Hood Bulge Problem

Hi everyone, new member and just purchased a 2018 CrewMax. So I noticed the hood bulge wasn't properly secured but I figured some new clips would do the trick. I put new clips on and they go into the holes in hood but there's nothing to "catch" on so they just slide right back out. Seems like something is missing that the clips catch on when inserted into the holes in hood. The dealer had no clue what I was talking about. Five clips at top of hood bulge and three at the bottom. Can someone help me figure out what piece I'm missing?

 

Grab a pack of these. Fit nice and snug.

$10 GOOACC 100pcs Trim Door Panel Retainer Clips Sienna Corolla Camry Tacoma Tundra Sequoia Matrix Prius RAV4 Scion Avalon Land Cruiser Replace 90467-1018890467-A0005 9mm Hole

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0B6VJQ356?ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

The hood bulge clip is a known issue. Check to see if any of the brackets were cracked. Almost all of mine were and I had to epoxy them together.

 

I got a kit like this on Amazon and usually try out different clips on my cars until one looks the same or fits right.

 

make sure the clips are in securely. Mine was not and the whole hood bulge flew off at highway speed and scared the S*** out of me. Now I need a replacement.

 

My 15 hood bulge was poking up. Took it off and found broken clips. Used Marine Tex epoxy to fix clips and it seems to be holding. Seems to be a common issue.

 

Toyota changed to a different clip around 2018 or 2019.

 

The hood bulge is a two person installation. While one individual press down on top of the bulge above each screw, to match the hood height, the other person will secure the screw tightly. I installed the bulge light bar several months ago and utilized the above method without problems.

 

I removed and reinstalled my hood bulges numerous times by myself and never needed extra hands

 

^^This. Very easy one person job.

 

lol two people for a hood bulge

 

I bought the Amazon kit Thursday and my bulge popped out on the way to work Friday! Ha! Annoying as my bracket os 100% broken as why it popped out...I with try some epoxy first by may just replace it for a newer chrome one...yowza!

 

Can confirm these are the best ones and hold well

$7 GOOACC for Toyota Trim Door Panel Clips Retainer for Tacoma Tundra Camry Corolla Avalon Sienna Replace OEM: 90467-10188，9mm Hole - 40pcs

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040CTTH4

 

hope you can fix it. New ones are crazy expensive for some reason. Even on Sparksparts

 

Me either..

Hell I can remove the entire grill, replace the headlight bulbs, and put it back together in 15 minutes or less.
No longer have to do that after the 2018+ OEM LED upgrade and LED bulbs for the rest of it..

Although I did end up replacing my hood bulge a couple years ago.
One of the mounts broke and of all the glues and epoxies I tried, none of them would hold.

 

I noticed the white clips on the hood bulge I recently upgraded to were somewhat loose before I installed it on my truck. They wouldn't fall out of the plastic mount positions on the bulge but they did jiggle when touched and I could see that being an issue once installed. What I did and do for all plastic clips that hold pieces and panels in place on my vehicle is wrap a little bit of teflon tape around the barrel section that slides into the plastic mount and holds the clip in place. A couple of wraps around that section is enough to hold the clip in it's mount securely and helps the part stay in place once installed. I saw a video online of a guy doing a stereo upgrade that required removing door panels and he recommended dong this to prevent vibration of the panel. I've found it helps hold the part in place a lot better too since the clip can't slide around. My new hood bulge went in without any issues and hasn't moved or come unclipped since install.

Hope this helps some of you...

You could also reinforce the clip mount locations (total of 5) on the bulge with some JBWeld to prevent them from breaking loose. Those locations seem like a weak point in the part and considering the amount of vibration the bulge experiences on a daily basis I don't think it would hurt to beef those up a bit. Just my two cents...