2024 Prius passenger side skirt removal

Problem with your search is that it's known as a "rocker panel" not a "side skirt." I just googled 2023 Toyota Prius rocker panel and got a Genuine OEM part in the $300 range.

Rocker Panel Guard
Part Number: 7586047901
Supersession(s): 75860-47901
Molding. Rocker.
Rocker Panel Guard. Panel Guard. plate. Cover. Finish. MOULDING Assembly, RockE. Splash Guard. Weatherstrip.
Fits PRIUS (2023 - 2024)

I'm not certain of specifics of Gen 5 Prius, but in general these are not a nuts and bolts part, but something that a body shop welds into place, though some vehicles have rocker panel covers/trim.

If I were you I'd watch some you tube videos on DIY bondo jobs and fix this yourself on the cheap rather than paying someone who will massively overcharge you because it's such a new car.

 

PS: This graphic seems to indicate that this is a nuts and bolts replacements, which is surprising to me:

https://parts.conicellitoyotaofconshohocken.com/oem-parts/toyota-2023-2024-toyota-rocker-molding-7585047915?origin=pla&srsltid=AfmBOoqpKsZYlXFMH3F4it56yu6cjJ9stwm7Jc68BfdG-y7lm4oH6NZU85I

 

I think the PITA will be that the front and rear quarter panels might need to be moved to get the rocker panel off. Then lining everything up correctly after reinstalling.

 

Maybe rethink your premise, that it NEEDS to removed, for the sanding and repainting?

 

Yep... Bondo might seem tragic for such a new car, but one thing that's nice about working on white cars is it's super easy to have matching paint from a $6 spray paint can.

If it were my car an hour of labor not counting drying time and it will look as good as new. Way cheaper than replacing the rocker panel, which probably is not sold with paint, only primer.

 

On the Gen4, there are small bolts on each end in the wheel wells, two screws in the door thresholds (very important), and several plastic pop out type rivets underneath that are out of sight and very hard to pop out even with a trim tool. Remove the 2 door screws last and it falls down/off.

hope this helps

 

Wow, there's a lot of bad info on this thread already, so be careful. First, side skirt is a perfectly acceptable term to use for the part. It's more British/European, but it's also used in some regions of the US. Rocker panel is also used(more common in the US). Toyota calls it a body molding, but also uses the word rocker in the description for the US market. So it's officially a Molding Assembly, Body Rocker Panel in Toyota-speak.

Second, don't use the part number given above. You specifically said it's your passenger(right) side molding that's been damaged. The part number given above is for the drivers(left) side molding. What you actually need is part number 75850-47915. The MSRP on the part is $450.75(which is about what a dealership or body shop would charge you for it). You could buy it today for $311.64 from online Toyota dealerships that offer 31% off and include free shipping(I use Lewis Toyota out of Kansas or Premier Autoplex Toyota out of Nebraska, but there are many others that offer the same discount). If you're able to live with damage for a couple months and have a warm place to do the work in mid/late-December, you can take advantage of Toyota's Black Friday sale and get an extra 25% off - that would bring the price down to $233.73.

Next, you do NOT have an easy color to paint match. Tri-coat pearl whites are probably the hardest colors to get right. Doubly so if you have painted panels up against each other like you do with the side molding and doors. You have a few advantages with your car still being new(body color shouldn't have changed too much yet in only 24-28 months) and the panel in question being slightly in shadow and usually at least a little dirty. But using a rattle can to try and match a pearl white tri-coat is a terrible idea unless you want your car to look like a POS.



So what should you do? Especially if you can wait until Black Friday, I would buy a new molding and have it professionally painted. At $235, it's barely more expensive than paying the labor to have a body shop fix the original. In fact, there's a good chance they would just want to order a new one anyway(and charge you the $450 MSRP for it). Also, it sounds like you'd rather do the removal/reinstall yourself. If you buy and new one and have it painted, you can look at the new one and see where all the fasteners are when you're removing the damaged one. Plus, it gives you a little extra freedom to be rough with the old one when removing it.

As for where to have it done, I'd get a few quotes from local independent body shops and the dealership body shop. If they're reasonably close, I'd probably go with the dealership shop if it's got a good reputation. It's a little more likely the dealership shop has worked with this color before and might be better at applying it. Even if the dealership is more expensive, it shouldn't come out to a huge difference because it should only be a two hour job. One hour prep and one hour paint(it will take them less than that to do the job, but most shops bill a minimum of one hour for each step). There will probably be a small surcharge because it's a tri-coat, but it should be the equivalent of about 1/4 hour labor. Give the part a week or two for the paint to fully cure and harden before installing(just because of its location on the car). I had my mirror caps painted to match my body(red - also a tri-coat) at a dealership shop and it cost me something like $160-$175.

I don't think you're going to need to fully remove the black wheel trim moldings, but you'll have to partially loosen them because they overlap the side skirts just a bit. I've fully removed mine a few times and I've hated it every time. They go on super easy, but they are very tough to get off without damaging them. The upper segments from about 10 to 2 o'clock are the worst, so if you can just remove the clips and screws near the side skirt, then pop the bottom two clips out of the car and gently bend the trim enough to get the side skirt free, you'll be much better off than trying to remove the entire wheel trim.

