Aftermarket Power Hatch Kit - Installation Guide

As many of you may recall, I "enhanced" my 2018 Prime a few months ago with an AutoEase Power hatch kit. While these kits have been around for years, this Covid thing we're still going through, plus the extra work-from-home time on my hands gave me all the reason I needed to take the plunge and just DO IT.

So far, it has been a hit in the household and since I did not put a guide together back then, I decided to just do it one again for the fun of it and cover the earlier deficit in the process.

I did produce a few videos, demonstrating the product's operation on my 2018 Prime (Advanced model) and you may find these here in the related survey thread:
Power Hatch - Anyone interested in a review plus a Prime specific installation guide? | PriusChat

What this video contains:

All installation steps are included in this video and were applied to a 2020 Prius Prime LE. The video is mostly accelerated but there are plenty of moments where narration and explanations are provided at normal playback rates. My goal was to take an initial stab at producing something that fits under 1 hour 30 minutes. The entire installation effort required the better part of a day (a little over 9 hours) but a Pro installer may actually accomplish it in half that time. My first install on the 2018 Prime required over 2.5 days, since I wanted it to look and work as if it was a factory install with close to full potential for reversal and no regrets.

Disclaimer:

This is not a step-by-step guide that you can print out or page through. The complete video is just a little over one hour long and 2x accelerated for the most part. I do jump in at various points where it is justified but since I do not have Morgan Freeman's voice, you will have to make do with it and forever bear the insult to your ears.

Lastly, this is essentially a DIY product installation video only and I offer no guarantees (expressed or implied). While I believe this kit to be an excellent product, you must assume all responsibility if you proceed with the installation yourself. Proceed with caution and when in doubt, consult an automotive specialist for advice, guidance, or the actual installation of this kit. I will be happy to respond to any questions from the community members regarding the kit, the installation process, or other related questions.

Now, onto the video installation guide...

Cheers

 

Since I cannot edit the original post I will add this here as well as the other thread:

Autoease Technology (the vendors of this Power Hatch Kit) is now offering a special discount to all Priuschat members. As they indicated, simply use the discount code "PRIUSCHAT" on their web site (Power Liftgate Retrofit – Autoease Technology) to save $100 off the purchase price.

Cheers

 

We attempted to illustrate the behavior at the end of the video. To summarize:
- If your Prime only has the driver side SKS (like my 2020 LE) then you must have the car unlocked before the foot sensor can work. All the foot sensor does is send the unlock signal when its field is disturbed by motion.... except the car's "allow" signal will not be there if the car is in a locked state.
- If your prime is equipped with 3+ SKS (like my 2018 Adv), then the foot sensor will always work, whether the car is locked or not.

Cheers

 

Hi Mendel

That is a good point.

Even though I use gloves most of the time, there are instances in the video where I am not wearing them. Yes, in some cases they are an encumbrance - especially in a warm summer day - but for the most part, they actually help reduce injury (mostly cuts).
As a matter of fact, the set I was using developed a cut on the right hand. If the glove had not caught it, then I would be wearing the wound. Nasty jagged edges are common when some interior trim is removed.

Also, an extended/longer version video was generated for distribution to a local college and two automotive audio refit shops. As one of the best practices I had to include, the glove-wearing was, let's say, mandatory.

Cheers