How to change your Prius HID bulb in 10 minutes (part 1)

[borg92802]

Thank you so much for making this video. The vast majority of my time was spend trying to get the cap off on the driver side. Not much room to work with.

[tr38back]

Thank you for this video. It was very helpful, and as you know, many are in the same boat as you.

I know you're the ultimate DIYer, but may I suggest a buddy to hold the camera next time? Otherwise great job.

[MrVulgy]

THANK YOU Jay!!!! I followed your steps and I was done in less than 15 minutes. I can't believe how easy that was.

[flahprius]

Thank you SO much for this video! I changed the passenger side and it wasn't too much of a problem, other than that I accidentally disconnected the wire inside of the large round bracket and it's tricky to reattach it. I noticed that the fuse box is right in back of the light on the driver side. Did you find that it was trickier to do the driver side or is it about the same?

[pesadilla143]

Great video... QUESTION? Are the cheap bulbs on ebay just as good as the expensive ones? I found a pair for under $10. I don't know if they are true HID.

[blackwaxart]

Great video. I'd like to do this- my HID bulbs keep going out. Do you know if the same procedure/bulbs applie to the '06 Prius?

[omniriot]

I don't know...the camera angles were horrible, then all of a sudden "oh look, the bulb came right out!" as the camera pointed at the floor. Lots of steps open to interperatation, which could cause mistakes while working on the car

[caseybrooke]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You just saved me $200.

As a side note, I called Toyota Customer Care this morning, after leaving the dealership and being quoted "300 and some change," and was told that the dealer can't charge over $150 for the bulb (part of a class action lawsuit that was filed against Toyota for the headlight issue).Whether or not he had his facts straight, I'm not sure, but it's something to check into if you have this problem and the dealer is trying to charge you more.

[saxophonemv]

Jay, just did this for my '08 Prius and I wanted to thank you for this super helpful video! Couple helpful tips for other people. The bulb I got was the Philips D4R Xenon < $50 on Amazon. My lead wire was really short, so I couldn't pull it out as far as the video shows. I was able to push the cap down instead of out to make room for my hand. And when you put the bulb in, the wire sticking out points down. Took me 45 mins going slow because I am not car savvy and didn't want to break anything.

[skrystal]

THANK YOU! Just like everyone else says, this was as easy as can be. I bought two bulbs on Amazon for less than $100, including the $9.95 shipping. I bought Philips brand, and after I got my old bulbs out found they were Philips too! From hood up to hood down, it took me less than 30 minutes to replace both sides. Firestone wanted to charge me $190 PER BULB, parts only. I'm a single mother with much better things to do with my money!

[mjw4life]

Well Jay, I'm going to try it this Saturday. $75 for the bulb and $340 for labor LMFAO. dude

I'm used to doing everything myself and I just didn't know how to do this one. your a lifesaver Jay! The beer I'm having this week end, I'll be thanking you as I drinking.

[jnet1]

Thanks Krythis! I'm glad the video helped. Good comment on how to spot the wire clip at the top. For me the hardest part of this job was getting my wife to give me that little makeup mirror :)

[mlw2111]

@jnet1

Thank you so much!! It took less than 10 minutes and I am so happy I watched your video as opposed to paying too much attention to the other guy who took the whole front of the car off just to replace a little bulb!

[Bryan53860]

@jnet1 Jay, thanks so much worked great. I used a dental mirror and could see that not only was there the top clip on my 2008 Prius (passenger headlight), but there was a 2nd clip on the side of the bulb towards the side of the car (passenger side). After the first clip was unlocked, I could not pull the bulb out until I also released the 2nd clip. Put the new bulb in and snapped both clips back in place. Thank you so much! Could not have done this without your video!

[takenoshortcuts]

Thank YOU!!! Just did both headlights in 07' Prius and this video REALLY helped. My electrical lead was very short so I had to stuff the black cover to the side and squeeze painfully by it. I had trouble finding the second half of the retaining clip for awhile. TIPS: (1) squirt some drops of penetrating lube on the black cover if it won't twist off. (2) the drivers side is easier, just remove the fuse box cover and begin

[jnet1]

@takenoshortcuts Hey -- your comment about putting a little penetrating oil on the cover is a great one if it's stuck. I'm really glad the video helped!

[nerdsathome]

Awesome! I just replaced my passenger-side headlight, I think it took like 15 minutes thanks to this video!

[jfjfie]

Great video. Thank you! One tip: be careful not to unplug the white cord from the inside of the cover as you're maneuvering it out of the way. Took me a while to discover the problem and longer to get it plugged back in. The video helped me figure out exactly where to plug it back in. Success!

[MrBeachbummed]

I went to the dealership today and wait for it..... They wanted to charge me $620 for ONE HEADLIGHT on my '08 Prius!!!!! TOTAL JOKE, HIGHWAY ROBBERY!!!! Going to order the part tomorrow and my boyfriend is going to change it for me. Thanks for this.

[jnet1]

@MrBeachbummed

Wow -- that's the most I've ever heard! Good luck to your BF -- he'll do fine.

[MrBeachbummed]

@jnet1

Part arrived from Amazon this morning, my BF did it. Took him about 30 mins, saved over $500!!!!! Thanks again!

