It’s time to surrender. The innumerable types of plastic pop rivets now used to hold instrument panels, body trim or body panels in place on modern farm equipment or vehicles have taken over the world. To efficiently work with them makes it necessary to buy special pliers or tools to remove those annoying plastic fasteners.
Yes, you can drill out their plastic center and then punch or pry loose the remaining bits and pieces. Yes, it’s also possible to carefully pry them up and out with a screwdriver. But you will inevitably slip with the drill bit or screwdriver and leave a lovely scar on the surrounding surface.
There are dozens of different types of plastic push rivets, and nearly as many tools to remove them. Many can be removed with a universal plastic rivet removal tool; others require a tool designed specifically for that particular rivet. Either way, tools to remove plastic rivets are available at most auto parts stores or on Amazon for $10 to $15. You might as well order a bag or box of replacement rivets, too, because trying to reuse those rivets is a waste of time.
It’s frustrating to have to spend money on yet another special tool, but having the right tool to remove those #@$%&! plastic rivets is...priceless.
