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What can I do with a hatchback with a low garage ceiling?

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by stevepea, Apr 21, 2017.

  1. stevepea

    stevepea Senior Member

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    Figured I'd start a thread with this question, as others might be in the same boat as me.
    Bought a brand new Prius Prime... my first ever hatchback. Drove home... pulled in my garage... only to realize that when I lift the hatchback, the back door bangs against the long track of my garage door opener. It's close to fully open (I think) but it keeps banging against the garage opener track. The track is relatively flush too -- just a normal, small track. Strange, do other people have this problem? There's a bonus room above the garage, but it's not a super-low ceiling or anything... it just seems the Prime (or maybe it's this way for all hatchbacks?) really lifts up high.

    I absolutely don't want the back hatch of the Prime constantly hitting the garage door track (not only for scratches and damages to the Prime, but to the garage door opener as well). The way I see it, I have only two options:

    (1) Back the car in each time instead (yes, I can do this, but it's just a pain each time with both the location of the door into the house and the garage electrical outlet for charging, not to mention having to back into the garage each time I come home). If I could just go in front-first it works out perfectly -- except for the hatch constantly banging the track of the garage door opener.

    (2) I can try to "hold down" the hatch with one hand as I put in and take out stuff with my other hand (a pain, 'cause that thing really wants to lift -- and can't always load or take out something big or heavy with one hand).

    If anyone can suggest any other (practical) options, please help me out! Does anyone else have this problem?

    ** I don't know if the Prime back door can be adjusted in any way so it doesn't open quite as high? **
    Thanks!
    Love the car otherwise!
     
  2. Ferrarilover

    Ferrarilover Active Member

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    Can't you fix some padding the garage so that it just rests against foam or something?
    I can't see that you'll be able to change the Primes opening.


    iPhone ?
     
  3. stevepea

    stevepea Senior Member

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    Though it's only about 2.5 inches lower than the ceiling, it's the garage door track it's hitting against. Can't put adhesive or cloth or anything on it, as it would block the path of the garage door opener, and then the door wouldn't open. I'm also worried that the pressure of the hatch wanting to open (even if done slowly, that thing really does push against it -- it wants to open fully) might damage and eventually push in the garage door track a bit (there's not a lot of clearance on the track as it is on purpose, to make it small), and then the garage door wouldn't open...
     
    #3 stevepea, Apr 21, 2017
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2017
  4. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    There are caps on holes on the side of the hatch. It's been suggested that these are alternative locations to attach the pneumatic struts that support the hatch. If so, they maximum hatch height can be lowered by selecting the next inward hole and mounting the struts there. I'm not sure if anyone has tried this yet.
     
  5. stevepea

    stevepea Senior Member

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    Lee Jay, I just took a look and see what you're talking about!
    Yes, that would be great if it could be moved to one of the other caps. It looks like that's what it might possibly be for. As you said, I wonder if anyone else has done this.

    I don't think I want to mess with it myself. I wonder if I took it into a dealer near me (not the dealer I bought it at) and asked them. Hmm...
     
  6. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    My Prime hatch just barely doesn't touch, but it is very close.
    If you've got some extra cash, I'd look into shimming the garage door, or excavating the garage floor to provide clearance. Maybe you could rig up hooks and a bungy cord to keep the hatch from fully extending in the garage.
    A body shop might be able to help you set up the hatch door to control the amount of extension. Reposition the garage door? Mine works so I know it can be solved.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  7. Swauger

    Swauger Member

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    We have a low ceiling too. Anytime the wife comes home with groceries and opens the hatch it hits the open garage door. I easily fixed that and put a 4' piece of pipe insulation right next to where she parks. Now every time she opens the hatch she puts the pipe insulation in between the hatch and the garage door. Bam, no more scratches or damage.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the adjustable hatch points have been mentioned before, but i don't recall anyone trying them. if there is no mention in the manual, i would ask the dealer to look into it, and maybe contact toyota corporate.
    for other alternatives, there are lots of hatch door height threads, and how to overcome the problem, from bungee cords to different length struts.
     
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  9. GLouderback

    GLouderback Member

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    I
    I glued padding to the spot where the hatch touches the garage door, that way nothing gets damaged.
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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  11. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Don't worry, you'll eventually ding/scratch it on some other low place, like inside a parking garage with some crossbeams, etc.

    I changed out the struts with shorter ones, and can now open the hatch pretty much anywhere without worry. Except now, I bump my head all the time on the hatch putting stuff into the Prius. ;)
     
  12. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    Just do it. First loosen the bolts on both sides--just loose,not out. Take the bolts out of the unused mounting holes. Look for any washers or spacers, and possibly note whether they have to go back in a certain position. Have a helper hold up the lift gate; it'll get heavy. Take one strut bolt out, lower the lift gate so the bolt aligns with the next hole, put the bolt in, get it tight. Do the same on the other side. How does that fit? If not low enough, do it again to the next set of holes. Don't like the result? You can return to original just a quickly.
     
  13. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    PT Guy, have you actually done this? I'm thinking the gas strut might be extremely difficult to compress/shorten when released from the original hatch mounting position making it difficult to get it to the shorter mounting position.
     
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  14. Sandollars

    Sandollars Prius Maven

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    You. an COUNT on that.....
     
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  15. stevepea

    stevepea Senior Member

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    Thanks everyone, for your replies.
    A couple things:
    (1) Both called Toyota and went to a local Toyota dealer service bay. As expected, they said nothing could be done. Those other "bolt holes" are actually for the inside of the hatch, and not other places to put the struts/lift supports.
    (2) I did think of at least putting some sticky adhesive on the garage door track, but that would render the garage door unable to open, as a large unit slides along the track whenever it opens and closes, and any sticky tape would block it from sliding, and thus the door opening. That would work if it was just the garage ceiling, or a stationary object, but the opener's track has to be kept free of obstructions on all sides, as a unit glides up and down it when the door opens or closes.

    Looks like the only "solution", if there is one, is to install alternate struts that don't extend as much. I appreciate the comments here, and have seen a rare other comment or two with people who did the same thing -- but only with older Priuses.

    I guess the Prime is too new for there to be any information on what aftermarket struts would be both: (a) compatible with size and fit, and (b) a bit shorter when fully extended. If anyone has any information on something that would work in this case (ie, that would fit on a Prime), please post it here! Thanks! It would be great if I could get that done.

    On a similar note, I've tried to find information on the OEM struts -- the current struts that are on the car as delivered. Can't seem to find any information on the part, such as Part # or anything I can google to get information on it (so I can try to match other parts to it). Can anyone find, for instance, the official Toyota Part #, or better yet, any information on the included struts, such as official dimensions, etc?
     
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  16. martydallas

    martydallas Member

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    Well, mine could not open with out hitting the garage door so I just replaced the garage doors and had them razed as well. My 2010 just came close. when I went to open the Prime it all most hit, I was mad at my Toyota for garage inside.jpg garage outside.jpg this, did not understand what we needed with it opening up that much more. But I was able to get a new quieter Garage doors and opener out of it.
     
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  17. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Hey the real reason that the hatch on your Prime could not fully open in the garage is because you were intended to buy that new garage door that looks so beautiful, and appropriate for your new Prime. Prime Serendipity!!. Congrats!

    .
     
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  18. CaliforniaPrius

    CaliforniaPrius Active Member

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  19. Prius from Dad

    Prius from Dad Senior Member

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    If no other options, this seems like an easy fix.
     
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  20. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    Did you burn the doors (razed) or did you have them raised? I am not sure how burning the doors would help. :eek:
     
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