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Short halogen headlight life

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by jbrooke, Jun 4, 2007.

  1. jbrooke

    jbrooke Junior Member

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    I have an '05 Prius with halogen headlights that only seem to last about 2-4 months. I do leave my lights on all the time and I put about 500 miles per week on the car, but that is a much shorter lifespan than I have ever seen on any post-90's vehicle.

    The factory lights lasted right up to about 59,980+ miles before they burned out, and by the time I got it to a dealership it had gone over the 60,000 mile mark and they refused to fix it under warranty (this was not the dealership that sold me the car). That was a little over a year ago, and I have since replaced the headlights about every 2-4 months...that gets a little pricey, and is very inconvenient. The dealership parts guy suggested that I just upgrade to PIAA lights at $100 a pair -- I was skeptical, but gave it a try...they didn't last any longer than cheap Sylvanias. It has been the low beams only that burn out (I can see the fried element) and both lights (D and P sides) burn out within 2 weeks of one another.

    Am I the only one seeing this issue? I am careful not to touch the halogen bulbs when installing them, and have checked the voltage at the harness and it looks like a steady 12.3V at idle. Before I start looking into replacing the harness and/or headlight assemblies, I thought I'd ask if any of you folks have run into a similar issue or had any suggestions.

    Thanks!
     
    #1 jbrooke, Jun 4, 2007
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    that's quite short. I have Silverstars in mine and they're pretty much on all the time b/c we have DRLs up here. My first pair of Silverstars lasted 11 months (just under the 1 year warranty.. phew!). They blew within a few weeks of each other.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Jun 4, 2007
  3. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

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    My first one went at about 22,000 and the next at about 26,000. The replacements are still going at 57,000. My lights are always on.
     
    #3 seasalsa, Jun 4, 2007
  4. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    sounds like one of the ground points for the lights has resistance in it. that'll pop lightbulbs. something worth checking out. has the fuse ever blown? (been replaced with a fuse too big? if the fuse should be blowing instead of the lights at least it's cheaper, but you still have a root cause to find)

    ever have any strange check engine lights? specifically, a code for CHS water pump range/performance?

    that's all DH can think of off the top of his head. at the least, the first thing to check.
     
    #4 galaxee, Jun 4, 2007
  5. Swanny1172

    Swanny1172 New Member

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    How are you installing the lights? With halogens, you must never touch the bulb with your bare hands. Only take hold of bulb on base or with a clean cloth or packaging of light bulb. The oils on your skin can end up on the bulb and can cause a crack in the glass once the bulb becomes heated. Once that happens, the bulb is shot. If you do accidentally touch the bulb, you can clean it with rubbing alcohol to remove any oil that may have been transferred from your skin.
     
    #5 Swanny1172, Jun 4, 2007
  6. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    still on SilverStars for over 3 years on both cars. No problems with them. DRL's as well so they're on all the time.
     
    #6 Frank Hudon, Jul 9, 2007
  7. 1fixitman

    1fixitman Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 4 2007, 09:06 PM) [snapback]455359[/snapback]</div>

    he said he never touched the bulb.
     
    #7 1fixitman, Jul 9, 2007
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