Help!
I did an 500 mile oil change today. I have one part-piece that caused, and is still causing, an extreme level of frustration.
The plastic "pop out" fastener connecting the front air dam and the skid plate, I still have not gotten it out. I had remove both the aid dam and skid plats with that plastic fastener still connected.
Attached pictures show some of this.
I tried four different tools to try to pop it out. Two flat-hear screwdrivers and two pry tools. I backed off when using the plastic pry tool, because it – the tool -- was about to snap (break). I destroyed about half of the flange-head of the fastener (see pic) using the metal pry tool.
I haven’t reattached the two plates, yet. The pics show them on my garage floor.
I want to remove the fastener before reattaching both plates to the vehicle, but I can’t think of a way to remove the fastener without destroying it. Any ideas on this would be really, really helpful right about now.
It’s possible I am missing something in how this fastener should pop out. I looked closely at the video, at 03:42 you mention pop out with a flat head. Other write ups on here, and on club lexus, all say the same, it pops right out. I suspect I am the unfortunate 1 out of thousands that runs into a problem with this simple part.
My tentative backup plan is maybe use a Dremel tool to drill out the fastener body, or just cut the plastic if I can do so without scratching the paint on the metal skid plate (future rust). Then remount the two pieces without the fastener in place, and separately get a replacement fastener and pop it in place.
