MLPTK

When my HID headlights come on the passanger side bulb flashes on for about a second and then stays off. The drivers side stays on. Is this an indication of a failed bulb or bad ballast. Dealer wants about $250 to replace bulb. I can buy a bulb online for 1/2 that price but I would like to know its a bulb and not the ballast.

GoodRevs

Sounds like a dieing ballast to me. And BTW, you can get a new bulb for a hell of a lot cheaper than half of $250, more like $15-20. Swap the bulbs and see if the symptoms repeat. If not, then it would seem to be the bulb, otherwise you may want to look closer at the ballast and wiring.

MLPTK

Is that $15 to $20 for D4S HID Bulbs?

jcg

Isn't this covered by 4 year bumper to bumper warranty ?

miniz

Sounds like a bad ballast, which should be covered under warranty. You can try swapping the bulbs first and seeing if that does anything. If it is a bulb, be aware the HID bulbs are to be replaced as a PAIR. DO NOT replace one bulb and leave the other be.

MLPTK

4 Year warranty or 50K miles. I've got 57K miles on the car so no warranty

miniz

Have a good relationship with the dealer? There is a such thing as a good will warranty. The dealer may eat the cost (maybe throw in a used ballast that works fine) because you just over the warranty period. Its worth a shot, but does not always work.

emlsmike

Almost every Prius from 2007 on had a premature bulb failure problem. Although blown off by Toyota for a couple of years, Toyota finally acknowledged they bought a tremendous quantity of bad bulbs, even though they previously blamed everything down to the license plate frames for the problems, and tried to charge Prius out of warranty (36K miles) $850 to replace the bulbs. My 2007 Prius had two sets fail. I mention this as I wouldn't be surprised if many Lexus' doesn't have the same bulb, at least in some version. Toyota finally sent a notice to owners saying the $250 bulbs are now $85 each and they're sorry

YotaCarFan

It's most likely a bad bulb. My 07 ES had the same problem, and replacing the bulbs fixed the problem. As emlsmike stated, the Prius (actually all Gen 2, starting from 04) had this problem - just google it and you'll see lots of irate Prius owners complaining about failed HIDs. If you're within your warranty, the dealer should replace them as a courtesy. If not, then buy the bulbs online and install them yourself. Be sure not to touch the glass of the bulb or the oil from your fingers will make it fail prematurely.