Fender Flare Clips - Whats the Trick?

[FLUndertaker]

What’s the over/under on how many of the white plastic clips I will break when swapping my factory fenders? I’ve seen videos where people violently remove (yank) their fenders off and don’t break a single clip. I’ve also heard accounts of breaking every single one. Is there a trick to not breaking them? Warmer weather? I have new to me fenders (Rubi) ready to go one but the clips aren’t cheap and there’s a bunch of them, like 40 ish I believe. Obviously I don’t want to buy them if I won’t need them nor do I want to wait a week or longer for them to come in. I can’t drive the jeep without any flares on it so pulling them to find out how it’s going to go is not really feasible..

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[ecidiego]

They're $1 each online. I'd just order 11 for each fender you're yanking and then not care.

 

[FLUndertaker]

They're $1 each online. I'd just order 11 for each fender you're yanking and then not care.

My local parts store has them for $3.99 each and I saw them online for 7.99 each from the mopar parts houses. Are they same as JK clips? If so I see them on Amazon for a little over a buck apiece.

 

[3VOLVE]

Amazon is your friend, I bought a box of 50 for around $9.

 

[Volksparts]

No they are not the same for the JK. I just had to replace a few clips and used some of my old black JK clips but I had to make the holes in the fender bigger. But...I would highly advise against using the stock white ones instead. One thing I did to remove mine was I was able to either reach from behind by pulling back the fender liner and pinching each clip. Or the other option was pulling the fender slightly away and using a skinny screwdriver to pry them out safely. But I still think if you can pull back the fender liner and get it from behind each clip it's the cleaner way to do it and will save a lot of your clips.

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

2-3 will break every time.

I can guarantee it.

 

[sass JT]

If you can reach under your inner fender and to each clip from behind, you can use a needle nosed plier and pinch while you pull.
More than likely your gonna break a few and having backups is always good. You never know when you gonna need them again.
Personally, I’ve done the “just yankem method…” I got tired of wasting time trying to making sure they didn’t break. But I also had two of my fender start pulling out anyways and break clips.

good luck!

 

[3VOLVE]

Mine “yank” themselves on the trail. ?

 

[MCATDT]

The trick for me is finding them on Amazon JK clips all over but no JL/JT. I'm getting ready to do some fender work (chop and coat with bed liner) and trying to gather up my parts and wanted to have some for backup and nothing.

 

[Roguesalt]

You can use a clip pry and not break any

 

[FLUndertaker]

Update:

I worked on this today. I punched out the centers of the plastic rivets along the flare edge so I could remove the inner liner. This allowed me to get access to the backside of the white clips that actually hold the flares to the body.I used a needle nose pliers and was able to squeeze the back while pulling the flare away. I only broke 1 per side on the rears and this is because it’s a blind hole, you cannot get access to it from the rear so there’s no choice but to just jerk the flare off and break the clip.
So yeah, only need 2 new clips for the rears, the rest are reusable but now the problem is that I have to replace 6-7 plastic rivets per flare to reattach the outer edge of the inner liner to the flare. Autozone doesn’t carry the right ones so I went to the dealer. Dave the parts guy was super cool. He said the rivers are $4.35 each from FCA, I about choked. I needed 25. Then he asked me if I had the setting tool. Ummmmm…..no. I was about to walk out and rethink this whole project when he said, I’ll loan you ours if you promise to return it and I’ll give you the rivets for free. He said the dealership pays $.12 each. To say I was grateful is an understatement. Free parts and use of their tool. Talk about great service. I got the liners riveted on and returned the tool inside 2 hours. I have the white clips coming and hope to get the rears installed this week. The fronts will go on next weekend.
a bonus is that with the new Rubi flares for the front I was able to install the diode dynamics clear side light while the flare was off.
Now if I can find a set of LED lights for the front flares. I have led bulbs for halogen lamps but they aren’t nearly as good.

 

[Gatorized]

Amazon is your friend, I bought a box of 50 for around $9.

Link?

 

[XJADDICTION]

Here is the formula to calculate how many will break by pulling fenders off
violently…

∣x+1−x2∣=2(2x2−1)∣x+1−x2

 

[Jammer]

When putting new fender liners and fenders on or like doing the chop kit how do you cover up those white clips I know one company sells a boat that goes over it because I don't want to see white clips all up underneath there

 

[Gatorac]

Fender Clips
Rivets with tool.
Just rivets

Pinching the fender clips on the back side with needle nose works great. You can also unclip several along the side and then pull the fender up. This will leave the rivets in the body and the fender slides off of them. You still have to get them out though. The lowest one on the back edge of the front fender is the most critical to get disconnected. The plastic that it goes through can break pretty easy. Don't ask how I know.....

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