1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Side Moldings

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by darwin100, Jan 30, 2006.

  1. darwin100

    darwin100 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2005
    131
    0
    0
    I got side moldings ( I live in Oakland CA) and they would not put them on at the garage to which I normally take my Prius. Does anyone know where I can go to get them installed ( I asked that they be installed properly according to the directions in the packet and the garage forman just said no) ?
    Thanks in advance
    PS I do not trust myself to do it....
     
  2. agill

    agill New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2005
    63
    0
    0
    Location:
    Lebanon (New Hampshire)
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    II

    Do you know of any online site where i could buy side mouldings.
    Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
     
  3. Dripps

    Dripps New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2005
    116
    0
    0
    Location:
    Northern NJ (Sussex Co)
    MetroTPN sells the body side molding (sponsor site).

    Also darwin100, I was a bit scared to do anything to my new car but it really wasn't that bad. I made sure the masking tape was lined up to marks and looked straight and then it wasn't such a big deal. The fluid which is supplied a tiny tubes for each piece is applied through the piece of cotton that is in the end of tube...so it doesn't drip. You just rub it on, right below making tape, then remove the cover to the sticky side of the molding slowly, as you go along.
     
  4. Allannde

    Allannde Just a Senior

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2006
    874
    138
    0
    Location:
    Washington State
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
     
  5. timg

    timg Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2005
    96
    2
    0
    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I got mine from MetroTPN too and plan on stopping by a local body shop to have them stick'm on. I figured I'd let the pro's take care of it since I suck at that sort of stuff.
     
  6. MinneMiss

    MinneMiss New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2006
    10
    0
    0
    Location:
    Minneapolis
    I purchased my side moldings from www.metrotpn.com. Ordered them Thursday evening, and they arrived at my door Monday morning via UPS! Took them to a local Auto Detail shop on Wednesday. He gave me a great deal on the first seal/wax/buff (since the dealer didn't do any of that) and installation of the moldings. Gives the car a really finished and new appearance. The detail guy said he'd never had such an easy time installing the moldings -- the instructions provided were right on; moldings were a custom fit; and everything needed was in the package. Kudos to metrotpn.

    Just want to say how much I appreciate this web site. When I asked my dealer about side moldings, he said it would be a bad idea -- I should just park the car way in the back of the parking lots to avoid door dings (no kidding, that's exactly what he said!). I did a Google and came up with the threads on this site, and as you can tell, had a great experience with the order from metrotpn.
     
  7. lowspeed

    lowspeed Member

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2004
    267
    2
    0
    I'm kinda leaning towards the highlander molding....

    they seem wider ... How do you install them ? 3M tape as well ?


    On the other hand how hard is it to install the other ones that have the tape ? is it flush ?


    Thanks ! Nice white prius !
     
  8. Allannde

    Allannde Just a Senior

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2006
    874
    138
    0
    Location:
    Washington State
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    While I much prefer them since they look to me like they were not an accident, they are not cheap. I bought them from the Toyota parts store near by. "How do they attach"... They come with adhesive already applied but it is quite narrow. I was shy about trying to do it because of no experience and I didn't want to mess it up. I had a shop do it which does that sort of thing all the time. I am glad I did because I thought the moulding should be installed level with the ground. It looks terrible that way. It needs to be sloped down to the front a little. There are two more things. On the Highlander they align the strips by guide holes which are drilled at the factory. There are plastic things which fit into those holes which must be cut off. This is easy to do with a razor blade. The second is that extra double sticky tape can be added to make the strips stick better. The shop had some that was thicker than usual which work fine. Like I said, more expensive, but I like it just fine!

    Allan de
     
  9. lowspeed

    lowspeed Member

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2004
    267
    2
    0

    What did you pay ? :)
     
  10. Allannde

    Allannde Just a Senior

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2006
    874
    138
    0
    Location:
    Washington State
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    I paid closer to $600 than $500 if the cost of professional installation is included. We have quite high sales tax in WA state and installation costs vary so guessing what it would cost you is not precise. There is no doubt that there are less expensive choices.

    Allan de
     
  11. lowspeed

    lowspeed Member

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2004
    267
    2
    0
    Wow, i may consider the other solution ....
     
  12. jbarnhart

    jbarnhart New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2004
    629
    1
    0
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA
    Here's my white 06 with the strips from Sigma, which are the same as the MetroPn ones. I forget exactly how much they were. Under $100 anyway.

    [​IMG]
     
  13. lowspeed

    lowspeed Member

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2004
    267
    2
    0
    Ok you can probablly mind read my next question....

    WHERE FROM ? :)
     
  14. jbarnhart

    jbarnhart New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2004
    629
    1
    0
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA
    You can get them from either Sigma Automotive or MetroPn, both of which are sponsors here on PriusChat. Go to the "sponsors" link on the Navigation box (you know, below "forums") and choose either vendor. Sigma has a bunch of stuff. I got the black bumper protector and the side moldings. I'll probably get the 20-inch rear wiper, too. Good stuff.
     
  15. lowspeed

    lowspeed Member

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2004
    267
    2
    0
    They are 115+ shipping on sigma's site... how did you get it for less then 100 ?


    Thanks !


    BTW that white prius looks really nice without those plastic wheels covers.... I'm so tempted to remove them.
     
  16. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2006
    6,057
    389
    0
    Location:
    Northern CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Why wait? Only tools needed are two of your very own fingers. Pop. You're done. Just for you, I just now made a page for those plasit rings...
    http://www.darelldd.com/ev/prius_wheel_trim.htm


    And in trying to stay on-topic... this whole bumper strip thing has confused me (surprise!). Are the highlander strips the fat ones shown in the first picture? And the skinny ones are??? Just trying to figure out what I order when I shop. Thanks!
     
  17. Allannde

    Allannde Just a Senior

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2006
    874
    138
    0
    Location:
    Washington State
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Yes and I still like them even though they cost more! They are available in most Prius colors and are sold for each door individually. This is probably because aftermarket is expected to be for repair. Each piece is more than $100 retail.

    Allan de
     
  18. jbarnhart

    jbarnhart New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2004
    629
    1
    0
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA
    Easy -- just forget how much you paid! I bought the black bumper cover at the same time and I forgot how much each part cost. The total for both was under $200 -- unless I've forgotten...
    :D
     
  19. hycamguy07

    hycamguy07 New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    2,707
    3
    0
    Location:
    Central Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius

    For Prius accessories try www.sigma.com

    I would think Id put them 1" higher to catch the mid-sized suv doors..
     
  20. Charles Suitt

    Charles Suitt Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2004
    1,637
    16
    0
    Location:
    Dallas TX
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    <_< The way some of us got Body Side Mouldings for <$100 - About a year ago, there was a "Group Buy" from Metropolitan. As I recall the total was about $90 shipped and color-matched. My Dealer's Body Shop installed them free of charge in ~ 30 minutes per the included diagram and instructions. Since the adhesive is very STUBBORN, I was reluctant to to it myself. I had read that once the adhesive touches the paint, IT"S THERE TO STAY and had better be straight.

    The Highlander mouldings also look good *BUT* $400 - $500 was a bit much and at that time, there weren't color matches for all the Prius colors.