Plastic popits

How do these things install? I have a couple under the car that are hanging there, but are loose. They are not fully seated. Do I just apply pressure to these things to get them to seat?

Yes, just push it in all the way should fix the problem. Let us know.

I am wondering if they are possibly broken. I push on them and nothing happens. The round part in the middle is fully seated in the washer part, but the whole assembly is hanging down underneath the car. But it is still hanging on by something, because it wont completely fall out of the car. Does that make sense?

It probably came loose from whatever it was supposed to anchor to. Pop the middle part and pull it out. See if it there is a hole that it wiggled out of. If so, just "pop it" back in. NBD. Worst case, maybe you've got some rust and there's nothing to anchor to.

 

Here's a good site for replacements if you end up needing them. Don't pay the dealer $6+ EACH:

 

http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/Subaru_Grill_Bumper_Clips_s/304.htm

As already mentioned, the pop it is probably only going through one of the two panels it is supposed to be holding together. Pop the center portion of the pop it out, and then try and pinch the two body panels (or whatever the pop it is going into) together. While pinching the two panels together, push the pop its outside washer portion in as far as you can, then push the center of the pop it in to lock the pop it in place. I'm not sure of the which pop its your referring to so they may not be going into body panels, but you get the idea.

 

Just to reiterate with a picture.. The area circled in green may be sandwiched between the two body pieces, preventing it from holding the body piece snugly in place. What also might be happening is one of the pop it arms circled in orange may have broken off, which is preventing the pop it from fitting snugly in the hole.

Thanks for that link, already added to my favorites. apexi, thank you very much for that excellent post. The popits I am referring to are on the underside of the bumper. The ones that are loose, are connecting the bumper to a piece of plastic on the underside of the car. I am guessing like you said, that either one of the little arms is broken off, or the popit is sandwiched between the two panels. I will take a closer look at this. Thanks again.

NAPA has a catalog for those with cheaper prices.

Well, I took out the popits today, and they are not broken. I put them back in and they are still just hanging there. Not sure what the problem is. It is the popit on the passenger side of the front bumper. It connects a little tab on the bottom of the front bumper to a plastic cover plate on the underside of the car.

I had a lot of trouble with those popits when I was putting my front bumper back on my car. The problem I had is that the plastic plate under the car that sits above the underside of the front bumper is very flexible. So when I pushed the popit up through the front bumper cover, it would push up on the plastic plate, and not go through the hole in the plastic plate. So basically what I think is happening is the pop it is going through your bumper, and not through the hole in the plastic plate. You have to find a way to push down on the plastic plate to force the popit through the plastic plate, otherwise when you push upward on the popit, the popit is just going to push up on the plastic plate hole and not go all the way through it. I could be wrong, but that's what kept on happening to me.

Could also be the wrong size pop-it. there are a bunch of different sizes of these on our cars

Its very possible it was the wrong size. Its almost like it was a little too small for the hole. Since the four "fingers" flare out and create a tapered surface, I added two washers underneath the plastic washer that is built into the popit, and it is now snug.

I'm still thinking it's not catching the plastic underbody piece, and the washers just make it so that the popit seems snug because it's only going through one body panel. I think the popits are probably the right size, but if the bumper cover holes and the holes in the plastic underbody don't line up properly, it could be like trying to push the popit through a hole thats too small.

I double checked this, and it is indeed through both pieces. It is through the bumper and the piece of plastic cover underneath the car. Good suggestion though.