2013 Prius - trunk area under spare tire

did they fit a new 12 volt battery for you? i don't want to make you more nervous, but sitting around for 18 months can have a deleterious effect on it.

 

Hmmmm. I don't remember seeing that color of toffee-colored caulk in the back? I do remember it was the same sort of sloppiness though? My color (if my memory serves me) was silver. The manf. of my Prius was Dec 2013 - so perhaps they made things a little more aesthetically pleasing.

I will try to get to the car in the next few days to take a pic.

 

Our 2010 was manufactured in Aug 2009, and we purchased it (new) in November 2010. Took a snap of the same wheel well area, looks very similar.

 

It's ALL normal. It's called seam sealant. I've seen it on ALL of my cars since my dad's 1967 Chevrolet Bel Aire.

The plastic split corrugated loam for the wires appeared in the early 1970's, It replaced the woven cotton loom that rotted away on early cars from the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's.

I remember the cotton cover wire in from the 1950's Mercedes that rotted over the years.

At Stalingrad in the 1940's cotton cover insulation was used in the PzKw 3, 4 and 5 Panther tanks, as well as the Hanomag Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251 halftrack and the Sturm Geschutz tank destroyer. It was well known that the rats at Stalingrad often chewed the cotton covered wiring and rendered the vehicles inoperative.

The technology has really improved.

 

Looks like it's normal. Of course, this is hidden (in a Gen2) under the plastic bin, then the compartment lid (floor of hatchback) and then the rug and finally the so-called Tonneau cover (or however they spell that thing). Hopefully you got all that stuff.

Well if it was Virginia and you got a 2012 your annual car tax would be saving you some big bucks on Kelly blue book value depreciation. My minivan bought during cash-4-clunkers (when the economy was slow) sat around for about a year and some issues (water in lights/brakes) but I got evertything fixed under warranty so except for the the trips to the dealer I am not out any money.

 

the 12 volt battery turns on the computers when you press the power button. it's in the back hatch area on the right side below the floor cover. if everything is working well, don't concern yourself.

 

I have that white sealant everywhere in the trunk as well. And I also have electrical tape under the hood. (makes you wonder about logics of the engineers at Toyota) If a car is meant to last more than 10 years in this current day and age, I am pretty damn sure electrical tape won't last that long - especially under a hood where there is high heat

Laurenxbee: I'm sure there's nothing wrong with you car sittin on the lot. My car had a manufacture date of Feb 2013 and I picked it up in Sept 2013. I was a little suspicious too why no one wanted it as it was discounted already. I am guessing that since it was the sport package, no one wanted to justify spending another 3K for the nicer wheels + body kit.

If I had your car, I would get an oil change soon though. My thinking is that even though the car only has 50 miles on it, the engine oil has been sitting in that car for over a year. From what I hear, the oil breaks down after time even if the car isn't used.

Enjoy the new ride!

 

The main thing I'd be concerned about with a car that sat on dealers lot a long time is the condition of the 12 volt battery. If you're not having problem the dealership might have replaced it. Ours was completely dead at time of sale, at least there was no discussion, they replaced it.

Also, just off top of my head, check air pressure on the temp spare tire. It should be 60 psi, likely down to 40 psi, considering the long wait and typical dealership competence...

 

The seam sealants are there only to prevent air and water intrusion. There is very little pressure differential along this seam. These sealants have really improved from the paint and asphalt based sealants of 50 years, ago. I have had no problem with the seam sealant in my 1998 Mazda. The steel substrate will rust before the seam sealant give way.

As far as electrical tape goes, time will either be against it or for it. If it sticks, the adhesive will harden and make it very hard to remove. The adhesive will give way and the ends unravel if the tape fails. Vinyl is pretty much stable for years and years.

 

i think the thick ugly cushioned flat extrawide black tape under the spare also covers seams while protecting the spare from contacting the body. the spare then makes way less vibration. yes it looks sloppy.

 

My Prius 2014 also has the ugly color. For some reason I had thought it was color-matched. But it isn't so.

 

Okay, here's the likely answer.

Your car's parts are likely painted and later assembled as compared to painting after assembly. Unibody designs are funny that way. THAT, OR some spot welding on seams is done AFTER painting is done.

This produces charring in the paint and may leave bits of bare metal exposed. This stuff coats and protects weld seams so you don't get rust issues as time passes. The effort and cost of repainting these areas is too prohibitive.

It's also possible these seams are not watertight, and so this stuff is applied to prevent moisture from getting into the car because the fitting of the seams isn't 100% perfect.