Hey everyone, I bought my Black Sand Pearl C3 July 17 and using these forums as a reference I have been slowly adding on to it. For background... First off, I'm 20 years old! I switched from a 2000 Audi A6 V8 which I averaged 16mpg, give or take.. So even when I get only 40mpg on a trip, I am amazed! Many factors other than gas were involved with my switch: long commutes (i'm in Air National Guard and travel 225miles to Atlantic City, NJ from CT once a month), costly repairs on the Audi... seems like I fix one thing and then another thing breaks!$!$!, I've been lead to believe that these cars are cheap for repairs except the batter which could last up to 200,000 miles or more... Oh and the payments are less than what I was spending on gas so it's like I got a new car for nothing? Anyways here is what I have done so far, nothing too major.. just personalizing: *20% Tint on Windows Myself *Tint Film on Tail Lights - Couldn't shape it right so I had to do two pieces (back and side) *Painted Hubcaps with matched paint and clear coated. *Cargo Net off ebay, its useful *Bumper Strip/Scratch Protector *De-Badged rear, waiting on the sides for an idea on how to fill?? And yeah I had to debadge because I accept the Prius name but most others don't. With out the badges, people don't seem to know what it is and they accept it for what it is, not what its named! To Do: *Slap this shark fin on top! *Bulbs to LED... If anyone could recommend their favorite brands (intensity + price) and possibly suggestions on which lights to do.. I know there are other articles, I just like to get as much reference as possible! *Auto On Headlight *Always Hot Cigarette Lighter *Fog Lights eventually, with the OEM stalk... might wait a little bit until a C4 shows up in the junkyard for this though... or Aftermarket parts (priced right) that integrate with the factory harness. *I was thinking of venturing into a rear dome light set up... haven't decided for sure but its difficult at night to see in the back seat if I need to get something out of their. Some progress pics: What do you guys think?
Looking forward to seeing more modded Pri C's out there. - Rear Dome is way easy too - I have done that on several cars - just tap into the front dome and change the bulbs to LED, the draw will still be lower than it currently is so no need to upgrade wiring or fuses. Keep pics coming as you get done with your list and lastly you said "With out the badges, people don't seem to know what it is and they accept it for what it is, not what its named!" Exactly - we had a huge thread about debadging a while back and I explained this to people who "didn't get" the reason to debadge. Honestly the agressiveness of drivers around me has been cut in half without the badges. You may want to consider colormatching the side badges until you do the side ones. I did - there should be pic;s in my albums.
You say you debadged the rear, but your photo shows both emblems still there. Any updated photos? Were there holes under the Prius C emblem, or just double sided tape? Bob
Great job on the tail lights. Can you tell me what % tint you used on them? Thanks, and keep up the good work!
You pretty much can't drive your car in California anymore. I think the fine adds up to about $1,000.
Still trying to talk myself into this but I'm too concerned about its usefulness - lighter items don't really need a net and I fear heavier items are going to slap on the rear. What's your experience? I'd think about the rear bumper scratch protector strip but the cost of getting that sent out here is prohibitive.
"Blacked Out" isn't my look, but that's OK. I'm an old fart. Well executed! Definitely a unique look. Good Luck!
Badges, on the back the Toyota HSD emblem and the Prius C emblem are taped on only. The Toyota emblem has pin holes, but its indented anyway, so to truly remove would require body work. On the fenders the "Hybrid" emblems are taped on, but contain two holes, one is fairly large basically the size of the emblem - pictures in my albums of a debadge, and rebadge where there were holes
Badges, on the back the Toyota HSD emblem and the Prius C emblem are taped on only. The Toyota emblem has pin holes, but its indented anyway, so to truly remove would require body work. On the fenders the "Hybrid" emblems are taped on, but contain two holes, one is fairly large basically the size of the emblem - pictures in my albums of a debadge, and rebadge where there were holes
Thanks. Was hoping for no holes on those two emblems. What kind of solvent did you use to loosen and remove them? I'm leaving the Toyota emblem in place, but hope to find a decal kit to change it from blue to red. Think that will look much better against the black paint. Not the solid red I have seen on other Prius mods, but a red/black combo, sometimes called "heat red", like this: So far no luck finding this to fit the C's emblems. Looked at your album, and Wow! You have really made some extensive modifications in adding the Fat Mat and other sound deadening materials to the interior. Wish Toyota had gone this route. I would gladly give up the 2-3 mpg in gas savings the extra weight might cause to gain a quieter interior at highway speeds. Thanks for sharing all this with us.
To remove the emblems, I just use a small piece of sturdy string or yarn, hook a little under one corner of the emblem, and do a flossing motion as you slide down the emblem. Make sure the area was clean of any dust and dirt before you do this to prevent scratching, you could even put masking tape around it if overly concerned. Once the badge is removed, I use my finger to pick off the big chunks of tape residue, then rub it with my thumb so the reset of the foam materials gum up into little chunks. After that I lightly polished with goo-gone until the area is residue free. After that I immediately wash the are with car cleaning supplies and wax that area too as the goo gone will remove wax (but will not harm paint). Thanks - also, after a few months of driving with the matting, and some heavy subs/amp/box in the rear, I have noticed no impact on my fuel mileage. But I agree, Toyota should have addressed the road noise issues, but I know this was supposed to be an economy priced hybrid, so its understandable.
I'm also lovin' the tinted tail-lights. Along with a few other posters, I'd love to hear some details about how you did it. thanks!
