[pics] Passenger side rear bumper gap. Is this normal???

Mine 13 has the same thing going on. It really annoyed me at first but I noticed that every other Prius in town I've seen is the same way or worse. I wish it was a tighter line but I'm over it


iPad ?

 

On some Prius, the rear receiver for the smart key (if you have the 3-door system) is mounted on those studs.

 

My rear bumper fits terribly after a body shop replaced it. Wasn't like this before, even after I installed several sets of taillights. I originally thought aftermarket bumper cover, but it appears to be OEM.

 

Installed incorrectly. There are clips which hold the bumper on. You can even see in your photo that they're detached.

 

The third photo, you can see the bumper cover (flange?) warped enough for the tabs not to engage the bracket on the quarter panel. Both sides are like this.

 

Take it back to the body shop and ask them to refit the bumper cover. It appears they didn't do a very good job when assembling it; you can see in the third picture where the clips aren't properly attached.

 

I'm waiting on them to call me (I've already showed it to them). I had no problem taking off and reinstalling the sides of my original bumper cover when I did the taillights, so I know how easy it is to clip the clips in. These ones just don't even come close to engaging.

 

Was the repair done as a result of an accident? It is quite possible there is more damage than was first apparent. If so, you might need to get your insurance company involved in getting your car properly repaired.

 

It was from backing into a signpost which left a vertical line imprint in the bumper, bumper protector, and spoiler underneath. It did not appear to be very deep.

This is what my car looked like in past years, before the accident.

 

This condition is likely due the mounting bracket tabs being broken off. Care has to be taken to inspect these side mounting bracket after a hit to the bumper. Even the body shop, if they are not careful, can break these attaching pieces when removing the bumper for repair. They are extremely fragile (cheap).!I would'nt be a bit surprised if a shoddy body shop would just let them slide. On top of that, it's common for the bumper attaching loops to be torn, not allowing them to clip into the retainers.
This video will let you better understand how the bumper is attached on the side. It's a bit long but informative.

 

I've inspected the mounting bracket tabs and compared them to a new part (superseded part number is white instead of black). They look identical so I'm guessing they aren't broken. The bumper was new so I'm trying to get my head around how the tabs deteriorated like this. It is hot here but that's not really an excuse.


iPhone ?

 

I would be suspicious that non OEM parts may have been used. There are tons of them out there.

 

I took the top of the bumper out today and verified the Toyota parts stamp is there on the inside. Not sure if aftermarket has copied this. But I followed the paper trail from the body shop to the Toyota parts department. They did get it from there. It's looking like a poor quality part.


iPhone ?

 

Most body shops guarantee materials and workmanship. You may want to read the fine print.

 

It doesn't say anything about part quality but you are correct. I'm waiting for them to call me back.


iPhone ?

 

Best of luck