1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Gen III Spoiler Removal w/photos How To

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Snake Doctor, Sep 6, 2010.

  1. Snake Doctor

    Snake Doctor New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2009
    7
    13
    0
    Location:
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    So my 75 year old Dad backed out of his garage and tore the spoiler off his 2010 Prius.

    I searched here, and didn't find much, so I have taken a few photos and put together this little DIY in hopes that it might help others with similar work to do at some point.

    Lift the back hatch, and insert a thin blade slot head screwdriver in the bottom-most plastic panel on the side. There are several small body clips that hold it on- just pull them off gently, and they'll all release.

    Do the same thing for the middle panel. Take it slow and easy and you won't break anything.

    Panels removed:
    [​IMG]

    Next, remove the "devil clips"- I named them devil clips, because only a truly evil engineer would have designed them.

    Devil Clips:

    [​IMG]

    You'll have to get a vice grip on the top, and somewhow reach underneath the hatch to get a 10mm socket with an extension on it on the nut side.

    [​IMG]

    I used a ratchet strap, pulled the hatch down where I could reach both, and held it in place with my foot:

    [​IMG]

    Good thing my wife wasn't around to laugh at me......

    The nuts are a bear- maybe there's threadlocker on them or something.

    Here are the buggers:

    [​IMG]

    They are flanged on the top, so they clip in. Unfortunately, I have too much damage to get them back in, so looks like there is a new spoiler in my future.....

    [​IMG]

    At each end, there are also blue plastic clips- one was broken:

    [​IMG]

    Broken one:

    [​IMG]

    This is a fairly easy job, and paying a body shop to do it wasn't something I wanted Dad to have to do. If you end up in the same situation, DIY and save a few bucks.

    Replacement will be in exact reverse order, hopefully I won't forget to hook up the brake light.

    I'll post pics once I order a spoiler and re-install. Please forgive the dirty car- it's windy as heck here, dust and smoke from a forest fire up near Boulder is coming over, and my sprinklers came on today.

    More later.

    toyotapartszone.com chimes in at $300 delivered. New spoiler on order.
     
  2. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Very informative.
    Thanks for the reassurance on how easy the trim comes off I was afraid to lever it in case it broke.
    I noticed that my spoiler seem to be very slightly loose at the ends when I pull it up and down. I was going to remove the trim and check the nuts you mention, but it seems it may be the blue clips at the ends that are not tight enough.
    So if I wanted to remove an undamaged spoiler, are these "devil clips" attached to the spoiler and all I'd have to do is undo the 10mm nuts ?
     
  3. GSW

    GSW PRIUS POWER

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2009
    537
    74
    0
    Location:
    Jacksonville
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    What a great son to do that for dear old dad. I took off my rear windshield wiper and motor, installed some extra sound /insulation material, so this looks familiar. Good luck on the project!:cheer2:
     
  4. cit1991

    cit1991 New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2010
    289
    95
    0
    Location:
    Tulsa, OK
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Tell your dad not to feel too bad. I did the same thing during the second week I owned the car. Backed it up with the hatch open, and it caught the garage door handle. In my case, I also cracked the brake light, which does not come with the new spoiler.

    I also broke one of the blue snaps and all the clips.

    When I put on the new spoiler, it sat higher on the rear edge, so it bounced up and down. I think when it broke off, the sheet metal around the center hole got pulled up before that devil-clip pulled out. Then the new one tried to sit on the little mound, lifting the rear edge.

    I ended up pounding down the sheet metal to get it to sit at the right angle again, and have the rubber sticky tape stabilize it.

    You'll see what I mean when you get the new one.

    Also, do not drop the nuts inside the hatch sheet metal, they'll slide down (forward) and are very hard to retrieve.
     
  5. Econ

    Econ Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2009
    329
    26
    14
    Location:
    East of the Berkshires - MA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Hey!!!! Not too hard not to do that..... I had my hatch opened and I closed the garage door..... then all hell broke loose. I was lucky . . . the only damage was the leading edge of the spoiler was scratched. I did buff it out by hand and ended using some touch up paint to color the base coating.

    I think toyota thinks every one keep the car out doors. Those who have garages . . . be careful if the rear hatch is opened and you close your power door.

    I have a friend with a RX350 ... He did the same thing.
     
  6. blacktouring

    blacktouring Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2009
    45
    8
    0
    Location:
    Rolling Hills Estates
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Wouldn't it be so much more fun to tell you dad -
    "What the Hell were you thinking?"
    - or -
    "Why didn't you look before you backed up?"
    Maybe you should just invoice him for your time spent? :)
     
  7. Wince

    Wince Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2011
    6
    1
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Thanks for the photos and discription of how to get the trim off.

    We also have a 2010 but mine seems to be missing the anchors you are calling "devil clips". I would think the clips would better anchor the bolt to the spoiler. On mine the heads of the bolts which pass through your "devil clips" were just imbeded in the ABS plastic of the spoiler with only about 1/32" of plastic coverage. There is virtually no anchorage, no reinforcing. See attached photos

    Has anyone else who replaced a spoiler found the metal "devil clip" anchors? On the ($400) repalcement spoiler is there any more structure behind the bolts? Can you see the clips?
     

    Attached Files:

  8. mee081224

    mee081224 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2006
    193
    3
    1
    Location:
    Tampa, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    II
    UHHH!!!! I WISH i saw this thread before I drove into my garage with the trunk open, my old car was able to go into the garage with no problems.

