Fender flare clips

Fastenal can order

 

I did the Amazon route. I am not worry about all of the clips fitting right and so far no fender flares went flying yet. Keep in mind you still have to screws holding the fender flairs.

 

Will the same clip for a 2015 fit a 2017? The ones on eBay say up to 2015. Thanks for any input.

 

Probably not then, the shape of the clip likely changed with the 2016 3rd gens

 

That’s what I was thinking too. Anyone know where to get a good price on clips for a third gen?

 

I mean I'm not 100% sure on that but I would take what the vendor says to heart, I'm sure if you search 3rd gen fender flare clips it'll bring up a variety of those vendors. But maybe someone with a 2016+ can confirm

 

How many clips per fender?, just Incase I need some. 2017

 

Just my $0.02 on why there are two types, as @Harry asked above. Using @zero4 's nice picks to explain.

Based on the locations and shape of the clips, the blue ones are supposed to be set first when installing the flare to body. Then the red ones can be pressed in any order you please. That long point is to guide the part into proper position, then the round nose ones will likely align okay.

You can know if I am right by feeling how tightly the clips fit into the flare. If the Blue ones are really tight fitting, they are in fact the datum (install first) clips. The red ones should fit loosely into the flare, so they can float and align/absorb any variation in the hole placement, flare expansion/shrinkage due to temp, etc.

Basically, there are two different types to provide a better fit and make sure it doesn't bind up during install, or pop off when it expands and contracts.

 

Thank you! This saved the day for me. I had a senior moment and took off the liners and flares to deal with some bed rust under the flares without thinking to document the positions of the different color clips.

UPDATE: I finally went out to re-install the fender flares and found that the mounts on the flares have two different sizes to accommodate the different size clips. The RED clips use the smaller rectangular mounts while the BLUE clips use the larger more square mount.

Photo link Here because I can't get a media upload to show the full picture.

 

Post #28 above has insight into this.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fender-flare-clips.585308/page-2#post-22341057

 

This is great stuff!!! Thanks, I have never not found any information I was looking for here. LOVE TW!!

 

The ones I got are opposite and the blues only fit in a specific spot on the flair. The stock blue are wider as the fit into the flair. Place them in the flair first and then into the body

 

That's how I install them also.

 

What’s the easiest way to remove this blue one? The remaining clips were easily removed by turning them, but this one is in a square hole so it can’t be turned. There is one of these stubborn blue clips at each fender.

 

Twist it off. It'll probably break, but that's why everyone is buying new clips.

 

I was able to remove one of the front ones by twisting it off. The other front one broke and I could no longer get a grip on it. I took off 2 of the wheel well liner clips and managed to work my hand in and removed it from behind.

For the two rear clips, I found that I could reach from underneath the truck and remove it from behind.

 

I grab the clips with pliers, rotate 90°, then pull em out. Just did this again last month after I got my truck back from the body shop.

 

Bought the Amazon clips. What a pain in the ass it is to put the flare back on. Gonna try again today.

 

Definitely easier to put the clips in the fender flare, line up and push in the blue ones first and the reds should be perfectly aligned.

 

i didn’t think you could do that as the clips kinda go in the body panel one way but seems to work. I just did one side and trimmed my flare as well. Since I already had half the flare clipped I pushed the others into the flare. Gonna try the other side with all clips in the flare.