Need help NYC-proofing 2017 Prius

welcome!

i don't have any good advice, but our daughter parked in the city for a year, and her accord was wrecked.
i wish you all the best!

 

LOL @bisco. Not very encouraging!

But yeah, parking on the street brings about certain risks of which include, but not limited to, hit and runs, theft of wheels, cat, contents, etc.
I would say use some high visibility stickers on the front and rear bumpers, but that won't stop a drunk or inattentive driver from hitting it. I would also try to only park at the head of a curbline of cars.

If you can't park in a garage, only thing you can do is have good full coverage insurance.

 

yeah,she even got sideswiped one night. doors, mirror, bumper, a real mess. and no one leaves a note on your car like the old days...

 

having a car in NYC isn't the way

 

The stealership tried to talk me into a 3m coating?
I believe my brother said something about a Teflon protective coating you can get for it.
Told me it was about $45 per gallon at oreillys but I haven't looked into it.

 

Protective coating? A brush bar on the front and a tow hitch on the rear are the only things that *might* stop your bumpers from being destroyed.

EDIT: found this thread... Bumper/Grill Guards | PriusChat

 

"Before we tell you if the ceramic coating is better than Teflon coating, you need to understand that the latter costs roughly Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000, depending on the size of your vehicle. In comparison, prices of the ceramic coating start at roughly Rs 18,000 and goes all the way up to Rs 35,000 as per the size of your car and the exact package you opt for."

 

Yeah I wouldn't waste my money if I was you.

A paint coating is ok for bird poop or tree sap, but it's not gonna help if somebody's literally ramming your car to make some space to park

 

This is normal and it's not going to change in New York. The rip your side of your mirror covers off as well you'll find them on the ground because people clip your mirrors as they drive by. Get used to it. Bumper dimples are common throw a hole and pull it out. Leave the nice car at home and drive the crappy car in the city. I grew up there that's what we always did

 

Not worth the expense of trying to prevent the scratches and stuff.

All the parts that get hit the most are already plastic, so you don't have to worry about corrosion after the paint gets ripped.

If at some point in the future you leave the city and need the car to look that nice again? Spend the money on a cleanup then. You'll get bled try if you try as-you-go.

Now, I left NYC before I got into a Prius so apologies if this has gone out of date, but back then all the good cheap mechanics were along Metropolitan Ave around Middle Village, just along the Brooklyn/Queens line. Mind you they looked like the sketchiest dumps but the mechanics were great.

 

Anyone remember when bumpers used to be bumpers?

 

I might say between the energy absorbing foam, the honkin' metal reinforcement, and the crushable metal supports, there's more of a bumper here than any of my childhood cars with chrome thingies in front.

 

I would venture the bumper on this 80~81 Civic could take a bit more of a love tap. Hydraulically mounted too.

 

It doesn't take much of a tap to put a crease in a chrome gutter style bumper forever.

A modern tupperware end cap style bumper can take a lot of hits and only show a few of them. It's been working.