It looks like there are 10 clips on the bottom of the panel. A spray bottle of interior detailer or diluted soap is going to be your friend here. Squirt some in and let it set for a bit. Then come back with it again or just a spray bottle with water and really get in there and spray out the clips well. Turn the spray bottle nozzle to stream and really irrigate into all the gaps in the clips with as much pressure as your spray bottle can do. Plastic clips become really difficult to work with when they've got dirt/sand/grit embedded in them. A really good cleaning will make the job hugely easier. Work out all the clips with a metal trim removal tool, or flat-tipped screwdriver, or whatever else is needed for those particular clips. Then remove the two screws under the doors. Finally, work your fingers or a nylon trim removal tool under the edge of the panel and pull it directly away from the car with short, sharp tugs to pop out all the clips holding it to the car horizontally. Looks like there are 8-10 of those. Then transfer all the clips over to the new side skirt, as well as the front door aligner pocket, and reinstall in the reverse order. I'd expect something between one and two hours of work for someone that hasn't done it before and is being careful; an experienced tech(with a lift to make it easier) could probably do it all in 15-30 min.

Hope this helps.


This place has free shipping and will have an additional 25% off during Black Friday week:
Moulding Assembly, Rocker Panel, Right Hand L/Paint

 

The part comes unpainted from Toyota. So either repair and repaint the old one or buy and paint a new one, but don't have the old one fixed and then buy a new one; that would just be a waste of a couple hundred dollars.

As for the retainer, from the design I think you insert something into the holes(maybe a needle nose pliers or something) and then rotate it 90 degrees or a 1/4 turn. Then work a trim clip removal tool underneath the lip and pry it out. I'm looking for a video to confirm, but that seems to be the way it's built. I'll come back and edit this post once I find out if I'm right or wrong.


edit: Found a video of a Camry which uses the same retainers and you do just turn it a quarter turn with a needle nose and pull.

 

If side skirt was an acceptable keyword to use they would of found endless links to the part, but they didn't so you're 100% wrong! As for the rest of your reply, I didn't even bother to read after you said: "lot of bad info on this thread already" because when it comes to bad info your reputation makes you better than most anyone on PriusChat.

 

Apparently not.

Search for "side skirt" and you'll see pages of the plastic part a lot of modern cars use below the doors. "Rocker panel" brings to mind the metal part of the car on which cars from snowy and salty environments used to see a lot of rust, the kind of part you think of when you imagine welding something in.

 

Good god, all this for a for a minor, low-down scrape? Bring it to body shop, they’ll sand it down, minor fill, mask and spray. No parts removal. Or replacement lol.

 

I would think of that like the first scratch on a watch. It's officially used and mine, and I'm not responsible for keeping it pristine.

That view may not be universal.

 

You're very wise...

I remember as a kid how freaked out my dad was about protecting his cars from scratches and how upset he'd get. So when I got my first car and was filling it with gas and spilled gas on the side of it I had the same reaction my dad had and I caught myself and said, "I'm not going to live my life like that."

Fast forward 40 years and I'm so appreciative that I have that part of my dad in me when it comes to cleaning cars, houses and gardens. I love addressing even the tiniest detail. But I try not to ruin my day when stuff gets damaged or scratched.

 

This is precisely why I get on the forums for owners of brand new Prius... It's hilarious and entertaining how much they freak out about their first ding or dent or scratch. I especially enjoy the ones that start out. "Spilled my drink in the car. How do I clean it up?" Lol...

 

Mechanics, and body shops, are cagey about removing any more than is efficient. I have no idea why OP figured that piece needed to come off to be painted. A seamless, professional paint job could have been done on that without taking anything off, maybe just raise the car a little, that's all.

 

Labour costs are high now, if they can get a discounted whole new part, that may actually be cheaper than the labour to have it fill mask and sprayed, sadly. At $100 an hour labour charged to the customer, sand, fill, mask, prep, could be 3 or 4 hours charged plus shop supplies, and suddenly a 250$ plastic piece being painted on its own is going to be cheaper. Keep in mind that they probably don't want to pull the WHOLE car into their paint booth, mask the whole thing to avoid overspray (if doing the job proper), and its an awkward place to paint. So they'd more likely pull the part off the car first, and that's going to be charged labour too. So I can easily see a 3 hour labour charge plus the painting, etc.

when shops are busy, they don't want small jobs, because thats not worth it for them vs bigger jobs. So they will factor in the opportunity cost of a larger job being set aside for the smaller job, and that's gonna come across in the quote. Welcome to 2025. Can't even get a contractor to do a small bathroom without charging obscene prices because half a day of work is better spent a full day elsewhere.

 

I suspect they don't want small jobs because cars take up a lot of space... But if you bring just the part to them, it might not be as much of an issue.