[rda]

I had a headlight go out on my Toyota Prius this weekend. I called the dealer to see about the replacement part and was told (after he checked my VIN) that I was one of the lucky ones. I don't have the High Density model that costs, with labor, $460.00 to replace. Mine is only $48.00 for the part, plus 2 hours of labor to install. WTF???????

There is a lot of info online about class action cases being brought against Toyota. Not sure if they will get anything out of that. I doubt it.

I think they've outsmarted themselves this time. What was wrong with the old system? You had either the round or the rectangle headlight. When one went out, you bought a new one for 24.00 at the parts store and replaced the whole unit yourself. Just crazy...........

I understand BMW owners are in a similar situation.

[mylo]

I replaced bulbs on the bus last week. $6 bucks, 2 minutes, and 1 philips screwdriver.

[eVader]

Is that a lens and bulb or just the bulb?

Relax, alright? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.
-Jeff Spicoli

[rda]

That's just the bulb, a halogen that you can't touch without secret double insulated secret agent gloves, made to order. You also have to take the fuse box out, loosen the front bumper, etc. to get to it. There is a video online about how to do it yourself but I"m not taking a chance on it.


Does misery love company?????

http://priuschat.com/forums/care-maintenan...-headlight.html

[ChipShot]

That's crazy.

You expect one of the Big-3 to do something so dumb, not Toyota.

[Darth Lefty]

OEM parts are also always really expensive. A simple pulley can cost thirty bucks. It's yet another profit-taking in the mandatory insurance scam.

Further, the Prius isn't designed to be worked on by normal people. I shudder to think what its wiring diagram looks like.

[Darthvader]

I replaced bulbs on the bus last week. $6 bucks, 2 minutes, and 1 philips screwdriver.

That '72 Microbus doesn't count here!

[Darth Lefty]

That '72 Microbus doesn't count here!

I'm sort of amazed he needed the screwdriver.

[mylo]

I'm sort of amazed he needed the screwdriver.

If it's any condolence, it's the same screwdriver I used to get the valve covers off and adjust valves

[Darth Lefty]

If it's any condolence, it's the same screwdriver I used to get the valve covers off and adjust valves

That means nothing if you haven't sorted the carbs yet

[mylo]

That means nothing if you haven't sorted the carbs yet

I made progress on that over the weekend. Now just need to find a new PDSIT33/34 idle cutoff jet.

[Bill Z]

I made progress on that over the weekend. Now just need to find a new PDSIT33/34 idle cutoff jet.

If you can't find the jet, you can always abandon the stock engine route and find a 454 V8 to marry with a vette transaxle. You may need to beef up the suspension as well and lose a row or two of seats in the back, but your ability to merge on the freeway will be greatly enhanced

[tsukiji]

Part of the HID assembly is the auto-leveling system (because it's HID, need to make sure it's hardly ever pointed at a driver's eyes).

So, it's partially due to parts/labor but also additional functionality (auto alignment and initial alignment).

[Orangetj]

Unfortunately, it's not all that uncommon. The headlight assemblies on many modern cars cost a ton to replace. Bulbs, not so much.

Headlights aside, I'd have to imagine that hybrids are a whole 'nuther level of complex to work on.

[Suburban Pool Service]

The pricing that the OP has encountered is nothing new. The reason some cars cost more to replace certain parts isn't the part itself but the labor to get to it. Not sure how many people here own a Prius, I don't personally but have experience with it and similar cars that have a short or small engine bay and hardly any room to work with. For instance I don't recall how much exactly although I know it was absurd a friend of mine had a 2001 or so Volkswagen Beatle the headlamps bulbs cannot be changed on that car without removing the entire front bumper. So you've got the labor cost to R&I all of the stuff around the area before you can get to the bulb access.

-Ryan

[Bill Z]

The pricing that the OP has encountered is nothing new. The reason some cars cost more to replace certain parts isn't the part itself but the labor to get to it. Not sure how many people here own a Prius, I don't personally but have experience with it and similar cars that have a short or small engine bay and hardly any room to work with. For instance I don't recall how much exactly although I know it was absurd a friend of mine had a 2001 or so Volkswagen Beatle the headlamps bulbs cannot be changed on that car without removing the entire front bumper. So you've got the labor cost to R&I all of the stuff around the area before you can get to the bulb access.

-Ryan

And that my dear friend is lousy engineering work.

[Darthvader]

And that my dear friend is lousy engineering work.

No it's not. How often do the bulbs fail? 10's of thousands of hours of operation? You might have a bad lot here or there but overall I bet most people never change headlamps the entire time they own a vehicle.

When you have to design for safety, economy, roominess, etc, making ease of a headlamp change is way down on the list. Besides, I bet you can take a bumper off in less than a hour.

[Bill Z]

No it's not. How often do the bulbs fail? 10's of thousands of hours of operation? You might have a bad lot here or there but overall I bet most people never change headlamps the entire time they own a vehicle.

When you have to design for safety, economy, roominess, etc, making ease of a headlamp change is way down on the list. Besides, I bet you can take a bumper off in less than a hour.

I think of light bulbs as field replaceable, so they should have easy access. I've replaced more headlamps than I can recall. Most of the ones I've replaced came right out through the front. I think the hardest I've encountered was my wife's Taurus, it had individual bulbs so the lens didn't have to be replaced, but the easy to remove plug assembly ended up getting buried behind too many engine accessory components that it took some dissassembly to get to the easy access.

[ambrno33]

I drive an 06 mustang and when one of my tail lights went out the dealer wanted $75 to replace it because you have to take apart part of the trunk to get to it.
What a waste of money!

[Darth Lefty]

Pretty typical stuff in the plastic-bumper era.