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Gen3 2010 2011 Headlight bulb longevity - upgrade to HID?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by 3prongpaul, Jan 28, 2014.

  1. 3prongpaul

    3prongpaul Hybrid Shop Owner, worked on 100's of Prius's

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    If your 2010/11 Prius is eating halogen bulbs, it's because of an under engineered wiring harness. If you have less than 36k miles, have the dealer repair it under warranty.

    If over 36k miles, the dealer wants almost 3 hours labor + parts to fix the harness.
    see TSB 0204-12
    T-SB-0204-12_ 2010 2011 Prius Headlight issue.pdf - Google Drive

    If your warranty is over, you may want to upgrade to an aftermarket HID kit and improve your night vision. Retrofit Source makes a nice kit that takes about 1 hour to install by a car audio shop (maybe a little more if you DIY) and it uses the factory harness only to trigger relays so the OEM harness can easily handle the current. Make sure you order the H11B - XB35 bulbs which are best suited for Gen3 Prius. Retrofit source is a top shelf vendor. The full kit is around $190 and their products seem a lot higher quality than the Chinese "no name" stuff on Ebay. They even have live humans in Atlanta that provide tech support if you have any issues.

    web site; here The Retrofit Source Inc
    watch this video to understand the H11B bulbs
     
  2. gliderman

    gliderman Active Member

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  3. 3prongpaul

    3prongpaul Hybrid Shop Owner, worked on 100's of Prius's

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    It just upgrades the wire to heavier gauge. You need one for each side.
     
  4. gliderman

    gliderman Active Member

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    And how does that make the bulb last longer?

    Thanks!
     
  5. 3prongpaul

    3prongpaul Hybrid Shop Owner, worked on 100's of Prius's

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    I'm speculating here but perhaps when the bulb is starved for electrons it doesn't last as long since it runs on lower voltage? (thinner wire = more voltage drop).

    Heavier wire helps according to Toyota engineers who wrote the TSB.
     
  6. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Read through the TSB, it looks like the heavier gauge wire is just spliced onto the end of the original harness. The whole harness isn't replaced with thicker wires.

    SCH-I535
     
  7. gliderman

    gliderman Active Member

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    I read through it several times. That is the worst written technical instruction I have seen. I would need to see the No. 4 wire harness to understand all of what they are talking about.

    Anybody have a picture?

    If its just a heavier wire, then that is easily accomplished in other ways.
     
  8. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Yeah, it seems like only one of the wires is taken care of, not both conductors, because only one wire is spliced/crimped.

    SCH-I535
     
  9. 3prongpaul

    3prongpaul Hybrid Shop Owner, worked on 100's of Prius's

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    here's what the cable looks like from the dealer
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  10. energyandair

    energyandair Active Member

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    Our original bulbs are still going strong at 4 1/2 years

    Perhaps there are some bad replacement bulbs around.

    How does a heavier gauge wire make a halogen bulb last longer?
     
  11. teamsc10190

    teamsc10190 Stereo Prii (2011 and 2006)

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    At 62,000 miles, I'm on my third set of headlamp bulbs. After my Gen 2 HID bulb debacle where the car ate six sets of very expensive HID bulbs over 220,000 miles; I specifically bought a Gen 3 Prius 4 because it had halogen bulbs. Toyota proved they were incapable of producing Gen 2 HID lamps that worked, and now they proved that they can't make Gen 3 halogen lamps that work either. Actually pretty pathetic.
     
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  12. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    One question, do you leave your headlight switch in the On position?

    Starting your car with the switch in the On position subjects the bulbs to voltage and current fluctuations (surges/spikes) present during startup. Turning your headlights on even a few seconds after startup allows the current to stabilize and will be much better for bulb longevity.

    SCH-I535
     
  13. teamsc10190

    teamsc10190 Stereo Prii (2011 and 2006)

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    I use my headlamps as DRL's so I never switch them off. I've driven using this practice for over thirty years and only began experiencing premature bulb failure with Prius. If in fact the Prius electrical system is unstable during start-up, that tells me that the other cars I've owned over thirty years clearly had better regulated electrical systems.
     
  14. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    The two DRL modules that I have links to in the first post of my highbeam DRL mod (link in sig below) are high quality.

    I have the deluxe model, but the economy model should be the same, except it doesn't have a user replaceable fuse.

    Comes on automatically by using "soft start" by sensing voltage change during startup. And it drives the highbeams at 1/3 power, so you'll be using only about 40w instead of the 110w for the headlights, not including the running lights you are using.

    SCH-I535
     
  15. bestmapman

    bestmapman 04, 07 ,08, 09, 10, 16, 21 Prime

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    FYI. I have almost 4.6 years and 156,000 miles on my gen III and have had to replace one bulb.
     
  16. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Bulbs dim with age, you should replace them in pairs.

    SCH-I535
     
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  17. superfly1978

    superfly1978 New Member

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    I just got my 2014 prius 2 and my low beams suck, the led drls are brighter than my lowbeams! Is retrofit hid the best and do they void the warranty?
     
  18. Roland1555

    Roland1555 Senior Member

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    A decent HID kit will make a big difference.

    It wouldn't void the warranty unless you installed it with a chainsaw... a plug and play kit is fine as at 35 watts there is actually less energy used than with your standard 55 watt H11 bulbs. I'd stay away from the hotter 55 watt HID kits, marginal increase in light output, if any, and possible heat damage to your projector housing.

    Roland
     
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  19. Feri

    Feri Active Member

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    160,000 kms with 55 watt hids. No problems with projector housing. Same bulb. HIDs actually run marginally cooler than halogens.
     
  20. subjective

    subjective Member

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