Gen 3 Prius spoiler ripped off tailgate

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by ualdriver, Dec 8, 2015.

  1. ualdriver

    ualdriver Member

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    Hello

    I have a 2012 Plug In Prius. It has a little black spoiler that sticks out of the back of the tailgate (see photos) picture 2.jpg picture 1.jpg .

    My wife backed out of the garage with the tailgate up. The spoiler caught the bottom of the garage door and got torn off the hatchback liftgate. I am away from home so haven't seen the damage first hand, but my wife tells me that the wires remained connected and the lights on it work and there appears to be no damage to the tailgate sheet metal, but she's unable to snap/pop/whatever the spoiler back onto the liftgate, so it is currently being held in place with tape.

    Does anyone have any experience with this type of damage? Any advice if I have to buy a new spoiler? Anyone know off the top of their head how this spoiler attaches to the liftgate? I'm trying to come up with a repair plan so that when I get home I can get it fixed relatively quickly.

    Thanks!
     
    #1 ualdriver, Dec 8, 2015
  2. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    #2 xliderider, Dec 8, 2015
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  3. ualdriver

    ualdriver Member

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    Thanks. Believe it or not I did a search on the spoiler being ripped off and got NADA from the search engine. Thanks for those links!
     
    #3 ualdriver, Dec 8, 2015
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    prius spoiler vs garage door: clash of cultures.
     
    #4 bisco, Dec 8, 2015
  5. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    It's held on with clips and "bolts" that are molded into it. New spoiler time! You have to remove the tailgate panel (inside) to get at the bolts. You also have to remove the end plates.
    It's the garage doors fault. It's too low. ;)
     
    #5 David Beale, Dec 8, 2015
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  6. ualdriver

    ualdriver Member

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    He-he. Yes, I'm contacting the contractor tomorrow to have the garage raised.

    Sounds like you've done this before? So order a new spoiler (which I assume has the necessary hardware?), take the panels off the inside of the hatch (a topic for another time), reclip and rebolt and I'm good to go. Sounds like fun

    What are the "end plates" that you refer to?
     
    #6 ualdriver, Dec 8, 2015
  7. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    The search feature on the site is pretty much useless. Use Google search with priuschat.com as one of the search parameters.
     
    #7 xliderider, Dec 8, 2015
  8. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    The spoiler has an end plate on each end of it. I think they just pop off, but don't quote me. ;)
    I would check out body shops, maybe ask a dealer who they recommend. It shouldn't cost -too- much (he said wistfully). The spoiler is plastic as you can see, and comes finished as you see on the car when you buy a new one. The body shop techs will be well versed at removing the various bits without damaging them (clips and plugs). That's why I recommend using their services. Those of us who remove one clip per year are likely to damage them or the car. ;)
     
    #8 David Beale, Dec 9, 2015
  9. ualdriver

    ualdriver Member

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    Thanks. I found the spoiler on another thread for around $300 so I think I'm going to buy it and TRY it myself for the heck of it. What could possibly go wrong, go wrong, go wrong........
     
    #9 ualdriver, Dec 9, 2015
  10. ualdriver

    ualdriver Member

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    Well, I fixed it today and it wasn't too hard. I created a step-by-step PDF with pictures as I did it, so hopefully some will find it useful. I'll see if the PriusChat forum software will let me attach it........
     

    Attached Files:

    #10 ualdriver, Dec 14, 2015
    ftl and Mendel Leisk like this.
  11. James Finch

    James Finch Junior Member

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    Thanks for sharing the step-by-step PDF! 50% off sale at the local yard has me thinking I can pickup a rear hatch and mock up for now with a goal to modify to have a lower drag tail design mainly that might possibly allow for more storage space with the hatch closed along with crafty loading skills.
     
    #11 James Finch, Jan 16, 2023
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