PRIUS HID Life

[BillSJCA]

replaced the hid bulb on my 2008 prius. after 2 years and 40k miles. to extend life what would you suggest for short night drives. at night cant avoid using lights but will cycle them on 5 minets off 10 minets on 5 minets to get home.bulbs were easy enough to change and if they last a few years, cost of bulbs not unbareable. still think LED the bettercar headlamp. HID does light up the road nicelycompared to halogen. just annoyed by the lack of local parts, and excessive dealer replacement cost.

 

[Patriot]

.....at night cant avoid using lights but will cycle them on 5 minets off 10 minets on 5 minets to get home.

:huh::duh2::thinking:


Sorry but this was a terribly difficult post to comprehend, not to mention that it probably should have been posted in the "Transportation Lighting" section of the forum.

I think you're asking if there's anything externally that you can do to extend the lamp life of your HID bulbs. The answer is, "not really."

They're typically rated at 2000-4000 hours and it sounds like you may have had to replace yours a bit prematurely for whatever reason. You provided no details or additional information about the failure symptoms....assuming that they even failed.

 

[BVH]

Why do you cycle the lights? Turning them "on" is the killer of life. I'm guessing a bit here, but the theory applies. One "start" probably zaps as much life as 5 to 10 hours of running time does. Also, once they've been off for a minute, there's no benefit to keeping them off any longer.

 

[M@elstrom]

You're not serious about cycling them on/off whilst driving at night are you? :o

Personally I'd be tracking down an alternative supplier & fitting them myself OR looking into retrofitting the new i-tech Prius's LED headlamps :thumbsup:

FWIW Dealerships aren't called Stealerships for nothing...

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

Unfortunately, it's pretty much common knowledge that Prius HIDs are awful. This is one of the few times I'd recommend getting a kit.

Seriously, the only cars I see with an HID headlamp malfunctioning are punks with HID kits in their halogens, and Priuses.

I've had my HIDs powered by real LVQ-212 and they've lasted for about 4 years. I finally replaced the bulbs yesterday, just because I figure they've lost enough lumens. These things throw like a champ now =) Now, granted, they aren't in a Prius, I don't know how far the ECU has its tentacles in the car, but the Corolla is straight switch activates a relay that complete the lowbeam circuit. Prius could be more complex with more sensors and other flags that it looks for, so I don't know for certain whether using an HID kit instead of the OEM ballasts would work in your case. Have other Prius owners ever mentioned getting an HID kit?

 

[jcw122]

Why would you turn your lights off when it's dark out? That's incredibly dangerous and reckless.

 

[DM51]

If I have read your post correctly, this sounds a dangerous or possibly even suicidal/homicidal way to operate the driving lights on your ":green:" car.

Whatever the case, I'm moving it from HID to the Automotive section, where I have no doubt you will receive some robust advice.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

to extend life what would you suggest for short night drives. at night cant avoid using lights but will cycle them on 5 minets off 10 minets on 5 minets to get home.

Just leave them ON once you turn them on.

And if you're making several stops on short trips, leave the lights on while you go into the store if you're reasonably sure it'll be a quick trip. It's the turning on and the 'hot restrikes' that really take the life out of the bulb.

 

[MichaelW]

Disable the DRLs.
This isn't Canada, and DRLs have very little functionality here.

 

[tay]

Just buy the bulbs cheaper. Dealers tend to charge $200-$300 per bulb. Ebay sellers who import the bulbs in bulk can get that price down to under $40 per bulb, brand new in box OEM Philips.

 

[XeRay]

Just buy the bulbs cheaper. Dealers tend to charge $200-$300 per bulb. Ebay sellers who import the bulbs in bulk can get that price down to under $40 per bulb, brand new in box OEM Philips.

Not if its D1S or D3S (Hg free) no Mercury, D1S and D3S will be much more expensive than $40, 2X (D1S) to 3-4X (D3S)

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

If I'm reading the post right, the OP makes several short trips at night, hence the short times that the headlights are on.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

If I'm reading the post right, the OP makes several short trips at night, hence the short times that the headlights are on.

at night cant (sic) avoid using lights but will cycle them on 5 minets (sic) off 10 minets (sic) on 5 minets (sic) to get home.

If I'm reading the post right, he cycles them on 5 minutes, then off 10 minutes, then on 5 minutes.

Granted, it's difficult reading what he writes.

 

[-Virgil-]

The 2nd-generation Prius HID headlamp system is problematic. There's nothing wrong with the HID headlamps themselves, and they're consdierably better than the H4 halogen ones (and no, "HID kits" don't work safely or effectively in these H4 headlamps any better than they work in any other halogen headlamps). The problem on the Prius is a flaky lamp control module and system wiring. It makes expensive, difficult, and persistent problems with the headlamps failing to light or remain lit.

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

If I'm reading the post right, he cycles them on 5 minutes, then off 10 minutes, then on 5 minutes.

Granted, it's difficult reading what he writes.

Yes, it does look like you're right. I guess my brain translated it into the only kind of sanity it could come up with.