Seeking advice on replacing rear garnish (trunk handle)

iirc, there should be a detailed thread here by patrick wong on his '07.

 

Well you have to first learn not to pull on the "garnish". It's not a handle to pull up on. You simply press the button to open the hatch and then lift on the "metal" part of the hatch to open. If you treat this garnish as a handle, it'll keep breaking over and over again.

$300 sounds really expensive, like the price of a new OEM part from Toyota. You may want to buy a used one that's the "wrong" color and have someone paint it. It might be less expensive.

 

maybe get some new struts.

 

That's pretty funny

 

You can tell him no, it is NOT how you open this hatch. The correct way is to press up on the rubber piece and lift it by continuing to apply upward pressure. At no point should he grab the garnish and lift on that.

The switch operates by a timed relay and only activates the lock mechanism for about 700 ms, so you need to perform the "release and lift" in one fluid movement.

I second bisco's advice above, maybe get the gas lift struts re-gassed or replaced too. It certainly won't help as that hatch is heavy enough with the help of working struts.

 

I fixed mine with two carriage bolts.


Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

If you are SURE you want to go this route (two carriage bolts) you will need to remove the interior panel of the lift gate first so that you can see what is inside, and won't drill thru anything important like wires or switches or connectors. This isn't my repair, but it looks like person just drilled thru everything and put some nuts on the inside of the metal framework, after removing the interior panel, I hope. A little silicone caulking at the penetrations to keep water out might not be a bad idea.

This is one of those repairs that can't be undone, so think about it first. Watch several of the you tube videos about removing the interior panel because that is all about knowing the "tricks". Removing the panel the first time will be difficult, but the second time will be much easier. Good luck.

 

Thanks. I've removed the panel before to replace the opening mechanism when it got all mushy. I'm thinking now I probably won't do this. I would have to also glue the garnish back together. I'm trying not to buy the garnish with the electrical mechanism built in since I just purchased and replaced the electronic portion 2 years ago. I was hoping to find just the plastic (presumably cheaper) garnish in my color 4S2 but so far have only found the garnish with the elecrtonics attached.

 

It is definitely available separately from a Toyota dealer color coded. Try one of the dealers that sell much cheaper online, out of state, if you don't mind a couple of days waiting.

They are also available from third parties, but not sure of the quality. Haven't heard of any complaints.

 

Great. Thanks. Any online dealer recommendations? I can do a Google search but not sure who the most popular ones are.

 

TBH, just google West Coast USA Online Toyota Parts Dealers.

One that is mentioned here is Olathe Toyota Parts Center

And this one in Arizona is popular with the peeps in CA: Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping

I don't recommend any particular one, I'd just shop around to find the best deal.

 

I'm finding some used ones on eBay. I don't need the electronics but it seems like it all comes as one unit. Does anyone know if just the plastic garnish is sold without the electronics? And does anyone know if it matters if my car has a camera? As far as I can tell there is not one model for a car with a camera and another model for no camera. I asked one of the eBay sellers but he/she did not know.

 

i don't think the camera affects it, have you tried calling a dealer parts dept. for just the garnish?

 

The part numbers are:

• 76801-47050-xx (without Smart Key)
• 76801-47060-xx (with Smart Key)

The "xx" indicates the color. What color is your Prius?

Hope that helps.

 

4S2, driftwood pearl

 

See a related post here: Hatchback liftgate struts broken | Page 2 | PriusChat

 

One of the eBay sellers was able to tell me last night that the part has a plug that snaps out to fit around the camera. I ended up purchasing that one for $134.