Oil Change Access Door

Just changed the oil in my daughter's car this past weekend and the door broke off. I am going to check the VIN and try to get the panel replaced under warranty.

 

lol I'm just reading through this thread now and that's the first thing that came to mind.

 

Finished reading this thread and while this doesn't appear to be an issue on the 2011, I'd like to be able to remove the hatch rather than having to clear it when opening. Years ago when I was young and d... I used to use the regular car jack without tire stops to do my oil change (yikes). One day a little old man spotted me and offered me some red cones and a trick I prefer to this day...the curb. Driving up on the curb secures two tires and e-brake on to prevent rolling. I've never been very comfortable driving up on ramps. Anyway, the only downfall to this is the clearance. I'm little and for the convenience factor, I'll live with it, but as I set out to do my first oil change on the prius, I'm now faced with the dreaded access door. I'm used to cars that sit low to the ground (previous car was an Integra), but not the dreaded hatch! I like the idea of removing the door and attaching a new piece of plastic to the hinge side so that side can sit on the "ledge" and the other side continue to use push pins. What would be good to use to attach the additional piece of plastic to keep it secure, stiff and straight? A particular type of glue? I suppose I could wrap it with duct tape...? What did others do who employed this method?

 

I've never liked ramps, though they do work ok. I prefer to raise the front with a floor jack and settle it onto safety stands. I put blocks on the rear tires.

And for good measure, I push a sawn tree trunk section under the main frame, just aft of the engine bay. It's thicker than me, and will not compress or topple: great insurance policy

It's really not that hard to flip down the access door. There's 3 push-in plastic pins (2 kinds) that need to be removed. I did it for my first oil change, it went ok, but thing was in the way like a tensioned mouse trap.

Next oil change I simply removed the entire panel. Takes maybe an extra 10 minutes. Again, keep the fasteners organized: there is more than one kind. Big advantage: you have a clear, unencumbered view of the whole underside and better access. Also, you are no longer stresses that weak hinge point.

One of these (a paint can opener) is handy for getting the push-in pins to come out:



For reference, a fastener pic:

 

Tree trunk = nice

I'm not so worried about opening the access door as I am about clearing it.

I may try your paint can opener tip.

Thanks.

 

Anyone?

 

I cut mine off when it was almost torn through. I used two pieces of aluminum on each side of the front bolted to the door. It just slips over the cover where it was previously attached and I secure the back with push pins and a tie wrap.

Here is a more sanitary solution than mine using hinges:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...90903-oil-change-door-permanent-solution.html

 

For years, I've been using a nail puller tool similar to this to pop retainers.

 

I want the access door to be removable. Below are the ideas I want to replicate, I'm just not sure what to use to attach the new plastic piece (or what plastic I should use for that matter).

I don't have a rivet gun...would prefer not to buy one solely for this operation if possible.

 

Mine is like your picture except I used aluminum pieces on both sides of the door with a washer between the pieces and the door to give enough space to slide it on. I fastened the aluminum strips with four stainless steel bolts and lock nuts.

 

my door partially fell off this week and i dragged it home thinking it was some sort of grinding noise from the brakes. i had no idea this was a major issue. i have zip tied mine up for now. there is no way i'm paying money to replace the door. i'll either keep zipping it or take it off. or wait for a tsb to fix it for free. it's a stupid design anyway.

 

There is a TSB. But zip ties work just fine too.

 

Okay, I'm seeing it now. I found a nice piece of plastic today at Home Depot, so I'll use that, but I like the idea of the bolts. Do you use the tie wrap (is that a removable twist tie?) to secure the cut end of the door to the panel?

 

Yes I call them tie wraps some people call them zip ties, like these but I usually get longer ones: http://www.google.com/products/cata...sa=X&ei=HqZHT403g52JAsG3gdsN&ved=0CJQBEPMCMAE

I use them to go through a hole toward the back of the door and secure it to the rest of the undercover in case the push pins fail, then I won't completely loose my door.

 

Ok, I completed my first oil change, (post 427). The access door came off with one easy swipe of the box cutter. I took my plastic piece (about 8X12") and slid it in between the plastic and the sound dampening material on the door and then fitted the remaining plastic that was hanging out the door and slid it between the plastic and sound dampening material on the panel. It was still a little wobbly and shaky, so I used a couple thin strips of gorilla tape and taped them in separate spots across (as opposed to along) the cut line. I wanted something simple for now and this seems to have done the trick! Popped the retainers back in and finished! Completed my 1st oil change and could definitely not have been able to do this operation upon curb-side had I not removed the access door.

I took a couple pictures with my phone.

 

I looked under my Pris "v," today.

That hing section is a bend of approximately 1/4 inch radius. The width across the corrugation is about 1/2 inch. I imagine that this is the "new" style. Maybe, the 1/2 inch corrugation is to spread the stress over thre radian of the bend.

What was the radius of the "old style" pre re-design hinge section, and where does it break off?


I'd like to know.

 

Anyone have this oil door breakage problem on a 2011 yet. If it's a plastic hinge, it will still only have a limited number of flexes before the cracks show up and the eventual separation occurs.

"Plastic hinges" are a joke. I've never met one that lasted very long.

 

When I did my second annual oil change recently, I noticed that the hinge area had cracked. And not long after, my wife called while driving home complaining of a brushing noise when she drove over bumps, but didn't see anything under the car - I pulled the 3 clips out of the oil door, which had a corner nicely ground off, and was probably dragging most of the time.

Anyway, I stopped by the dealer today and mentioned the TSB, and they replaced it for me with no questions. My backup plan was to go the zip tie route, but that turned out to not be necessary.

 

In one of the early replies to this post Bisco mentioned building a new door out of aluminum, a nice solution to the problem...he also said he did it to prevent people from stealing his oil. No disrespect Bisco...but who the heck steals oil out of a car, never heard of that happening before, anything is possible I guess.

 

Just got done with my third oil change and the door fell off.
All oil changes were made in 70deg + temps. I would understand if it were 40 deg/


All the best,
ECON