[pics] Passenger side rear bumper gap. Is this normal???

Some things are just better off left alone whether we like it or not. I just bought a new Avalon and I scraped the very bottom of the right side of the front bumper against the curb. Two body shops told me to touch it up and not repair it. The front bumper and fog lights would have to be taken off and the scraped spot made smooth and the front bumper painted. It is hardly noticeable. My nature is to have it fixed but some things are better left alone so reluctantly, I'll leave it alone. You always have to get that first ding on a new car and the first hurts.

 

yep.

 

Bumpers used to protect the car from.....: bumps. Now they're made outa painted black plastic, can't even keep themselves from falling off. ;(

The seams on ours are opening up slightly. I give it a bit of a bash upwards, and look at it sternly.

 

Not sure if I'm missing something here, but looking at the photo in the first post I really don't see where this terrible gap is. It appears to look similar to a lot of work on newer cars. I looked at mine (a 2014 Sea Glass Pearl) and while it looked like the photo I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Does anyone have a pic of what it should look like?

 

you have to have ocd like us to worry about it.

 

same here, i've gone through any number of contractors because of it.

 

I can appreciate and relate, but still, does anyone here have a photo of what it's suppose to look like and compare it to the photo in the first post of this thread. And really, we're not talking about a handmade Bugatti Veyron here. It's a Prius! Even Consumer Reports has consistently pointed out flaws it its fit and finish. If I have one that supposedly has this gap, well, I can live with it. No big deal. But if that audio system dies, then that's another story!

 

I took a look at ours. Part of the problem: it does not seem SOLIDLY connected. It's saggy, probably due to a symphony of clips...:

There's another thread going right now, owners discussing mounting bumpers to protect their bumpers.

Anyone make a brush guard/front end protection bumper? | PriusChat

 

My son bought a 2010 Prius recently and went through issues with the side of the rear bumper cover coming loose. The dealer did work on it and replace the cover because one of the tabs was damaged. Unfortunately they did not replace the side retaining clips and he still had issues. I decided to pull off the cover, and trouble shoot it a little more myself. I did discover that Toyota released new newer version of the sider retainer for the 2010 and up, (part #52575-47021 right, and #52576-47021 left) but very little changed in the design.

The actual problem is a two foot span in the middle of the bumper has no support at all, it's a poor design. The plastic clips by the tail lights and on each side don't do a good job of supporting any type of vertical load. If you happen to sit near the rear cargo area or put weight / down ward force near the top center of the cover you will either damage the tabs in the cover or the clips themselves.

I ended up replacing the sider retainers with the new parts and also made a small support for the center area right behind the latch for the hatch itself. There are two exposed studs that I used to mount an AL bracket (2X2X8.5”) for additional support to avoid future damage of the clips and having the gap come back. I took a couple of photos if anyone has any questions let me know. I just did this mod, so I don't know longer term how it will work out, but now if you press done on the top middle of the cover it does not move. So hopefully this will take care of any small loads from him simply sitting in the rear cargo area with his legs on the cover.

 

Great post!
I have to replace the passenger side retainer on mine & I think I'll add the center bracket as well like you did. You mentioned two exposed studs, are these studs readily exposed soon as one takes out the bumper cover & was that a 1/8" thickness AL bracket that you've used. Thanks.

 

Same thing on mine as well. Doesn't really bother me, but I had thought that something was wrong at first. Nice to see that it isn't only me.

 

I can't tell what's going on in the picture either. Just went out to look at my car. Both sides look the same. Both sides look like the picture. Maybe I'm sagging on both sides? Beats me but the fit is acceptable to me.

 

Mine is just as bad, I purchased the part that holds that section of the bumper, assuming mine was broken, but it was not, the material of the shell is so flemsy at the mounting points, that it just does not hold.
This is what toyota calls quality, but it's actually far from it.
Your best bet might be super glue on the mounting points, I have not tried it yet.
Mine is on the drivers side.

 

Mine is doing the same. As someone mentioned earlier, it seems to get worse when it is warm. Noticed it again today after being out running errands in the sun. 38k miles now though, so tough for me I guess.

 

me too, i try to look the other way.

 

Mounting bumpers to protect their bumpers? I sure like that. Just the faintest little bump on these so called "bumpers" and there goes another $1,000 at least, right down the drain.