2005 Prius , HID headlights to Halogens.

ChristopherH · Apr 7, 2015

Yes, I know....I know...

however...
My mind is made up....I just can't stomach what the shop charges every time a ballast goes out..
so...
My question is: Did the HIDs come as an upgrade option on the 2005 model prius...or is what I have some sort of HID kit ? (or how to tell if it's a kit)?

And...is there any way to downgrade TO the halogens from HIDs....(even if it rolled out of the factory with the HIDs? I just really cannot stand the HIDs anymore. I prefer not to discuss the benefits of HIDs....yada yada...
But, please , if someone knows if this would be possible...would you kindly point me in the right direction...as currently I have only 1 headlight working and it would really suck to get a ticket for it....if it can be avoided.
I totally refuse to continue with the HIDs.

I'll rip every wire out of the hood if I have to....(not the way I would prefer to go....but I am at that point)..
Unreliable , expensive, pieces of trash...I hate em. hate hate hate.
Meditation.....I really need to meditate...

So...downgrading....is it possible ? and IF so (I am referring to ....like if the factory installed it i.e. not a kit)
Where could I could get the "how to" on it ?

frustrated and angry with HIDs,
Christopher.

xliderider · Apr 7, 2015

Maybe something like these?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=311298370352&alt=web

xliderider · Apr 7, 2015

Found this post:

brokerdelete said: ↑

I got sick and tired of the left or the right or BOTH lights going out and having to turn them back on more frequently than ever on my 2004. And not being an extremely wealthy person, I wasn't about spending money on these expensive bulbs once or twice or ever.

Meanwhile my wife's 2007 with Halogen bulbs (which lit up the road just fine) was working perfectly with no such safety issues, so I thought, hey, why not pop these chipped faded faulty headlights out and put in a pair of new clear Halogen style units in mine? Happy I did. No more troubles. But it's not a direct plug and play solution, so here's what I can share.

First, I bought those female crimp plugs, the large ones that fit the 9003 H4 type bulb prongs. I took the GREEN wire that feeds the fog lights and hooked that up as the running light (looking at the bulb from rear, it's the LEFT prong, the TOP prong is GROUND).

Beautiful, nice and bright, just have to make sure to leave the fog light ring on the headlight switch turned to the on position from now on, then the headlight control works as expected. Low Beam handled.

Next, if I ever wanted bright lights again, I'll need to use the BLUE wire which I hooked up to the Hi Beam filament which is the prong on the RIGHT rear of the H4 bulb.

Here's the PROBLEM. The BLUE wire sends a LOW VOLTAGE feed so my High-Beams are underpowered. This is because it's designed to send a "signal" only, to the HID brain works, when you select the Brights from the inside of the car. It does light up the High Beam filament, and since the Low Beam's are now powered by the Fog lead which goes OFF when in High Beam mode (blue light on dash), it functions as it should... I drove around like this using the High Beam as day-time running lights and switched to Low Beam when it got dark.

LASTLY, I'm going to buy a couple relays. I'll tap into the Side Maker light (orange, side of headlight) positive wire, and make THAT the 12v FULL voltage feed for the brights. Then the BLUE wire will trigger the relay and pass the full 12 volts to the High Beam filament. Now we're done.

This post was designed to share a solution that cost me next to nothing, confirm that hey, you're NOT the only one who wanted to to do this, and confirm YES it can indeed be done - even with no wiring diagram or degree in electronic wiring schematic reading (that post above gave me a head ache).

Cost for a pair of halogen headlights assemblies about $130.00 shipped, plus wire connectors and relays about $40.00 plus $20.00 for a pair of bulbs, and you'll need to spend about $30 bucks at the Toyota dealership for the twist-n-lock rubber round "lids" that keep dust out. The top of a 2 litre coke bottle with 3 holes drilled to allow wires through and a little silicone caulk fits those OEM "lids" perfectly.

The car looks fantastic, lights the road like when my wife's 2007 was brand new, and it took about 2 hours to do (yes you have to remove the bumper cover, see YouTube).

As for Fog Lights, you have two options: You can keep yours, if you don't mind them coming on every time you turn on your Low Beams, just install a splice-connect in-line... or install a fog light button on your dash and run a new power feed to them.

My fog lights were chipped and cracked and I don't need/use them here in SoCal so I chucked those and I put an aftermarket aluminum grille for $50 in down there.

I'm
Click to expand...

In this thread:

Replacing HID Headlight Assemblies with Halogen? Has anyone successfully done this | PriusChat

ChristopherH · Apr 7, 2015

Thanks for the replies. I recently bought the halogen replacements lights....I was waiting to hear about the wiring...
I do not see an outside ballast (kit) anywhere under the hood....the existing HIDs have their own ballast ....that mean they came from the factory like this ? and if so...
how hard would it be to change to halogens ?
like....new wiring harness difficult? -.-

xliderider · Apr 7, 2015

The details of connecting the halogens are in the post I quoted above. Did you read it?

Vinnie_febs · Apr 11, 2015

Have you considered retrofiting? if you could, I would at least try to look into retrofitting your system with a morimoto system from the retrofitsource. It might seem a bit intimidating at first, but if you can find spare headlights and few hundred bucks (good investment trust me), go the retrofit route. Do it as a hobby, trust me, it will be worth the money in my opinion. It seems like a lot of work, but it's actually kind of easy. Just a thought,, I think it will cost you the same to downgrade at that point.

ChristopherH · Apr 15, 2015

xliderider said: ↑

The details of connecting the halogens are in the post I quoted above. Did you read it?
Click to expand...

Yes I did read it...
I am not too crazy about the idea having wires that lead to a major component (especially one that deals directly with safety) exposed to the elements. (I.E. "used wire crimps on the terminals.." Translates to me...as..not having the correct bulb socket attached to the bulb ..leaving the wires open to the elements...possibly at some point vibrating off of the bulb terminals and wreaking havoc should they touch metal...

There must be a better way to secure the wires to the halogen bulb other than crimps ?

and what relays are referred to ?:

"Cost for a pair of halogen headlights assemblies about $130.00 shipped, plus wire connectors and relays about $40.00 "
is there a part number for the relays ?

Bill and Cindy · Dec 8, 2017

ChristopherH- were you able to find an easy fix on this. We are on our 4th set of ballast and bulbs and can't get it to work this time.

Soulbarer · Dec 25, 2017

HID lights were recalled on Gen 2 Prius due to a chronic malfunction. If you have one, by now it's pretty old and up there in miles like mine, so a new expensive kit or dealer fees make no sense. I bought halogen assemblies, plus the 9003 bulb harnesses, and went to town.

Check out my photos on another thread:
How to convert from hid to halogen | PriusChat

2005 Prius , HID headlights to Halogens.

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2005 Prius , HID headlights to Halogens.

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