# Repairing broken screwholes **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** mustang, ford\ **Created:** [October 4, 2017, 12:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332 "2017-10-04T00:16:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Morganbored](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Morganbored](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Morganbored)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 12:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/1 "2017-10-04T00:16:08Z")
I’ve got a lovely 2014 Mustang base V6 manual in Deep Impact Blue. Last Wednesday night I (and about a half dozen other suckers) ran over a large piece of black debris at freeway speed, which ripped the chin spoiler, radiator guard, and the passenger side wheel well liner out. As far as I can tell nothing important got hit, and I’ve got replacement parts sitting in my living room, but the problem is that the screwholes in the bumper that secure the chin spoiler and radiator guard have been broken through, leaving nothing to hold the replacement parts in place except friction. Does anybody have a method for repairing something like this? Preferably without zip ties. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/2 "2017-10-04T00:18:55Z")
Sure all of this is not held together with push clips? You can buy those at any car parts store or even Lowes Home Improvement stores. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/3 "2017-10-04T00:24:50Z")
Do you think a J-nut might work? ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/d/d383a99e051aaf8a281c46cf9bd83c238330736e.jpg) If so, ACE hardware sells these. Tester ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/4 "2017-10-04T00:43:58Z")
I agree. I think you need to look at the fastener detail a little closer. I’d be surprised if its anything more than a large hole that the push pins go into. Now I have had the plastic bumper cover rip and make their fastener holes worthless. So if that’s the case you’ll just have to improvise with maybe metal or plastic pieces pop riveted to the bumper cover or something. ---
**Author:** ![Morganbored](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Morganbored](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Morganbored)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/5 "2017-10-04T01:43:53Z")
That’s the fastener that the stock parts use and the replacement came with them already placed and mounted, but the holes they interface with (it’s three parts layered together at a common point) don’t exist on the bumper anymore. Unfortunately not a push pin as I recall, I believe it’s mostly those little fasteners. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/6 "2017-10-04T02:09:13Z")
For that problem I’d probably just glue a nut behind each damaged hole. I should point out however that just today I battled with a security screw, you know the kind you need a special bit to remove. Rather than buying the bit I just used a dremmel tool to cut a slot in the screw head, making it a standard slotted screw. In other words, subtlety isn’t my specialty … lol … ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/7 "2017-10-04T02:13:17Z")
Does your car look like this?: ---
**Author:** ![Morganbored](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Morganbored](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Morganbored)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/8 "2017-10-04T02:31:20Z")
That’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/9 "2017-10-04T02:37:52Z")
I think you’re going to have to acquire this plastic lower panel from the dealer with the J-nuts. Or? Leave the panel off? Tester ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 4:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/10 "2017-10-04T04:24:00Z")
Now I understand but I don’t understand. You can buy the J hooks and they go on the panel I thought you were replacing not on the bumper cover. They go underneath the bumper cover. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 11:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/11 "2017-10-04T11:09:21Z")
Can you just drill new/relocate holes in the bumper cover and chin spoiler to attach it using the J-nuts and screws ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 12:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repairing-broken-screwholes/108332/12 "2017-10-04T12:43:32Z")
All good suggestions here. You just need to get a little clever and figure out the solution. And what is wrong with tie-wraps?? They are cheap to buy, easy to use and you can cut them off and install a new one when you need to remove the panel. It also makes the connection “tear away” if this happens again. Alternatively you can use a small piece of aluminum or stainless steel sheet (1 inch x 2inches or so) glued with epoxy behind the torn-out hole and use a sheet metal screw directly in the metal or use a J-nut and shown in other posts. This kind of repair is pretty durable but if you knock off the undertray again it will do greater damage than the first time!