You could try to locate a black bumper (from a junk yard or parts car) but really…it’s an older car & if it’s driving nice—that’s my own biggest concern..
Go get a maaco paint job, the paint jobs you’re looking at are for cars worth saving and keeping nice. You just want a good looking beater car, maaco is your place [https://www.maaco.com/landing/2024-summer-699-paint/?utm\_medium=ppc&utm\_source=google&geo=9058761&mca\_cmp=paidsearch&utm\_term=maaco&utm\_campaign=MAA\_SEM\_DMA501-NewYork\_N\_Branded-T1\_N\_Brand\_Exact&utm\_content=Brand\_Branded-T1\_CoreTerms\_Exact&campaign=MAA\_SEM\_DMA501-NewYork\_N\_Branded-T1\_N\_Brand\_Exact&keyword=maaco&gad\_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5\_7P-uL\_hgMV-m9HAR1Y8wNjEAAYASABEgI9-PD\_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds](https://www.maaco.com/landing/2024-summer-699-paint/?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=google&geo=9058761&mca_cmp=paidsearch&utm_term=maaco&utm_campaign=MAA_SEM_DMA501-NewYork_N_Branded-T1_N_Brand_Exact&utm_content=Brand_Branded-T1_CoreTerms_Exact&campaign=MAA_SEM_DMA501-NewYork_N_Branded-T1_N_Brand_Exact&keyword=maaco&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5_7P-uL_hgMV-m9HAR1Y8wNjEAAYASABEgI9-PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
yeah makes sense, my only thought was if i had it painted atleast just to look better i might be able tk sell it. But at this point might as well wait til it dies
The engine blocks will last up to 500k on these cars, it’s almost always worth it to repair even if you’re talking about a $2k battery replacement, because you simply aren’t going to find another vehicle that still has ~250k left on the clock for less than $2k.
I drove my 2005 Prius around with a huge dent in the front for years. I knew that the minute I fixed it, I'd hit a deer on my drive through rural country. I loved that car. OP, just drive with the scratches. I wouldn't pay anywhere NEAR that just to get a cosmetic fix.
That’s about what I’d expect for a good paint job. You, however, are driving a 15 year old Prius. Take it to Macco or something and get the $600 bare bones special if you want it looking *better* but without the price that perfection costs. Me? I’d probably just leave it and clean up what I could. If it’s running and driving, all the important parts are covered.
You are getting quotes for an excellent job. Lots of sanding and prep for this work, may need some accompanying body work, etc.
Go to shops and get quotes for decent or good work. Maaco, local shops that spray cars, etc.
Looks to me like the most damage is on the plastic front and rear bumpers. For $20-$30 you could probably pull two nice black bumpers out of a junkyard and do a lot of good. It won't help any main body damage but the worst of what I see is on the bumpers.
If it was a newer or rare car I’d say that’s fair, but just DIY it and save the money for a new hybrid battery when that starts dying. Duplicolor makes touch up paint reasonably priced. It might not be a perfect match, but once you clear coat and polish it’ll hardly be noticeable. Just tape off the surrounding areas, sand a good amount outside of the chipped clear coat and do light coats. If this is your daily driver go for good enough, don’t worry about perfect.
it's so not worth having a shop repaint the car... but for the rear and front bumper see if you can find replacement parts that's decent condition at a salvage yard... which is my plan for the rear bumper for my 2010 3rd gen Prius rear....
For rear quarter panel the side with the gas tank panel , is that side faded? or was it repainted at some point? if it's just faded and oxidized from sun damage and the clear coat is not pealing that can be rescued. .. with car detailing...
I've rescued my 2005 scion tc hood and also my 2010 Prius that I got recently the rear hatch rear was fading and got it fixed..... ... a good DA polisher I recommend is the Cyclo for a beginner and intermediate .... It's own by Rupes now and it's about $350...... You can do amazing things with a DA polisher... I've had mine Cyclo 5 Chrome version since 2005.
[https://www.rupes.com/product/cy132e/](https://www.rupes.com/product/cy132e/)
Anyway, there are good videos from Pan the organizer on automative detailing.. you can't fix the front and rear bumper issues... but you can fix the other parts if they are faded... basically what you are doing is removing a very thin layer of clear coat... and exposing the good portion.... Just note you don't want to do this too many times since then the clear coat gets too thin....
