Plastic clips are very common fasteners used in cars. Clips hold almost all non-metallic components: from interior trim and moldings to bumpers, engine casing and hood noise insulation.
Why are clips used in cars so widely? First, they are soft and do not damage the plastic. More, they are essential "weaker links" of the design. Breaking fastening clips is cheaper than breaking a part itself. You should replace the clips regularly, or your car will creak, rattle and flutter.
Why Do Plastic Clips Break?
Clips can break because of two main factors:
- Environmental impact. Ultraviolet light destroys all polymers. Low temperature makes the plastic brittle, and high temperature under the hood overheats it, so it dries up and crumbles. Thus clips cannot be reused in many units, they just crumble when removed.
- Mechanical Impact Clips can be easily deformed by impact, for example, in a small accident bumper clips break first. Incorrect dismantling is even more common reason. A special tool is used to remove clips, for example, Masuma V-009 trim removal tool kit. If you remove clips with a knife or a slotted screwdriver, the clips will break easily.
But even careful dismantling with a special tool barely allows to save all the clips. So, it is better to stock up applicable clips for your car ahead of time.
Replacement of OEM Retainers: Masuma Clips
The price of original clips is not a problem (in general, they are inexpensive), but their availability is. More precisely, you cannot just buy them, you have to order and wait. The logistics is the reason, since transporting small parts is difficult and wasteful. Many online stores just cancel such "problematic" orders.
Masuma Clips are the Way Out Our catalog lists over 1880 clips types. This is not a typo, the range of our clips is really about 2 thousand wide. Actually, Masuma offers clips for attaching any element of the car trim.
Selection of Clips by OEM No and Size
How to select the proper clips? Most clips in the Masuma catalog are tagged with the OEM numbers of the original clips they replace. Once you search the OEM number at masuma.com, you will see a corresponding clip.
If you do not know the OEM number or it is missing in the catalog, you can select clips according to the sample. Many car shops have stands with Masuma clips, where you can compare them with original in real and find the right one. Also you can match clips online according to their shape and size at the Masuma website.
Select the type of your clip, specify its dimensions in the next step, and the online selector will show you all the options.