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Minor hidden rear spoiler breakage = rattling

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by hiremichaelreid, Jun 19, 2009.

  1. hiremichaelreid

    hiremichaelreid New Member

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    Hi all,

    My wife backed up with the hatchback open and the rear spoiler caught on the garage door.

    No visible damage, but it rattles when driving and I can move it up and down too much with my hand. Maybe 1/2 an inch each way.

    I'm not sure what's broken or even where to start removing screws or whatever to see better.

    This is a 2008 Canadian base, which seems pretty much like a 2008 US touring.

    Thanks for any clues... Mike.
     
  2. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    I'd guess you've got the broken ends of some little plastic clips rattling around inside the hatch. You can remove the plastic trim from inside the hatch by running a smooth wooden or plastic stick around the perimeter, prying gently as you go. Once that's off, you can get at the backside of the spoiler to re-attach it. You'll need some clips from the dealer, plus a few extra to replace the ones you broke getting the trim off. ;)
     
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  3. hiremichaelreid

    hiremichaelreid New Member

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    Thanks hyo silver !

    Perhaps I shouldn't have said 'rattling'. It's more of a plastic spoiler rubbing on metal body "squeaking' or 'slapping noise', as that what seems to be happening.

    I got the inside trim off, pretty much with my fingers. Then removed the 4 bolts and the brake light wire. Then I had to pull reasonably hard (breaking something?) and got the spoiler off. I'm not sure what the white things outside at each end are. Right one looks broken. They both seem riveted to body.

    In any case, I'm thinking I can just put some rubber or something between spoiler and body to stop the squeaking/slapping.
     
  4. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    I was going to recommend sticking a bit of 3M Blue putty between the spoiler & hatch on the loose side.
     
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  5. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    To reduce panel vibration and or rattling of body parts I generally use clear silicone between the two parts. Simply apply the silicone at desired thickness, allow to dry completely then reassemble parts. I have been doing this for years to reduce vibrations of spoilers and license plate frames due to very loud stereo systems.
     
  6. hiremichaelreid

    hiremichaelreid New Member

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    :) I'd thought of the putty, but couldn't figure out where to put it without just using a lot of it.

    I slid some 6" sections of old bike inner tube under the spoiler rear at left and right. That seems to take care of the noises while driving. Spoiler still wiggles when I close the hatchback though, and I wonder if it will wiggle around at highway speeds too.

    AFAICT none of the 3 pink plastic clips seems to have broken, but I haven't put the interior trim back yet. I think I get slightly more rear visibility without that trim installed... :)

    Thanks...
     
  7. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    I know this answer from first hand experience with another Priius...

    There are 2 plastic retainer clips that sit in the body and clamp to the rear spoiler on each end.

    You want to have a professional remove the black plastic panel inside the hatch which is extraordinarily difficult to put back on.

    Then can remove the spoiler, put on retainer clips, put back together.
     
  8. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    I think you're right the clips are riveted to the body.
     
  9. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    It takes a lot of pressure to keep the spoiler down - a clip. I don't think putty or epoxy would work.
     
  10. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    I did the same thing on a rental Prius, but did point it out to the agent.

    I never power up the car with the hatch open. Don't even like to sit it in with hatch open in garage, unless working on the car.
     
  11. hiremichaelreid

    hiremichaelreid New Member

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    Some pics:

    Left side white plastic riveted thing and spoiler thing it goes into seem unbroken, but I was still getting movement on that side. Maybe it just popped out and needs to be popped back in ? I'm hesitant to put too much pressure on the spoiler to try and 'fix'.

    Right side equivalents seem broken, most noticably the white plastic riveted thing.


    #1: left side white plastic riveted thing on body. Sorta 'male' ?
    #2: left side spoiler thing I guess #1 goes into. Female-ish receptacle ?
    #3: Both #1 and #2 shown; spoiler resting upside down on lower part of upper hatch glass.

    #4, #5, #6: same as 1, 2, 3 but for right side.

    #4 definitely is damaged. #5 looks like it might be cracked at upper left of pic.
     

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  12. hiremichaelreid

    hiremichaelreid New Member

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    I read your reply to my wife, thanks... :) Better from you than me. She hasn't shown the 'proper' level of sorrow yet...
     
