Corner bumper guards

[santoro1]

Does anyone know of a company that sells corner bumper guards for our Prius'..? that match our colors?

[Boo]

I personally like 2" bumper protector strips which will protect your bumpers from most parallel parking scrapes (chipped paint on rear bumper from a car's front license plate bolts; corner scrapes to front bumpers from your turning into a parallel park; and corner scrapes to rear bumpers from another car turning out of a parallel park), but will not protect your bumpers from a heavier collision.

bumperdefender.com has nice color matched strips for a good price (about $80 for front and rear). You can get 4 free samples from them to try to match your car's color. I like their bumper protector strips because the color is impregnated - it goes all the way through. Compare, for example, the popular side moldings sold on this site where the color is painted on and can scratch and chip off to expose the white or other color undercoating.

I have a Magnetic Grey Prius, and found a pretty close match with bumperdefender.com's Dark Grey. It looks fine. And if I cared enough for an absolute color match, I could have spray painted the bumper strips with Toyota Magnetic Grey paint, which if it chipped, would expose the pretty close match of the bumper strip with its impregnated color. NOTE: I understand from another Magnetic Grey owner that bumperdefender.com now has another color called "Flint Mica Grey" that is a perfect match to Magnetic Grey.

Also, nobump.com has these small (about 1") round bumpers that get screwed into the top screw holes of your front license plate. These give you some protection, but probably protect the rear bumper of the car in front of you more from getting dinged by your front license plate screws when you parallel park.

To answer your question directly, the company also sells color matched corner bumper guards.

If I can figure out how to do it, I'll post pictures later of both the bumper strips and license plate screw hole round bumpers. PHOTOS ARE NOW ATTACHED:

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[Boo]

SUPPLEMENT RE FRONT BUMPER STRIP:

When I installed the front bumper strip I elected to locate it on a line that ends up covering up the bottom 1/3 of the tow access hole - see picture below:

[attachmentid=9851]

I figured (perhaps mistakenly) that this wouldn't be a problem in the event I ever have to get towed. I figured that either the tow driver can still go through the exposed top 2/3 of the tow access hole, or we could pry back or cut/punch through the bumper strip as necessary.

Does anyone have any thoughts about this?

[Boo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Boo @ Jul 18 2007, 12:52 AM) [snapback]480728[/snapback]</div>

SUPPLEMENT RE FRONT BUMPER STRIP:

When I installed the front bumper strip I elected to locate it on a line that ends up covering up the bottom 1/3 of the tow access hole - see picture

I figured (perhaps mistakenly) that this wouldn't be a problem in the event I ever have to get towed. I figured that either the tow driver can still go through the exposed top 2/3 of the tow access hole, or we could pry back or cut/punch through the bumper strip as necessary.

Does anyone have any thoughts about this?
[/b]

NOTE: One member replied that if I ever have to get towed by a flat bed truck, a tow hook that is supplied with our Prius needs to get screwed into that hole which is threaded.

[Rest]

I hate those things. I don't like door guards either.

You might as well add curb feelers.

[Boo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rest @ Jul 18 2007, 05:22 PM) [snapback]481216[/snapback]</div>

I hate those things. I don't like door guards either.

You might as well add curb feelers.
[/b]

I know. I wish car makers would return to real 5 mph bumpers and anything other than the painted plastic covered 1 mph bumpers we're all stuck with now.

Living and parking in NYC, where drivers frequently have to search a half hour or more for a parking space that's only 12 inches longer than their car and where "tapping" bumpers is therefore necessary when parallel parking, I don't think I had much choice but to get some sort of bumper protection. My prior car's bumpers (especially the rear bumper) were hopelessy and endlessly scraped, scratched, chipped, dinged and gouged. And after spending $200 to repaint them, they became easier to scrape, scratch, chip, ding and gouge.

BTW, I just received the PriusChat Accessory Shop body side moldings and will be installing them soon. I'll send/post pics when I'm done. You'll love 'em!

--- Boo (current bumper-guarded and side-molded Prius owner, and former pocket protector user)

[Boo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Boo @ Jul 18 2007, 03:21 PM) [snapback]481111[/snapback]</div>

NOTE: One member replied that if I ever have to get towed by a flat bed truck, a tow hook that is supplied with our Prius needs to get screwed into that hole which is threaded.
[/b]

FOLLOW UP:

I went back to the owner's manual. It suggests that you only need that hole and hook in the odd emergency situation where you have to get towed with a rope/chain through the hook (e.g., if you're stuck in a deep ditch or underwater).

I also went back to my car and tried prying back the bumperstrip to remove the plug and access the hole, and found that it was easy to do --- notwithstanding the 3M super-duper glue, I was able to pry back the bumperstrip with my fingers.

So all in all, I'm not worried any longer. The bumperstrip stays where it is. Although if I could have a do-over ....

[Boo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rest @ Jul 18 2007, 05:22 PM) [snapback]481216[/snapback]</div>

I hate those things. I don't like door guards either.

You might as well add curb feelers.
[/b]

Rest and All:

I also just finished installing the PriusChat Shop body side moldings. Thought you might be interested in seeing how my Prius looks with both the BumperDefender.com 2" wide, full width, color matched, front and rear bumper guard strips, and the PriusChat Shop body side moldings:

[attachmentid=10034]

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[Rest]

I still don't like the look. If you have to worry about getting that many bumps and dings in your area, I think it is time to move.

[Bob Allen]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Boo @ Jul 11 2007, 05:11 PM) [snapback]476687[/snapback]</div>

[attachmentid=9615]

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[/b]

I'm planning to order this stuff for my car. Are the pieces pre-cut for specific models of cars, or do you trim the pieces yourself? I received a sample color selection from BumperDefender and the stuff looks pretty subtantial, and thick! I'd like the ends to be cut at a 45 degree angle so that there isn't a squared off, blunt end. In your photos, it looks like the strips are cut to match the wheel well opening. I plan to have my body shop guys do it because I have an excellent eye for irregularities and I don't trust myself to install it without having it be wavy.