Installed K&N air filter. Now can't get Top Side panel back on

[Semperfi66]

2015 RT Limited
The two lower pins that go into the grommets will not line up. Tried for an hour until my cussing almost woke the dead.
They are on the curve where the two chrome unremovable screws are. Is there a secret to getting it back together.
The repairs and maintenance are easy its dealing with this stupid tupper ware that sucks. Thanks

[Doc - Riverside]

Apply some grease to the two grommets. Don't install the screw at the back of the glove box yet. Get the forward pin seated in the front grommet. Now with your right hand gently pull the bottom corner of the panel out while pushing in with your left hand between the two silver screws. It's a combination of pushing and pulling on the panel to reduce the distance between the two plastic pins so the rear one pops into the grommet. Then install the rest of the screws.

[Bob Denman]

Sometimes, it helps if you've got a second pair of hands to help get stuff lined-up...
What is keeping things from lining up?
Does the panel not set down into place correctly?
Take a walk, get something cold to drink, and shake it from your mind for about a half-hour...
Sometimes, you need to give your brain a little bit of "breathing room"...

Good luck!

[Semperfi66]

Still no luck will try again in the morning thanks for the come backs

[SpyderAnn01]

I don't agree with greasing the grommets, this could make them fall out. We spray a little windex in the grommet which serves as a temporary lubricant. The key to getting those 2 posts in is to insert the front one first then bow the rear end of the panel and insert the back prong. Sometimes it helps to get on the ground so you are at eye level with it.

[Bensonoid]

The pin that is bent at an angle is indexed. If it is loose at all it might be pointing the wrong way and need to be oriented correctly and tightened down again. If you look at the base of it you'll see where it aligns with a bump in the Tupperware.

[Doc - Riverside]

Yesterday while reinstalling the front panel on a friends RT that I am doing LED up grades I discover a simplier way to pop the upper side panel in place. First locate the panel over the 4 screw hole, then pop the back plastic pin into the grommet next apply some inward pressure to the bottom corner of the forward pin. The panel will bow slightly and the pin will pop into the grommet. To verify this method I had to reinstall the top panels on my RT as I had it apart to get a part the is no longer needed on mine to fix an issue I encountered on her machine. Same results. Align the panel, pop in the back pin and apply inward pressure on the fordard pin and it pops into the front grommet.

I don't agree with greasing the grommets, this could make them fall out. We spray a little windex in the grommet which serves as a temporary lubricant. The key to getting those 2 posts in is to insert the front one first then bow the rear end of the panel and insert the back prong. Sometimes it helps to get on the ground so you are at eye level with it.

Interesting that grease can cause the grommets to pop out. This is the first time I have heard that grease is an abrasive. The only way a grommet can be dislodged is trying to install a pin into a dry grommet or the pin is misaligned and pushes the grommet out. This grommet problem was first noted on the 2010 RTs. side panel that had to be removed to check the oil. BRP instructed the dealers to glue the grommets in place and to lightly grease the grommets to aid in installing the panel. The grease should be a silicon based grease as it won't deteriorate the rubber. I use Molykote 55. When applying the grease only put a thin coat on the inside of the grommet. By using the grease one can remove and install the panel without caring a bottle of windex around in the trunk ( Checking the oil on your 998 engine while on the raod).