Headlight Assembly Replacement on 2012 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by anna2016, Nov 12, 2017.

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  1. anna2016

    anna2016 New Member

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    Hi Everyone,

    I am looking for advice from someone who has experience with replacing a headlight assembly on their Prius. I recently changed the bulbs in my 2012 Prius. The driver's side was a piece of cake, but I had some trouble with the passanger side. Long story short, the bulb ended up melting the spot where it would normally go. Wondering if I need to bite the bullet and pay a dealer/shop to do the replacement, or if it's something I am able to complete myself? I noticed Ebay has some assembly replacements for $75-$90. I also noticed Youtube doesn't seem to have a video tutorial which makes me nervous. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!
     
    #1 anna2016, Nov 12, 2017
  2. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    #2 xliderider, Nov 12, 2017
    anna2016 and Raytheeagle like this.
  3. anna2016

    anna2016 New Member

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    Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.
     
    #3 anna2016, Nov 13, 2017
  4. Siward

    Siward Active Member

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    I remember seeing a video that was somewhat relevant. You should see bits and pieces here.
     
    #4 Siward, Nov 14, 2017
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  5. anna2016

    anna2016 New Member

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    Wow, that's so helpful! I got the part today so I'm gonna put it in tomorrow. Thank you so much!
     
    #5 anna2016, Nov 15, 2017
  6. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Make sure you check and adjust the headlight aim after replacing the headlight assembly.

    You'll need to find a level parking lot or road with a flat wall that you can pull up to and shine the lowbeam headlights on the wall from about 20 to 30 feet away.

    The headlight cutoffs should not be above the height that is two inches below the height of the center of the headlight lenses on the car. If it is, that means that the beam is possibly rising and can cause excessive glare to other drivers.

    Adjustments are made to beam height by turning the adjustment wheel at the back of the headlight housing. Clockwise is down and counter-clockwise is higher aim.

    It should look something like this (yours will have rectangles of light above the cutoffs, which are normal. I've blocked mine because I have HID bulbs in my headlights):
     

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    #6 xliderider, Nov 16, 2017
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