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How to repair plastic front panel?

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Shameless, Aug 9, 2019.

  1. Shameless

    Shameless Member

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    So this happened. And of course, Toyota's warranty says they won't repair chips from road debris. Sigh. Maybe if I plead my case directly with the service department?

    Barring that, any ideas on how to repair without having to replace the whole panel? Aesthetic perfection would be nice, but is secondary.


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    #1 Shameless, Aug 9, 2019
  2. yoyoman

    yoyoman Active Member

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    Not sure if there is a way to fix this deep chip. If I have this chip on the same spot, I will just buy the Carbon wrap and wrap over the entire length of this front nose piece.




    iPhone ?
     
    #2 yoyoman, Aug 9, 2019
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  3. Shameless

    Shameless Member

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    Hadn't thought of that! An interesting approach.
     
    #3 Shameless, Aug 9, 2019
  4. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Well, the glass jaw of the PRIME front end is always susceptible to the same damage again and again. Sad to say, in your case the only way to fix is to replace the front grill subassembly. The rock seems to pierced through the front clear acrylic and made a larger hole through the black plastic bumper cover behind. I have similar damage on my clear acrylic part but not the part under it. There is an aftermarket part made by SilkBlaze that will replace just the clear acrylic part of the grill subassembly, but it is not cheap. It would cost just as much as replacing the whole front grill subassembly.
    Toyota Prius Prime Front Grill - SilkBlaze - Body Kit - Exterior - Vehicle Parts
     
    #4 Salamander_King, Aug 9, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2019
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  5. Shameless

    Shameless Member

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    Wow. Looks cool, but that is indeed a lot of dough for what it is! I don't know how hard it is to take off/replace the part in question, but I'm starting to approve rather strongly of the suggestion to wrap it. Would also protect from further such damage.
     
    #5 Shameless, Aug 9, 2019
  6. Shameless

    Shameless Member

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    Another option: I painted my hubcaps and rear emblem matte black with Plastidip. The least labor-intensive option of all, though the cool 3D effect of the clear plastic and internal detail would be lost, would be to fill in the hole and Plastidip over that piece.
     
    #6 Shameless, Aug 9, 2019
  7. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I have not done it myself, but there was a thread on exactly how to remove and replace the grill subassembly. 17-18 Prius Prime grille question | PriusChat It is not very hard, and the good thing is that if you order OEM Toyota parts, you don't have to paint anything. The underside black grill cover is virgin black unpainted plastic not needing any paint, and acrylic part comes with it.

    I thought about the wrap or painting, but after seeing many youtube video it seems rather difficult to wrap it DIY without any seam on those intricate curved shape. And if you have to take it to the professional installer, I think you are talking about similar cost as replacing entier grill subassembly DIY. Also, I have read that those wraps are not very durable certainly not as durable as a good quality paint job on body parts. Because of the location, it will be subject to flying rocks and scrapes and scratches. Yeah, it may protect the grill surface underneath, but in a few years, it may look worse than without the wrap. Another idea would be to patch the hole or crack and paint over the acrylic part. But this too will be subject to rocks and scrapes and scratches, and amateur paint job may start looking worse than without it in a very short time.

    So, for time being, I am leaving it as is. If I get more serious front-end damage in the future I will have the whole thing replaced professionally using my non-deductible collision/comprehensive.

    Good luck. And if you do try using car wrap, please let us know how it looks and how it will hold in the long term.

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    #7 Salamander_King, Aug 9, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2019
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  8. Shameless

    Shameless Member

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    Wow. So you know exactly what I'm talking about, clearly! Sorry to see that. I can say this much on the Plastidip route -- I've had my hubcaps painted for about a year. They've gone through New England winter and many an automatic car wash, and the only place where it looks bad is where I curbed it while parking. (The string of curses that I emitted was probably heard on the West Coast.) I can tell it will wear out, but it's no big deal to respray. The rear emblem was a five-minute spray -- just taped near it, then used a toothpick to remove excess around the edges and inner details, etc. It was really minimal effort, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I don't think it's a bad option. The vinyl wrap, though -- I have no clue on that one.
     
    #8 Shameless, Aug 9, 2019
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  9. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    You certainly sound you know what to do with Plastidip. I have done my share of spray painting cars, but those were old beaters that I just needed to put something over the bare metal to prevent further corrosion. The results were not beautiful. I am afraid if I take a spray can on my only 2 years old car, I will mess it up worse than how it looks now. Let me know how it turned out if you go the Plastidip route.
     
    #9 Salamander_King, Aug 9, 2019
  10. Shameless

    Shameless Member

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    I will definitely show the results -- I think I am most likely to try that. The nice thing is that it's completely reversible. As long as you spray a few coats, you really can just peel if off with no trouble. Plastidip is really easy if you just make sure to tape off nearby surfaces and spray like crazy. Far easier than regular paint, which I wouldn't even contemplate doing.
     
    #10 Shameless, Aug 9, 2019
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  11. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Mine cracked in the process of killing a careless roadrunner in Texas. I've thought about replacing it, but it's so fragile, maybe I'll wait for the next crack.
     
    #11 jerrymildred, Aug 12, 2019
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