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2008 Prius HID Headlight intermittent problem. Cheapest best bulb to buy?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ace, Jan 14, 2011.

  1. ace

    ace A mini-tank with snow tires

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    Finally, the dreaded Prius intermittent HID headlamp problem has arrived in my 2 year and 11 month old 2008 Prius Touring Package #6 with HID Headlight bulbs and 59,000 miles. [​IMG]

    I've been hearing from other Prius owners about HID headlamp issue, the first time I heard of it, a good friend told me they were on a trip 2 years ago, I think they have either an 07 or 06 Prius, on the highway and both Prius headlights would go out at once, total darkness, :eek: scared them.Dealer fixed for something like $800 ea at that time 2 years ago.

    I stuck my head in the sand and was hoping the well known, well documented, intermittent HID Headlight Prius problem would not be infecting the 2008 Prius, but looks like it is. Well, this is the first major thing to happen to my Prius since I got it new in 2008, so that isn't too bad. :)

    In my case, 3 nights ago noticed the passenger side HID bulb was out when my daughter picked me up at the airport, then while driving home it looked like it was on, at home, in the drive, it was off, the next day it was working. [​IMG] So go figure.

    Autozone wants $175 + tax for one HID bulb! :eek: :mad: I think the Toyota dealer is cheaper than Autozone. I see HID bulbs on eBay for as low as $10 each + shipping, but I thought I would check first. Anyone have experience changing a 2008 Prius HID with non-dealer HID bulbs?

    A few questions, if you know any of the answers please let me know.

    1) How do I find out what exact HID bulb I have, like the watts, the
    color in K, etc.? (If I replace just one I want them to be similar in color and intensity)

    2) What is the best cheapest bulb that will work in the 2008 Prius? Here is one I found, would this work? What exactly is a DR4 bulb? NEW 4300K HID Xenon Kit Bulbs 2 Bulbs OEM D4R or D4S - eBay (item 350223394948 end time Jan-28-11 16:10:14 PST)
    Anything better or cheaper that anyone else has found?

    3) Does the touring package #6 have the same bulbs as the other 2008 Prius?

    4) Should I change both HID bulbs now, or wait till the drivers side goes out?

    5) How long are HID bulbs supposed to last?

    6) Any do-it-yourselfers post any photos while replacing the HID bulb on the Prius? If so, were can I find them? Looks like some people remove the bumper.

    Thanks, I love this forum. :rolleyes:

    edh
     
  2. ryanmorley

    ryanmorley Junior Member

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    This doesn't address any of your questions, but I received good news on the headlight defect just minutes ago.
     
  3. ace

    ace A mini-tank with snow tires

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    Thanks for the 2 posts above. I did not know about the HID Class action suit. I figured light bulbs burn out so how could their possibly be a class action settlement? Surprise surprise. Of course I'm 8000 miles over the 50,000 mile limit on the class action warranty extension, although my Prius is only 2 years and 11 months old. This is exactly why I never buy warranties, I don't think in 30 years I have collected on a warranty repair of any type. Always some reason it is not a warranty repair. Something like, blah blah blah, sorry sir, it is Tuesday, and warranties are not covered on Tuesdays :)

    This post from above is pretty cool, if you watch the video, she changes a Prius HID in 2 minutes and it looks like it might be a 2008 Prius in this video also !! Luscious Garage | Blog | Prius headlight problem, D4R HID bulbs *still overpriced, not covered under warranty*
    Does anyone know of a similar garage in the L.A. area? I'm near Ontario, Pomona, Upland, Claremont. I would love to find a garage that specializes in Hybrids in this area.

    So based on the two posts above + what I found here (some more good prices on HID bulbs): http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-if-2008-prius-has-halogen-hid-headlamps.html I've decided to buy a pair of HID's either on Amazon or eBay, I think I will get the 4300K bulbs. Replace both bulbs at the same time (mainly to keep the color the same) and haven't decided if I will remove the bumper or not. I might have to go on a diet to get my hands small enough to replace the HID's. :p

    If anyone has any other Prius HID experiences they would like to add, that would be appreciated.


    Thanks
     
  4. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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  5. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Amazon sells Phillips HID bulbs for $60 on sale. I saw it 3 days ago.
     
  6. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    The passenger side is totally doable without removing the bumper. The only difficult part is removing the big round plastic cover for the bulb. I've seen it best explained as requiring much constant pressure to turn it far enough for it to pop loose. I actually broke off one of the tabs from pressing so hard. If you have really big hands it may be even harder to get into the correct position to apply enough force. I have not done the driver's side yet but it looks like it is even more difficult but less work than removing the bumper. Good luck. :)
     
  7. pcshay7

    pcshay7 New Member

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    Factory OEM bulb for 2008 Prius Touring Edition is PHILIPS D4R 42406C1 code: 77713541 DOT according to Philips Web Site. The site "where to buy" locator for USA lists Car Quest Auto Parts. My local store had D4R in stock with list price of $85.71, parts guy gave me $4.29 Military Discount when I showed my ID card. Added state sales tax for out-the-door price of $88.99 that sure beat my local Toyota dealer's $150. Took my new bulb in box to his parts section to compare with official Toyota bulb and found that his bulb was in same Philips D4R box as my CarQuest one. Buyer Beware! Not all aftermarket D4R HID bulbs are the same. If box & bulb markings do not state DOT then the bulb may be the off-road-use-only bulb. This bulb may appear to be brighter than the DOT, problem is it will not have shielding on bulb to keep from blinding on-coming traffic. Get pulled over by cops for too bright HID's and they inspect bulbs and find Non-DOT it may get very costly for you. This State can impound car write ticket with big fine and then require you to pay towing & impound fees to get your car back and you will have to prove to State Patrol that you changed to DOT bulbs. Why fund State with hundreds of your hard earned dollars. Just ask your friendly truck driver's about State funding programs.
     
