I own 2 Prius' and both have had HID failures this week...

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by road1will, Jun 4, 2009.

  1. road1will

    road1will New Member

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    I own a 2008 and a 2006 Prius. Both have HIDs and BOTH have had light bulbs go out this week. Heres the kicker - the 08 only has 6000 miles and the 06 only has about 15000 miles. Ive never heard of a head light, especially a HID, burnign out this quickly.

    The dealer wants $400 to replace the bulb, but i am not about to drop $800 for 2 head light bulbs.

    Shouldnt this be a warranty issue? My dealer said it is not, that it is normal wear and tear.

    2nd, can I buy the appropriate bulb online cheaper and install it myself?
     
    #1 road1will, Jun 4, 2009
  2. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    eBay has bulbs for approx. $60/pr AND you can get a higher color temperature if you like. Do A search for HIDs or bulbs in this furm and you'll find Windstrings post on the subject with great information. I'm headed out the door or I'd find it for ya. :)
     
    #2 F8L, Jun 4, 2009
  3. EJFB1029

    EJFB1029 New Member

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    I had a friend who has an 08 just like me, he had one of his go out this week, they wanted about the same, I pointed out to him that I thought the headlight came under the Bumper to Bumper, he went to the service advisor and told him, the service advisor said let me check, looked in some kind of book, and said oh yeah you are right.
     
    #3 EJFB1029, Jun 4, 2009
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    This topic has been covered extensively. A quick search for "HID" or "HID failure" will give you a wealth of information.

    Tom
     
    #4 qbee42, Jun 4, 2009
  5. ganglo

    ganglo New Member

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    I talked to Toyota Customer Experience earlier this week and they were unwilling to replace mine as a good will gesture, but it was far out of warranty.

    As per my conversation with Nicole at TCE, this would be covered if the vehicle were under warranty. You should be able to find plenty of information about this in the other headlight threads mentioned above.
     
    #5 ganglo, Jun 4, 2009
  6. Rest

    Rest Active Member

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    Why would anyone want a higher color temperature? Seems like that would just make the light more blue and cold looking, like an LED light.
     
    #6 Rest, Jun 5, 2009
  7. Sandy

    Sandy Hippi Chick

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    I would love a whiter light, anyday :)
     
    #7 Sandy, Jun 5, 2009
  8. Rest

    Rest Active Member

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    Whiter light yes, but it ends up being more blue light. And it blinds oncoming vehicles.
     
    #8 Rest, Jun 5, 2009
  9. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    It would actually be closer to what the BMW's run or the Audi's. Do you have any sources that describe the effect you mention? i.e. whiter light being more blinding than the yellowish light we currently run or are you using anecdotal evidence from people using aftermarket upgrade kits?
     
    #9 F8L, Jun 5, 2009
  10. Ichiro

    Ichiro Member

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    what are the odds of both cars failing the same week!? what a coincidence.
    makes you wonder if there is another factor in the Prius HID reliability.
     
    #10 Ichiro, Jun 6, 2009
  11. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

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    Live in the UP?
     
    #11 ETP, Jun 6, 2009
  12. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Do you run your headlights during the day as DRL's?????
     
    #12 KK6PD, Jun 6, 2009
  13. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    They still shouldn't burn out that quickly. I've run mine on constantly for at least 70,000 of my 92,000 miles on the car and they still work great. :confused:
     
    #13 F8L, Jun 6, 2009
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