Sorry for the odd title, but I wasn't sure how to name this post. I just purchased a 2010 Barcelona Red Prius II to replace my 2008 vehicle of the same color (which is going to our daughter). We have a terrific dog who, in my 2008 car, would often step onto the metal part of the car when getting onto or off from the backseat. This has left scratches in the paint, as it lies behind the area protected by the grey plastic in both cars (i.e., where it begins to slope upward). Is there anything that can be done to protect this? Any suggestions would be well received, as I LOVE my new Prius and want to protect it.
Any place that does the 3m protective film (typically used for hood and bumper) should be able to do the affected areas for pretty cheap. In addition to all the normal places I had it applied to all 4 door handle cups (to prevent fingernail scratches) and the all four door sills (on the corner just outboard of the sill plates where people sometimes drag their feet). The door cups were $25 for all 4 and the door sills were $50. Although all the installed locations are very unobtrusive there is something about the door handle cups that makes the film totally invisible. When I went to pick up the car I thought they had forgotten to do them until I realized they were actually there by feeling for the edge.
It's odd because my car came with door cup appliques and I thought they were normal. I guess my dealer put them on. They also put on door edge guards. I didn't ask or pay for either of them. Maybe a "stealth" improvement for the late model 2010s? Update: I found out where I got mine. The dealer who had the car before the dealer I bought it from was nice enough to install 3M door cup and edge guards. Mystery solved.
