New rear bumper rubber strip mounting screw too big?

[Rant6]

I'm replacing the old and rusted hardware on my rear bumper after completing an engine rebuild. I bought two new rubber strips from Pelican for the rear bumper. I also ordered the actual Porsche branded screws that go through the holes on the inner mounting points. I wanted to insure that I got the right size head and thread so I wouldn't have any issues with what looked like a tight fit between the screw head and the hole. But as you can see in the picture the head of the screw is much larger than the hole, and I can't get it pressed into the hole. (The screw HEAD has to go down inside the hole.) I was not able to force the head into the hole. Also, the hole is the same circumference all the way through, so I don't really know what the screw is holding onto other than just being stuffed tightly into the hole. Is that right or is this just a case of crappy Chinese parts?
Thanks.

[Snwmble]

If i remember correctly i pushed the screw into the rubber hole and the head of the screw will stop it from going thru the other end. I think there is a some metal washer built into the rubber (that you can’t see) that keeps it together when you tighten.

[Snwmble]

Also there is a rubber or plastic cap that covers the hole ones you’ve got it screwed into the bumper. I used some generic Amazon black plugs i had to cover the holes.

[Rant6]

OK thanks for the info. I was trying to push the screw head into the hole head first from the under side, so maybe the metal in the rubber was keeping it from going in. I'll try pushing it in from the outer side. My car was missing the plastic caps. I think my local Ace Hardware has a ton of that kind of stuff, so I'll see if I can find something that fits the holes.

[1989Carrera]

It’s a crappy reproduction. Look at the ones you removed.

[Snwmble]

Agreed. Guaranteed you’ll have stress cracking around the bends in a couple months. Ask me how i know

[76FJ55]

Have you compared the new screw to the old one or tested the size of the screw to make sure it threads into the bumper? Just to verify that they didn't accidently ship the wrong hardware?

[Rant6]

Originally Posted by Snwmble

Agreed. Guaranteed you’ll have stress cracking around the bends in a couple months. Ask me how i know

Great.

I was able to push the screws into the holes from the outside, but while doing so I found that, after getting past the outer "skin", one strip has a cavity inside the hole for the head to fit into and a "ledge" at the bottom for the screw head to hold the strip down while the other one (that I had been working with before I posted) just has a straight through hole that the screw head has to be squeezed down into with no apparent "ledge" at the bottom. I bought these at different times, (months ago), and so I must have bought two different brands.

Thanks.

[Snwmble]

that may be true too. It may just hold from the pressure of the rubber against the head of the screw. At the end of the day the bumperette should keep it all together once you install that.

In my case i deleted the bumperettes, but didn't have an issue with that screw not holding without it. I pre-bent my trim before installing to allow it to conform to the curvature of the bumper, and fit flush

[Rant6]

Thanks for all of the comments. I managed to get everything installed. Snwmble I like your car without the bumperettes. I've never liked those big rubber things on my car, and when I had the bumper off I thought about taking it to my local body shop and having the holes filled in and the whole thing painted, but after a long engine rebuild I really just wanted to get the car back on the road. Thx.

[Snwmble]

Glad you got it all fitted looks great! Keep an eye out on the cracking trim. I had ordered two sets and both started stress cracking after a couple months. I’m just going to live with it.