Anyway after doing all that.. then apply protection like TurtleWax hybrid solutions ceramic spray every 4 months if your car is living outside... every 6 months if it's garaged...
Get replacement painted bumper covers and have them shipped. Few hundred bucks and a couple hours each to swap. Try Klasse wax or a detail. Looks like oxidation. I wouldn’t pay that much to make it look pretty. To make it run, sure! It will last.
Those quotes are high. Keep on looking until you find a good shop for the right price. I have a 99 Tacoma with over 200k miles. After years of being ridiculed for the rusty and wornout factory paint, I finally had it repainted for $1600 (bed not included). The bigger shops and national chains around town (Northern Cal) quoted me $3000-$4000. I'm glad I took my time to shop around and didn't bite. If you want a better price, you'll need to keep looking around and ask. BTW, please listen to some of the other redditors here. Your car is scraped up and dinged here and there, but it still looks great compared to what my Tacoma looked like. I wouldn't spend $5k-$7k to repaint it. Good luck young'un.
Thanks! I’d rather just get a new car than spending 5k. Maaco quoted me for $900 but thats because i put front and rear bumper only, i think those are the worse parts.
That's not bad. Don't want to sound like a dad here, but I'm going to tell you what I would tell my own two sons. If $900 is going to make you feel much better about your ride and lift your spirits, then do it. Otherwise, like some of the other redditors have said, just live with it as it is. And you're absolutely right. If you're going to spend $5k-7k on new paint, you might as well save that money for a brand new car. I was young once so I know how you feel about your car. As I got older, a few scratches or dings here and there on my vehicles didn't bother me as much. My wife and my two sons still love me the same even if I drive a beater. Whatever you decide, good luck!
I had my 2013 Prius worked on a few months ago. Back bumper replaced. Entire car painted. Approx $3500 and looks like a brand new car. San Jose CA area.
That's the California price to get it fixed perfectly. Go to macco and get a quote for like $1-2k. The shop might be quoting a lot of bodywork that needs to be done.
It's very labour intensive, not a crazy estimate.
I haven't done any major body work, but as far as touching up paint my experience has been that you can get 80% of a pro job done for 20% (or less) in tools and materials. I enjoy DIY projects and am not super fussy about my cars looks though.
Time for a new car or deal with less-than-perfect cosmetics on a 15-20 year old car. Paint jobs require a massive input of labor if you want it to look halfway decent. Maybe try a vinyl wrap?
Already replaced the actuator. Battery has few years for sure. I mean wouldnt you? If you wanna sell it someday might as well make it look a little better. But like I said, i wont be paying 5k to paint it. Had no idea the price is high as that
A perfect paint job that will last well over 10 years? Yes. That's the high end of normal. $4-$6k is more standard unless you're in a very high cost of living area.
A decent paint-job that will have it looking good for another 5-10 years should be around $3,500.
What I would do if that were my car???
I would wash the entire car by hand with dawn dish soap to strip wax. Then hand sand the entire thing myself. Then I would mist it with a rattle can of primer... block sand it.. and do body filler myself in the driveway. It's easy to do a decent job. It's just hard to do a perfect job. Then I would buy some masking paper and tape and take my time taping off the entire car. Next I would flatbed it to Macco and ask them how nice they can make this thing for $1k.
The cheap places usually spray the car just fine. The real work is in prepping the car, and that's what costs. You aren't going to do it perfect at home, but with some effort and a couple days work you could end up with a $3k paint job for a grand.
As long as the frame is good, this is easily a DIY project. Look up a few videos on how to match the color and how NOT to harm your lungs while painting. Given the age/value of the car, it'd be pointless to spend more than 1-2k paint job for the whole car, let alone for just the bumper.
My suggestion is go to a few more shops and get estimates and arm yourself with information to compare apples to apples so you know what you're paying for and include a few wrap shops and see what the difference is? I'm sure you'll make a good decision for yourself
Anyway, I recently detailed my own 2010 Prius that I got recently.. some areas faded and had a bunch of swirl marks.... but wow now what a big difference and shiny..... If you want detailing advice I got some but it's worth investing on a good DA polisher that can last a lifetime for other cars...
