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Dammit! Melted Rr. Bumper from Exhaust Tip.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by SoCalBPrius, May 31, 2012.

  1. SoCalBPrius

    SoCalBPrius Active Member

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    I added an exhaust tip that I bought from an ebayer in china. I had it on for about 2 weeks w/ no problems when I decided to take a memorial holiday trip to Pismo Beach. The day after I came back I noticed the rear bumper above the exhaust was mangled. My 1st impression was someone had rear ended me! But a second quick look I realized the black liner right above the exhaust had been melted, yikes:eek: ! I'm guessing it happened on the trip back as there was alot of traffic coming back down south & as a result the exhaust tip was at its hottest. I'm writing this to 1st vent a little:mad:, then inform(so know one makes the same mistake ), & finally, anyone know if I can get my money as well as the part cost from this product & ebay seller.Brand New 304 Stainless steel Chrome Exhaust Muffler Tip For Toyota Prius | eBay I feel I might have some recourse for the damaged part because the seller is selling a product that is not a proper fit (although he claims it is) for our prius, as it is too short & improperly angled. I have emailed him & have let him know of the problem but he first claimed to not speak English & than on his 2nd & 3rd reply wants to deflect any responsibility, but I think he is willing to give me my money for the purchase of the exhaust back, although that is not clear as well as he is not consistent w/ the things that he says. I'll let you know what happens as the communication continues. Let me know what u guys & gals thoughts are. Here are some pics:
     
  2. SoCalBPrius

    SoCalBPrius Active Member

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    Again, here are some pics.
     

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  3. AZGeek

    AZGeek Semi-informed Member

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    Bummer. Sorry to hear (and see) about the damage to your car from a crappy aftermarket part. Does eBay have a grievance policy? If the seller won't fess up then the best you can do is get eBay to try to help out. Sorry I can't be of more help. :(

    Dang, the first pic doesn't look too bad but the second pic shows just how much was melted. I wonder if you can replace the lower gray melted part and get the painted part touched-up / repaired. It certainly looks like the gray plastic is separate from the painted portion of the bumper.
     
  4. Djyoshi626

    Djyoshi626 Junior Member

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    Sorry to hear about your car but this is one of the reasons why I never put shady aftermarket parts on my car(s) especially ones this cheap. You can try getting eBay or PayPal to review your issue and see what they can do about it. How long ago did you purchase this and when did you install it from the purchase date and how long did you have it installed before this happened? I haven't shopped on eBay in ages but I do know they have a time frame for issues like this.
     
  5. SoCalBPrius

    SoCalBPrius Active Member

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    Yeah, the 1st pix was to show the reference of how the exhaust looks from afar more than showing the damage. It actually looks pretty good but is hidden a bit because it is too short(about 4 inch from bumper edge, ref. pix #3) & angled up(ref. pix #5). 2nd pix was to show melted plastic. 4th pix (although not noticeable because of bad shot) is to show the melted plastic that dripped on exhaust.
    It looks to be an easy fix as I've already researched the part. It's called the rear bumper center spoiler, as there are 3 pieces to the black/grey liner & I need the long middle one. It runs anywhere from about $140-92 depending on which site u go on. Paint doesn't look too bad as the worst area I think I can polish & wax the black away. Main thing is that I need the part.
     
  6. SoCalBPrius

    SoCalBPrius Active Member

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    I have an update reply from seller saying that he will refund the cost of his part(exhaust tip-$20) & I don't have to return/ship it back, but no reference to paying for the damaged part.
     
  7. Big Steve

    Big Steve ramblin wreck

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    That was about what I expected. Consequential damages are usually excluded.
     
  8. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    Thanks for posting your story, I'm sure it will save some from making the same mistake. Sorry for your trouble, I'm afraid the rapair won't be cheap, best of luck.
     
  9. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Sucks but at least it is an easy to replace item. Thanks for posting this warning so others don't run into the same problem. :(
     
  10. SoCalBPrius

    SoCalBPrius Active Member

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    Yeah, that's the next best thing other than getting the part refunded is that know one here at least gets burned figuratively & literally as the guy(ebay seller) seems to not care too much as I told him the error in design & that it is damaging to the car & potentially could be a safety hazard, he told me he took the listing off of ebay but I still see it on there exactly as described when I bought it. This is just one example of the conflicting things he's telling me.
     
  11. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    It looks to me like the issue is having a hot exhaust tip touching the bumper cover.
     
  12. d2mini

    d2mini Active Member

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    Exactly.
    I'm really sorry to hear about the damage, but lesson learned... exhaust pipes get hot! They should never touch a body panel.
     
  13. SlowTurd

    SlowTurd I LIKE PRIUS'S

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    don't you know you need to leave at least a 1/2" clearance?

    ok....now you do.


    make lemonade out of lemons...

    cut a curve, in the black section, around the exhust tip. hopefully this will leave enough airflow around the tip so it doen't melt more of the bumper
     
  14. AZGeek

    AZGeek Semi-informed Member

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    That's a no help reply. Oh, wait. Slow...Turd. Now I get it.:rolleyes:
     
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  15. jdk0827

    jdk0827 Junior Member

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    that really sucks.....
     
  16. SlowTurd

    SlowTurd I LIKE PRIUS'S

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    when you put your hand in a fire, it burns.

    when you put a hot exhaust tip next to a plastic bumper, it melts.

    the damage is done.

    like i stated, lemonade from lemons. cut out the melted black area. it should solve the problem. or put a carbon fiber shield on or pop rivet a metal plate or spend $$$ to fix the bumper back to stock.


    anybody else have any constructive ideas to fix the problem?

    or do you want a whine and cry fest?
     
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  17. jdk0827

    jdk0827 Junior Member

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    buy new Prius. problem solved.
     
  18. AZGeek

    AZGeek Semi-informed Member

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    The guy just had his car messed up and the first thing you do is rub his nose in it. At least your second reply was a bit more on the positive side. No whining or crying needed. But if you are going to post a nasty reply then you're setting yourself up for a less-than-postive response.;)

    I'm not sure I would keep that exhaust tip on the car. If it were mine, I would do just as the OP stated after researching replacement of the melted part. Then try getting the upper painted part repaired.

    That's a tough lesson to learn and I feel bad for the OP. I am glad he posted this so the rest of us have been warned about the poor design of that exhaust tip.
     
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  19. SoCalBPrius

    SoCalBPrius Active Member

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    Why all the assumptions! If your not sure why don't u just ask? A novel concept, I know. FYI, the exhaust tip does not touch any part of the body part. The tip has about a half inch clearance under the bumper. And because it doesn't touch any part of the body part that is not what caused the melt. What caused the melt is the hot fumes coming out of the upward angled exhaust tip. I know it might be harder to tell w/ the pic. but if u look carefully at pic. 2 it is quite clear by the pattern of the melted away black piece. Also, if you carefully look at the 3rd pic., you'll see how short the tip is. It is about 4 inches short of the end of bumper. I know the stock is short too, but that angles slightly down & also emits the smoke fumes downward whereas with the installed(aftermarket) tip it angles the end upwards, towards the bottom portion of the bumper, thus the hot fumes don't have anywhere to go but directly towards the bottom portion of the bumper, where it was impacted(melted).

    That being said, yes it's a lesson learned & I feel I got off pretty cheap as it's an easy fix w/ no paint damage & replacement part costing slightly under $100:).
     
  20. d2mini

    d2mini Active Member

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    Wow, I didn't realize how short/far back it was. Pic #2 makes it look like it's flush with the bumper and right up against it. What an odd design.
     
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