Bodyside Mouldings for 2010 Prius

I am planning on purchasing Bodyside Mouldings for the 2010 Toyota Prius I have on order. I would like to ask the opinion of various ones who have the 2010 Toyota Prius and have either chosen to install them or not to do it.

As well, I have noticed for those who have that some have it high on the door and others lower. Could someone explain why the possible differences?

Thanks for your help!!

For your door-height question, recheck the pictures you see for U.S. vs. Canadian respondents. Toyota doesn't offer these moldings in the U.S., so they are hand installed by the owners. There is an ongoing discussion about what height to mount them, for appearance vs. door-ding protection.

Please, please, please...don't ruin the look of your new Prius by putting on dorky body side molding.

Look at the accessories list on the European Prius site. You will find the mouldings there, incl. a picture.

I got bodyside mouldings installed by my dealer and I get a lot of positives feedbacks about it. I don't know why they installed it at that height but it fit exactly the mouldings of my other car in my garage ! I hope it will prevent somehow some unfortunate third kind encounters in parking lots which is the purpose of side mouldings !

Yes, the 2010 Gen III European Prius site has a picture of the mouldings. But what's odd is that the picture is of the mouldings on what looks like the Gen II Prius (in the picture, see the carved indentation on the lower door panels).

I fluctuated on whether or not to do it. The lines of the Prius V look great without the molding, but my experience around DC is that parking is always a tight fit and there is always someone ready to carelessly ding you. So bottom line, next Wednesday, my dealer will install them. I will provide pictures of the finished product in Classic Silver soon thereafter.

Curious, how much is your dealer charging you for the moldings including installation?

I always worry that dirt, salt and water will get under the side moldings and rust out the panel. Maybe it isn't a concern but I worry anyway.

G

It might help "reduce" the number of dings. There is no way the moldings will be at the right height to block dings from every car and truck you might park next to (maybe not even the majority). It will be annoying to see dings a few inches above or below the level of the moldings after you paid extra to have the moldings installed.
If you want zero dings you will have to go out of you way to avoid all tight parking spots.

After seeing my first car (parent's money) without side molding, parked next to my brand new second car (my own money) with moldings, the difference was suddenly and astonishingly clear. In under six years (including college), the old one had collected two or three door dings per inch, the entire length of both sides.

Three cars with moldings, each kept 13 to 23 years, have accumulated only a tiny fraction of what that no-molding car received. Having my own property for parking at night helps, but cannot explain the entire difference, particularly in the years before becoming a home owner. So I must credit the side moldings for a big portion of the improvement.

Nearly all the dings that still do appear are from the rear doors of 4-door cars, commonly operated by children who have no concept of avoiding slamming the car in the next space, or are from the height mismatch of SUVs and vans. These nonconforming monsters were much less common during my early years of car ownership.

Here's my Blue Ribbon (clearly needing yet another bath) with it's newly installed Canadian OEM bodyside mouldings. Looks alright eh? Anything to try to prevent my first door ding...

I have (and had) mouldings on all my cars: a great way to protect the doors. On some cars i think it even improved the look of the car, especially when the mouldings were in Black. My wife drives a golden Yaris with black bumpers an black mouldings, looks very sportive.

I think it looks good. Could you please let us know how high it's mounted (measure up from door bottom, front and rear door)? Thanks.

They look very good - inobtrusive with prefect color match. They seen to be slimmer than US version. I'm considering BSMs as well; hate dings. And the DingBats that cause them.

The height of the mouldings varies a bit as you go along the car but is in the range of 9.5 to 10 inches. Much lower than the American version! Check out my pics, first pic is at the Front door, second pic is of the Rear.

Thanks very much. That is lower than the Dawn Enterprises measure on instructions I've seen for the prior model (about 15") but I think it looks good.

I just added bodyside moulding today and am satisfied with how it looks. I did as the instructions said front 13 1/4 and rear 13 3/4. I have looked at both mounting them low and high and I think that nearer the bulge in the door gives better protection. Who knows with all the shapes of doors on vehicles now, I just try to find a empty spot in the parking lot to leave my car. Then when I come back everyone has moved around me.

The first day I had my 2010 Pruis with less than fifty miles on it I took my wife to the dentist. After coming home I happend to look at the panel under the drivers door and someone had (looked like) hit it with a door. I don't know if it happened at the dearlership when I picked it up or at the dentist. Lucky for me it was just paint transfer and a little clay bar on a rag took it right out with no damage to my paint.