Has anyone gotten the rear bumper applique

I put mine on myself. I did it on one of the warmer winter days but it might have been easier if it were warmer out. I didn't buy anything special to clean or squeeege it. I cleaned, rinsed and dried the bumper. I mixed a soap and water mixture in a spray bottle and applied liberally. I had a small straight edge thing--actually one of those squeege looking things for cleaning the computer screen (we have lots lying around from different give aways) that I used to smooth the applique on. You culd even just use a credit card. I did end up with a couple of small bubbles but they don't look bad at all. All in all I felt it went on well. It was a little intimidating at one point. I had read that I should make sure I used enough of the detergent mix.

 

It could be both.

The applique is a thick piece of plastic, which could "resist" damage that would easily damage the paint. If something does decide to scrath the applique, then it is better then the paint being scratched.

If you decide to get it, have it installed by a professional -- *not* the dealership. Ask the dealer for any reference to shops that deal with this kind of stuff and then do your homework.

I'll be having the dealership remove my second applique, and clean the bumper, when I pick up the third one they've bought me. I'm bringing this one home and making a lot of phone calls this time.

 

is the rear bumper applique the same as the invinca shield for the rear bumper?

 

i had a lexus rx300 as well, and the top of the back bumper got scratched a number of times before i found out that they had come up with a protector. i will definitely get one for my prius when it comes in.

as to what it protects against, as someone asks, anything that slides in and out of the back... i scratched it once with my golf clubs. any box or anything that moves along the bumper will leave a scratch

 

I had my bumper protector for months. Today I applied it. I used lots of very soapy water. This made positioning it easy. I used a fake credit card (the ones you get every week in the mail) to force out the water. It went on fine. I only saw a few tiny bubbles.

 

Did you need to use any special cleaning solution on the bumper before installing it?

(got mine ~ a month ago; still need to put it on.)

 

it is indeed used to protect the paint, which is why it's also applied to the hood, fenders, and front bumper, to prevent nicks from flying debris like pebbles, scratches and possibly dings. :wink: durable stuff!

 

The plastic does not get scratched by ordinary things. The reason I got it is simple. My fiance has this leather winter coat with a front zipper. Whenever he loads his Lexus ES300, the zipper lightly rubs against the bumper and leaves these nasty little scratches. He is a professional detailer, so he can fix them easily, but the time required and the fact that one time they may not come out convinced me.

Oh, I had the dealer put it on. No problems at all and not one bubble!!

 

Fugazi, I did not use any special cleaner, just soap and water.

 

are we sure the paint won't peel off the bumper when removing the applique if it gets damaged?

 

Yes, "we" are.

I had 3 appliques put on before the installer got it right. The first two tries were done by the dealer, and bubbled up badely. The third was done by another company (paid for by the dealer) who did a fantastic job.

In each case, a little bit of heat and the applique will come off without peeling the paint. I even have two chips in my bumper's paint (the reason I decided to get this thing) and the removal of two appliques did nothing to increase their size.

 

thank you, hoagie. i will keep this in mind!

-drew

 

Finally got our rear bumper thingy on. We practiced on a big HYBRID applique we put on the lowest back window.

Cleaned the bumper with Windex first, dryed with microfiber towel from Costco.
Sprayed with soapy water from a spray bottle and then put it on. Used those fake credit cards to smooth the water out (as mentioned above!), and it really looks pretty invisible (gray bumps and clear background on a Silver car). Hardest part was the edge as the plastic goes about 1 inch down the bumper. Looks nice!

 

Does anybody have some closeup pictures of the bumper guard?

Thanks.

 

I installed the invinca-shield version. Simplest of the invinca pieces I've done. It took less than 5 minutes. No bumps or wrinkles of anykind. I think it's smaller than the Toyota guard (mine didn't wrap down the bumper, as inventor00 posted).

 

Thinking about rear bumper protection? Take a look at the protector on the Toyota Matrix. That looks like it would protect the bumper top from anything. Last time I was at the dealership, I asked to borrow one for a moment and it looked pretty good sitting on the Prius bumper. It's just slightly longer than the Prius applique so I think a little heat gunning near the ends would be needed to bend it up a little before sticking it down. The curve is about right also. And it's a lot cheaper than the Prius Applique. I was quoted $39 for it.

 

rear bumper protector

I've used the Matrix bumper protector which was heated with a heat gun in order for it to fit to the curvature of the bumper.

 

Mine came with the car. I thought it would be useless, but it looks like it will offer some protection against paint scratching. It was installed perfectly. The sales guy said they have learned from experience that some technique is necessary. They have their body shop install them. You hardly notice the applique on a silver car.

 

See my picture in 'the whole nine yards' of a vinyl stick-on piece that I find satisfactoy