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Hubcap removal, 2008

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Woodstock74, Jan 4, 2023.

  1. Woodstock74

    Woodstock74 Junior Member

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    I'm constantly reminding myself I have a 15 year old car and that plastics that have been UV blasted tend to/can have issues. So I'm generally cautious when dealing with any of the plastic on the car. That being said, before I dive in, is there any known/underlying issues with plastic used for the hubcaps? Or are they more robust than they look?
     
    #1 Woodstock74, Jan 4, 2023
  2. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Nothing special about them. You pretty much nailed it. Luck of the draw whether yours are brittle or not. The majority of Gen 2s I see don't have the trim rings anymore.

    or do you have a touring model with the full cover? They seem to be a bit more robust, as my 2007 Touring and my newest addition, 2009 Touring, still have all the covers.
     
    #2 TMR-JWAP, Jan 4, 2023
  3. Woodstock74

    Woodstock74 Junior Member

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    Yeah I have the touring with the covers. Just wanted a little tempered expectation before I go prying them off and I noted the outer edges of at least one of them has a few chunks snapped off.
     
    #3 Woodstock74, Jan 4, 2023
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Not sure about the Gen 2 wheel covers, but I do not ever pry off the ones on my Gen 3. I grab them with my hands and pull.

    Viewers of my old video on removing the Gen 1 center dash panel will recall I don't ever use pry tools there either. The pads of my fingers are much less likely to bust chips off.
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Jan 4, 2023
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  5. Woodstock74

    Woodstock74 Junior Member

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    Good advice, thanks!
     
    #5 Woodstock74, Jan 4, 2023
  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Call gently and evenly with any of them if you're using pry tools something is wrong The clips are not that strong the ring around assembly is not that strong it's actually all very weak and prone to falling apart when you look at it let alone touch it using a screwdriver or a pry bar generally for regular folks I would say against it . If your fingers don't get it you can use a small flat pry bar to just make one edge start to screech as it's lifting up off the metal wheel then immediately stop and put your fingers back in there and go around the wheel that way I have all the originals on my '04 and my '09 and they're in okay shape other than fading
     
    #6 Tombukt2, Jan 4, 2023
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