2008 Prius splash shield hanging down. Should I just remove it and throw it in the trash?

Remove it or replace it your choice

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Its there for an important reason.

That front cover is very important its the FOD cover to protect the AC Condenser from road debris. Get under there and look up at the front of the radiator above that busted cover.
Thats the AC Condenser your looking at. One nice rock through it and no ac and your looking at a very big $$$$$ bill.
Not only that all the road dirt will get sucked in there and clog the condenser up real quick. Most people never clean them.
That usually damages the ac compressor. Clean condenser keeps the compressor cool and you get very cold ac. I clean mine regularly. Just like my home ac.Basic maintenance.

Btw, I have been through this also and found the under cover panels you buy on ebay are a Chinese joke. There like a piece of flimsy cheap plastic rolled up. Total junk don't waste your money.
Go online to like Olathe Toyota and buy the original under cover panel. There not expensive.

 

Like your name.

Btw, my wife is a WW fanatic. I have seen every episode about a thousand times really well done show. Sad to compare what we have now.

 

Looks like number 17 (and 18) here:

Bumper & Components - Front for 2008 Toyota Prius | Toyota Parts

Do you really need a new one? It looks pretty much intact, maybe just missing a few fasteners? No offense, but maybe don't ask the World Wide Web, instead, run the front up on ramps or jack stands, get it sorted, lol.

 

just drill some holes and wire it all up with galvi wire.

 

You likely only need a plastic fastner. I bet this fastner gets inserted into a common hole that spans the falling plastic piece and the neighboring plastic piece.

Call/contact Autobeyours, Prius hybrids sales and service Scottsburg Indiana They will likely have the plastic fastner that you need. They will definetly have the hanging plastic piece you are considering to replace.

If you have tools jack stand and floor jack. Take a picture of the underside to see what fastners are missing. This will help autobeyours know exactly which ones are missing.

 

We fixed ours within a couple minutes just now using only some zipties, which are super cheap and easy to use:

 

I just had to fix this. On mine, the front end came loose and was getting caught by the wind over ~35mph. I managed to find an original used part on eBay that was in excellent condition with only a few scrapes and still had the original clips for the front. I also had to order an OEM spoiler for the front and some extra screws and metal clips. The spoiler was cracked in a few places, and a couple of the bolts & clips were in bad shape.
I'm also pretty sure the bumper has been fixed from maybe a minor wreck, and the part for the tire guards underneath the scrap guard looked like it was from a different, but similar, model. I had to modify it a little for everything to fit properly. I ended up having to remove the front grill to get to everything. With my neighbor's help, we managed to get the parts together and get a screw in the center. After that, the rest came together pretty easily. I had to add a couple new holes to account for stressed & cracked plastic.

Other than some exploded diagrams, I was not able to find any good documentation on how everything went together, so I kinda had to figure everything out as I went along. It took a couple weeks to get the parts and clips/screws delivered, but once I had everything, I was able to finish in an afternoon. Now, for the first time since I got it, it doesn't scrape at all when I go over speed bumps!
I really wish I had thought to take pictures to document this better to help others.

PS: Since I already had it up on ramps, I changed the oil too. It was shockingly easy to do. Everything is right there in easy reach.

 

Avoid rolling up to concrete wheel stops; they reliably snag that front underpanel, and backing off it’s like a barbed hook.