  13. McKeeius

    McKeeius New Member

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    Well - I did this exact same thing your wife did while working on my car, backed up with hatch open, which seems to have broken some clamps on the far left and right sides, and it will create a 'creaking' noise.

    I find that if I push real hard on either side it snaps back into place - temporarily.

    To the untrained eye, nothing is wrong, but I look at other undamaged cars and wince, because I can see that my 'spoiler' is not flush against the body of the car. I might have to take it to a body shop? Did you ever end up fixing this problem?
     
  14. hiremichaelreid

    hiremichaelreid New Member

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    no I haven't fixed this. :(

    I presume a competent body shop could fix this, or rig something, but I've just been living with it.

    I don't notice the noises anymore while driving, although that may be due to other rattles and creaks I've become used to. It bothers me most when I close the hatch.
     
  15. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    You can probably show your pictures (http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...r-spoiler-breakage-rattling-2.html#post882282) to your dealer's parts department and buy the "white plastic riveted thing". From the repair manual there are 4 bolts and 3 plastic clips holding the spoiler. Do you see only 2 plastic clips but not others?
     
  16. Mr A

    Mr A Member

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    I have a fix for the broken spoiler attachments shown by "hiremichaelreid" in his 2009 posts. (I had the same unfortunate results from an interaction with a garage door.)

    At first, I tried some double-stick foam tape applied near the outside edges of inside face of the spoiler. The tape was a type of weatherstripping from the hardware store. It worked for several months, but the foam did not hold up, and the spoiler started rattling again.

    The more permanent repair is to use a super-strength velcro, along with a super-strength double-stick adhesive tape. Here's what I did:
    1) remove foam tape from outermost edges of inside face of spoiler. Get all residues off--scrub with isopropyl (rubbing alcohol.)

    2) Get one package of "Superlock Fasteners" and one package of "Supermount Tape" from Radio Shack (stock #'s 64-2360 and 64-2361). They are about $4 and $2 per pack, respectively.

    3) Wipe surfaces with alcohol, then apply postage-stamp-sized tabs of the tape near the plastic rivets on the liftgate, and in the matching spots on the underside of the spoiler.

    4) Cut 1/2" wide strips of the Superlock material, and apply to the outside edges of the underside of the spoiler, and to matching areas on the edges of the liftgate.

    5) If the four bolt holes that hold the spoiler in place are distorted due to the impact on the spoiler, they need to be bent back into their original shape. I used a bolt with a nut and stack of washers to "grip" the holes and lever them back into the right angle to hold the spoiler properly.

    6) Apply RTV (silicone sealant) to the four bolt holes, so that they will be sealed when you re-install the spoiler (otherwise rain water may creep in the compromised hole seals.)

    7) Set the spoiler back in place, and give a firm push with your palms on both ends to set the Supermount Tape and Superlock Fastener strips.

    Here are some pictures of the process.
    Spoiler tape & velcro.JPG

    liftgate details.JPG

    Under Spoiler.JPG
     
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  17. hiremichaelreid

    hiremichaelreid New Member

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    Cool, thanks ! I'll give your technique a shot.

    Thing is, a similar garage door incident has happened to me a few more times, and to my wife's 2010 (but without breakage creating a rattle.)

    Really annoying, perhaps the most annoying thing on my Prius. But that's a testament to my satisfaction with the Prii.
     
  18. bonchien

    bonchien Junior Member

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    Mr A, thanks for the detailed explanation on bending back the distorted bolt holes.

    My wife backed our four week old 2010 Prius into the garage door with the tail gate up and knocked the spoiler loose. I reattached it and used double sided 3M molding tape, but it wouldn't keep the spoiler down and the spoiler wobbled. I thought the tape wasn't strong enough, but it turned out that the holes were indeed distorted from the original impact, forcing the spoiler to an angle too high for the tape to hold it down. I followed your directions for bending the holes back to normal with some bolts and washers. Now the 3M molding tape is working great, and the spoiler is secure.

    [edit] The 3M molding tape didn't hold to the car. Stuck to the spoiler really well, but didn't stick to the car's paint. Trying Mr A's superlock method now.
     
  19. JayHarv

    JayHarv New Member

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    Mike: Have you tried to find a used spoiler? The same "injury" happened to my 05 model and it needs replacing. The OEM part new is $353--yikes. Any suggestion if appreciated. I am in the US, though I am sure this could shipped from Canada. Thank you, Jay