HID bulbs typically last a *lot* longer than halogen bulbs, and the specs for the OEM Philips D4R bulb used says it should last around 3000 hours. Normally I’d just get a new bulb and replace it myself, but Toyota made it far more involved, requiring removing the bumper cover among other things just to get to it. The bulb itself was $50 on Ebay for a replacement and not some cheap Chinese knock-off (which are a lot cheaper). The dealer quoted me $190 to change the bulb, but I’m sure I’m saving a lot by not paying the high-markup dealer’s price for the bulb. I’ve heard about dealers charging over $300 per bulb for the exact same bulb I paid $50 for.

This is my first car with HID headlights after using halogen and there’s no going back for me. The visibility is far better in part since the bulbs are also a lot brighter (3800 LM) compared to halogen.

Believe me, if I could just replace the bulb I would, but it is a lot more involved.

The complaint is that the bulb has nowhere near 3000 hours on it, or even 1000 hours. It should not have burned out. My other complaint is that the bulb should be user serviceable so I can just reach down and replace the bulb.

Other than the headlight and one of the water pumps (which squealed and was replaced for free) I have had zero problems with the car and other than that the Prius has been rated an extremely reliable car.

$50 for a bulb? No wonder so many losers are putting them in where they don’t belong.

LED headlamps require more power and are susceptible to heat. Don’t believe me? Look at any well made LED bulb and you will see a huge heatsink on them. I’d wait and see how well they last before moving to them.

Oh, and btw, out of every vehicle I’ve seen on the road that has them legally from the factory, only 3 vehicles had a headlamp out: One Lincoln Mark 8 (the first car in the US to have them), a Infinity G35 and a Lincoln Navigator. Contrast that with all the vehicles with missing LEDs in the tailamps and dim and “burned out” halogen headlamps.

SMD is a type of LED.

Never forget Ford IS THE BEST!

…And the quality arguement is getting pretty tired.
No hearing your bull**** is getting tired

GM fully acknowledges that their cars used to suck big floppy monkey dick, and everyone here will agree with you that Toyota and Honda both made very (and more) reliable cars back in the 80’s and 90’s.
—-Yes and today GM sucks and Toyota and Honda make better more reliable cars with higher resale values No evidence is to the contrary

Today the game has changed, the domestics are on par or above toyota’s quality and are committed to staying that way. so lets put it to rest.
—It will never be put to rest until GM and Ford PROVE (if you dont know what that means just look it up) that their cars are on par with the J2 Not talking about your bs JD Powers Marketing research of 100 people which is all you are basing your bull**** on but an AUTOMOTIVE AUTHORITY or something used in US Courts of law that show that they are

…And the quality arguement is getting pretty tired.
No hearing yopur bullshit is getting tired

GM fully acknowledges that their cars used to suck big floppy monkey dick, and everyone here will agree with you that Toyota and Honda both made very (and more) reliable cars back in the 80’s and 90’s.
—-Yes and today GM sucks and Toyota and Honda make better more reliable cars with higher resale values No evidence is to the contrary

Today the game has changed, the domestics are on par or above toyota’s quality and are committed to staying that way. so lets put it to rest.
—It will never be put to rest until GM and Ford PROVE (if you dont know what that means just look it up) that their cars are on par with the J2 Not talking about your bs JD Powers Marketing research of 100 people which is all you are basing your bullshit on but an AUTOMOTIVE AUTHORITY or something used in US Courts of law that show that they are

But congrats to Gm for not having anything to do with another massive recall.

Which is why they need to learn, A4, and why they need to use the paper. That’s what it’s there for.

In my opinion, if you can’t do the simple maintenance, you shouldn’t own it. But since I can’t mandate such a thing, I think these people should suck it up and pay the bill if they can’t do it themselves. The reason I started learning to do my own maintenance was because I was sick of paying for it. Oh, and for those that want to say, “Then don’t buy an unreliable car”, keep in mind that brakes, tires, oil, lights, air filters, belts, fluids and batteries all wear out quickly regardless of the manufacturer.

That last line wasn’t meant for you, A4. You understand reality.

I learned about oil popping light bulbs about 15 years ago when a 5k scoop bulb kept popping every time I changed it. Then, the studio engineer told me to use the paper, and explained about the oils, and I have used the paper ever since.

what causes the blue light you may ask? when a photon is released (emitted by the filament in this case) it can collide with other atoms that surround it, in this case xenon. the photon causes the one of the electrons to “excite” to a higher energy state, and when it comes back down to its original orbit “relaxed state” it itself releases a wave of light at a higher frequency (shorter wavelength), thus giving it its blue nature.

maybe if you stayed in school a little longer, you would know some of this information

yes, 338 people are going to revolt and kill off toyota because their lightbulbs burned out. how old are you? 7?

When I was a mechanic I worked at GM dealerships (first Saturn, then Chevy/Olds/Caddillac, then Pontiac/Buick/GMC) and we always covered bulbs for the full 3 years/60,000 km warranty. It wasn’t even questioned: Burned out bulb = free replacement, no matter where the bulbs were or what they were for. We also covered belts & hoses, and frequently covered brakes (but ONLY if the customer had a full maintenance record showing the recommended inspection/adjustment/lubtication of brakes were done regularly). About the only things we didn’t cover were tires and wiper blades (and of course fluid/filter changes).

This was not simply a matter of the dealership eating the costs as a goodwill gesture, either, as the parts and labour were both billed to GM. This was 10 years or so ago, so GM may have changed that practice since…

Bulbs burning out shouldn’t constitute a recall. Bulbs shining in the faces of other drivers causing them to crash should constitute a recall. All bulbs burn out, and Checker should have a replacement for you. Change your own damn bulbs, but make sure you use the paper or they’re going to pop.

Exactly! I agree this means that all the years of Toyota quality are FINISHED! These 338 complaints for headlights mean that Toyota’s quality is equal to that of GM who recently had 35k actual recalls on their “new GM ” product
I agree with all the domestic humpers now. I will buy a car based on the fact that is American (while being made in Candad and Mexico) and not any other reason.
I wont even eat sushi anymore just to show allegience to my country and its automobiles

Hey Bubs Solo (BS) are the 338 people complaining the same 338 JDPowers uses for their bullshit studies ?

Believe me, I wish it was just a new timing chain and valve cover gaskets. A piece of a connecting rod cap fractured off and the debris blocked the oil pickup and nuked the motor. Second motor was probably just a faulty rebuild on the part of the machine shop though, so I can’t really pin that one on GM. Oh, and the 208k and 263k were on a 91 and 93 Accord respectively, and they are both running. Just got finished putting a clutch in the 91.

Sorry guys I know you had your dicks in your hands ready but you will have to get off some other way HA

GM. An Americna Revolution

Toyota does suck though. A 436hp corvette gets better average gas milage than a scion xb now. Toyota has no flare or taste and blends in but look at the malibu, cts, hhr, cobalt, corvette, camaro, and most american cars They make themselves noticed with style and all while having better quality and gas milage.