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Refreshing a 2007

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by BigFatGuy, Mar 9, 2018.

  1. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    I've seen build threads on other forums and find them interesting, so maybe someone here will get something out of this one.

    I have a 2007 Prius base model (I believe it's a II) that has served us well. We bought it summer 2010 in the midst of recall madness. A Chevy dealer gave us a good deal, $10,500 with 55k on it. It looked like this when we got it home (and yanked the beauty rings):

    [​IMG]

    Well, it's not 2010 anymore. And the odometer reads 184k now. Time and miles have taken their toll.

    [​IMG]

    It doesn't look great, but it's needed all of $40 in repairs this entire time, so it deserves to be rebuilt. That was for a blower motor from RockAuto that I swapped. Otherwise, it's been maintenance and wear items like tires.
    Mods are 1-inch lowering springs, generic brace/plate, and some leather interior bits pulled on a salvage yard run.
    Damage is almost entirely cosmetic. Roof clear coat has died.

    [​IMG]

    Front bumper, grille, and chrome accent are trash from a love tap in a parking lot.

    [​IMG]

    Headlights are hazy garbage.

    [​IMG]

    Might need a new hood too. It sits wrong. Not sure if that's the bumper though....

    [​IMG]

    I'll probably have a few questions down the road. ;)
     
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  2. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    Headlamps can be easily fixed (see youtube). Looks in fairly good shape, shame about the clear-coat! What happened?
     
  3. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    I decided I liked the looks of the fog lights, plus we had a super foggy morning when I was eBaying, so $25 fog light kit. I felt like that was a good deal.

    [​IMG]

    Not pictured: the big center part of the grille. I think that seemed a bit high at $35. Then the chrome grille for $20.

    [​IMG]

    And finally the bumper.

    [​IMG]

    This thing was ridiculous! RockAuto had a slightly better price, at $55. But shipping was something absurd, like $140. So I checked eBay, and found one for $60.............. with free shipping. Bought on a Monday, it was here Wednesday. Yeah, they got a 5 star review.
     
    #3 BigFatGuy, Mar 9, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2018
    WilDavis likes this.
  4. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    Too late. Did I mention I like eBay?

    [​IMG]

    As for the clear coat, it's a victim of Oklahoma weather. Freezing winters, 100* summers, tons of sunshine, and I insultingly park it in front of the garage, never in it (wife's 2013 Prius and my FR-S live there). I'm not surprised, but I'm also not certain what to do there. I'm thinking light sanding to remove the rest of it, then spray a new clear, but I'm not sure if that would work.

    I do want to try my hand at spraying the bumper. Is there a good source for Prius paint colors?
     
  5. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    Oh, and my windshield is cracked. :confused: That's probably first.

    [​IMG]
     
  6. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    WP_20180324_15_56_38_Rich.jpg WP_20180324_17_43_09_Rich.jpg

    Well, good thing I didn't promise quick updates. Haven't been working on it due to cleaning the garage and installing a block heater on wife's gen 3, and an intake for the FRS. But, now the garage is clean and workable.
    Worked on the interior, finally replaced the driver's door panel that cracked years ago. I think it was maybe $10 from the salvage yard.
     
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  7. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    Slower progress than I thought. I had a slow leak in a tire, turns out I needed 4 new tires. Glad that's done. Finally got the windshield replaced. Safelite was $375 out of pocket, but they did a good job.
    Primed and painted the front bumper. I was figuring out my first paint gun and went too heavy. Will need some sanding and another coat. Starting to get there tho.
    Found some used Weds wheels for cheap.....
     

    Attached Files:

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  8. egg_salad

    egg_salad Active Member

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    Do you wish to sell the trim rings?
     
  9. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    Well, I put them back on the car, just to clean up the garage. I do hate the way they look though, especially since Discount Tire put the wheel weights on the outside rim, preventing the ring from sitting flat. I'm leaning towards the Weds, so if I get them, I'd be fine with selling the rings. Probably not worth it though. Shipping would be at least a 16" by 16" by 12" box, and the things litter salvage yards for $2 each.....
     
  10. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    Bumper is finished.
    Lessons learned: Tools will cost ~$60 if you don't have any to start. About $40 in supplies.
    Follow all instructions. They are there for a reason.
    Turn up the PSI on the compressor and the gun. This cheapo $13 Harbor Freight gun works well with a lot of air.
    Get close, like less than a foot away from the painting surface.
    Wear a respirator. I bought the highest rated one on Amazon (maybe $40), and couldn't have done this job without it.
    Wait for it to dry fully before handling it.

    [​IMG]

    Now to add the chrome bit, grille, and fog lights this weekend. Going to try and mount everything up this weekend, with the new headlights. I'll probably wait on the wiring of the fog lights, as we get fog about twice a year.
     
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  11. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Nice work!

    Can't wait to see how the roof comes out..... ;)
     
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  12. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    Nice job! (…gotta love that grey! :rolleyes:)
     
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  13. egg_salad

    egg_salad Active Member

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    Thank you for taking the time to reply. Although G2 Prius are rarely found in junkyards here, I'm told I can order a set of Chinese knockoff trim rings on eBay for $44 shipped, which is probably less than I could buy them from you and have you ship them.
     
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  14. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Curious is you added any flex additives (elastomeric coatings) for the various stages or spray applications.
     
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  15. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    ^The eBay paint kit comes with 1 pint of paint and 1 of clear that you mix together 50/50. I'm not sure what the clear stuff is, but it could be that. This is obviously an idiot's project, not expecting factory quality.
     
  16. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    It's raining and cool, so I'm not replacing stuff today. Went to the salvage yard after getting an email from LKQ that two 2nd gens hit the yard this week I stole a rear wheel & tire from the wrecked one, as its tires looked brand new. Now it's got a full-size spare.


    Why is my MFD dimming? Is that the same problem as the 2004? It doesn't flicker exactly, just randomly goes dimmer for a few seconds, then comes back. It doesn't seem to be dependent on bumps in the road or anything, just completely random. Hits the driver's cluster as well as center MFD....
     
    #16 BigFatGuy, Jun 24, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2018
  17. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Sorry but I think the whole idea is......(what you said).
    Likely that it will go on FOREVER.
    Hope it's not your only vehicle.
     
  18. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    Guess how I know you didn't read the thread. ;)
    And it'll be done before mid Aug when I give it to my son. Thanks for the helpful comment tho.
     
  19. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    You're right. I don't read and absorb every word in every post.

    With a high mileage 11 year old vehicle, no matter what brand or model, the odds are that it will be a maintenance headache for the rest of it's useful life. Some people enjoy or can live with that but most don't. And some get lucky. For you son's sake, I hope you are one of the lucky ones.
     
  20. BigFatGuy

    BigFatGuy Member

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    ^But, that's the thing. It has cost a total of $40 in maintenance so far. That's why I'm giving it to my son as a high school car. It's great to learn on, cheap to operate, and should be reliable. Yeah, the big expensive battery swap is coming in the next year or two most likely, but it's still a good car. Better to improve and reuse than throw away for something new. I'm not trying for a perfect factory show car here, just something that looks less beat up so he isn't embarrassed by it.

    Speaking of, I fixed the clearcoat on the rear spoiler. Actually, I didn't, I just paid $15 for one from the junk yard that had spent its life in a garage. Yeah, it's dirty, but I'll get there.

    [​IMG]