(that piece of fiberboard/masonite under the rear cargo mat) Anyway, mine is missing. The PO must have lost or damaged it, and I didn't realize there wasn't one there until I noticed "Hey! How come whenever I put something in the mat, it sinks into the carpet?" I'm gonna rag in my salesman about it, but in the event it doesn't resurface, I'd like to replace it. Believe it or not, this piece of glorified cardboard is $200-$300 from online dealers. Any discounts are destroyed by shipping charges. ("Oversize package" - and very likely to be trashed in shipment) I'm tempted to just cut a piece of masonite or hardboard to fit, but curious if anyone has any suggestions. I suppose auto recyclers are another possible source. Thanks. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
If you can find someone who will let you use theirs for a pattern, you can make your own as this guy did.
I've done that on a couple of previous old cars where it had worn out - used plywood from memory. Cut it using the template of the carpet (adjusted for wear or shrinkage).
I'd thought of that and have no problem cutting one of my own - even if the old one isn't there for a pattern. Half-inch plywood would be a bit of overkill I think. I'm sure the original one was likely closer to 3/16" - a quarter inch at most. Other issue would be that the original one seems to be "hinged" or scored/creased near each side (if you look at the illustrations in the owner's manual about changing the spare tire, it shows it folding and resting on the hooks in the sidewalls.) I don't know how easy it would be to do that with plywood. I guess the biggest obstacle to making one from scratch would be finding a suitable material...
I think I'd use masonite. If you cut bevels along where the "wings" meet the main center part, you could glue heavy cloth to the bottom side to use as hinges. Then either lay carpet over it or, for a more professional look, get a Weathertech or a Husky cargo mat.
Masonite (hardboard I think is the generic name for it) was my first thought, but even that's kinda heavy. I could also use "coroplast" - which is that stuff they make campaign signs out of. It's light and -if- those hinged areas are parallel - it could even bend in the right places. Luckily the original or OEM replacement cargo mat is there.
I'm just being Anal-Retentive. It's not as if a missing deck board is the end of the world. It's just that my last "new car" had 182,000 on the clock when I bought it and was already 10 years old. So I'm being a little obsessive about this one. Call it "pre-owned", call it "One-Owner", hell, even if it was "Certified Pre-Owned" it's STILL a used car and is gonna have a few nicks in the paint and marks on the headliner.
