Trim Clip Removal

[The Critic]

My Ram pickup uses a lot of these trim clips. These clips are extremely difficult to remove and they are always slightly damaged after even just one r/r. Is there any way to make this process more painless? I have tried numerous different trim tools with the same result.

(Most of my experience is with Asian vehicles and they do not use this type of clip?)

 

[ctechbob]

Working car audio for years and taking apart more interiors than I care to remember....nope, that's about all you can ask for out of a 'christmas tree' fastener.

Once the plastic ages some, the heads will either pop off, or will strain and make a nice little white circle in the middle.

 

[The Critic]

Working car audio for years and taking apart more interiors than I care to remember....nope, that's about all you can ask for out of a 'christmas tree' fastener.

Once the plastic ages some, the heads will either pop off, or will strain and make a nice little white circle in the middle.

Excellent. It sounds like I have been “spoiled” by Asian vehicles.

 

[dishdude]

Excellent. It sounds like I have been “spoiled” by Asian vehicles.

They just use a different style of cheesy trim fastener, they're all crap.

 

[LenZee]

Excellent. It sounds like I have been “spoiled” by Asian vehicles.

Amazon has cheap assortments of these fasteners.
https://www.amazon.com/Frokom-240pc...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= One of many.

 

[The Critic]

They just use a different style of cheesy trim fastener, they're all crap.

The 2-piece Toyota ones (and even their 1-piece ones) appear to be constructed from a harder material and do not experience this type of damage.

 

[ctechbob]

Amazon has cheap assortments of these fasteners.
https://www.amazon.com/Frokom-240pcs-Plastic-Retainer-Fasteners/dp/B0B3J1N6PL/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=5Q0SG4B3AVA9&keywords=car+trim+clip&qid=1669435920&sprefix=car+trim+clip,aps,82&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyMjFMQjFJVzZPV01FJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDAyOTMzMkU1REIySzhCMENMNCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDYzNDY1MVRSSUYwWkVBRjhLVSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= One of many.

Yep, years ago we'd keep assorted ones on hand to replace ones we broke/lost.

Thankfully those days are well behind me.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

Is there any way to make this process more painless?

Get yourself some silicone spray.

 

[dishdude]

The 2-piece Toyota ones (and even their 1-piece ones) appear to be constructed from a harder material and do not experience this type of damage.

A few of the ones I've removed on Toyotas have broken. The fastener in your picture can be reused.

 

[Nick1994]

When I used to help my dad at the body shop these worked great at removing and saving clips from mayhem.

 

[The Critic]

Get yourself some silicone spray.

For interior clips, no way!

 

[Deleted member 89374]

For interior clips, no way!

It's either this or destroying the clips. Use the little plastic straw it comes with and spray precisely where you need to. That's what I do.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

"Fir tree" clips are the worst. There isn't really a way to save it more than you did

 

[redhat]

One thing I usually do with fasteners that I'm not happy with is I'll take my digital caliper and measure the ID of the hole and what the "thickness needed to fasten" is and buy a slightly different fastener that'll easily come apart or secure better.

Sometimes too when I can't get OE fasteners or they're just too expensive, I'll improvise in this fashion.

 

[PWMDMD]

When I started tearing my Tundra apart to install an after market stereo the first thing I learned was go onto Amazon and buy a bag of two different different types of clips used. A new one always worked better than reused ones and I think each bag was $5.

 

[CharBaby]

I just keep a fistful of fasteners around for reasons like this because I know I am going to destroy during removal.
If I can reuse it, fine! But I don't want to worry them either..

 

[SubLGT]

Winged clips can be 10X more difficult to remove than fir tree clips. I encountered a lot of them when I replaced an interior wire harness on my Subaru. The clips in blind holes I decapitated easily with a sharp chisel, others I had access to the rear of the clip with needle nose pliers and was able to squeeze the wings and remove the clip without damage. Some people use brute force with large pliers or a large screwdriver.

 

[MattPersman]

They technically expect you to replace them each time so they have the same initial holding power as they did when it was new

50% of them time they break off and I just put a new one on. Sometimes can replace with a 2 piece if it’s and item you may have to remove more frequently like fender liner door panel etc.

 

[64bawagon]

They are too inexpensive to not throw them away and replace them. I have several drawers full of them at home, we used to buy them in bulk at work since a lot of the interiors had to come out to do wiring add ons.

 

[doublebase]

Don’t worry about damaging those, they’ll usually go back in and be fine. I actual,y don’t mind the Christmas tree clips. Toyota clips have their issues too, sometimes those little legs become distorted and it’s tough to get them back in (although the pin does a nice job holding them down/in.