[sweetpeamars]

@MrBeachbummed OMG! I'm so glad I came across your comment. My dad and I have been trying to change my headight on my '08 Prius for the last hour. He wanted to give up and take it to the dealership. I told him I would just go to YouTube. Thanks to jnet1 for uploading and thanks Mr.Beachbummed for posting this comment!

[salamancan]

My two thumbs up!

[Krythis]

Thanks Jay! The dealership wanted $255 to change ONE of my 2008 Prius bulbs. Watched this video and bought MAXLUX HID Xenon Bulb D4R 6000K (1 Pair, Diamond White) for $55 off of Amazon. Took me about 30 minutes or so to change both of my bulbs.

Note to anyone doing this: When you go to remove the wire clip; feel around and you will feel the TWO wire rings at the top of the bulb. Each of those needs to be pushed in lightly(toward front of car) then towards the bulb and they'll pop right out.

[Krythis]

Ran out of room to complete the thought. Anyhow, thanks again Jay for taking the time to put together this video. Just wish I knew Toyota didn't warranty these anymore before I wasted time at the dealership. It's the second time in 35k miles that I've had HID issues. Someone buy this man a beer :o)

[jnet1]

@Krythis Ok, I think that's 2 beers that will now magically appear some day :) Glad the video was helpful!

[aainds]

Thanks saved me a lot !!!

[TheCarista]

hi jay:) i was able to change the bulb , allthough i am only 14 years old:P

thank yoU!!!!!!

[patbaggins]

much love and respect Jay

[BoscoDance]

Great video Jay! VERY appreciated. It helped tons, and made the swap super easy. THANK YOU!!

[Meatpackage]

Thanks so much for posting this. You just saved me a bunch of money!

[AggroFrogg]

You saved me 300$ dude! Thanks!

[outrageousthoughts]

Thanks so much for posting this. Saved me tons!

[rangerjoel]

Hi Jay,

Your video just saved me an expensive trip to the dealership. The wire clip is tricky but I eventually figured it out. Thank you very much for posting this video!

Joel

[raptorlp03]

getting the cover off was a pain, I had to use a screw driver and just hold a constant amount of force on one of the tabs and it slowly started to break loose.

[neilsundberg]

Thanks for the vid Jay. Worked fine. I can confirm that 1 I got two Philips bulbs for about $85 on Ebay.

2. Driver side is even easier. Just remove fuse cover.

3 absolutely no need to remove bumper, period.

Really, the only thing that's a bit tricky is positioning the bulb. But take it by two fingers on the end, get the tip in, then shine a flashlight on the hole from the front side. Guide it in by being able to see the bulb through the lens-just position the ceramic rod on bottom

[mauroe123]

Jay, Kearny Mesa Toyota (San Diego) were going to charge me $230 labor (with the argument that they need to remove the bumper) and $196 per bulb. I ordered the bulb $120 (still ridiculous price for a simple bulb) and I replace it myself exactly as you teach in your video.

Thanks Jay you save me some bucks.

[jnet1]

@mauroe123 -- Wow -- really glad it worked out for you!

[manscaper007]

Hi Jay, Thank you for your video! I watched your video & was able to change both my 2007 Prius HIDS in less than an hour. I just had to take off the fuse box cover for the driver side. I got 2 Phillips German made bulbs on ebay for $60 total. Saved a small fortune watching your video!

[jnet1]

@manscaper007 -- exactly what I was hoping for. Glad to help!

[manscaper007]

Hi Jay, Thank you for your video! I watched your video & was able to change both my 2007 Prius HIDS in less than an hour. I took off the black plastic cover & the fuse box cover for the driver side. I got 2 Phillips German made bulbs on ebay for $60 total. Saved a small fortune watching your video!

[rmirza8]

Thank you so much for doing this. Saved me a bundle.

[squatty1000]

Thanks Jay, awesome tutorial. It took me a little longer with the clip but it was just as easy as you showed. Toyota should be ashamed charging so much for such a simple job. If you're ever in northern Minnesota give me a call, I owe you a beer!!!!!

[jnet1]

@squatty1000 Thanks dude -- I think it's going to be a long time before you have to buy that beer, but I'm glad I could help.

[bluemoonseller]

possibly do a vid on the right side?

[cassini20]

Awesome video! I was stuck for about an hour trying to change the headlights in my 07 prius. The manual is.. less than helpful. But after watching this I had both headlights changed in about 15 minutes. Thanks so much!

[jnet1]

@cassini20

Cool! Glad to hear this was helpful. Yeah -- the manual is okay for showing how to change the non-HID bulbs, but for the HIDs it just says go see the dealer.

[jnet1]

@cassini20 -- cool -- super glad to help

[sthilker]

Thanks Jay! I was at a loss when what I was seeing under the hood was completely different than the owner's manual was talking about. Now I know how to change it; once I return the incorrect bulb and get the right one.

[dburess]

I'm surprised that Toyota made replacement so difficult and expensive ($150 part and $150 labor) and that's their new low price (was $300 for the part). Thanks for helping us Prius folks avoid getting ripped off! Oh, get your bulbs from third-party vendors too.

[jnet1]

@dburess

Thanks -- I actually got 2 new, genuine Phillips bulbs (D4R XenEco 42406 HID Xenon Headlight Bulb) from eBay seller "genuinexenon" Only $29.99 each