Front bumper bracket stuck on
 

Hello i have a 2013 BRZ. i was trying to remove the bumper bracket the dealer put on but the bolt just spins. its drilled into the plastic. I really dont want to take the whole bumper off. here is a picture of the bracket i have. any help would be appreciated.

Gently yet firmly pull on the bracket to put tension on the bolt. This will pull the bolt enough so that the threads can engage and unscrew. You may have to try some different angles to find one that will do.

^yep. you might also be able to squeeze a scratch awl in there to attempt to hold the grommet. the official mounting procedure is to use expanding rubber grommets with a threaded insert inside them. they're extremely prone to spinning once they're torqued, and holding that shape for a while.

Ok I’ll give it another shot, I held it at a few angles. If all else fails I can just pull the bumper. I gotta buy some of the plastic pop screws though. Thanks!

When I picked up my car the dude came out to switch the plates with a heavy duty screw gun in his hand! I told him I would do it myself thankyouverymuch.

Lol, which doesn't make sense at all, as all plates now go into plastic fasteners these days..the dealer i worked at only ever used hand tools.


Those won't work in this situation at all because they are only intended to lightly hold on to a screw in a limited-reach situation.

My grandfather's old claw screwdriver would grab a screw head quite firmly and lock the tip into the slots. I used it several times to pull screws out of stripped plastic in situations exactly like this. Maybe you just have shitty tools.

But the problem here is not grip on the screw. The problem is the rubber expandable fastener that was placed into the bumper is spinning- a method is required to stop it from spinning while loosening the screw, and that screwdriver is only acting on the screw.

And I'm offended you think i have cheap tools. I buy only the best harbor freight has to offer. But only with 20% off coupons.