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Headlight Out... then... NOT?!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by jk823, Jun 8, 2012.

  1. jk823

    jk823 Junior Member

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    I have a 2009 Prius with about 36,500 miles on it. I dropped a friend off at the airport tonight and noticed in the reflection of the car in front of me that my right headlight was out -- a fact my friend confirmed when he got out of the car.

    As I was driving home I noticed a flicker of light and then the headlight is now back on. This seems strange. Here are my questions:

    - Does this mean the light is on it's way out?
    - Should I go ahead and replace it?
    - How long do headlights typically last?
    - Is replacing a headlight something I can easily do myself in a 2009 Prius?

    THANKS!
    John
     
    #1 jk823, Jun 8, 2012
  2. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    #2 cwerdna, Jun 8, 2012
  3. jk823

    jk823 Junior Member

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    I think I do. I have the Package #6 with Navigation and Leather Seats and I think that includes HID. I'll bring it in to the dealership tomorrow (UGH!). Thanks!
     
    #3 jk823, Jun 8, 2012
  4. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    2G Prius (2004-2009) Standard and Optional Equipment (Some Countries) | PriusChat should help w/packages. I haven't glanced at the 09's carefully, but it sounds like you should have HIDs.

    HIDs are whiter/bluer than halogens, which have look (and are dimmer) and have an orange/yellowish color.

    No ugh! You should be happy that you've got the extended warranty. People were being charged quite a bit for replacements before (labor and parts) along w/unnecessary ballast/ECU replacements.

    To preserve the life of your HIDs, you should NOT use them as daytime running lights and do not cycle them on/off unnecessarily, esp. when they're still hot.
     
    #4 cwerdna, Jun 8, 2012
  5. jk823

    jk823 Junior Member

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    I went to the dealer and WAS covered under the settlement! Thanks everyone! Even though both flickered they said they'd only replace the one that was out. Better than nothing!
     
    #5 jk823, Jun 8, 2012
  6. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    Flickering means the bulb is dead. Replacing one bulb and not the other is silly. Cough up $50 and replace the other bulb yourself.
     
    #6 2k1Toaster, Jun 8, 2012
  7. jk823

    jk823 Junior Member

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    Can you point me to a place online to buy the HID bulbs cheaply?
     
    #7 jk823, Jun 8, 2012
  8. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    You don't always want cheap.

    You may want to peruse this: Not all HID Bulbs are created equal | PriusChat

    Or at least read the first post.

    eBay can be a good source but can also be a really bad source.If you just want cheap and don't care about potential reflector de-chroming or life of the bulb, then any D4R bulb will work. Nowadays if you have no damages from the
    cheaper hotter bulbs and replace them immediately when they start to fail (preserve ballast life), then you will come out about the same financially buying the cheap crap versus the good Phillips bulbs. Now if you have any problems, the cheap will come out more expensive.
     
    #8 2k1Toaster, Jun 8, 2012
  9. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    If I were the OP, I'd try to document the other one having trouble.

    Maybe make a video w/showing it? Show yourself, mention the date and show the flickering bulb. Go back to the/a dealer once you have this.

    I'd rather have Toyota replace it for free than me spending money and time to replace it. My DIY replacement attempt (I was a bit past 5 years/50K miles, so the dealer wouldn't do any warranty replacement for me) which I thought would take me an hour or so ending up taking me hours along w/a lot of swearing.
     
    #9 cwerdna, Jun 8, 2012
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