Today I called a mobility company - that does modifications for people with disabilities. I had inquired my dealer about trying to modify to add a pull down strap, and they suggested trying a mobility company. So, I inquired and it cost around 200 dollars, maybe 250 - any thoughts on price to do this? It would make the hatchback more easily pull down, because it opens up too high for me.
I don't know how much strap you need, but I found this on eBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/201888697511 2016 Prius 4 Touring
Assuming you have a Gen 4 Prius, you know about th hand hold on the bottom of the hatch door, right? That is a little easier to reach than the top of the open hatch.
I just changed to the 2016 Prius Three Touring, and just figured out how to change my information And yes, I did see the handle that is lower, but still a bit high for me to reach easily. I read through some older threads, and there was a discussion about changing the coils or something like that for the few of us who might be vertically challenged. Actually I can tiptoe, but I would rather pull down on a strap or something like that. There are no existing hooks to tie a rope to. . .
With 2 aged parents, I found that anything from a MOBILITY COMPANY has an even higher mark-up than TOYOTA dealers would do. I'd look elsewhere - maybe a modification using a car grab strap you get from a wrecking yard: And yes, it is high - my teen-grandchildren can't reach. Plus - if not careful, the high door can hit overhanging things.
there has been talk here that the gen 4 struts are adjustable. i would ask the dealer that question, or call toyota, if they don't have an answer.
Did you want to try to lower the handle? On PC, another person used a bungee cord to restrict the strut length. I thought it was an amazing idea since my wife is 5'-0". So I took some old pants I haven't worn since the 90's and took the stretchy string out of them. One for each strut. It's handled dozens of openings the past few months so far. If it breaks, I'll dig up some old pants again.
If it includes labor and materials, $200–$250 doesn’t seem outrageously high, especially if the supplier hasn’t done this modification on a fourth-generation Prius before, so they’ll have to do some research and work slowly to avoid damage. If you’re looking for a do-it-yourself option, Toyota sells a back door strap (バックドアストラップ) as a genuine accessory for all grades of the fourth-generation Prius in Japan. The part number is 0824A-47010, and the list price is ¥4,100. I haven’t seen one myself, but a seller on Croooober has posted photos of the parts and instruction sheet (in Japanese only) included in the kit: Genuine parts 50 Prius for a back door strap 0824A-47010 | Accessories Accessories | Croooober I don’t know if that seller ships outside of Japan; many do not, including most of the Japanese online stores that appear in a search for the part number. The part is also unlikely to be available from Toyota dealers in the U.S., so you may have to order one by part number from an exporter like IMPEX JAPAN, JP-CarParts.com, or Amayama Trading. There are no returns, and expect to pay at least the list price, plus another $20 or so for EMS (international express mail) shipping, which is generally fast and reliable.