    And this one, not so much, I scratched it and nearly cried. 3 days old. :( Can this be taken off and repainted? or does it need to be replaced?
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,474
    38,106
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    How deep is the scratch? Any crack, or just scratch?

    I closed a an automatic garage door on our open hatch, soon after purchase. Everything missed except this trailing arm on the door mechanism. It put a single thin scratch along the top of the spoiler, and chewed up the trailing edge a bit more significantly.

    I worked on the chewed edge with pumice first, then buffed with rottenstone. Then applied a few light strokes with an applicator brush, of gloss black touch-up paint. The scratch on the top I just ignored, for now. Step back a couple of paces and it disappears. Unless the light is just right.


    Yes. I've taken mine off. The main wrestle is prying loose the interior plastic panels, to access the nuts on studs on the underside of the spoiler. Once those are off, there are still the 2 plastic push-in fasteners, one at each end, per description earlier in the thread. Also, don't forget to disconnect the wire harness for highmount brake light.

    Then, as long as the studs have not broken loose, you could get it repainted. I've thought about even using plasti-dip, or getting it painted to match body color.

    Personally I'll likely stay with what I've done so far.
     
  10. mee081224

    mee081224 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2006
    193
    3
    1
    Location:
    Tampa, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    II
    [​IMG]Yeah its just scratches on top, but on the edge it looks like metal. What do you think?

    Edit -- God what a pain figuring out how to upload photos. [​IMG]
     

    Attached Files:

    1 person likes this.
  11. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2010
    3,247
    527
    0
    Location:
    Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Holy crap that is scuffed bad :(

    Mike
     
  12. kjbrand

    kjbrand New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2012
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    Indianapolis
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Great job explaining how to remove the spoiler!

    I didn't want to spend $$$ on a replacement and drilling holes through the top surface seem radical. So I drilled and tapped the mounts which remained in the hatchback, cut some threaded 1/4" x 20 rod to 1" lengths and simply attached the spoiler to the hatchback using this old-fashioned assembly technique.

    Thanks to the original poster for his efforts and the clever method to suspend the hatch :)
     
  13. Hank101

    Hank101 Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2012
    108
    13
    0
    Location:
    SC
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
  14. Nevets

    Nevets New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2012
    1
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Thanks for posting this. Especially the info about those "Devil Clips".
    Mine looked about as damaged as yours, but I used a grinder and removed some of the metal from those clips, so I could reinsert them into their locations. Fastening them in with JB Weld, and crossing my fingers. Would like to save the cost of a new spoiler, and so far all I've invested in an evening not watching television. Going to Napa tomorrow to see if I can get replacements for the two blue clips, and some appropriate gasket material to go round the Devil Clip threaded posts.
     
  15. realestateman

    realestateman New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2012
    1
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Looks like I have the same situation. How did the JB weld hold up? Did it work for you? Which JB weld did you use - for plastic or steel? Okay I used the JB Weld and it looks like it will work> I am pretty handy and I really don't want to pay toyota to remove and install a new spoiler. The paint on mine is still ok. It just broke loose like the rest of them. I will post results in a week or two unless it falls off. Make sure you also use some silicone when you put the old one back, around the screws to stop any leakage.
     
  16. Braddles.au

    Braddles.au DEFAnitely using an EBH

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2012
    295
    99
    1
    Location:
    Canberra, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I haven't torn my spoiler off, but it is quite loose. If I hold the rear edge, I can rock it up and down by a few degrees. I can hear some type of seal releasing as I lift it. It doesn't move laterally or twist on the horizontal.
    I tightened the nuts, but I couldn't put more than an eighth of a turn. At the last service Toyota checked and tightened the nuts and tried some washers.
    I can see foam under the spoiler, but I can't see how far in it goes? Does the spoiler rely on foam for some support?
     
  17. George J. Taylor

    George J. Taylor New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2012
    1
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I just had a brand new one installed, and it is loose. The service tech @ Toyota stated that the nuts cannot be tightened anymore or the studs will break off from the spoiler. Any ideas?
     
  18. Braddles.au

    Braddles.au DEFAnitely using an EBH

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2012
    295
    99
    1
    Location:
    Canberra, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    *BUMP*
    That is to say, the spoiler is starting to rattle when I hit a bump. It is as tight as it can be, so I think that my only option is to pack the gap with stiff foam tape or similar.
    It's not obvious from the photos above where the foam that I can see from the sides extends to. To reduce rattle do you think that it would be sufficient to follow the same contour as the foam with slightly thicker stuff? Measurements and photos appreciated.
     
  19. Robert Holt

    Robert Holt Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2013
    1,313
    888
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Has anyone tried making a replacement spoiler out of either wood, fiberglass or sheet metal? The spoiler is not structurally critical and as long as the approximate dimensions and orientation of the original shape were followed, I do not thing it would significantly affect the drag coefficient or mpg.
    I want a stiffer spoiler so that I can mount a small hard-shell carry-on underneath it to the side of the license plate for a bit more external storage. Clearly from all the posts in this thread, the ABS plastic version is too weak for that, so has anyone tried making something more solid?
     
    j12piprius likes this.
  20. Xaviar

    Xaviar New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2014
    1
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    II


    that sounds cool, any chance you could describe it a bit more or picture, drawing, can't quiet follow it, but would like to do it.

    Thanks