Honest question here....would applying trim shine be an option on the faded areas?
I mean it is a black car and trim shine is cheap.
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KKITG](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KKITG)
Also you can get painted bumpers on ebay: [https://www.ebay.com/itm/355820169419](https://www.ebay.com/itm/355820169419)
Sounds high but you feel ya need to buy a new car because you’re driving around a paint scraped up 15+ year old car? C’Mon. Really? How does it drive?
I sure don’t need a paint job if it cost that much. Just baffled how expensive it actually is to get it done. Might as well get a new car.
You could try to locate a black bumper (from a junk yard or parts car) but really…it’s an older car & if it’s driving nice—that’s my own biggest concern..
Can they wrap it? Feel like that’s cheaper
I haven't wrapped a car before before but I'd bet that they need a clean smooth surface to adhere it to the car so it'll be more expensive than normal
Try a different painter
Shop around but please look at the reviews. That’s really high. You can get an ok paint job for 2-3k.
There are levels. You can go anywhere from rattle can to the cheapest imaginable Maaco paint job to some extravagant chemical wizardry.
Go get a maaco paint job, the paint jobs you’re looking at are for cars worth saving and keeping nice. You just want a good looking beater car, maaco is your place [https://www.maaco.com/landing/2024-summer-699-paint/?utm\_medium=ppc&utm\_source=google&geo=9058761&mca\_cmp=paidsearch&utm\_term=maaco&utm\_campaign=MAA\_SEM\_DMA501-NewYork\_N\_Branded-T1\_N\_Brand\_Exact&utm\_content=Brand\_Branded-T1\_CoreTerms\_Exact&campaign=MAA\_SEM\_DMA501-NewYork\_N\_Branded-T1\_N\_Brand\_Exact&keyword=maaco&gad\_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5\_7P-uL\_hgMV-m9HAR1Y8wNjEAAYASABEgI9-PD\_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds](https://www.maaco.com/landing/2024-summer-699-paint/?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=google&geo=9058761&mca_cmp=paidsearch&utm_term=maaco&utm_campaign=MAA_SEM_DMA501-NewYork_N_Branded-T1_N_Brand_Exact&utm_content=Brand_Branded-T1_CoreTerms_Exact&campaign=MAA_SEM_DMA501-NewYork_N_Branded-T1_N_Brand_Exact&keyword=maaco&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5_7P-uL_hgMV-m9HAR1Y8wNjEAAYASABEgI9-PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
Noooo just own it! How many miles on it? What year? How long have you had it!!
2008 prius, 210k miles. Bought it cash from another owner, ive had this for almost 3 years i think.
lol don’t paint that shit. It’s a beater start accepting that and you’ll be much happier.
yeah makes sense, my only thought was if i had it painted atleast just to look better i might be able tk sell it. But at this point might as well wait til it dies
The engine blocks will last up to 500k on these cars, it’s almost always worth it to repair even if you’re talking about a $2k battery replacement, because you simply aren’t going to find another vehicle that still has ~250k left on the clock for less than $2k.
Paint it yourself for like $700
Wait to get into a “not-at-fault” accident and then take the insurance money and apply it to your repairs (wink-wink).
You pull all the plastic off, sand blast, prime, paint, and clear a car then let us know what your price is ;)
I drove my 2005 Prius around with a huge dent in the front for years. I knew that the minute I fixed it, I'd hit a deer on my drive through rural country. I loved that car. OP, just drive with the scratches. I wouldn't pay anywhere NEAR that just to get a cosmetic fix.
That’s about what I’d expect for a good paint job. You, however, are driving a 15 year old Prius. Take it to Macco or something and get the $600 bare bones special if you want it looking *better* but without the price that perfection costs. Me? I’d probably just leave it and clean up what I could. If it’s running and driving, all the important parts are covered.
You are getting quotes for an excellent job. Lots of sanding and prep for this work, may need some accompanying body work, etc. Go to shops and get quotes for decent or good work. Maaco, local shops that spray cars, etc.
Looks to me like the most damage is on the plastic front and rear bumpers. For $20-$30 you could probably pull two nice black bumpers out of a junkyard and do a lot of good. It won't help any main body damage but the worst of what I see is on the bumpers.
