Hey guys, I have seen a few threads for upgrading to projectors from halogens. Does anyone have a guide of how to do this and where the best place to source the projectors in the uk that will fit and what needs cutting off ect. I had hids on my Honda Accord and with these halogens I may as well be Stevie Wonder! Thanks
There are projector headlight housing replacements for the Prius that go for about $350 USD online. I imagine they can be found or imported to the UK, though you'd want to be sure to get the left-hand-drive versions. These with HID bulb replacements MAY yield good light projection when properly aimed There are Prius models with factory HIDs, but they are universally badly reviewed (HID bulbs and ballasts fail often). I wouldn't retrofit the factory HIDs to a Prius with halogens. Otherwise, the best solution is a full retrofit to your existing housings. Morimoto is a popular brand. See Forums - HiDplanet : The Official Automotive Lighting Forum where people cover how to do this in-depth. I don't believe doing this in-depth is covered anywhere on the Prius forums, but the process is the same as for other cars. Absolutely don't just put HID bulbs in your reflector housings, you'll blind everyone and are bound to get pulled over. Also, look up your laws - my understanding is things are stricter in the UK than in the USA when it comes to headlights.
Thanks Kevin, Yeah I am aware of people just putting HIDs into reflector housings and it pisses me off! I have seen videos on how they insert the projector housing into the headlight which is held on by a nut at the rear. I wasn't sure if there was a size limitation for the projector fitting into the lamp or removing the whole reflector to make room anything like that. Yeah the laws in the UK are crap but the are getting better as they used to be that if you had HIDs you also needed self levelling lights and headlight washers but they have scrapped the latter 2 requirements now.
I have retrofitted my '07 with HID projectors. I bought an inexpensive kit from theretrofitsource.com for $150. It came with projectors, ballasts, bulbs and wiring harness. In not sure if they have rhd versions, but the kit is very good and fairly easy to install. You need to take the lens off the headlight assembly and then the projector pretty much bolts right into the place of the halogen bulb. Some aiming is necessary after the installation, but the results are very good. The projector is a 2.5" affair and is not crazy bright, but a big improvement on the halogen setup. Very straight forward install, the harness is top notch, the ballasts are small with external igniters. I was able to fit everything into the cramped prius engine compartment with no problems.
