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Old 09-01-2018, 10:35 PM   #1 (permalink)
elhigh
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SE USA - East Tennessee
Posts: 2,314

Josie - '87 Toyota Pickup
90 day: 29.5 mpg (US)

Felicia - '09 Toyota Prius Base
90 day: 52.44 mpg (US)
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Lighting upgrades

My Prius came with the usual incandescent lights everywhere, though I understand HID headlights were an option for 09. I haven't made that jump, and since installing LED lamps in the headlights of Tiptoe, I think that's the route I'm going to go. They're a bit brighter but more importantly, if they last longer then that's the business. Replacing headlamps on Prii is not fun.

In the cargo area there's this:

https://imgur.com/jVjBbRv

That one has already been replaced with an LED which made a huge improvement, but it was still depressingly dim. Since Son#2 had already upgraded the cargo area of Tiptoe with a simple strip of self-adhesive LEDs that were operated by the same switch as its existing trunk lamp, that seemed the obvious solution here, too...except there isn't really an unfinished, out-of-sight spot to stick the strip.

Amazon has these:
https://www.amazon.com/Starlandled-A...xtrusion+500mm

That link is for 1m lengths, we used 500mm.

Back up the screws inside the interior panel so they don't pull out, run wires inside to piggyback off the existing light fixture again, and it looks like this:

https://imgur.com/ztXN7jx

He also fitted the lamp with a quick connect and a length of coiled extension cord, so the lamp can be popped out of its mounts (no tools) and taken all the way to the opposite corner of the car and have a few feet of slack. We've already used it in the wild when the fender liner came loose: plenty of light, no problem to fix.

Son#1 owns the 2010 Prius in the background. He wanted a light like this as well, since this one has been so convenient.

Installed:
https://imgur.com/jW0jkJm

After dark. I know this doesn't really convey the difference, but before the only light was a feeble little pool at the side where the original fixture is. This, on the other hand, is striking. It's easily bright enough to read by from fifteen feet away.
https://imgur.com/nXTLHVN

Combined with replacing the original incandescent convenience lamp with an LED, I'd say the provided light is about 5x what it was.

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