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Can you recommend an H11 bulb please?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by iskoos, Nov 22, 2022.

  1. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    Hi Guys,

    I am so tired of replacing my low beam bulbs. I know this is a known issue and there is some extended warranty to fix the problem, but I missed those. I actually never got the letter. When I found out about it, I called Toyota, but it was expired at the time I made the call. So, I am on my own :(

    I use Sylvania Basic H11 55watt bulb and replace it once per year for sure. This bulb is about $12 each. (I think I bought the 5th one just yesterday). It is generally the passenger side that goes out, but the driver side did as well.
    I see many different options on ebay. Vendors selling a pair of H11 for the same price. They are mostly LED based bulbs though. Is there anything you used or recommend (I really don't want to go with HID conversion)? I just would like to try a different H11 bulb. It is so bothering to keep spending money on something I am not supposed to.

    Thanks
     
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    I have used Philips. Don't buy the high power versions.
     
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  3. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    The ones I use are marked as "Sylvania Basic". It can't the high-power version; probably the lowest.
     
  4. burebista

    burebista Active Member

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  5. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    These bulbs should be lasting longer. Any chance you're having trouble installing them? If you get any dirt on them during handling or if the flange isn't locked down flat they will burn out prematurely.

    It might be worth paying somebody else to install the exact same bulb- just a suggestion to break out of the loop.

    Another thought: eBay (and Amazon) are known to be totally overrun with good-looking counterfeit auto electric fuses and spark plugs. Maybe bulbs now too? Try a different source.
     
  6. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    Thank you for your reply. I am not having trouble installing them. Removing the socket clip is a bit pain because of the tight space but once it is undone, the rest is easy. Yes, I make sure not to couch the bulb and the bulb base locks in nicely.
    I know ebay is full of counterfeit parts. That's why I like to ask other members here if they get any luck going off-brand on ebay or Amazon. I will have to buy and try something different eventually or else I will keep paying one or twice a year for this non-sense.
     
  7. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    For the record, best price/performance I've had out of headlights recently were Wagner brand, their most basic version, bought at a NAPA store near my house.
     
  8. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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  9. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Some 2010s and 2011s had a known eats_low_beams property. A service bulletin was issued with a fix, which is to splice in an additional length of wire on each side, long enough to reduce the voltage at the bulb by about half a volt. They sell a repair harness that does that; it has the extra length of wire bunched up inside a length of loom.

    The splicing has to be done carefully, and with just the right materials and tools, because it's a copper-to-aluminum splice and could be a fire hazard if not properly done (as homeowners were discovering in the 1970s).

    I don't think Toyota will do the repair for free anymore, but they'll still sell those repair harnesses and offer installation at shop rate.
     
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  10. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    I went to this H11 LED set four years ago and never looked back. They still work and provides a clean white light,



    The key to LEDs is not to go for those advertising very high output as they heat up too much and self destruct.
     
  11. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    Hey, Can you post the link to those LEDs? The current link is not working.
     
  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    When a person just innocently puts an Amazon link into a post, the PriusChat software sees it and says "yay! something I can convert into a blob of javascript that will show up for some people with all-singing all-dancing pictures and ads, and for other people will look like an empty blank space." It's not really the fault of the person who innocently put the link there.

    If you use your browser's Inspect ... or View Source feature, you can dig the Amazon product number out of it. This one is B07YXYY239.

    When posting, if you want to give an Amazon link, you can avoid having it munged that way, if you make it a link yourself on purpose, using the link button or the [url=...] tag.
     
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  13. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Aux beam H 11 led . Great company great service I think it's the S series now that's their top line fanless quiet 39 a pr. I have on three cars
     
  14. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    Okay but how is the light output compared to Halogens? I remember people complaining that although looks brighter, LEDs don't provide the required low beam pattern due to position of the LED chips on the bulb. Did you have this issue?
     
  15. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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  16. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Just look at the tech piece on their site aux beam that is but use the s series. The Gen 2 you'll turn the beams down about one turn
     
  17. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    I found the LED bulbs you referring to. I might give it a shot, Thanks for the recommendation.
     
  18. iskoos

    iskoos Active Member

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    Auxbeam H11 expensive but it looks almost same size and shape as H11 halogens. No fans, no bulky rear end. However, the ebay seller says not compatible with Gen3 Prius.
    Did you have this on an Gen3?
     
  19. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I have hold on let me look they are on a gen 3 but I'm not sure exactly what body of aux beam on gen 3
     
  20. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Okay looking through my history on Amazon All of my h11 bulbs are the NFS 1. I guess at the time that was their top of the line h11 and then my other bulbs are married of nonsense because they don't go on my car or whatever they go in power sports equipment another popular one I bought a lot of is the H4 LED which is in my 05 and '09 and I bought some h8s which are in my power sports equipment but they must be indexable so they have to be a certain type of frame so I can rotate the filament and get it sitting exactly like it was as a bulb or a halogen and that's it so I must have the h11 s1s in the Gen 3 two of them actually a 13 and a 10 they just twist in there's nothing fancy about it this is on the low beam I have them in the high beams too but that's another that's the h8 I think and they're both done I just have to I would have to go out and look and make certain but all of this model that I bought I'm sure that's the position they're in I don't know why they're saying they're don't fit because they're very close on the one side to some plastic or something but it's I didn't have to take the headlights out or anything to make it happen