Replacing broken/missing splash shield hardware and doing it RIGHT

Hey guys -

My '05 Prius had the front bumper replaced prior to my purchase. I don't know if it was sloppy re-installation or just hardware that was already broken/missing but the front splash shield under the front of the car was missing quite a few fasteners.

Also, some of the fasteners that were being used were clearly the wrong one, and that irks me to no end.

Unfortunately, Toyota's parts diagrams for these parts are REALLY hard to read, the pictures are quite small and the drawings aren't great. But, with some perseverance, I think I figured it out. Just got done installing my new clips, screws, and retainers, and I am very pleased.

A while back I discovered Clips and Fasteners - they are a OEM-grade fastener supplier to body shops and service shops. The hardware they have is correct OEM-grade parts and are FAR less expensive than buying straight from Toyota. My whole order was about $50 shipped (about $12-13 in shipping) and just the U-clips and screws from Toyota and nothing else would be $34.

I can't (yet) post a direct link, but Google clips and fasteners and you'll find them .

So, here's what you need. Part numbers are for clipsandfasteners -

U-clips, need 9, comes in a box of 15, $8.15, part number 21687


Screws for U-clips, need 9, comes in a box of 50, $8.71, part number 12339


Screw grommet for wheel well, need 4, comes in box of 25, $7.07, part number 14267


Screws for wheel well, need 4, comes in box of 25, $8.61, part number 15962


Black plastic pop clips, need 3 (see note below), comes in box of 10, $9.33, part number 20908


By the way, all the screws have proper 10mm heads and have anti-rust coating.

For the black plastic pop clips, these are the same clips used to hold the fender liners to the car. Those were fine on my car, fortunately. Doing a count it looks to be about 8 or 9 you will need for the fender liner - to get an exact count I would have needed to remove the front mud flap and I was lazy .

Also, there is one spot for a pop-in plastic clip that attaches the splash guard to the fender liner. The above black plastic pop clips generally work, but they fit loose. The clip is designed to hold something thicker, like plastic to sheet metal. I had some spare clips from a previous order that fit great but I don't have the box or part number. You could shim those clips with a washer or something to make them fit tighter.

In the fender well there are 3 fasteners that connect the top edge of the splash shield to the body. The two front holes in the body are square, the back is round. The screw grommet pops into the square hole and you use the gold screws to attach the splash guard to them, then a black plastic pop rivet in the back.

For the U-clips I have found it's easiest to put the clip onto the splash guard first then clip it onto the bumper.

One of my splash guards is really chewed up from the previous owner, so I have a replacement on the way. From what I have read there are the OEM Toyota parts and aftermarket copies. The copies are cheaper, but are much thinner and flimsier plastic. I found the OEM passenger side one for a good price on Amazon -

Search on Amazon for part number
51408-47012

$70 shipped. It's about the same for a driver's side one.

BTW, all the above holds true for an 04 and 05 Prius, I don't know if they changed things around in 06.

Hopefully this will help someone, I spend way too much time researching this and finding the right parts, as well as measuring hole and fastener diameters. This is the kind of stuff that REALLY bugs me if it's not done right!

Dale

 

If you're going to have your car for a while I think it's worth getting the OEM fender liner. It's going to be less susceptible to damage from parking curbs and road debris, and won't make you mad every time you remove it to service the car (say, coolant flush, transaxle oil change, etc.).

It's also not a heck of a lot more expensive - like $10-20 per side.

Dale