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Headlight Flickering...Best brand of bulb? Can I upgrade to brighter

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Jim Egeland, May 17, 2024.

  1. Jim Egeland

    Jim Egeland Junior Member

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    I need to change my flickering left headlight for the second time in my 2006 full meal deal Prius...first ones lasted 75K. The phillips that I put in lasted 100K. I wish that I could upgrade to a brighter headlight. I think that I have the standard HID's. Any thoughts? Need to order them. Liked the phillips bulbs back 8 years ago but a lot more brands available now...and cheaper.
     
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I converted my Toyota HID bulbs in a 2006 loaded JBL car to the a l l a LED headlight conversion and I picked up 12 volts off the car not off the ballast and everything else functions is the same My headlight shutters still work and all of that I'm very happy with the conversions I put in matching bulbs in the so-called fog lights and let me tell you everything is very bright and seemingly aimed reasonably well so for the money you can look up that brand Alla online and look up there HID to LED conversion and they'll have one for you there are others that are cheaper but this brand here has been around a minute and is done seemingly fairly good work isn't the most expensive you can buy or any of that our housings don't dictate that kind of quality.
     
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  3. Aegean

    Aegean Active Member

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    I also have a 2006 which I bought brand new and I have used OEM Phillips HID probably 3 times by now. An average of 6 years. I would keep using them. However, the brightness was down cause the headlight lenses were fogged by oxidation. I used one of the headlights restorer kits (Cerakote) and now brightness is back to original with clear lenses. I hope it lasts a few years.
     
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  4. Jim Egeland

    Jim Egeland Junior Member

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    Great information. Thank you
     
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  5. Jim Egeland

    Jim Egeland Junior Member

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    I am not a mechanic but installed my headlights last time.
    So is are these headlights similar to what you put in?
    I went to Alla website but quickly confused over which bulbs you converted with. Could you tell me the item number or specific name so that I can order them? Thank you.
    I was considering: Toyota Prius 2004-2009 6000k LED Headlight Hi/Lo Beam Fog Light Bulbs Combo | eBay
     
    #5 Jim Egeland, May 20, 2024
    Last edited: May 20, 2024
  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    These look like very very cheap versions of anything that I put on any of my cars I'm using either a l l a That's the brand name or AUX beam branded s1 series I think the S4 might be out by now what have you You have HID lights so generally you don't want to change the housings you just want to put some new bulbs in your existing housings make sure that the shutters work so that you have high and low beam and be done with it generally speaking unless you're some kind of purist that has to have a certain type of light at night and so on and so forth and is willing to spend $1,000 to get it pretty much this is it The ones pictured here look like they have fans on them they go to squealing and making noise and short order so now you're sitting at stop lights and people are staring at your car like you're some kind of idiot so there's always that I prefer the no fan type bulbs been using them for years without any consequence The fog light bulbs that I put in are similar to this but mine are made by the company's list of above and they're solid pieces of aluminum if you will a little bit heavier duty none of this stuff is break the bank expensive generally for every generation to HID card that I get the bulb conversions for pretty much the whole car are under $230 for whatever bulbs I change on the car which is generally pretty much all of them that are changeable.
     
  7. Jim Egeland

    Jim Egeland Junior Member

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    TomKukt2, would you mind giving me a link or parts numbers for both the headlights and driving lights. Definitely not a purist. I am really a newbie when it comes to cars. I am going to have to look up what "shutters" refers to. S1 series? 11a? S4? Yep, I am in the dark. I watched a Youtube channel 8 years ago to learn how to twist my wrists just right to get the bulb in from inside the hood vs "dropping the bottom" like they would at a repair shop. My issue is that I need to get this done in the next 10 days so I can make a trip to the coast. Thank you kindly for any more help!
     
  8. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    The shutters are the things that lift up and drop down that make the one single filament lamp if you will have a high and a low beam that provides a cut off Not really important I will try to get you a link in a few minutes. But if you just Google a l l a lighting I do believe you will come up with the people that same name is on their logo and the boxes that their equipment comes in then you just search for their direct conversion from HID to LED for your whatever your vehicle right on the site it'll show you several options
     
  9. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    He already went to Alla website but got quickly confused over which bulbs you converted with.
     
