I noticed that in my car the rear spoiler is not flush with the body of the car, Is there any way to adjust it? By looking at it very briefly it seems that the rear hatch will need to sit lower for better alignment.
View 1 RepliesEvery car has its "Persian flaw," but this one irks me. A bird pooped on the car (in several places), and I always addressed the problem by laying wet paper towels over the mess to "pre soak" and then I could wipe it away without damaging the finish underneath.
Well, this time, a bird must have had a healthy diet of grit because that poop acted like sandpaper and put nice scratches into the finish before I could stop what I was doing.
It's not that obvious, but it bothers me. I don't want to attempt to buff out or polish out the scratches without knowing what WILL do the job right. I don't want to make a bigger mess trying to fix it.
I just got a 2006 prius with a wobbly rear spoiler. I pulled it off and took some pictures....It seems like there might be something missing, or is it just that the plastic round things are chipped and thus, the spoiler recesses are not grabbing on? It looks like the round plastic things are riveted in, which I assume will make it difficult to replace.....
View 3 RepliesMy wife has a 2008 Prius. There is a annoying rattle in the rear that seems to be caused by the rear spoiler (between the windows on the hatchback) being loose. how is the hatchback inner trim panel(s) retained, and what is the best method to remove said panels?
View 2 RepliesI picked up my Prius III last month (love it) and noticed some hairline scratches in the black spoiler, but thought they might wax out as they are pretty faint (they didn't).
Looks like the dealer ran a gritty wash mitt or sponge over the spoiler and swirled the finish. In the bright sun you can see many light scratches in the finish.
I thought about using a gentle polish, but wasn't sure if that was a good move as I think it is just a high gloss plastic and not paint. The last thing I want to do is add more damage.
I did wash, clay, and wax my car as soon as I could and spent some time detailing it and thought the scratches were reduced, but had it out today and they are still there.
The rear spoiler on my 2005 has always had a bit of "flex" to it and I've always been careful not to use it to open or close the hatch. Unfortunately, I can't be sure that others not do that as it really is the place someone would think to grab to close the hatch.
Anyway, the other day I noticed that the spoiler had picked up a nasty rattle whenever the hatch was closed. Looking from the outside in I saw that there appeared to be two plastic fasteners (one on each end) that held the spoiler in place. If I pressed down on one side the other side popped up and vice versa. I was able to get the spoiler back to where it originally was (loose but no real rattle).
The car has never been in an accident and the spoiler doesn't appear to be bent in anyway...it just seems as if the fasteners aren't holding it down as tightly as they should. Is this the norm? Should I replace the fasteners and any instructions on how to do it?
I just got back from Town and Country Toyota charlotte, NC. They did my oil change and tire rotation. I also told them the rear spoiler is loose and making noise over bumps, they ordered a new one under warranty. I also wanted a new driver side wiper blade, they also are ordering a new one under warranty. So so far they are doing a good job. I have been there one time before.
View 4 RepliesSo my rear and front toe is off and is causing inside wear on the rear tire. I want to add a shim to fix it as the rear axle would be too costly to change.
Also how much would I need to fix the rear? I'll be getting them aligned after the rear is fixed.
I shimmed my prius this weekend to remove about 0.44 degrees of positive out of 0.60 theoretically bringing total toe down to .16.
The shims add about 3.8 mm between the hub and the suspension. The bolts are M10s I believe with 12 mm heads. There are 4 bolts per hub. I often take off ramps at a pretty good clip rather than braking when going from one freeway to another. The 4 bolts already seem like they wouldn't be enough to hold the hubs on.
When adding the shims, it moves the hub further away resulting in a little more torque at the mating surface on the opposite side of steering. Also, the bolts just barely make it to the last thread.
I just replaced front shocks and got the car aligned. Now I feel the difference in front to rear and want to change the rear shocks out too. I seem to remember someone suggesting under normal circumstances the Prius rear setup never gets aligned. Is this true?
View 4 RepliesI just got new tires and had an alignment done. The values for the rear were off ... not too much ... but the tech said the rear suspension of the Prius isn't adjustable.
View 1 RepliesSome fool with a tow hook must have backed into my rear bumper this morning because the black plastic spoiler is pushed in pretty bad on the left corner (to the left of the exhaust). Before I have it replaced, I want to have a go at banging it back in place, but the dent is at the crease and I can't do it in situ. Is there a DIY about removing the spoiler (the lower black plastic half of the cover)? Or if not, one for dropping the whole bumper? There seem to be a bunch on the GTi and Passat but none for Tiggy.
View 4 RepliesI am having trouble keeping the roof spoiler stuck to the rear window.
View 14 RepliesI just received both items today.. The CF spoiler seems a little bit twisted...but no big deal, I can bend it a little bit to fit...
How to install that spoiler? using 3M tape only? and also I cannot push the original side marker out...I pushed so hard and it didn't pop out...
I forgot I had my lift gate open and backed out of the garage...crunch! Broke off the plastic air spoiler thing. It was attached with some kind of adhesive covering 5 bolt heads and a snap on grommet at each end.
I drilled out the old adhesive on the plastic panel and chipped it off the bolts. I hope I can get two new plastic fasteners at Toyota or a body shop. Question...should I just use a two part epoxy (or what else is recommended) on the bolt heads to mount it again?
I just brought home a brand new 2011 Prius base model (it was the dealership's last one...their showroom model...=D)!
Unfortunately, I forgot that the hatchback door opens up REAL high and the spoiler kissed my garage door. Now there is this white mark and I was wondering if I can fix it at home? What is the difficulty level? I'm not really a handy-man so don't want to try to fix it and end up making it looking even worse (unless it's super easy to do).
The mark is not too too noticeable...it's about the size of a pencil tip. It just happens to be white so stands out slightly against the black.
Also, most important, will this small blemish get worse over time and cause the mark to get larger over time (I'm thinking of how a crack can propagate and eventually cause a failure...except this won't be as serious)?
Looking for a guide to replace the under engine splash guard and spoiler (Part# 17 and 19 on Parts.com front bumper illustration)?
I just purchased a '05 Prius and the last owner curbed the front bumper thus breaking most of the attachment points on the bottom of the bumper and splash guard.
I see the exploded illustration but it is not very detailed.
Was talking to a cab company running over a hundred Prius, they like the gas mileage.
Biggest problem running a hundred plus Prius in LA is the skirt front bumper is so low to the ground (for better aerodynamics) ... less than 5 inches ground clearance when loaded ... it hits the ground and bows the side moldings of the bumper.
I just got a new 2006 and the spoiler shakes when I close the hatch. Is there a way to get in there and tighten things down/make sure I'm not missing some bolts?
View 4 RepliesAre both necessary?
View 4 RepliesAnd I have coil overs, I'm not super low but pretty low and every time I get my alignment done they say they can't so anything about the rear having so much negative camber. And it is really eating up the inside sidewalls of my tires like crazy.
View 5 Replies