How To: Change Headlamp / Headlight bulb

Scotty, did you order Halogen or HID?... I couldn't find the D4r's.

It looks like you order the Halogen Philips Vision Plus. This thread has gotten a bit confusing since the original title doesn't specify which type of bulb is being replaced.

 

windstrings, they are Halogens.

 

At least you didn't have all the issues all the HID folks are having... Most would not have chosen HID if they had known the expense and "lack" of longevity of the bulb.... since other cars don't seem to have this issue with their HID's... seems its obvious there is poor quality somewhere..... either the bulbs are bad, or the ballast is overdriving... or even "under" driving them..... since turning off and then back on seems to work for a while, I suspect it could be "under" driving them.

Will we experience the same problem with the new bulbs we purchase?... I suspect so if this is the case. Which only means new ballast are the only long term solution.

But if bulbs are cheap enough like the ones I bought on ebay.. I can live with it.

If and when that happens, I may op to go with a whole different kit.

 

I'm kind of glad that I didn't opt for the package with HID's after reading the problems you guys are having . I knew they are more expensive to replace, plus I had to wait longer if I wanted HID back in 2005. So it was a no-brainer for me.

The reasons I choose Philips Vision Plus cause, IMHO, it's a good balance between life span and brightness. It is brighter than OEM (also cheaper!), and should have longer life span than brighter bulbs (meaning they burn hotter) like Xtreme Power and Nightbreaker. This applies to Halogens only of course.

 

The passenger side OEM bulb was out, 9 months after the driver side went out. So it lasted total of 3 years and 2 months. Not bad in my book. Oh, I only turn them on at night, not DRL's like yours.

 

After reading this I decided to change my headlight bulbs. I really wasn't seeing that well with the factory originals and I have always liked a brighter headlight.....must be getting old. Current mileage on car is 11,500 miles, bought in March of this year. I installed the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra.. So far a good improvement over the factory headlight bulbs. Picked them up at Autozone for $49.99 for a pack of 2. I'll report back when the first one goes out, but I have had good luck in the past with the Sylvania bulbs lasting and these are supposed to last longer than the Silverstars.

Has anyone else tried the Silverstar Ultra's?

 

TP,

So how many miles or kilometers did the Prius travel before the right side X-Treme Power bulb blew?

NB: I know that we have to take into account that you use them as DRLs so they're on all the time.

 

Lifespan of Philips X-Treme Power Bulbs

Thanks Tideland,

Approximately 16,000 miles -- that's pretty good. More than your Ultrastars lasted.

But that's quite a contrast to usbseawolf's approximately 5,000 miles for one bulb and [8,000 miles?] for the other.

Mine are still going. But I've driven only about 3,500 miles with them.

If I can get around 16,000 miles out of mine like you did, I think I'll go with X-Treme Power bulbs again.

But if I only get 5,000 to 8,000 miles like usbseawolf, I think I'll switch to the Vision Plus bulbs too (or that other Philips bulb that's supposed to be as bright as the Vision Plus, but specially formulated with different colors in different sections for better illumination at night).

 

I'm gonna bring this one back alive. I'm not replacing my Prius headlights, but will replace the "fogs" as well as the main headlights in my Rav4EV. They all take 9006. I've searched all over the place, and there is still no consensus on anything of course. Lots of folks seem to love the Silver Stars, and now there is the Ultra out. Though nobody agrees on what the Ultra means. Some say they just last longer while others say they're also brighter. :shrug:

Thanks for this great thread. I'll certainly report back anything I learn on my personal quest!