Oh No! A ding in the rear bumper

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Blue Prius2015, Jul 2, 2020.

  1. Blue Prius2015

    Blue Prius2015 Junior Member

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    Yesterday the wife said, "Straighten out, you are heading for the tree." But I knew better and then I hit the tree. I was in reverse and confused Tree A with Tree B and now there's a slight indentation in the rear bumper. Would there be a way to restore it back to normal or to near-normal?
     
    #1 Blue Prius2015, Jul 2, 2020
  2. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Picture would help, but in general the bumper cover is made of a semi flexible plastic and if it's not cracked, sometimes using hair dryer (or a heat gun) will pop up the indentation. It is much easier to do this if you first remove the bumper cover off and give a slight push from the back side of the plastic. Without this push, you may need to drill a hole and pull the indentation, then fill the hole with body filler and repaint. If it is cracked, then you can do similar but will need plastic weld to repair the crack. At that point, it may become easier to just buy a new bumper cover and paint to match the body color and replace the entire bumper cover.
     
    #2 Salamander_King, Jul 2, 2020
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  3. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    I got the ding in our Vibe's bumper (there when we bought it) almost completely out with a heat gun.
     
    #3 NewHybridOwner, Jul 2, 2020
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  4. 2012 Prius v wagon 3

    2012 Prius v wagon 3 Active Member

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    I see this repair all the time on youtube.

    Heat gun is for the pros. But the rest of them just pour hot water over it, often from a coffee pot - to show they're not really trying hard.

    Then a toilet plunger is used to suction on to the dent and pull it out. Be aware though, I sometimes see this in the "like a boss" compilations, but also often in the "best fails of ..." compilations.

    So YMMV. Good luck!
     
    #4 2012 Prius v wagon 3, Jul 2, 2020
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  5. Blue Prius2015

    Blue Prius2015 Junior Member

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    Will try for a photo later today or tomorrow. For now, let me ask: How to go about the task of removing the rear bumper cover? There's a little scratch to one side of the bump but I didn't see a crack. A close look might dash that but I'm hopeful. Will first simply try the heat gun and see how that goes.

    Thanks for replies. Very helpful!
     
    #5 Blue Prius2015, Jul 2, 2020
  6. Blue Prius2015

    Blue Prius2015 Junior Member

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    No photo. Took to the heat gun and got the ding a bit out. Good enough.
     
    #6 Blue Prius2015, Jul 2, 2020
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I can't resist a shot: these %|!*£> fairings don't deserve the term "bumper", they're exactly the opposite. :mad:
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Jul 2, 2020
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