*MODIFICATION JOURNAL* I got my hands on the girlfriend's Prius ...here is what I did.

I know for a fact it was not me and the chances of my girlfriend or her mother (previous owner, bought it new) throwing chromed T10 bulbs into car where they serve no purpose are, well, no chances! A true head-scratcher.

Sure, my tips would be:
- Watch YouTube videos by "DipYourCar" about proper application techniques, especially cutting with tape.
- Remove the lower grill +fog light covers and put cardboard behind the bumper to protect the radiator from over spray.
- Put some thought into where your boarder will be, I ended up spraying a little bit above and on the sides of the grill, this allowed me a better angle down and out which made for better look IMO.
- Take your time taping and use good tape. I used regular 3M painters tape but I hear the automotive tape is flexible and would possibly enable you to lay a single piece of tape instead of many overlapping pieces like I did.

The rest is pretty straight forward. Give it a go! The worst thing that can happen is you remove it and walk away with some knowledge.

Evan

 

3M 1080 Gloss Black Vinyl. This was my first time wrapping a roof, my previous experiences were with applying tail light tint and wrapping interior trim. It took me a while as I intentionally took my time, the end result is not perfect but I am pleased with the outcome. Thankfully there was no sunroof.

Evan


Roof washed and clay-bared.


Antenna, nozzle, and gutter trim removed.


Done


The Prius has good roof lines and makes for a clean pillar sweep.


Next will be the headlights.

 

His and hers...

 

Are you referring to seeing more pics with the rear running "tail" lights lit? Or pics with the brake lights on to see them in conjunction with the running lights?

The original plan was to use "True Metallic Aluminum" Plasti Dip and essentially recondition the covers. I didn't have enough left over from my project and with the Plasti Dip stock left in my garage and the colors readily available locally (Pep Boys had the best selection hands down + a 24% off discount) the conservative color choices where what I posted pictures of. Once I saw white in person it went from not being a legitimate contender to the chosen one.

 

In preparation for the headlight mods, I purchased some amber LED marker bulbs. Rest assured that ugly orange reflector will be LONG GONE!!!

I also attached some additional photos of the tail lights and the aftermarket bulbs in the early morning.

Evan


5630 (x6 LEDs) Amber LED bulbs


Comparison


Tail Lights + Brake Lights


Tail + Brake + Reverse


Everything

 

I thought about doing the spoiler since it follows the same lines as the roof and it would cover up some of the chips where the the top made contact with presumably a garage door or low over-hang. If the spoiler was completely black IMO it would visually unload the rear of the car and make it appear shorter in length, so I appreciate the aesthetics it adds to the car.

Ideally if I had more vinyl and some of that cutting string is wrap the top of the spoiler but cut it along the crease where it flips upward in the rear. I think it would be a win-win (and unique). I may go through with it if I can find some scrap 3M vinyl for free. The design would be inspired by BMW M3 CSL trunks which leave a carbon strip exposed like this:



I have finally wrapped up my personal headlight retrofit so soon the Prius will get the attention!

Evan

 

I used the spray can version of Plasti Dip. They do make gallon sprayers but those are for dipping your whole car. For wheels and smaller projects cans are fine if proper technique is used. The best place to get Plasti-Dip is DipYourCar.com but if you want to source it locally Pep Boys has the best selection. They carry some metallic, chameleon, blaze, camo, and other harder to find colors, along with primer, glossifiers.


Here is how my Sunday is going... more to come.

Evan