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Anyone use one of those plastic "Screen protectors " on the rear bumper?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by benalexe, Sep 29, 2012.

  1. benalexe

    benalexe Member

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    Got a new Prius. The rear bumper is so big and so easily scratched. Wondering if anyone has installed the 3M plastic protectors on their Prius. Or if anyone has any other protective suggestions. I hate scratched bumpers.
     
  2. DadofHedgehog

    DadofHedgehog Active Member

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    Try Priuschat Store's Toyota OEM black plastic protector. They are generic Toyota scratch protectors made to fit multiple Toyotas and they fit the Prius well. I had one on my Gen II and now have one on my PiP. Design is well executed; the part looks good on the car, a slight crease along its axis makes it easy to locate onto the bumper during the install, and I've never caught any corner of it while loading & unloading lumber, luggage, trash, metal recycling and woodshop machines over the years. The material is "bendy but tough" and the one gouge that I caused is practically invisible and didn't go all the way through. Cost was around $41. Two-minute install with no tools and you're done for ever.
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I think the rear bumper would be a compound curve, making application tough, requiring slits, depending on how flexible the film is. How does the film hold up over time, say if it gets a bit chewed by someone's license plate bolts?

    My 2 cents: leave it bare, take your knocks, and if it gets bad get it redone by a body shop, occasionally. It's pretty much guaranteed as soon as you do get it redone you'll acquire some fresh dings.

    Just a bit of a rant: today's cars by in large don't have bumpers, they have fairings. Our first vehicle was an '81 Civic. I know, not too pretty, but the bumpers were steel with plain black rubber casing, mounted on hydraulic dampers:

    1981_honda_civic.jpg