Plastic push clips

troymcclure

troymcclure

Joined
Oct 15, 2021
Messages
35
Is it just me getting my car back from repair work with a bunch of these missing? I normally like to work on my car but know my limits and send out anything beyond my scope. On three or four jobs now on two separate cars at both dealers and well rated shops with good reputations, they were returned with various trim pieces loose and missing these clips. I understand they break when you pull them sometimes but Jeff Bezos’ store sells generic variety packs for cheap. Surely shops can stock these. It’s my perspective that the engineers wouldn’t put a fastener unless it was absolutely needed since cutting fasteners saves a ton of money on a production line. OCD me went ahead and bought the replacements to put them in since it’s cheap and way faster than returning to the shop to bring it up.
 
Yes, many shop do stock these clips and this happens all the time with many customers who probably never notice. And even shops who are held in high regard by their customer base can be thrifty and lax. And it could be the Tech themselves who were too lazy to look for new clips.

YouTubes "Rain Man Rays Repairs" said that it is the few techs who give the other 300,000 of us a bad reputation. He was speaking more about the shyster, scammers in the business than the tech who missed a few fasteners. But you get the idea.
You did the right thing be buying some for yourself. I keep some around too because I break them often especially in the cold.
 
I'd bet most shops keep boxes of clips but it's up to the worker to decide whether or not to replace them. I suspect the thoughts of either "eh, that's good enough" or "they'll never notice" cross their minds too.... What one could do is leave bag of a dozen clips in the car and tell them "I know those clips break easily so I put a bunch on the passenger seat for you" (hint, hint). They know a) you care about that, b) you will notice, this way.
 
I always do my best to replace but often it has to be a different style. On something like splash guards it doesn't matter (IMO) if it's different so long as it does the job. Obviously if it's an interior clip that's visible it may matter a lot

I'd actually say it's impossible to stock every variant, but you can stock acceptable substitutes for the majority of common applications.

What's more annoying to me is when a vehicle shows up with 50% of them missing, like on a splash shield. In those instances I do my best to replace what I can -- even though I didn't create the problem I fear it could look like 100% my fault. If plastic is cracked or holes are ovalized, well.....not much I can do
 
Thankfully they are cheap on Amazon or Ebay in lots of 100. I have accumulated several different types over time. Its just the way things are, there are few clip standards where this one would be appreciated.
 
Unfortunately, the bigger issue imo is far too many of these plastic push pin clips are now being used and required for even common and relatively simple maintenance items like oil and filter changes. Two examples of that I've seen recently on youtube, current model Nissan Rogue and Sentra require ~17-20 push pin clips to be removed in addition to some bolts, and complete removal of engine protector needed. That's absurd imo. And no matter what, clips are going to break at some point.

Yes, shops should replace the all the clips as they found them, and have spares on hand. But, what should be isn't always reality. Knowing this, best thing an owner that cares (like the OP) can do, have spares on hand and be prepared to replace them.
 
This is a good thread to ask. I was going to buy one of those big clip kits off Amazon. Do they usually have what you need in them, or do these clips vary a lot in size? I need a few, as others have said I noticed some missing after I had my Honda Pilots timing belt done. Usually do my own repairs, and this is why, but I was concerned I wouldn't get that famous crank bolt off.
 
We stock a large selection of these various clips/retainers and often times are putting them in where we see them missing even before we do our work because our goal is to return your vehicle in the condition the factory built it or better. It's all rolled into our "shop supplies" line item on the invoice. There's not reason other then tech laziness to not do the job correctly. So to other's points, a few bad techs tarnish the reputation of mechanics and many shops. We could probably add another topic to this forum just to discuss shoddy work we all see - I will be very entertained by that myself!
 
On both my cars I've removed the pins that hold the bottom of the grille in. That way I can pull out the top pins and easily take the grille out. This way the front of the radiator and condenser are accessible. Usually used for blocking the radiator off in the Accent for winter.
 
I have a box of various sized push clips I got from Home Depot for like $20… but when I don’t ever want to mess with it again….


1701971009903.jpeg


When in doubt - zip it out.

1701971119101.jpeg
 
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