1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Fixing paint/finish issues on rear spoiler

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by cyberpriusII, Aug 4, 2018.

  1. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2009
    1,135
    1,560
    0
    Location:
    Iowa
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    So, as many have found, the finish on the rear spoiler (the part with the "eye" brake light) is coming off in big splotches and looks horrible.

    I have lived with it a couple of years and have looked at replacing with a wrecking yard part (around $100), but was not happy with how it would look in terms of matching the rest of the car, as well as how long it would hold up.

    Been saving up nickels and dimes and have finally decided to take the plunge. Local body shop said they would do it for $260. They said it was more expensive because they had to remove all the inside panels to take off the spoiler.

    I said I would remove and reinstall the inside panels if it would save me cash. Then they said, well actually, they were only charging $5 to remove and replace those....so if I wanted to save the $5....

    Actually had a good laugh with them and they knocked an extra $20 off the price. And they will still remove and replace the inside panels.

    Getting it done in a couple of weeks.

    Yeah, purely cosmetic, but it annoys me and since I plan on keeping this car another 10 years....
    kris
     
    #1 cyberpriusII, Aug 4, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2018
    Paul Schenck likes this.
  2. Paul Schenck

    Paul Schenck Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2013
    522
    306
    0
    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I’m a Plastic dip fan myself
    IMG_4855.jpg
    If you are handy enough to remove the two pieces of trim you’re handy enough to remove the 5 - 10mm bolts and unplug the cyclops. Then you could hand it to them and Drive away!
    Or I’d bet you could manage sandpaper, primer and any factory color from pep boys. You wanted.



    iPhone ?
     
    m.wynn and edthefox5 like this.
  3. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2014
    647
    983
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    As much as I love to save $$, the body shop people do this all the time and as noted on other threads about plastic parts (bumper notably) getting old and cracking and failing, unless it was a significant savings, I would let them do it.

    Odds, are they will do no harm, and if they do, hopefully, they will fix it properly. A 10+ year old car, plastic trim, yeah, decent risk of some cracks, splits, etc.
     
  4. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2009
    1,135
    1,560
    0
    Location:
    Iowa
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Going through the estimate, I think the remove/replace total was about $30 -- $5 for the inside trim -- and about $25 for the rest.

    The paint and all that goes into that was the lion's share.
    kris
     
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,198
    6,464
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    That price would be hard to beat - I paid $1,100 a few months ago to have the 2007's rear spoiler, hood, and front bumper cover repainted, and the dull plastic headlight lenses cleaned and sprayed.
     
    Paul Schenck likes this.
  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,795
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Just sand it down and paint it with the plastic spray paint. You csn make it look real nice. Spray paint today comes out really good, Paint it black like schenks spoiler that looks great. I would not spend $250 on that. That’s cuckoo.
    Cmon kris your a get er done girl!

    Can’t mess it up. Don’t like the color try another. $20 for paint tape and paper.
     
    #6 edthefox5, Aug 4, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2018
    m.wynn likes this.
  7. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2015
    1,014
    485
    0
    Location:
    Nh
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    I like the idea of removing it, sanding and priming it would be fast and easy, then send it to the shop for a professional finish.

    The shop sounds nice, renegotiate.
     
  8. Henribayo

    Henribayo Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2018
    19
    13
    0
    Location:
    TX
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    IMG_20180804_191153145.jpg IMG_20180804_191204328_HDR.jpg
    I did a carbon fiber wrap on my faded, peeling spoiler. Car is quite dirty, but it looks really good.
     
  9. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,795
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    What did fiber cost you I want that.
     
    Paul Schenck likes this.
  10. Henribayo

    Henribayo Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2018
    19
    13
    0
    Location:
    TX
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    Here is the link. I purchased it from Amazon.

    I purchased the 3ft x 5ft.
     
    Paul Schenck likes this.
  11. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,795
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
  12. Henribayo

    Henribayo Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2018
    19
    13
    0
    Location:
    TX
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    ----USA----
    Can you see the pic that says "Amazon?" I can see it in my previous post. I don't know why it's not showing up for you.
     
  13. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,795
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I use an iPad when on this site which is just about unusable. I will use pc. Thanks,
     
  14. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,795
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I clearly see it when on my pc. Damn ipad. Thanks.
     
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,673
    38,211
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Kinda begs the question: do they need to remove it to paint? For pros I guess yes. Still, of all the suggestions above, maybe DIY plasti-dip in matt or satin black would appeal the most to me, in place, just mask carefully. And you can always peal it off and try something else later.

    Our 3rd gen spoiler is piano gloss black, with a few battle scars from our garage door. So far I've just buffed them down then touched up with gloss black.
     
  16. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,795
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    No need to remove it. Just tape the car off. Its a very small very easy to get to body part. Super easy to paint or fiber cover.

    Tape/paper it off sand it down hit it with Valspar Plastic paint primer and then paint with Valspar Plastic paint. That stuff paints really nice. Very flat and even.

    I order that vinyl/fiber mentioned in previous post that stuff looks nice. $25 which is about same price as paint and much easier.
     
    #16 edthefox5, Aug 5, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2018