...knowing you were the b*stard responsible for the invention of these
Just removed a few of them from the wheel well where they are simply not fit for purpose. You have a device that relies on a thread which has a 100% chance of getting clogged with dirt preventing its normal operation, with a philips head made from a material that can withstand less torque than it takes to operate the thread. Insane!
Before any bright spark says they're not intended to be removed...if that was they case they'd be rivets.
Not that bad, I work in a panel shop and I can safely say there are way worse clips than this.
Quite easy to knock the heads off with a chisel and just replace them, you can buy a pack of 100 for under $20 and you can keep your sanity
I have a stock at home and just replace any that give trouble. When changing my oil filter, I put a little olive oil on the thread of the ones that hold the rubber flap and they come out easily, I just wash any area where I want to remove them from.
Grant L1 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2023 4:19 am
I have a stock at home and just replace any that give trouble. When changing my oil filter, I put a little olive oil on the thread of the ones that hold the rubber flap and they come out easily, I just wash any area where I want to remove them from.
The issue with these in a wheel well for example is you cant get to the back of them to clean/lube the thread before removing them.
I've removed and reinstalled heaps on the wheel well flap when changing my filter. I just use a sharp metal pick to get the centre bit out a few mm, then get my side cutting pliers to pull them out. When re-installing just separate the 2 bits, install the base then the centre part.
My gripe with these clips is they barely hold the plastic panels down securely.
I've found with in a few places in the front wheel well where they slowly work themselves out as the hole they are designed to fit into is too big!