  10. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    They're right there in the text there's only a couple of options so there's always that I personally like the ones that allow me to pick up the voltage for the LEDs not from ballast of the original ballast in the car in other words because when that ballast goes bad then I have no LEDs igniting so I pay the extra $5 or whatever it is for the Allah version that allows me not to have to use the ballast It's just one of those things and the other ones on the site are for the different types of HID bulbs that other cars have that has nothing to do with us That's all you have to read about on this manufacturer's LED conversions for factory HID cars these are not just to put in any car they're made to convert our type of HID to LED. I just don't want to have to deal with the ballast which most people with this HID business and doing this conversion aren't going to want the LEDs to go out next week when the ballast finally dies then they're back to the same problem they were just working on last week right? I'll put up a stock number that's on the box in a few minutes
     
  11. Jim Egeland

    Jim Egeland Junior Member

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    Thank you. Jim
     
  12. Jim Egeland

    Jim Egeland Junior Member

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  13. Jim Egeland

    Jim Egeland Junior Member

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  14. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Because you're letting all these other numbers get you mixed up the 9006 and the HB4 and the h11 and the h8 are all bulbs for other vehicles for headlights high and low beam etc You sir are working on a D4 or D4S HID system and bulb. What you are looking for is a fanless direct plug and play conversion for your single output D4S bulb that's resides in your car now or maybe it's D4 It doesn't really matter You want the little socket that goes on your D4 bulb to go on this LED bulb so you're not generally rewiring the socket or the headlamp assembly All you're going to do is move a red wire to pick up 12 volts that generally come with the instructions for the lights so that you're not getting your LED bulb power from a possibly failing ballast that's in your 2006 car You want to pick up the power for the LED bulb from regular 12 volts within the car not off the ballast so there's no low beams and no high beams in your HID car there's a D4 bulb and an electronic shutter that flips up and down to give you what you want to call a high beam with no cut off Don't worry about the 9006 and the 9008 and the h8 and the h11 you have none of that You are working with D4 or D4S the bulbs have a socket plug looking thing that looks like no other bulb connection that you've probably ever seen before unlike anything from general electric or Sylvania I will get you a model number in just a few minutes I'm on a call right now a few miles from the house mine are still in the '07 working fabulously The old lady loves them she said they put their original HID to shame with this LED conversion That's what she says and she wears glasses so anything to help her see better.
     
  15. Jim Egeland

    Jim Egeland Junior Member

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  16. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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  17. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    The above is their latest offering the best of the best I don't even have this model in either of my two cars but it is the latest offering of the previous model that I do have I would try this if I had a car to put them in right now but I don't and then if you want to do the fog lights the same You're just converting the fog lights which I think is h3 to LED I like the little solid aluminum things there's no fans no nothing they just twist in and the plug goes on the end and they light up
     
  18. Jim Egeland

    Jim Egeland Junior Member

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    Tom, with this information, I come up with this bulb:
    D1S D2S D3S D4S LED Forward Lightings Bulbs Replacement of HID
    I looked at the youtube video. Ordinarily I would do this myself but lack of time before we move from our home requires a repair shop. Thank you for the help.
     
  19. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Yes apparently that is the best of the best at the very moment that may change in the morning but who cares I hope you get it all done and working like you needed to buddy I'm near your age and I like lots of light too but I guess I always have I had funny European fog lights on all the cars everywhere we ever lived Good luck man.
     
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  20. Jim Egeland

    Jim Egeland Junior Member

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    I ordered it. So what is this all about?
    "L-shape mini D1 D2 LED forward lightings bulbs replacement switch HID(High Intensity Discharge) dual high beam and low beam conversion kits Lamps, xtreme super bright 6000K xenon white forward lighting upgrade for better beam pattern, better vision, luxury improvements and safer driving.

    Not compliant with DOT / FMVSS108 and not street legal in the USA for forward lightings. Legal for off-road use in ATV, snowmobile, and off-road racing use, only auxiliary for forward lighting. International legality varies by country. Note: This usage regulation is not unique to Alla Lighting LED bulbs. All LED bulbs from every brand, regardless of marketing claims, are prohibited from street use in LED forward lightings in the USA. Click here to learn more."