Need help placing an extra bracket. Also, great headlight restoration!

Discuss any maintenance you've done to your Vibe & Matrix and ask how to perform maintenance on your vehicle
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trevg
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 3:55 pm
Location: Michigan

Need help placing an extra bracket. Also, great headlight restoration!

Post by trevg »

I just did a headlight removal that included taking the front bumper mostly off. While I was working on the passenger side, this piece came off. Does anyone know where it goes?

I’m sure it’s pretty pointless but knowing me, it will be a couple weeks down the road and some annoying rattle will pop up. And it will be this thing’s fault lol.
Bracket
Bracket
2C516383-F9C5-409D-8972-502984DC2083.jpeg (887.21 KiB) Viewed 1196 times
Sharpie cap for scale

Side note: I went from this:
Old lights
Old lights
8092871B-BB58-404B-BA71-776799B51016.jpeg (790.28 KiB) Viewed 1196 times
To this:
New lights
New lights
72D2D99C-A3CC-49AC-84AE-3B0447C55539.jpeg (653.05 KiB) Viewed 1196 times
By stepping through sandpaper grits (400-3000), then Meguiar’s compound, then their polish. Also waiting on protective film to come in. It’s a world of difference for $20 and a couple hours!!
Caretaker

Re: Need help placing an extra bracket. Also, great headlight restoration!

Post by Caretaker »

Ha, ha.... I have one of those pieces in my tool box from my Gen 1 Vibe. It just sits in there taking up space. I'm guessing it might be a bumper-to-wheel well liner clip. Very nice work on the headlights. I just had Sam's Club do mine given their generous warranty.
trevg
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 3:55 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Need help placing an extra bracket. Also, great headlight restoration!

Post by trevg »

Caretaker wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:25 pm Ha, ha.... I have one of those pieces in my tool box from my Gen 1 Vibe. It just sits in there taking up space. I'm guessing it might be a bumper-to-wheel well liner clip. Very nice work on the headlights. I just had Sam's Club do mine given their generous warranty.
Lol guess I’m not the only one who got this little part dropped out of the sky. Thanks for the tip, something to hold the wheel well liner sounds just about right. I’ll clip it around some different places and see if I can find a good home
tpollauf
Posts: 4025
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Toledo/Oregon, Port Clinton Ohio
Contact:

Re: Need help placing an extra bracket. Also, great headlight restoration!

Post by tpollauf »

Nice transformation :D I've been lucky to just polish my lenses right on the car with very fine rubbing/polishing compound and had good results (no sanding required yet). I do it every six months to no longer than once a year. Car always sits outside so it's getting maximum abuse & UV light deterioration :evil: Throw that "now extra clip" in a baggie and keep it in the glove box for future use.
Image
2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
trevg
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 3:55 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Need help placing an extra bracket. Also, great headlight restoration!

Post by trevg »

tpollauf wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 1:08 pm Nice transformation :D I've been lucky to just polish my lenses right on the car with very fine rubbing/polishing compound and had good results (no sanding required yet). I do it every six months to no longer than once a year. Car always sits outside so it's getting maximum abuse & UV light deterioration :evil: Throw that "now extra clip" in a baggie and keep it in the glove box for future use.
I'll have to remember to do it more often if that works well! I tried it once a couple years ago with one of those kits, only got "eh" results (couldn't get rid of the yellow) so now that I've done it once right, I'll be sure to keep it up.
trevg
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 3:55 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Need help placing an extra bracket. Also, great headlight restoration!

Post by trevg »

Caretaker wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:25 pm Ha, ha.... I have one of those pieces in my tool box from my Gen 1 Vibe. It just sits in there taking up space. I'm guessing it might be a bumper-to-wheel well liner clip. Very nice work on the headlights. I just had Sam's Club do mine given their generous warranty.
Found it, turns out you're spot on! If I had kept my mouth shut until I put things back together, I would have figured it out sooner.

This little bracket makes a nice little sandwich: clip, bumper flange, clip, wheel well, clip with post. Then the screw goes through it all and tightens into the post part. Really is a pretty smart way to hold it all together with a screw when you don't have anything to screw into, it's a nut and washers all in one.
tpollauf
Posts: 4025
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Toledo/Oregon, Port Clinton Ohio
Contact:

Re: Need help placing an extra bracket. Also, great headlight restoration!

Post by tpollauf »

trevg wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:15 pm While I was working on the passenger side, this piece came off. Does anyone know where it goes?
Just an FYI ... and some photo proof. Below are good snapshots of that clip and what it holds. Enjoy :D

Image

Image
Image
2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
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