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Why does this piece under the driver's door fall off?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by 4rpr15, Sep 3, 2016.

  1. 4rpr15

    4rpr15 Senior Member

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    When I wipe under the door after a car wash this black piece tends to fall off. What is it and is there a way to lock it in tighter?

    IMG_1452.JPG
     
  2. sttkailua

    sttkailua Active Member

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    4rpr15,

    My curiousity got the best of me, so I went to my garage and got on my knees to look.

    My guess is that it is drain hole covers (3 EA door) to drain water from rain.
    The black cover snaps into the top of the hole, but the bottom is still open to
    let rain water drain.
    Looks better than just having drain holes on other makes of cars.
    Though, I doubt that anyone really cares where no one really looks!

    I did send in this pic to ask what this bracket is that sticks out of the
    back fender. Some sort of aerodynamic part? No one really came back with an
    answer.

    stt
     

    Attached Files:

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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Maybe just pull them off and store them? Strikes me as something that'll just promote clogging inside the door anyway. Or does it look weird when removed?
     
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  4. 4rpr15

    4rpr15 Senior Member

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    Just holes underneath so I'm sure they serve a purpose. Just wondering why they are so loose. Any else experience the same thing?
     
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  5. badboss429

    badboss429 Junior Member

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    Yes, I knock the center drivers side off every time I wash the car. The first time it happened I found it laying on the ground and no idea where it came from, so I put it in the console and sure enough, a week later I located the spot and put it back on.
     
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    maybe ask the dealer to look at it. sounds like the mold came out too small.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    there's a whole thread on this, no final outcome, iirc, but many agreed on aerodynamics, or deflectors for the radar.
     
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  8. 4rpr15

    4rpr15 Senior Member

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    My question if it's safe to leave it off. Rust or worries of water going in where it shouldn't?
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i suppose going through puddles might be a bad idea.
     
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  10. 4rpr15

    4rpr15 Senior Member

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    Lol that answers that.
     
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  11. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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  12. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    Don't want to damn up the drainage.
     
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  13. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    I know. Just apply a tiny small tidbit.

    What did the woman do who had her tow-hook cover fall off in the car wash?
     
  14. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    I think she had to get the proper detail from the dealer (the one they found was the wrong one).
     
  15. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    The doors are supposed to have drain holes at the bottom. Maybe someone with a 2016 can check their doors for these plugs, but it's possible that they're supposed to be removed by the dealer during pre-delivery inspection.
     
  16. stanigu

    stanigu Member

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    They're called "Dust Proof Seals". So evidently not drain plugs, but to keep the dust and debris out. Not sure why the holes would be there in the first place though.
    [​IMG]
     
  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Is there a drainage hole in that plastic piece? There should be, if they're not just some sort of temporary shipping piece, meant to be removed before sale.
     
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  18. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Where did the image come from, and is that from the pre-delivery inspection procedure or the door panel removal procedure? i.e., are they supposed to be there?
     
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  19. stanigu

    stanigu Member

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    It's from Toyota "Technical information system" https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/appmanager/t3/ti?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=ti_home_page&SMENC=ISO-8859-1&SMLOCALE=US-EN&SMAUTHREASON=0&SMAGENTNAME=%24SM%24mT%252bGLraBu9CwUVnZg4mEDzB2kysT90hgbwsWgdZzNOc%253d&TARGET=%24SM%24https%3A%2F%2Ftechinfo.toyota.com%2F

    I was taking the door panel off to replace the speakers (and some other mods in other parts of the vehicle), so I bought access to it for two days ($15). They are supposed to be there. As mendel-leisk suggested, there is, indeed, an opening behind the plastic "flap" that lightly covers the opening--evidently to allow water to drip down while keeping the "dust" out.
     
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  20. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Thanks so much! Mystery solved!