Is this necessary?

Probably there for aerodynamics more than anything else.

If it were my car, I'd try to get the part off of eBay or from a salvage yard.

SCH-I535

 

Yes, your car is a Gen III, or third generation Prius model. As far as I know, satellite wasn't available in the Prius Two.

Dealerships tend to oversell rather than undersell.

 

Agreed. At a "pull your own parts" junk yard I bet it would probably cost less than $30. It would be useful to know if the 2012/2011/2010 models have the same panel.

 

James perhaps a body shop can save you a few bucks. But then again the job may be too small for them to bother.

Please hit the edit button on your original post and delete your vin number

 

Mine was ripped off too. My fuel economy without was about 2 mpg more.

 

The now missing panel is most likely there for air flow management purposes. Prius are quite aerodynamic, so I imagine this cover is there in part, to help direct air through the engine compartment. I would replace it if possible.

 

Just for safety's sake but we are on the internet

 

James it is always smart to not post personal information on the Internet. Cyber criminals run unchecked and can hurt you in more ways than you can imagine.

 

Right, in this particular case the potential criminal has for free the following information:
Type and model of the vehicle, year of built, plant, how many doors, type and capacity of engine installed, fuel type and safety restraints. Paid services offers authorised service history of the car, police records (if any). I believe that more advanced individuals can find the personal data of current owner (home address and other particulars). Not to mention that having a VIN offers possibility to duplicate your FOB and mechanical key - hence the bad guy may pick your car as his own.

 

...Although it needs to be considered that a baddie can get a VIN number off of any car in a parking lot and have access to similar information.

The real problem is when this information persists online, and you later share other info, like what you do for a living (registration address can be used to deduce where you work, esp. if you talk about your commute distance in some other thread later, etc.), and so on. It's the combinations later on that are the problem.

 

Oops, sure, I forgot that in many cars nowadays the VIN is exposed.

 

I found the part on rockauto.com for $40, search for the part number. I don't know if it comes with any clips, if not they shouldn't be any more than $10 or so.

 

That's the reason Prius Chat is such a great place to hang around in. If you need info... you're going to find it. Way to go vskid3!

 

Strange, I can't find it now, either. I checked under the 2013 Prius in the catalog and it wasn't there. They might be out of stock. You could try sending them an email or check again in a few days.

 

At least in my area?

The problem with "Pull Your Own Parts" places is the competition for any parts of value is so fierce that you almost have to happen to be there at the exact moment the vehicle with the part you want might happen to arrive.

"Professionals" are waiting to strip the vehicle of almost any and all parts of value like Piranha.
I've only been able to really have some luck with some obscure "cosmetic" parts. Sometimes they get left. But going to find any part of real value at a "Pull It Yourself" place has always been a losing endeavor for me.