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First dent !!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Doc Willie, Mar 6, 2008.

  1. Doc Willie

    Doc Willie Shuttlecraft Commander

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    Damn Winter !! I just discovered a nearly foot long dent in the bottom of my front bumper. :( :( :(

    This is all plastic. Can it be repaired, or does the whole part have to be replaced?
     

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  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Dammit, I told you to add more power to the front deflector shields!:laser:
     
  3. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Some companies can repair plastic bumpers. Try warming it with a hair dryer, I'm not saying it will do anything but what have you got to lose? Warm from behind to save the paint and gentle pressure to push out the dent.

    These guys think they can be fixed
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    But they are in Adelaide, you may want to look in YOUR yellow pages.
     
  4. Qlara

    Qlara New Member

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    Ouch! That's not exactly a dent, but cracked plastic.

    For cheap fix, go buy a 2 feet (or more) ClearBra-type protective film to patch on the cracked area directly. This will help to prevent paint peeling later and also conceal the cracked crevice slightly better.
     
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    whoa that's not a dent lol. That's a serious crack!

    It's plastic so I don't know if it can be repaired.
     
  6. Steamboatsig

    Steamboatsig Member

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    Now is your chance to pick up that aftermarket body kit you always wanted. A nice front splitter/chin spoiler will cover up that crack nicely!

    Well, that is the approach I would take with my wife.
     
  7. subarutoo

    subarutoo New Member

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    I had similar (but worse) damage from hitting a truck tire tread. My bumper looked like yours (it is cracked isn't it?), as well as broken fog light, lower grill and lower air dam. It also slapped the passenger door, and left a dent and black smudge. $1300, and all the parts except door were replaced. Watch out for the road furniture.:eek:
     
  8. NaptownPrius

    NaptownPrius Getting Greener....

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    Push it together and epoxy it from behind for a cheap effective fix.
     
  9. statultra

    statultra uber-Senior Member

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    yea epoxy from behind,i would put some fiberglass behind it to strengthen it, then fill with glaze and repaint
     
  10. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    Aww, you should have deployed armor when fighting those Borg Hummers :(

    At least you had transphasic torpedos right?
     
  11. EJFB1029

    EJFB1029 New Member

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  12. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    Ouch. Should you replace the part get the VentureShield or 3M plastic applied and stay out of those asteroid belts.
     
  13. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

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    Naa, it'll have to be replaced.

    How noticable is it from standing height? I ask because white is a hard color to match. Stuff like that bugs me too, but sometimes with minor stuff you're better off living with it than risking making something more noticable with a botched repair.
     
  14. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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    Oh, what a bummer!! :eek:

    You could cover it with a scorch mark, so that the battle scar LOOKS like a battle scar...
     
  15. Rxmxsh

    Rxmxsh Member

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    Hey! That bug looks familiar. ;)

    Sorry to see, but I don't think that's repairable...
     
  16. Doc Willie

    Doc Willie Shuttlecraft Commander

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    Damage was bad but you should have seen what I did to the pointy-eared shoulder-padded Romulan space scum who did this.
     
  17. Doc Willie

    Doc Willie Shuttlecraft Commander

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    A repair, somewhat along the lines of one suggestion above, has been accomplished. I got a set of 21 x 1-1/2" vinyl bumper guards that just covered the split in the bumper. They had to be trimmed a little in length but they covered all but a hair of the damage. IF the crack starts to legthen, this will not be a permanent fix, but good enough for now. And a lot cheaper than a new bumper.
     

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  18. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    Doc,

    I think your fix came out pretty good.

    For future reference, if you want color matched and wider (2") strips, try getting two 3' lengths of 2" wide bumper strips from bumperdefender.com. They're only $27. Don't know which of their whites best matches your Super White, but you can request samples of all their whites ($2 per sample). You can trim the strips with anvil type pruning shears:

    http://bumperdefender.com/bumper_guard.html