The Prius's biggest defect: crappy plastic flaps underneath

metamatic · 08-20-2006, 11:50 AM

I have a problem with the design of the Prius.

On the front underside are two large plastic moldings. Each has a dip molded into it, the two together run across the width of the car. These recesses are about 20-30cm in from the front of the car.

Now, the recesses start out covered by two pieces of thin, flexible plastic. I will henceforth refer to these as the crapflaps--not because they protect the car from crap, but because their construction is crappy in the extreme.

As far as I can tell, the crapflaps serve no real purpose other than to ensure that the underside is as flat and aerodynamic as possible. And as far as I can tell, they're designed so that they rip off at the slightest opportunity, and are impossible to repair.

Here's the problem: around here, there are lots of parking lots with major dips between them and the road. As you go down into the dip and up the other side, the front underside of the car scrapes the street. If a crapflap gets scraped, one or more of the plastic studs holding it in place will pull out of the plastic holes it's attached to.

The studs are designed to be impossible to reuse. Not only that, you can't buy a crapflap from Toyota; the only way to replace one is to replace that entire underside piece, which costs hundreds of dollars.

I did that once. By the time my next service came around, I'd lost one, and the other was hanging on by 2 plastic studs.

So... does anyone have any suggestions? Since these things seem so useless, right now I'm inclined to rip off the dangling one and be done with it. It also strikes me that there's a business opportunity here; if you could actually buy a pair of crapflaps and some push-in plastic studs, it would be trivial to replace them without even needing to jack up the car. If only I owned a plastic molding factory...

**efusco** · 08-20-2006, 12:14 PM

Hmmm, must be some nasty terrain 'round 'bout your neck of the woods.
(side note: please complete your car and location information in your profile so we know a little more about you).

almost 3 years now and I've experienced no such trouble and routinely drive on bad rural roads, gravel roads, terrible parking lots, etc.

As you've discerned, the flat bottom is for aerodynamics. If they're causing that much trouble I would just rip them off and be done with them.

Or, replace and send the bill to one of the parking lots that's so bad!

galaxee · 08-20-2006, 12:41 PM

are you talking about the skidplates? i've knocked one of those off before on a bad parking lot-to-street transition.

you can buy the plastic clips provided the plate is reusable.

metamatic · 09-07-2006, 12:42 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Aug 20 2006, 11:14 AM) [snapback]306253[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

(side note: please complete your car and location information in your profile so we know a little more about you).[/b]

What, the user icon isn't enough of a giveaway? :-)

08-20-2006, 12:14 PM	#2
efusco Troll Slayer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 18,056 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 102 Thanked 501 Times in 270 Posts Friends: 41	Hmmm, must be some nasty terrain 'round 'bout your neck of the woods. (side note: please complete your car and location information in your profile so we know a little more about you). almost 3 years now and I've experienced no such trouble and routinely drive on bad rural roads, gravel roads, terrible parking lots, etc. As you've discerned, the flat bottom is for aerodynamics. If they're causing that much trouble I would just rip them off and be done with them. Or, replace and send the bill to one of the parking lots that's so bad! __________________ Evan E. Fusco, MD "It's a damn poor mind that can only think of one way to spell a word." -Andrew Jackson

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08-20-2006, 11:50 AM	#1
metamatic Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 104 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	I have a problem with the design of the Prius. On the front underside are two large plastic moldings. Each has a dip molded into it, the two together run across the width of the car. These recesses are about 20-30cm in from the front of the car. Now, the recesses start out covered by two pieces of thin, flexible plastic. I will henceforth refer to these as the crapflaps--not because they protect the car from crap, but because their construction is crappy in the extreme. As far as I can tell, the crapflaps serve no real purpose other than to ensure that the underside is as flat and aerodynamic as possible. And as far as I can tell, they're designed so that they rip off at the slightest opportunity, and are impossible to repair. Here's the problem: around here, there are lots of parking lots with major dips between them and the road. As you go down into the dip and up the other side, the front underside of the car scrapes the street. If a crapflap gets scraped, one or more of the plastic studs holding it in place will pull out of the plastic holes it's attached to. The studs are designed to be impossible to reuse. Not only that, you can't buy a crapflap from Toyota; the only way to replace one is to replace that entire underside piece, which costs hundreds of dollars. I did that once. By the time my next service came around, I'd lost one, and the other was hanging on by 2 plastic studs. So... does anyone have any suggestions? Since these things seem so useless, right now I'm inclined to rip off the dangling one and be done with it. It also strikes me that there's a business opportunity here; if you could actually buy a pair of crapflaps and some push-in plastic studs, it would be trivial to replace them without even needing to jack up the car. If only I owned a plastic molding factory...

08-20-2006, 12:41 PM	#3
galaxee resident lab rat Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: south of lake Michigan Posts: 9,737 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: N/A Package: #5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 130 Times in 53 Posts Friends: 26	are you talking about the skidplates? i've knocked one of those off before on a bad parking lot-to-street transition. you can buy the plastic clips provided the plate is reusable.