HELP!!! How to fix deep scratch on front lower bumper!

If you start looking closely at other Prius' you will note this is very common. The front bumper scrapes when you go into/come out of a steeper driveway (in some cases - not too steep), and as you noticed on curbs/parking stops...

Fixing it *requires* front bumper cover removal, sanding, priming, repainting. Basically $600+ any way you cut it... New bumpers aren't too expensive - $300ish - it's the priming and painting that add up.

Your other option is to get some touchup paint at Toyota (you need you VIN - it shows the correct match), sand/trim *just* the rough area, and touch it up...

Keep in mind - it happened once, and hence likely will happen again - if it were me, I'd chalk it up to experience, and touch it up....

 

Totally agree with rrolff. No way to repair it properly on the car without taking the bumper cover off and having the whole thing replaced or refinished. I received similar damage in an automatic carwash and got 3 estimates to fix... all about $600. At this point I don't plan to get it fixed since the area is really not very visible and it's vulnerable to future scuffs. There's no risk of any rust since all the the parts nearby are plastic, and unless any of the fasteners have broken or something is flapping freely, I'd say to leave it alone as well.

 

hi kalacortiella

I discovered a "pen point" paint chip (really , really small) on my new prius last week and tried to cover it up with touch up paint. It sort of did the trick but it aint perfect..some days I notice, some i dont...if it's a big scratch like I think yours is, do not get touch up paint.

I called a body shop to find out how much it would cost to take care of my problem...they have to remove the bumper (that's where the minor chip is) and sand and paint it...they say it'll cost around $400.

I figure I'll wait a year or so, after a few more scratches, to get this work done

 

Depending on how handy you are, you could fix it yourself with touch up paint, clear coat, and some 2000 grit wet sand paper.

The overall idea is to sand around the scratch to level the clear coat. Don't sand into the color though. Then use the pen side of your touchup paint to slowly fill the scratch. You'll probably need to do multiple coats. Once the scratch is level with the rest of the paint, do a quick sand and then spray a few coats of clear to blend the gloss. Buff and wax after to finish it off.

 

Has anyone come up with a solution to this problem? I was thinking maybe installing some tiny wheels under the frame on the front? I have a very steep driveway and both the front bumper, and bottom of the car scrape every time. I am currently in the process of touching up the visible parts with paint from paintscratchd0tcom, but I'm hoping to find a solution to prevent future issues as well. Any help appreciated. Thx.

 

Does approaching the apron on an angle minimize the scrape?

 

I know Amazon has some high-rated "fix" kits I'd be willing to try for bad enough gouges.

As far as preventing the problem, you gotta just learn to not pull in so close or redesign the places where this happens (e.g., your driveway).

Honestly, I would NOT buy a car if I suspected it was too low to the ground to navigate my driveway. I've had a bit of a mishap (not too visible) because some "wash out" made a rut that was a tad too deep for the Prius to handle.