Hid Headlamp Conversion Kit

[gen2]

hi everyone,

I bought my 2008 gen2 prius two years ago.no complaint except first thing I noticed and very disappointed with very poor quality of headlight brightness or lack of it with standard halogen bulbs.so my first job was to replace them with osram nightbreaker.they made a noticeable improvement.but sadly very short life for the price of it.so I am now considering going to the hid bulbs and hence need some advice from you.

many thanks

[Chris Dance]

I think it is illegal to change a halogen headlight bulbs to HID bulbs. I have been told to use HID bulbs your existing headlights must be marked with an E. As far as I know the Gen 2 headlights do not have an E. To use HID bulbs you mave to purchase compatible headlights which is expensive.. I am no expert so please check it out.

[kithmo]

And you have to have self levelling headlights, which the Prius does not have.

[FROSTYBALLS]

As far as I'm aware fitting HID kits can cause problems with the MOT (E-markings, self levelling, etc).

The trade off for upgrade halogen bulbs is the fact that, due to burning brighter, the elements have a shorter life. Having said that Osram Nightbreaker Plus +90% and Unlimited +110% bulbs have improved lives.

So you probably need to make a choice between the having the upgrade halogen bulbs with their shorter life, or HID bulbs with the possible MOT issues.

If you are looking to replace the upgrade halogen bulbs with other upgrade halogen bulbs, check out Amazon, as I've found they generally are cheaper than other sites.

One other thought - have the headlight lenses yellowed (which they can do after a period of time). If they have you can reduce the yellowing and improve the quality of lighting - see http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/155277-headlights/?hl=%2Byellowed+%2Bheadlights#entry1311599

[kithmo]

Headlamp beam alignment makes a big difference as well, make sure they are properly aligned and the bulbs are seated properly.