So I’ve been thinking about replacing the black push pin plastic rivets/body panel clips with rivnuts and bolts. This is on my own daily driver. This would allow for easier removal of splash guards, fender liners, trunk liners etc… This would allow for quicker and easier removal of these items. Even with proper pliers to remove these plastic clips, it seems that sometimes excessive prying is required, and I get worried about denting or scratching something. Not only that, sometimes despite my best intentions, these plastic clips just brake upon their removal.
Would there be any negatives in replacing these plastic clips with rivnuts and bolts? As I find the need to remove these plastic clips, I can replace them with something different that is easier to remove.
I have never stripped a riv-nut before. Yea I could imagine, bolt would spin with the riv-nut, would be a pain to drill out. Go to drill it out and the bolt spins with the riv-nut.
How have you stripped a riv-nut before? Is it just if you apply to much torque on the fastener and overtighten it? I was thinking very like fender liners, very little torque would be required.
Two words rust. (Couldn’t help it). Plastic doesn’t rust like those nuts do. If you ever worked on some of the older cars with rusted sheet metal screws, you’d never mind the plastic. As a non mechanic though without all the special tools, I just use a side cutter to pop them out.
I expect that’s the better solution. It’ 's usually possible to find those plastic fasteners available by mail from an on-line store, inexpensive. Buy a bunch of them, then you can just replace them with new when they break.
All good replies but nothing to keep the OP from asking the same question in different ways to get the same results Like watching a movie ten times and hoping for a different ending.
Keeping a stock of all the weirdo plastic fasteners on hand that the typical diy’er encounters is a definite pain. I expect that is the OP’s motivation for asking if there’s a better alternative. Buying them mail-order presents challenges too. For example, will they actually fit? Will the mail order company steal my credit card number and pass it out to the dark web folks? Unfortunately, these sort of parts can’t be purchased from the local 7-11 display rack.
Napa has a good variety of those push pins. I have a variety I’ve accumulated over the years in those plastic drawer organizers. Usually have what I need. They don’t sell bread there though.
