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HID headlights recommendation

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Entropy4All, Apr 10, 2019.

  1. Entropy4All

    Entropy4All Junior Member

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    My HID headlights are unreliable.
    I see there is a TSB for certain model years regarding the HID headlights/ballasts, but I don't think it applies to my model year. Is there a consensus on whether the ballasts are flaky in general, or just certain model years?
    Trying to decide if I should just change the bulbs or do the LED conversion.
     
  2. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

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    If you are finding that they are turning off on their own, but will turn on again if you flick the switch off and on, it is most likely the bulbs that need to be replaced, I believe. Two years ago, I replaced the original bulbs on our 2007 Touring with these,
    , and have had no problems since.
     
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  3. MichaelKnight

    MichaelKnight Junior Member

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    This what you read? 1 post in attach files
    Hid replacement tsb letter | PriusChat

    If you still have the 2 gen 2008....Than it seems your car falls between the years ,,,,,but you past the
    coverage/replacement is expired......

    Are you on the original bulbs?
    Are both bulbs out?

    If you have one bulb out and one bulb active simply swap bulbs location....
    I do recall water eventually entering the ballast and causing havoc...
     
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  4. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

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    Right, swapping locations of one working bulb and one non-working bulb is the best way to determine whether it is the bulbs that are at fault, rather than the ballast.
     
  5. Entropy4All

    Entropy4All Junior Member

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    I don't know the age of the bulbs, since I just got the vehicle. The bulbs work sometimes, usually turning them off and on again will bring them back. I ordered some off brand bulbs that had good reviews. Hopefully, I don't wind up regretting them too much.
     
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  6. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

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    I hope it works out for you. I had some trouble getting at mine, so I'm glad I went with the ones I did, even if they were more expensive than some I saw. I wouldn't want to have to change them again right away.
     
  7. Entropy4All

    Entropy4All Junior Member

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    Well, my bumper is already kinda trashed, so getting the headlights out is fairly easy
     
  8. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

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    The original bulbs on my 2006 failed after about 2 years. The Philips brand replacements have lasted 10 years and still working fine. The biggest problem is finding genuine Philips, as even Amazon has been known to sell counterfeit. The ones that work cost at least $45 (down from over $100). Dealer price was originally $300 each.
     
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  9. Gray Kitty

    Gray Kitty New Member

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    I checked RockAuto and they had some for about $50 each. Word of caution though as my other post has stated the trash bulbs are considered hazardous waste due to the materials that are inside of them so disposing of them responsibly can be difficult. I'm going to take mine to the hazardous waste disposal weekend that my city has every year to try to get rid of them but do some research on what works best for you
     
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