  8. uclabruins

    uclabruins Member

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    Thanks for the insight guys!
     
  9. shikataganai

    shikataganai Junior Member

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    Better than $60: $54.48 as of this writing, in fact.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00480J4J6

    [​IMG]

    I ordered one yesterday for my 2006 Prius, which has an intermittently functioning right OEM HID headlight. Both the Luscious Garage page and Amazon's "will it fit?" confirms that this is the correct bulb.
     
  10. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    ^Glad you found it. :)

    Is the Phillips that Amazon sells 4300k or 5000k? I'd really love a 5000k temp if my bulb(s) ever kick the bucket.
     
  11. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    The Philips is 4300K.

    Other manufacturers make up to 14,000K.
     
  12. avocadoman1

    avocadoman1 Member

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    i just DIY'd both sides with my huge hands.
    as you say, the most difficult part is removing the big round plastic cover.

    i, too, broke off one of the plastic fins, but was able to eventually remove the cover. i then lubricated them for e-z future removal.
    the rest of the process is mostly done by "feel", once you understand how the bulb is fastened/connected inside the housing.

    - passenger side: removed fasteners/connectors for washer fluid which gave me some room to work.
    - driver side: removed the fuse cover, but other than that, very little room to work.

    i had ordered D4R-6000K bulbs over a year ago from e-bay anticipating the day of infamy. they are a bit more blue than i had expected. that is, i wanted a slight blue tint, but not this much.

    today i ordered a set of D4R-5000K bulbs from Amazon ($55/pair).

    since i now know how to install myself, and the fact that the big round plastic covers are lubricated for e-z removal, it's no big deal to replace (in pairs) if i desire.
     
    1 person likes this.
  13. lgromachey

    lgromachey 125,000 and still going strong

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    About two weeks ago I installed the hidnation.com H4 BI-XENON HID kit in the 6000K color. I had the 9006 Sylvan halogen bulbs in it but they would burn out in about 6 months so I decided to go to the HID. WOW what a difference. I upgraded to the better slimline ballast for an additional $28.99 and bought the Lifetime Warranty for $19.99. So out the door including shipping and tax it was $164.96. The installation took only about 20 minutes. I was so impressed with the headlights the next day I ordered the HID fog light kit HN-9006 including the slim Ballast 6,000k color and the Lifetime warranty out the door for $101.96. This project was allot more involved since my car did not have fog lights. After two day's on the internet and looking at the service manual I tore into the job. They recommended removing the front bumper and the front grill ( I don't think that was necessary and it was quite time consuming for the first timer). Anyway with out going into the actual process I finished the installation in about 7 hours. (again it could have been reduces by about two hours without removing the front bumper). I ordered the Winjet OEM style fog light kit in clear from turnersdepot.com SKU# WJ30-0107-09 for $75.00 and the OEM lower outer grills with fog lamp holes code 53112-47030 53113-47030 from autopartscheaper.com for another $47.82 including shipping. To protect the fog light lense, I ordered the clear (40 mil fog light covers from lamin-x.com for an additional $14.95 plus shipping and handling.So all in all highly recommended upgrade, I also wired the fog lights so I can turn my headlights off and just run the fog lamps by them self's. Now instead of going thru $50.00 pare of Sylvania bulbs every 6 months, I have 300% more light better looking color and life time warranty. Sorry but this is my first post. Hope it is informative. Daylight at nighttime way coooool..
     
  14. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Do you have the link to the product?

    And please post pics when you get them installed.

    Bummer that Phillips only sells 4300k.
     
  15. avocadoman1

    avocadoman1 Member

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    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H2N46O

    i requested the free shipping option, they sent them to me via priority mail and i received in 4 days.
    i installed the new pair in 20 minutes, all by "feel". they are very white, glad i changed out the 6000K blue.

    driver-side: removed fuse cover, removed round plastic cover, then did the rest w/ my eyes closed.

    passenger-side: removed the top/corner fastener for the plastic dust cover, removed the air-intake. removed both both electrical connectors to the washer fluid. then round plastic dust cover and the remainder by feel.

    i need to work for a stealership...i'd make a killing! could charge customers for 3 hours and do it in 20 minutes...
     
  16. thorn

    thorn Member

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    My original passenger light is turning purple on my 2004 Prius, I guess it's about to go bad. :(

    Can one replace just one? It's self leveling if I remember correctly, not sure if that makes a difference.

    Thanks, Greg
     
  17. Codemonkey812

    Codemonkey812 Junior Member

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    I just purchased a 2006 a week ago, and noticed the car only lights about 10' ahead with very little spread. I live in a area with lots of wildlife so I need to see further ahead. Is there a way to adjust the lights, or better bulbs?
     
  18. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If your car has HID headlights, it is possible that the auto-leveling sensor which is mounted near the rear beam axle is faulty and needs to be replaced.
     
  19. thorn

    thorn Member

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    I replaced the passenger side and it I'm having a problem with it. It will stay on for less than 2 mins. Could this be a ballast problem? Or a bad bulb? The one it replaced would turn from normal color to purple.

    Thanks, Greg