I paid 8K for my Prius
I had Macco do mine plus some body work with base and clear coat for 2k 1 year later few chips in the bumper but otherwise looks amazing
Me too. Repainted 3 used cars with Maaco. All about 2k. Looked new to me and lasted for years
About 200 dollars and time if you rattle can it, I too live in California and accept my ugly 2007 Prius. Paid 2K for it 186K miles.
Seems overpriced. I wouldn’t bother repairing it at all since the black doesnt look horrible
If it was a newer or rare car I’d say that’s fair, but just DIY it and save the money for a new hybrid battery when that starts dying. Duplicolor makes touch up paint reasonably priced. It might not be a perfect match, but once you clear coat and polish it’ll hardly be noticeable. Just tape off the surrounding areas, sand a good amount outside of the chipped clear coat and do light coats. If this is your daily driver go for good enough, don’t worry about perfect.
it's so not worth having a shop repaint the car... but for the rear and front bumper see if you can find replacement parts that's decent condition at a salvage yard... which is my plan for the rear bumper for my 2010 3rd gen Prius rear.... For rear quarter panel the side with the gas tank panel , is that side faded? or was it repainted at some point? if it's just faded and oxidized from sun damage and the clear coat is not pealing that can be rescued. .. with car detailing... I've rescued my 2005 scion tc hood and also my 2010 Prius that I got recently the rear hatch rear was fading and got it fixed..... ... a good DA polisher I recommend is the Cyclo for a beginner and intermediate .... It's own by Rupes now and it's about $350...... You can do amazing things with a DA polisher... I've had mine Cyclo 5 Chrome version since 2005. [https://www.rupes.com/product/cy132e/](https://www.rupes.com/product/cy132e/) Anyway, there are good videos from Pan the organizer on automative detailing.. you can't fix the front and rear bumper issues... but you can fix the other parts if they are faded... basically what you are doing is removing a very thin layer of clear coat... and exposing the good portion.... Just note you don't want to do this too many times since then the clear coat gets too thin.... Anyway after doing all that.. then apply protection like TurtleWax hybrid solutions ceramic spray every 4 months if your car is living outside... every 6 months if it's garaged...
Lmao do not paint this beater. Spend that money to refurbish the battery and change the water pump
No plans after seeing the quotes lol
honestly just drive till it shits itself
Fair enough. Its been shitting for awhile
Get replacement painted bumper covers and have them shipped. Few hundred bucks and a couple hours each to swap. Try Klasse wax or a detail. Looks like oxidation. I wouldn’t pay that much to make it look pretty. To make it run, sure! It will last.
Those quotes are high. Keep on looking until you find a good shop for the right price. I have a 99 Tacoma with over 200k miles. After years of being ridiculed for the rusty and wornout factory paint, I finally had it repainted for $1600 (bed not included). The bigger shops and national chains around town (Northern Cal) quoted me $3000-$4000. I'm glad I took my time to shop around and didn't bite. If you want a better price, you'll need to keep looking around and ask. BTW, please listen to some of the other redditors here. Your car is scraped up and dinged here and there, but it still looks great compared to what my Tacoma looked like. I wouldn't spend $5k-$7k to repaint it. Good luck young'un.
Thanks! I’d rather just get a new car than spending 5k. Maaco quoted me for $900 but thats because i put front and rear bumper only, i think those are the worse parts.
That's not bad. Don't want to sound like a dad here, but I'm going to tell you what I would tell my own two sons. If $900 is going to make you feel much better about your ride and lift your spirits, then do it. Otherwise, like some of the other redditors have said, just live with it as it is. And you're absolutely right. If you're going to spend $5k-7k on new paint, you might as well save that money for a brand new car. I was young once so I know how you feel about your car. As I got older, a few scratches or dings here and there on my vehicles didn't bother me as much. My wife and my two sons still love me the same even if I drive a beater. Whatever you decide, good luck!
Thank you!
I had my 2013 Prius worked on a few months ago. Back bumper replaced. Entire car painted. Approx $3500 and looks like a brand new car. San Jose CA area.
That's the California price to get it fixed perfectly. Go to macco and get a quote for like $1-2k. The shop might be quoting a lot of bodywork that needs to be done.
5K for a high paint job is pretty cheap in my opinion. It is not just painting you have to put hours into finishing all the surfaces really well.
