Priuschat Side Moldings

Your wheelskins are looking good in all black!

I've got the wheelskins in perforated black and charcoal, but haven't put them on yet. Maybe I'll ask my dealer to put them on for $300 lol.

 

I can't tell you why I disliked the molding so...it was weird but I accepted it and dealt with it and went back to the mother ship.

The dealer threw the burl in for free, I never would have paid for it. Sometimes I wish it was plain jane again as it looks a little silly on a prius but it hides dust and fingerprints better than the black. Luckily they didn't overdo how much they put on so it looks as good as I think burl can look.

 

I have to agree burl seems a bit out of place. As I said in a previous reply, I got the burl upgrade out of the dealer because they didn't have tan interior I wanted so I said I'd take the grey, but they had to include the burl (they charged $950 for burl and side moldings, how obscene is that?). At that point I was toying with them because they had been such a pain.

It does show less dust so has some functional benefit there. I'm hoping it will add to my resale value but who knows

 

hello. I'm a new (slightly dazzled) owner of a silver prius 2007 in the new york area. Does anyone think the appearance package offered by the dealership (front& rear mouldings, bumper guards, minus the pinstripe) makes sense? The dealer has come down in price to $850 for the package. Seems a lot but I notice the point that other alternatives don't work well on the silver models. In New York's paint-chip land, these add-ons seem like a key necessity. thanks!

 

Different dealers offer different accessories/add-on packages. My dealer didn't offer me any.

I can't tell from your post exactly what comes with that $850 appearance package. But from your description and what I know about aftermarket modifications, the appearance package sounds like it consists of the PriusChat Body Side Moldings (cost is $122 delivered) and the BumperDefender.com bumperguard strips (cost is ~ $80 delivered). That's ~ $200 total for the parts. So your dealer wants to charge you what amounts to $650 for installing peel & stick stuff --- way too much in my opinion for 1 to 1.5 hours labor.

BTW, I have both the PriusChat Color-Keyed Body Side Moldings and the BumperDefender.com Color-Matched Bumper Guard Strips, and would be glad to give you a hand or advice if you want to order these parts and install them yourself.

 

Tom

Thanks! I would like to know more about the alternatives. By the way the package also includes door protectors (4). You're right that the price is way over the top, but i suppose the advantage is having it done quickly and well at the dealership, and an assured color match. I could also take it to my local garage but they don't know much about prii -- not that it should matter for moldings.

the other thing i noticed as i said in my first post is the difficulty of installing the moldings obtained through internet on a silver body, because of uncertain adhesive, etc. Didn't quite understand that point. (Why just silver?) Which is another reason i was considering getting the pkg.

and bythe way it's a pleasureto be on this forum. It's full of great ideas, advice & accessories. (just ordered a cargo mat).

 

Hi Shandel,

1. PriusChat Color-Keyed Body Side Moldings: These are an exact color match to your Silver (the paint is "keyed" to your Silver paint code, that's why they're described as "color-keyed"). Blamy has already answered your question about why he hasn't yet installed them on his Silver Prius (i.e., because of the xilon coat he has on the car). I am 99.9% certain that these $122 moldings are the ones being offered by your dealer.

2. BumperDefender.com Color-Matched, 2" Wide, Full-Length, Front & Rear Bumper Guard Strips: These are a close (and maybe by happenstance, exact) color match to your Silver (the colors are not keyed to your paint code, that's why they're described as "color-matched"). The company I believe has 4 shades of Silver available. You can ask for samples at $2 per sample. Another PriusChatter who has a Silver Prius and who ordered the Silver color samples from the company has told me that he thinks that the company's "Brite Silver" is the best match. I am 99.9% certain that these $77.50 bumper guard strips (8' strip for the rear is $36 + two 3.5' strips for the front is $31.50 + $10 shipping = $77.50) are the ones being offered by your dealer.

3. Color-Matched Door Edge Protectors: I do not know which ones your dealer is offering. I think he's offering the ones sold by Sigma Automotive: Sigma Automotive – Toyota Hybrid Prius 2004 - 2006 OEM & JDM auto accessories which cost $37 for 2, or $74 for 4, plus shipping. These are only very broadly color-matched, e.g., they come in one shade of Silver. Personally, I don't like these. Having a vertical add-on interrupts the beautiful horizontal flow/lines of the car.

Anyway, just wanted to give you some more information about pricing and color matching so that you can make a more informed decision. Bottom line is I'm pretty sure your dealer is offering parts that cost around $275, so he's asking for around $575 for at most 1.5 hours labor. My Toyota dealer charges $95 an hour for labor, which would work out to around $150 --- $425 less than your dealer's $575.

If you still want to have your dealer handle this stuff, I would ask your dealer to reduce his price from $850 to $425. Let him know that you know how much these parts cost and how long it takes to install them.

Feel free to PM me if you want more of my two cents, or if you'd like any more advice about ordering or installing these items, or if you'd like me to lend another set of hands and eyes to install them (my very strong advice is that if you install them yourself, be sure to have another person stand back 10 or more feet to confirm that everything is straight and looks right before you finally peel and stick anything).

Good luck!

BTW, here's a link to a thread here that has 3 glamour shots of my Prius with the side moldings and bumper guard strips:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-m...essful-body-side-moldings-installation-3.html

 

Wanted molding with some profile soo had to spend some time at the local wrecking yard with a measuring tape, screwdriver, and lots of elbow grease . . .

. . .last pic. . .was going to simulate lexus/mercedes and do some chrome at the door bottoms but decided that was too much. . .

 

Good job! And because your Prius is black, they match!

 

Tom,

Excellent advice!! I'm going to use this info for some bargaining power with dealer. My prefs are to get the work done rather than do it myself -- don't trust my straight line vision. I did pick up that it was the aftermarket coating that made the adhesive a problem for the silver models, not the color itself. Sorry I didn't make that clear in the question. but what do the professionals (dealership etc)do to solve it? Is part of their charge for removing the coating? Ha

bests
steve