Has anyone put on a rear bumper protector? Is it a hard plastic piece OR is it a clear soft piece? I just bought one on ebay and it came as a clear soft piece, but I was expecting the hard plastic. Any thoughts?? :roll: Thanks...
The rear bumper protector came with the car. Part of the dealer package. But it's a one piece clear with a faint design then a outline spelling out `PRIUS'. I forget what the design is.
Some (like me) are considering a black rubber piece made for other models, which has been used by a couple of posters with good results.
Ok...that explains the variation I've seen! Sounds like the original Prius part is the clear soft piece, but others have improvised with the black hard piece! I now have both pieces and trying to decide which to return and which to put on my car. Any more advice about either piece please??
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(smtrader\";p=\"70923)</div> I have had both and took off the thin clear one and replaced it with the black one from the Matrix. It really offers a lot more protection and looks good on my Salsa Prius.
I wish I had put the bumper protector on my Prius. The rear bumper cover now has a nice collection of scratches on it.
Which one has the "lip" that covers the corner of the bumper? That point will take most of the abuse (for example, setting and sliding a heavu object into/out of the back)? I've seen two types. I'm hoping for a Toyota part, so any replacement will be easy to find later.
KTPhil, Ugh, I've gotta play stupid on this one: Had the dealer add it as it was part of the stipulation of the sale, so they did it. He did tell me that the procedure is to lay the Matrix bumper (which, I think, comes with adhesive already on it with the protective backing paper) on the back of the Prius. It still has the backing paper on it at this point. Move it around to center it. Then, with a white board marker, partially outline the bumper protector, putting the marks right on the bumper. Then, remove the protective backing paper and align the rear of the bumper protector with the marks. Then, drop the front (meaning, that part of the protector that is closest to the front of the car) of the protector down. The trick is to lay the back down first, then drop the front in place, rather than laying it down longways (i.e. Setting the driver's side end down first, then trying to lay the rest of the protector down while keeping it aligned on the bumper). I know some decals are added by spraying water on the surface first, then laying down the decal. The water allows the decal to be moved around very easily to align it. Then, the water is squeegeed (sp?) out and the adhesive takes hold. Don't know if this technique could be used with the bumper protector and force is applied instead of squeegee-ing. Hope this helps (or at least, makes sense) Cheers, -bob White board marker is used since this easily rubs off.
Here's a picture of the Matrix Bumper Protector. It has little nubbies on the surface of it. It is very easy to install, looks nice, and cost me $33 at the dealer. There is also another style (I don't know if it's the "Official Prius" one or it's from a different car). It is the one that hangs over the lip of the bumper. I've only seen them on EBay. My local Toyota dealer knew nothing about any Prius bumper protector. The clear version is the "Bumper Applique". I don't know if it's any good. DGStan
Search on Prius on eBay and you'll find a dealer that sells a very nice bumper protector. Cost was about $25, goes on with 3M adhesive strips...very, very easy to install. I'd put a link here to it, but I'm short on time and if you do a search here you'll find it...or just hop over to ebay. Ken
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius\";p=\"71070)</div> This is the one I received...doesn't look like the Matrix one in an earlier post, but seem to fit my Prius bumper nicely. The advantage is better protection, the down side is that it's very obvious. The clear one probably offers less protection but keeps the original color of the car. Anyone interested in my "extra" clear applique? It's sealed and unused.
"How about this one? http://www.setbuyatoyota.com/images/access...ssory/26169.jpg " I like this, but I can't navigate to a web page where I can get a part number or order it. It directs me to buy a car; I've already done that!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...sspagename=WDVW It appears to be part number 00016-47015 It won't be orderable by dealers outside of the Southeast region, but it may help find the cheapest source. Nate
I have the factory decal... but I put clear bra on mine... not that the black wouldn't have looked fine too. So it's a matter of preferance.
Thanks! I ordered it. To be clear, they ship to all of the lower 48. It doesn't look to be made exclusively for the Prius, but it looks to fit fine and do the job, including protection of the corner lip. It may be dark grey, not black, judging from the photo.
[/quote]Anyone interested in my "extra" clear applique? It's sealed and unused.[/quote] I might be! I tried to PM you, but it didn't go through. How much of the bumper will it cover and how much do you want for it? Feel free to PM me. Thanks.
