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2007 Prius Auto leveling HID headlight help

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Gstatus64, Jan 20, 2019.

  1. Gstatus64

    Gstatus64 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2018
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    Location:
    Denver, Co
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    Hey I'm new to the forums, and am not sure where to post this.

    >I have a 2007 Toyota Prius with the HID headlights, and a sensor to automatically level the headlights based on the weight of the load of the car. My problem is that I can't seem to see far or safely enough on the road. I searched the prius forums and found a post with a DIY guide on how to fix this problem, but I'm not sure if I should attempt to do it.

    Here's the problem. When I got the car from my brother, he said that the headlights were aimed really low. I can see maybe 20 feet in front of me on the road, and all the signs are properly lit up and such. I just have a problem with seeing the road.

    So, I know where the sensor is at and how to take it apart. But my main question is, if the sensor goes bad and is fairly easy to repair/fix, why have it in the first place? I know it's purpose is to prevent on-coming drivers from being blinded, but being in colorado with a bunch of out of staters with their headlights illegally aimed, I thought I could see if I can point mine up.

    I bought a set of new HID Xenon headlights off of amazon for $45 (A heck cheaper than autozone or advanced auto parts), and they light up so much better, but I still can't see a comfortable distance on the road.

    When I put the new headlights in, I noticed there was a little black box thing where (I'm assuming) the motor for the headlight leveling motor. I put it to one side where it seems like it should be connected to the headlight assembly, and the lights were soo much better on the road, I could see about 40 to 80 feet on the road. But after taking a heavy set coworker home, the headlights went back down and won't go back up.

    With that being said, should I try to tape the black box thing to the headlight assembly with gorrilla glue tape and see if it moves, or try to outline it (in the full position) with a white sharpie and see if it moves over time? Does that little black box have to be free to move? I can post pictures if needed, but as you all know, it is a nightmare to take the headlights out of the prius. But if it makes it easier to figure out, I'll help in any way I can.

    Also, on the sensor behind the rear driver tire, there appears to be a rivet put through the metal. I'm not sure if it's stopping the motion of the headlight sensor or what it even is doing, so I'll probably post pictures of that as well if needed.

    Any help with this would be very greatly appreciated, and there are people who say that the Lexus cars headlight leveling sensor is the same as what's in the prius. If so, should I try to replace the whole unit for $60 instead of $300?

    I know this is a lot to talk about and ask, but for those MVP forum-fanatics who don't mind a little reading, I'd love to have input.


    I can post pictures of everything I spoke about if needed/wanted if it'll help find the final solution.

    Thanks in advance! Garron T