I was checking out my 05 MINI today when I noticed that the plastic trim above both rear wheels is loose and sticking out a bit.

What do I need to do to keep them from falling off? Anyone else have this issue?

I do not want them to fly off when I am driving down the highway....

 

Not 100% sure on the back fenders but if its like the front ones then you need to go ahead and just pull the whole trim piece off and buy new plastic clips to put it back on. All in all it shoudl take you less than 5 minutes once you have the clips. try talking to a body shop to order the clips rather than MINI.

 

The clips aren't that expensive. It's easier to tell the MINI parts desk what pieces you are removing and they'll set you up with what you need. I haven't checked realoem.com for your year, but my '02 has plastic donut-shaped clips through the middle section that snap onto serrated metal pegs welded to the body. I believe the clips at the ends are different. GatorS is correct in just replacing all of the clips. Also look for any damage on the backside of the trim where the clips slip in. Sometimes they are cracked or broken. A two-part epoxy adhesive for plastic will last a couple years or replace the trim itself.

I stand uncorrected: There are 3 different types of clips. The sketch from realoem.com for the '02 which was the same pic as a 6/2005 for the rear wheel trim.

 

Pelicanparts.com has all those plastic pieces for cheap $15ish, so I just replaced the whole piece instead of worrying about the clips.

 

just push them back on. a firm bump will hold them back in. most likely got pushed or nudged when the car compressed down on the suspension at speed, like on the freeway going over an overpass.

 

Thanks for the link. I will check it out!

Thank you everyone for the feedback!

 

the end of the trim on my '05 came off when I broke a clip. I went to the dealer, told them what I needed and they sold me the clips for like $3. It took my husband less than a minute to reattach it. pretty painless!
good luck!

 

Mine got broken when we were lifting the car a bit to put it on shop lifts, since the car is lowered. The lifting force moved the black plastic moldings in, thus stretching them a bit and causing the clips to snap.

Replacement was a breeze, and Mini dealers know exactly what's needed.

 

thanks! i just ordered mine... the clips on both the right and left front fenders broke off a while ago, and i've just been putting off visiting the dealer.