I just bought the 20102 Gen III Prius IV. I do not have a proper garage and have to rely on street (parallel) parking. And I am sure I will get hit from the front or the back soon. I am looking to get some transparent protections so that my bumpers don't get hit directly. I looked at clearmask 3M products and some of them were quite pricey. Before I buy something I will like to know what the rest of the Prius community suggest? Please fill me in. Thanks
Clear bra material really isn't going to protect your car from people who "touch park" their cars--it's meant to help minimize rock chips, etc.
Honestly, nothing. I've seen some cars that have a rubber blanket hanging off the rear bumper (with names like Bumper Protector, etc.), which to me look worse than any dings caused by touch parking idiots.
Actually you will be "protected" from touch parkers except for those with license plate screws that will cut into the material. Depending on how hard they hit, the 3M may or may not stop it. Now generally I would say put the 3M in the front since the chances of rear license plate screws damaging the front is next to 0%. However for the rear, they have a flip guard that gets attached inside the trunk. What you do is flip it out after you park.... kind of like this: Bumper Badger, bumper guard, bumper protector, rear bumper guard, rear bumper protector, bumperbadger, bumperbadger.com, bumper protection
This I did! Best thirty bucks/mo I've thought of. I got my car out of a downhill and congested street parking, I get shaded & gated parking, plus I get a locked storage cabinet thrown in for free. All for $1/day!
I doubt that scuff preventing film will save your bumper guard from careless parker's, although it can prevent or minimize stone chips on the front bumper. The problem with parking incidents is that the foam beneath the plastic bumper guard crushes easily, causing splits in the, less flexible, paint. If the force is sufficient, it tears in the plastic cover as the foam beneath is compressed. This type of damage is a characteristic of lightweight, impact absorbing, platic bumper covers and isn't peculiar to the Prius.
Fabricate a pair of steel tubing bumper guards with spikes welded onto them. Go ahead and bump my car now a-holes. Mike
Try this front, from "BumpShox" about $30+ bucks shipped from their site. And for the Rear protection, try this from "Pacer Performance 25-535 Black Bumper Protector Pad Kit" About $12 bucks (I'm using this for my 2012 Mini Van) Come in BLACK or SILVER or paint your own color with 3M stick-on backing from Amazon.com Or like Mike Said above "With Spikes" frame (made from Die-Cast) from local Walmarts $10 bucks. Sure will leave some holes on the other car.
I looked into this a few months ago- I would get something like Color Bumper Guards - Ultimate Rear Bumper Protector and Bumper Protection Guard the 2" strip or the corner guards. Alas, I got busy, and never followed up on it.
My first winter with Prius V, and I drove too far ahead to hit the snow ploughed on the front of the the parking slot. And I noticed this "scratch." I was shocked! The snow must have been frozen or there might have been stones or rocks. Any suggestions what I should do? Thanks!
Find a good shop and vinyl wrap that part. It will be cheaper than paint and can be replaced the next time you oops Mike
