell should be perfectly flat. On my 2004, they are sagging, almost like this Salvador Dali painting:
    [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persistence_of_Memory]The Persistence of Memory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Jun 5, 2010
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