Thanks to Toyota for HID headlight fix

Over the past two months, my 2006 Prius developed the intermittent HID headlight failure well-documented on this site. Both right and left bulbs were going out, and operating for shorter and shorter periods when turned back on. I noted seven failures in 45 miles of driving on November 17, the last day before repair.
Thanks to this site, I reported the case to the Office of Defects Investigation of NHTSA (www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov). I noted that they have 246 complaints on file for the 2006 Prius, of which about 95% are for intermittent HID headlight failure.
With Toyota pricing their HID-D4R bulbs at about $330. each, and light control computers at over $300. each, Toyota service advisors told me the repair bills could be as much as $1,800. Yet the problem is obviously due to inadequate design or faulty manufacturing of the components. With two years and ten months of ownership and 36,400 miles on the car, the problem had begun within the warranty period but my car was now out of warranty.
I don’t understand why, but Toyota’s bulb pricing is absurd at about $330. each, while OsramSylvania HID-D4R bulbs are available at local auto parts stores for $131. Apparently reputable web-based stores sell them for $115 per bulb (plasmagarage.com).
Wishing to avoid Toyota’s sky-high prices while also believing it should be treated as a warranty problem, I called Toyota Customer Service at 800-331-4331. After two polite and pleasant phone conversations a couple of days apart, Toyota responded to my request by agreeing to pay the full parts and labor bill. They called Leith Toyota to arrange that the repair bill would be sent directly to Toyota Customer Service.
On November 18, I took my car in. The repair tech decided that only the HID bulbs needed replacing, which he did by removing the front bumper cover. In four days of driving since then, the headlights have performed perfectly. I believe the problem is fixed. Toyota states that the current bulbs are from a different manufacturer than the originals and therefore, the hope is that their lifespan might be commensurate with their price. Toyota Corporation was billed for $726. plus tax for the bulbs and labor.
My thanks to Toyota for doing the right thing.