Minor hidden rear spoiler breakage = rattling

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

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?

 

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?

 

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.

 

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.

 

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