Replacing trim that I took off

[GreenV8S]

Sometimes a piece of masking tape over the hole can show where the pin is actually landing when you try to fit it. I'm guessing the panel is out of alignment - it would only need to be a few mm out to prevent the pins from going home.

[CraigyMc]

GreenV8S said:

Sometimes a piece of masking tape over the hole can show where the pin is actually landing when you try to fit it. I'm guessing the panel is out of alignment - it would only need to be a few mm out to prevent the pins from going home.

This is why I referred to bending the panel in an earlier post.

It's the same with a lot of BMW trim bits - they are slightly out of whack until installed and once installed they stay sort of in tension/compression and don't rattle about too much because of it. I think it's an intentional design thing.

[andy43]

CraigyMc said:

GreenV8S said:

Sometimes a piece of masking tape over the hole can show where the pin is actually landing when you try to fit it. I'm guessing the panel is out of alignment - it would only need to be a few mm out to prevent the pins from going home.

This is why I referred to bending the panel in an earlier post.

It's the same with a lot of BMW trim bits - they are slightly out of whack until installed and once installed they stay sort of in tension/compression and don't rattle about too much because of it. I think it's an intentional design thing.

If they use the slide in clips the OP has, I’m convinced the slightly-off design is on purpose as you say, to hold everything slightly off. If they were all perfectly aligned the panel could move in the direction of the slots.

[CraigyMc]

andy43 said:

CraigyMc said:

GreenV8S said:

Sometimes a piece of masking tape over the hole can show where the pin is actually landing when you try to fit it. I'm guessing the panel is out of alignment - it would only need to be a few mm out to prevent the pins from going home.

This is why I referred to bending the panel in an earlier post.

It's the same with a lot of BMW trim bits - they are slightly out of whack until installed and once installed they stay sort of in tension/compression and don't rattle about too much because of it. I think it's an intentional design thing.

If they use the slide in clips the OP has, I’m convinced the slightly-off design is on purpose as you say, to hold everything slightly off. If they were all perfectly aligned the panel could move in the direction of the slots.

The slots for the clips usually have an orientation, you can slide them in either left or right, but not both. BMW often do the slots in an alternating pattern so half are tensed up to the right and half to the left.

The ebay clips often come with a small rubber or felt grommit that helps reduce rattling once everything's back together, that's what I was alluding to when I wrote they were "better" than the OE bits.

Hopefully OP finds some of this thread useful!

[Jakg]

CraigyMc said:

The ebay clips often come with a small rubber or felt grommit that helps reduce rattling once everything's back together, that's what I was alluding to when I wrote they were "better" than the OE bits.

I *think* they are actually different parts (i.e. with/without felt pads) - some of the OE BMW clips have them, some don't (...even on the same panel...). Nicer for sure, though.

[CraigyMc]

Jakg said:

CraigyMc said:

The ebay clips often come with a small rubber or felt grommit that helps reduce rattling once everything's back together, that's what I was alluding to when I wrote they were "better" than the OE bits.

I *think* they are actually different parts (i.e. with/without felt pads) - some of the OE BMW clips have them, some don't (...even on the same panel...). Nicer for sure, though.

They colours/stiffnesses can be different too, even though they look really similar.
I have 3 or 4 bags of these things, BMW and copy laying around somewhere.

The plastic rivnut someone else posted is also something I use, but it's for the Lotus, whose interior is more or less held together with them. Badly.