GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

So the front wheel wells now have holes in them. I'm replacing them ASAP, but I'd like do know: how can I keep this from happening again? I've had the car for 6 years and the holes only just got worn into them within the last week, so I'm guessing some clips finally wore out and the liner came a bit loose?

If it's clips, are there any other clips I should be watching or replacing? I feel ashamed of myself whenever a part starts hanging off because the clip died!

There are many clips like this on plastic around the front end. Check the ones on the splash shield below the rad.

the clips are designed to be sacrificial. they are meant to break and fall off during any hard enough impacts on the bumper/shield/liner or parking block hit. that way the shields stay intact, if only for a little bit until the shield drifts too close to moving parts.

if the clips weren't designed to break off, then the shields will rip and tear. the shields costs a whole lot more than the clips themselves.

unfortunately the only way around it is to stop hitting stuff on the road. or you could secure the clips w heavier clips, but run the risk of ripping or tearing the shield if/when you hit something.

I need to replace a few clips on my fender liners and the body side trim also, and found they are pretty cheap at Oreilly or Autozone, like $5 for 20 clips or so. But first I need to get the front splash shield since the prior owner broke it off somehow, and now the whole bumper cover rattles.

Someone found the fender liners pretty cheap on rockauto.com

Good luck!

Update!

I got the driver's side liner on, but the back part that's held with the self-tapping screws is now without the clips that the screws screw into (due to Dad and me brutally murdering them while pulling the old one off). I don't know where to get these clips or how to install them once I have them because they have a washer-shaped head that fits between the fender and the exterior plastic cladding, then a square plastic peg that sticks through the wheel well liner.

I know, we shouldn't have killed the plastic clips on that part, but I didn't know they were what the old liner was hooked on. I assumed that some rocks had gotten wedged in along with the entire handful of dead leaves I found in there or something

I just used black cable ties in my rear wheelswells after I reinstalled the rear bumper. Cheap & effective. Cant see them anyhow. Good ol' needle nose & they will be super tight LOL.