The 06 lights are really bright

Hi Windstrings!

Is this HID's or the std. light??

 

Probably the difference between HID and halogen.

 

My car is an 05 and they are HID headlights. I doubt if they changed the lights any for 06 though. I think they are a very worthwhile option and I was disappointed to see you have to buy the nav and upgraded audio to get them in 06.

They seem to show the road better than any other lights I have had and as far as I can tell they are aimed correctly, I've never had anyone flash their lights at me when they were on dim.

Edit: the meetup was great, good group

 

You do get HID with option package 6 which does not have the NAV. It does have the JBL audio though.

Steve

 

Ok, since you guys are so happy but my HIDs seem so lame to me (aimed too close, even for speed-limit driving) I have to ask again: Has anyone had their HIDs re-aimed for them?

(Bummed I missed the meetup for the purposes of meeting y'all and comparing headlight aims, too!)

 

I have not had a problem so apparently mine came aimed correctly. But others have, and there have been posts on the subject. I haven't searched for them but you may be able to find them.

Here's what I remember: You can't aim them yourself because there is a special procedure due to the level sensor which is located back by the rear axel somewhere. In fact I think someone said the level sensor was the problem with theirs being off, so it needs to be checked before the lights are aimed.

You may be able to get them aimed under the waranty, if they were always that way they certainly should be covered.

 

You can do it yourself, but first check the sensor on the rear axle.

 

Here is an excerpt from the European VW Bug aiming instructions for 1963. This is the same as for the headlamp reflector/lens pattern used on the Prius (certainly for the HIDs, and apparently for the halogens as well).

The measurements (height above floor, between headlamps) are different on the Prius, but the idea is the same: they should be aimed slightly downward (2 inches at a distance of 15-20 feet).

You can check this by parking in front of a wall on a flat paved area like a parking lot. Then slowly (so as not to rock the car) back up and see if the horizontal line between light and dark slowly drops. You are pretty close if this happens, and if at 20 feet you have at least a two inch drop.

The attachment shows the aim for the left lamp, with the right covered up; the right would be similarly aimed to the right cross.

[attachmentid=1857]

Here is a manual excerpt showing the Prius aiming screw (accessible after removing the black plastic radiator area top cover:
[attachmentid=1858]

 

Trouble? This is just aiming, not bulb replacement. All cars are similar. Below is the 1971 VW Fastback aiming instructions for the American sealed beams; most American cars used this pattern for decades until about the 1990s, and some still do. I think the halogen Prius headlamps share the HID pattern above, though.
[attachmentid=1859]