Any way to take plastic trim off inside Civic hatchback?

[paulri]

I need to replace the lift supports for the hatchback in my Civic. They came from RockAuto (Monroe), and when I opened them up just now, I realized I would have to lift the plastic trim off the hatchback itself. You can see the picture, where the part of one end of the lift support is attached to the hatchback, beneath the plastic trim. There is a u clip that I was able to pry up, that allowed me to remove most of the original lift support, without having to pry up the plastic trim. But after opening up the new lift supports, the construction of them is not the exact same, so I will have to remove everything that is underneath the plastic trim.

I'm hesitant to start pulling and yanking, not wanting to break anything. Does anyone know the best way to remove the plastic trim from the hatchback?

 

[eljefino]

It probably snaps in there and pries out. Anyone doing this on youtube you can watch?

If you have the "body tools" from harbor freight it goes easier than just a flat screwdriver.

https://www.harborfreight.com/nylon-pry-bar-installer-kit-4-pc-63594.html

When I had to redo my lift supports I just pulled a clip and lifted the ball joint out of its socket. Surprised these are different.

 

[paulri]

If I'm understanding you correctly, that is what I was hoping to do, although there was still some of the original support still attached to the hatchback. I did this to remove the original lift support, but it looks like I'll have to remove everything from the old support first.

Originally Posted By: eljefino


When I had to redo my lift supports I just pulled a clip and lifted the ball joint out of its socket. Surprised these are different.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
It probably snaps in there and pries out.....

Without seeing a closer pic I would agree. Unless you see visible pin push type clips on the trim piece, the back side of the piece likely has some type of expansion clip that will just pop in little slots or holes on the body. Usually they come out with the trim piece. If they are plastic, no matter how careful sometimes they break but can be easily found on the internet a the dealer.

Looking at it I too am a little surprised I doesn't just have a clip on the end of the strut itself that allows removal without having to take off the trim panel. But, perhaps not with that one and the trim piece needs removal as you note.

 

[paulri]

So was I. On that end, there is no u clip that will allow the support to be placed on or taken off--instead, it is bolted onto the piece that attaches directly to the hatchback. This is the new one:





Originally Posted By: Sayjac

Looking at it I too am a little surprised I doesn't just have a clip on the end of the strut itself that allows removal without having to take off the trim panel. But, perhaps not with that one and the trim piece needs removal as you note.

 

[Sayjac]

I didn't mean to doubt you, just the appearance in the first pic looked similar to a clip on type at the ball joint. As noted, if the clips are plastic and old it may not matter how careful you are, some may break. But, it is a common item because of that and should be easy to find.

 

[paulri]

Yeah--that first pic is the old one, which is (I believe) just as you've described, but the new one I got from Monroe isn't like that.

Originally Posted By: Sayjac
I didn't mean to doubt you, just the appearance in the first pic looked similar to a clip on type at the ball joint.

 

[Sayjac]

If you Google Honda trim panel clips and you'll see the different types. Once you get the panel off, if needed you'll be able to match up the type and either order online, usually cheaper at Amazon/ebay which come more in bulk. Or go to dealer if you only need a couple/few, but they are usually high. Not a bad idea to have some extra around anyway.

 

[paulri]

DONE!

Thanks eljefino, I got a similar set from my local HF today for $5, and that was just what I needed to pry them off. After some tinkering around (and cursing myself for not taking a phone pic of the original setup), I was able to install both lift supports.

I probably would have cheaped out and left the old lift supports (that were no longer working) up, but wifey & kids borrowed the hatchback recently and I forgot to tell them about this. I know this is a Civic, but that hatchback is heavy and comes down hard without any supports. So it needed to be done.

Thanks again. Whenever I do repairs like this for the first time, I'm always extra cautious so I appreciate any insight I can get from you folks here.

 

[earlyre]

looking at your second photo,( your pics a a bit blurry for my taste to see much) are the new ones similar to the toyota ones in this video, which come with brackets pre installed, but if you look at them, it's still the standard ball and socket type, just has the ball on a replaceable bracket they send with the parts...


if so, hopefully you'll see where i'm going with this...

 

[paulri]

No, the new ones do not have that ball and socket--at least not with the uclip--with teh new ones, I had to install the entire lift support, by screwing the entire bracket onto the hatchback lid. But I've already got the trim off, and put the new ones on. If I had been able to, I would have done what you were leading to, which was to simply take the new supports away from the new ball, and put them on the old one. That would have been easiest by far, but it didn't work out that way. Oh well its all done now.

Originally Posted By: earlyre
looking at your second photo,( your pics a a bit blurry for my taste to see much) are the new ones similar to the toyota ones in this video, which come with brackets pre installed, but if you look at them, it's still the standard ball and socket type, just has the ball on a replaceable bracket they send with the parts...

if so, hopefully you'll see where i'm going with this...

 

[paulri]

If anyone is interested, this is on sale for $5 at Harbor Freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece-auto-trim-and-molding-tool-set-67021.html

This is the one I got today. Served me well.

 

[WylieCoyote]

That tool set is a good idea. I was being really careful, but still managed to put a small divot in my shifter trim when removing it.