Has anyone gotten the rear bumper applique

I remember the retail cost would have been around $250. But I purchaed from Toyota parts after the fact for around $50. The Service Manager told me (and I thank him for it) that his people did a poor job installing. He sent me to a place that does window tinting. For less than twenty bucks they did a beautiful job installing it.

 

Mine came on the car from the factory with the applique already on it. Its OK I guess, would not have bought it as an aftermarket product.

 

I STRONGLY agree with the suggestion above that you forget about the Prius applique if you want bumper protection and get the Matrix bumper protector. I now have two- for my '04 Prius and my wife's.

It is literally a two-minute peel and stick installation. No heat gun is needed- it fits the bumper as is, curving up slightly at the ends to follow the contour of the bumper. It is much thicker than an applique, and really protects the bumper, much as you'd find at the liftgate of an SUV.

They cost about $50 from your Toyota dealer.

 

Is this the black strip? Also does it fit the bumper or you need to overlap more than you would normally?

Thanks,
Bryan

 

It is black, with little raised ovals. It fits the bumper quite well, though it doesn't cover the entire surface. I mounted it a bit nearer the back of the bumper (further from the hatch) for best protection. To give you a sense, the middle of the back edge of the Matrix protector is lined up at the point where the Prius bumper starts to go off the horizontal toward the back.

If I ever get the pictures back from my son's digital camera, I'll post; they also show gold badging and my small mods of the appearance of the back of my Prius.

 

Do you each carry a fob for both cars, in case you get confused as to which is which?

 

We actually considered having the two cars keyed alike, so either fob would work on either car, but Toyota wanted $250 to do it! So we just have to cope.

It's not too hard, though, since the Prii aren't exactly identical- mine has gold badging and tan interior, hers has silver badging and grey interior. I colored the Toyota symbol on my fobs gold to match....

We like the stealth aspect of having two so much alike- unless your eye is sharp, you could think we have just the one car.

 

We applied the clear Z-Shield from Ziebart protection on the front half of the hood and the entire front as well as the back and the front side of the side mirrors...Cant hardly tell its there, but its the only way to go...5 yrs on the shield, and a total protection,especiallly on the front,from all the bugs, chips, and whatever else wants to hit the front...Ziebart rustproof/protection here locally wanted $400 for it with professional install...well worth it to protect the paint job...

 

Are they liable for the total repair cost, or is it limited to the amount you paid to have it done ( as was the case with Rusty Jones and Tuff Coat rustproofing)? If it is the latter, I hope they have a product that works, otherwise, it is not money well spent. People in the Northeast figured that out and there are no more Rusty Jones and Tuff Coat

 

that was the question i brought up, when we were discussing this...they will cover the product itself,and in addition, if the product is "damaged" and damage also gets to the paint, in normal use, (of course if you take a boulder from a dump truck" and it damages the front and windshield, thats an insurance issue, ), they will cover the original product and any paint/chip issue as required, of course with normal use...whatever that is, of course...so if the product fails, and due to failure, it causes the paint to be exposed, they will make it right...(toyota body shop is next door...)...ive dealt with this business 7 yrs, with no problems with my other vehicles...so far...

 

Installed the applique over the weekend. Cost $47 with dealer discount. Had no problems installing. You don't need the 3M cleaner. Just buy a small can of bug/tar remover from your local autoparts store. This removes the wax and any residual crap on the bumper location without harming the paint. Use a speeque and don't keep fooling with it once you get :wink: the bubbles out. As far as protection goes, it probably won't prevent serious scratches or even dog toenails, but is looks good and personalizes the car.

 

I purchased the applique and the Service Manager at the Dealer gave me excellent advice. He said that if his department did the installation it would not look good. He toold me to go to some place that does window tinting. I did and am very happy with the result.

 

Re: can the rear bumper applique be reused?

HUMU has had a minor accident that will probably mean replacing the rear bumper. I was wondering, is it possible to remove the applique (X-Pel) and reapply it to the new bumper?
Bob

 

does anybody have the Toyota part number for the applique?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bob Allen\";p=\"49058)</div>

Bob,
Removal of the applique will deform (Stretch) it and it can not be re-installed. I removed mine to install the Matrix bumper protector and it certainly could have not been re-used. I would suggest that if your bumper cover has to be replaced that you check with our Canadian friends or Brandsport and get the Matrix bumper protector. It really offers a lot more protection than the applique. The cost is around $45.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon\";p=\"49068)</div>

Part Number: PT747-47040
Description: *PROTEC
Sell: $58.19

From TUSTIN TOYOTA, Tustin, CA
714-832-3111

I recommend installation by someone who does window tints or applies paint protection film. They use a solution of water and soap for a smooth application without air bubbles.

Mel

 

thanks for the part number, I'll run it by my parts guy and see if he can get it in Canada.

 

IMO, the applique is worthless, but I had to get it because I wanted the Prius, and it was on the one available.

 

www.metrotpn.com sells the Matrix protector for 29.25 and the Prius protector for 40.50.

rpm

 

I ended up getting a generic "trim-your-own" black plastic door sill protector which was long enough to cover the bumper landing and then carefully trimmed it to fit. A further 30 seconds on the belt grinder to round and smooth off the edges and you can't tell that it's not a custom-fit part..

Cost for the door sill protectors was 2 for $10 at the auto parts store, and the package came with the good 3M tape and cleaning/prep pads and everything..