2008 Headlight Replacement?

Does your car have fog lights? If so, you have HID headlights. If not, you have halogen headlights.

Given that your have a 2008, it's probably the bulb. I'd replace the bulb first rather than do the work of changing the bulb multiple times. If you replace the bulb and it still doesn't work you can try your old bulb in the other side. That will tell you if your old bulb is the problem.

You might consider replacing both bulbs at the same time, since the other bulb will probably fail soon given its age.

If the car has HID headlights it is important that you get a genuine HID bulb from a known manufacturer. A counterfeit bulb will not last very long. Be sure to never touch the glass of the new bulb when handling it.

 

That's a 99% guarantee, but not 100%. Fog lights were a dealer-installed accessory on cars with halogen headlights. So unless one has owned the car from new, the presence of fog lights does not guarantee that the car has HIDs.

 

If you don't have fog lights, you can be 99.99999999% certain that you have halogen headlights.

 

Besides the presence of factory installed fog lights, another way to determine the car has HID bulbs is that yellow warning labels which warn of high voltage can be found adjacent to the headlight assemblies.

At this point it is pretty much guaranteed your car has halogen bulbs, hence just buy a bulb or two, and replace one or both depending if you are a proactive person.

 

Never have agreed with the "logic" of "might as well replace both because the other one will go out soon."

Over the years never found that to be true in household lights -- kitchen light bank, six lights, all installed at same time in 2009-- two have burned out and been replaced, the other four are the original.

My Prius, passenger side halogen replaced for the first time ever 18 months ago, driver's side still fine. Rear passenger tail light bulb replaced around two years ago, driver's rear bulb still fine. Camry, driver's headlight replaced two years ago, passenger side still fine...

Seems logical to replace at same time, but in practice...

 

O.K. This has to be a curse.

My passenger side just went out! Not even two years old. Still the original driver's side. Struggled to replace it without pulling too much apart, but, I guess as Mick Jagger says, "What a drag it is getting old," as I could not pull the connector off the plug no matter how much I tried. So, ended up having to take half the bumper cover off and pulling the whole light assembly off.

Oh, well, only took about 30 minutes.

 

@MaryGeorge, Are you actually being serious or are you messing with us? A model 9003 halogen headlight bulb is about $14 at AutoZone, or ~$22 for a 2 pack. They can be replaced in 10 minutes.

Did they install a complete headlight assembly for that price or just bulbs?

 

The repair manual actually calls for the removal of the bumper, a dealer would charge $150. People with small hands and have done it before, can usually do it in 10 minutes or less

 

Dudes, the dealer charges anything from about $200-$300 to do this "bulb change."

As noted, Toyota says the bumper has to be removed to do the bulb change. In many cases, it does not. I did it in about 10 minutes some 18 months ago without removing the bumper. However, earlier today, unable to do UNTIL I removed the half the bumper cover.

Still only took 30 minutes. Bulb was $8.95 at a local discount store (Bi-Mart). Phillips 9003.

 

Anyone in the Columbia, SC area...if you need new bulbs installed, hit me up..I can offer a heck of a deal