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2010 Prius - Interior easy to Scuff - Has anyone approached Toyota?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by DSharpe, Apr 5, 2011.

  1. DSharpe

    DSharpe Junior Member

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    2010 Prius - Interior easy to Scuff - Has anyone approached Toyota or their dealer with this complaint? I find the door panel and dash plastic way too easy to scuff ... permanently :( I was wondering if anyone has complained, and what response they got from Toyota?

    Nice car though !
    Thanks
     
  2. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    I have to say our 97 Camry was the exactly same way despite the fact the Camry didn't use eco-type products. Don't think you would get much of a response if you did call/write their customer service.
     
  3. Groo

    Groo New Member

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    so what you are looking to get?

    a new easily scuffable interior?

    Rhino Lining? :eek:
     
  4. sipnfuel

    sipnfuel New Member

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    Sometime within the last decade or so, Toyota switched to some crappy plastic for the interior.

    The Prius is only more so because it is some eco friendly recycled plastic (or something to that effect). I did not buy the car for its plastic, so I just deal with it.

    I only can compare to Toyotas of the past which used much less crappy plastic (I'm thinking vinyl) that was soft & didn't scratch as easily. They didn't fade appreciably either.

    Crappy is the highly technical term that I use.
     
  5. mad-dog-one

    mad-dog-one Prius Enthusiast

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    I think the low cost plastic interior used on the Gen 3 Prius allows Toyota to offer a nice appearance for an affordable price. Personally, I prefer to keep these materials as they are and keep putting major costs into the hybrid and other driving systems.
     
  6. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Don't put all sorts of crap on the dash and you won't have scuffing problems.

    I transport my two small children daily and I'm not seeing scuffing on the rear door panels so I guess my two kids are naturally more careful than some people :eek:

    They're not using eco-plastics on areas that people complain of being too susceptible to scuffing. There's only a few selected areas where eco-plastics are used and they're pretty much hidden or out of the way.
     
  7. 413X3

    413X3 New Member

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    My 07 had this problem, now my new 10 just got its driver side back seat door punctured by a box that was hanging over. ugh
     
  8. DSharpe

    DSharpe Junior Member

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    The increased cost to toyota to use more durable finishes on the interior materials of a Prius can't be very much. The Yaris material is more durable. To me this substandard material is no different than using poor paint and finish protection, making the exterior of a car more suseptible to rust problems - something that all car manufactures cover.

    For a Prius owner, interior scuffs that didn't seem to happen on other cars owned, is the same as exterior rust.
     
  9. mad-dog-one

    mad-dog-one Prius Enthusiast

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    If the current Prius interior saves Toyota $100 per car, with a million cars sold, that amounts to $100 million saved. Little things add up when you compound them by the number of Prii sold. I would have preferred to pay $100 more for a more durable interior, but I also prefer that Toyota not skimp on hybrid and other more critical technology in the Gen 3 Prius.
     
  10. DSharpe

    DSharpe Junior Member

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    You are absolutely right! There are big $$ in volume. Also, like you, if Toyota had two versions of the car in their showroom, one version with a $100 tougher interior, I would certainly pay the $100.
     
  11. yogesh

    yogesh New Member

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    Not just the interior, but I found out the exterior paint on my 2008 Prius is no good either. It is so prone to scratch that when I tried to remove a mud stain with my shoe, I ended up scratching off the silver paint doing more damage. My 2006 Kia Optima was more scratch proof.
     
  12. sipnfuel

    sipnfuel New Member

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    ^^Toyota paint has never been that great, in my experience. It is, after all, entry-level.
     
  13. revmelissa

    revmelissa New Member

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    I was in the parts dept at our dealer and they had dash covers (cloth microsuede texter) you could purchase. The brand is Dash Topper and it can be ordered in the appropriate color to match the interior of the vehicle. I had one in my chevy. I protected the dash and wasn't too tacky. It is laser cut to fit exactly the dash of the model ordered. After a few days in the sun it sets on the dash perfectly or can be attached more firmly with velcro tabs.
     
  14. wesayso

    wesayso Member

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    My 07 FJ Cruiser had this problem. I found 303 Aerospace Protectant helped a lot.
     
  15. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

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    LMAO!

    Try using something actually designed for removing dirt from a car. Somehow our '04 is still scratch free for the most part. Because...when it gets dirty...I wash it. Try rubbing dirt off with a rock too and see how that goes...

    Complaining about scratching the paint when rubbing abrasive dirt off with your shoe...good lord :rolleyes:
     
  16. Teakwood

    Teakwood Member

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    It has been my experience that for years the Japanese cars had a reputation for reliability, but also crappy plastic interiors.
    Remember also that these vehicles were produced by the Japanese who believe that they know best and do not want to hear any bull from round-eyed Gaijin.