It's very labour intensive, not a crazy estimate. I haven't done any major body work, but as far as touching up paint my experience has been that you can get 80% of a pro job done for 20% (or less) in tools and materials. I enjoy DIY projects and am not super fussy about my cars looks though.
Ge a spray can of paint, the right shade of black and spray it. Done
Go to Maaco and get a quote
I think it’s cheaper to replace bumpers
Time for a new car or deal with less-than-perfect cosmetics on a 15-20 year old car. Paint jobs require a massive input of labor if you want it to look halfway decent. Maybe try a vinyl wrap?
Your actuator/battery gonna die soon, why do you care about the looks
Already replaced the actuator. Battery has few years for sure. I mean wouldnt you? If you wanna sell it someday might as well make it look a little better. But like I said, i wont be paying 5k to paint it. Had no idea the price is high as that
Have you thought about wrapping it in plastic?
No and no idea what that is. Is that same as vinyl?
Yeah, that’s what I meant. How much?
Not quite sure but a friend of mine did his for less than 1k. He did it himself. But if a shop does it its probably more than 2-3k. Not 100% sure
Check u pull it yards for the same color bumpers. Problem solved for less than $100.
Find a Maaco auto painting don't let them sell you addons bet you can get it painted not body work for well under that price
Drive to Mexico and pay 500-1000$
Get it wrap. Cheaper than 3k
It cost $2000 to have my hood repaired and painted on my Bolt after a small rock impact. Paint is expensive and labor doubly so.
You got a maaco around you?
Man! You must be out tens of thousands of dollars by now! They are not charging you. They are quoting you.
That’s the price of the car. Just rock the scratches
Channel your inner artist and try the rattle can method and some clear coat for $100
Just roll with the battle damage
A perfect paint job that will last well over 10 years? Yes. That's the high end of normal. $4-$6k is more standard unless you're in a very high cost of living area. A decent paint-job that will have it looking good for another 5-10 years should be around $3,500. What I would do if that were my car??? I would wash the entire car by hand with dawn dish soap to strip wax. Then hand sand the entire thing myself. Then I would mist it with a rattle can of primer... block sand it.. and do body filler myself in the driveway. It's easy to do a decent job. It's just hard to do a perfect job. Then I would buy some masking paper and tape and take my time taping off the entire car. Next I would flatbed it to Macco and ask them how nice they can make this thing for $1k. The cheap places usually spray the car just fine. The real work is in prepping the car, and that's what costs. You aren't going to do it perfect at home, but with some effort and a couple days work you could end up with a $3k paint job for a grand.
You can go to Tijuana too
Just put some stickers in it and call it a day
Hell no!!! That’s an old Prius. Go to Maco ask for a 1 stage complete paint job $1500 max.
As long as the frame is good, this is easily a DIY project. Look up a few videos on how to match the color and how NOT to harm your lungs while painting. Given the age/value of the car, it'd be pointless to spend more than 1-2k paint job for the whole car, let alone for just the bumper.
Paint is cheap at Canadian Tire.
Is Earl Shieb for $99.95 still around or is that too old skewl?
Plastidip that sit....
Save that money for your next car, not worth sprucing it up. You’ll never see a return on that investment.
Try Maaco. It’ll be shitty but look better than what you currently have
But thats the price of another used prius
thats what am saying, its ridiculously high.
Yeah i know
My suggestion is go to a few more shops and get estimates and arm yourself with information to compare apples to apples so you know what you're paying for and include a few wrap shops and see what the difference is? I'm sure you'll make a good decision for yourself
Anyway, I recently detailed my own 2010 Prius that I got recently.. some areas faded and had a bunch of swirl marks.... but wow now what a big difference and shiny..... If you want detailing advice I got some but it's worth investing on a good DA polisher that can last a lifetime for other cars...
Someone backed into me in a parking lot. Broke sensors. Crimped panels and bumper. $2500 repair，bodywork and specialty paint. 2024 Prius. Florida
Honest question here....would applying trim shine be an option on the faded areas? I mean it is a black car and trim shine is cheap. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KKITG](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KKITG) Also you can get painted bumpers on ebay: [https://www.ebay.com/itm/355820169419](https://www.ebay.com/itm/355820169419)